Unleash the advanced driving physics of Forza Motorsport 4 on a Test Drive Unlimited –style open-road environment, and you get Forza Horizon , a new spinoff from Microsoft's acclaimed racing series.

+ Enormous stable of responsive and tunable licensed cars; + Exceptional graphics with long draw distances

? Where are the real Colorado landmarks

I don't want to be Master Chief. I don't want to be Shepard, the Vault Dweller, or John Marston. Sure they're awesome and undeniably badass, but their existences are stressful, difficult and ultimately miserable.

A staggering amount of stuff to do; Multiplayer that features cat and mouse and infected modes; It looks gorgeous; sounds gorgeous and plays gorgeously

An inevitable dearth of content you'll have to buy later; Nighttime driving can be challenging at 200 mph; If you don't like Skrillex; you're sorta screwed

PlayGround Games delivers a new spin on the Forza franchise with pleasing results. Our full review.

+ Slick presentation; + Controls are great; + Tons of events to complete; + Visuals are superb

Track variety; Microtransactions litter the world

I've been trying to peg Forza Horizon since its announcement earlier this year, but Turn 10 and Playground Games never gave it to us straight. Is it more of a racing sim? Or a casual, arcade-style thing? Somewhere in-between?

There's a serious problem with the variety of racing games you can get on your console or PC, and few developers seem to want to do anything about it. Serious sims on PC are extremely meticulous in their physics and handling, but amateur modders are left to add unofficial versions of real cars...

As far as realistic racing games go, the Forza Motorsport series has always managed to bridge the gap between realism and approachability, allowing for a much wider audience to enjoy a fantastic racing experience.

Seamless open world experience

- Lack of custom race editor

Wispy clouds hang over the Colorado mountaintops, jet streams of cool air shape them running down the rock face, long shadows hide them in sharp relief. The sun starts to rise above the horizon – igniting the sky into velvet oranges and crimson reds.

It's Forza on the open road; Lots of variety.

Nothing major of note

An exceptional open-world racer, burdened slightly by the series' heritage and all the expectations that the Forza brand brings.

Accomplished open-road direction; Loaded with charisma; Excellent portrayal of empowerment and freedom

Missing some signature Forza elements

The gaming silly season is in full swing as developers unleash what they feel will be a festive hit. It's the time of year when a vast array of triple-A titles are released on a week by week basis leading up to Christmas, hoping to claim the coveted number one spot.

I admit it; I am a driving game fan, from arcade based to sim-oriented racers I try to play them all.  I also admit that I have been a Forza fan since the game was first launched on the original Xbox and I have played every incarnation since the franchise's beginning.