• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Forza Horizon demo impressions

DD

Member
This guy on flickr took some screenshots of the demo. Amazing how the game is almost free of aliasing. The IQ is superb!

8071711999_4055bf3845_b.jpg


8071708180_def74ff88c_b.jpg


8071714416_6703fa085d_b.jpg


8071710893_9219a4ca4d_b.jpg


8071719105_ae8f36e17f_b.jpg


8071709596_de7f50835a_b.jpg


8071716026_8e3bcb42f7_b.jpg


8071717473_ff8acea6d5_b.jpg


8071707036_6d789e8ac3_b.jpg
 

The_Monk

Member
^ Those shots looks very nice. I always think, hmm I have to tune up my LCD Settings to get the better image possible but I'm such an amateur when it come to such thing.
 
PGR4 has some nice weather effects and really great sounding cars but I don't get what is so great about the driving model at all.


^^^
Jaggy free but the image is soft, is it definatley 720p? Could be using post processing anti aliasing. Looks fab regardless.
 

derFeef

Member
PGR4 has some nice weather effects and really great sounding cars but I don't get what is so great about the driving model at all.

My most driven racing game to date. Sooo many hours - it brought my 360 six feet under and my original gamertag is gone because of this game (recovery was somehow messed up).
It was just plain fun and looked ace. But Horizon is more suited for me, I love the open roads, the vistas, the cruising, etc. Will it be my new favourite racer? Can't tell without the full game but it's looking good.
 

sneaky77

Member
I am kind of on the fence with this title. I see the potential the demo was ok the graphics are good. but I see the disconnect with the driving and the dudebrotitude. I need to try it with the wheel too.
I didnt like not being able to see upcoming traffic until I hit them head on half the time.
 
My most driven racing game to date. Sooo many hours - it brought my 360 six feet under and my original gamertag is gone because of this game (recovery was somehow messed up).
It was just plain fun and looked ace. But Horizon is more suited for me, I love the open roads, the vistas, the cruising, etc. Will it be my new favourite racer? Can't tell without the full game but it's looking good.

I bought PGR4 day one, a couple of days before the release date thinking about it, Winter sunset Nordschleife was amazing but it was just a throwaway arcade game, didn't feel any better to drive than MSR.
 

shinnn

Member
I have pics in my minus account for those interested

http://minus.com/mB0OAru3oHT82

Just played the WRC3 demo with joypad, and the rumble is very subtle too. Don't remember how it was in DIRT. Maybe they dropped the rumble to not dry the batteries so fast, since the game is open world, theres no menus and you are driving most of the time.

Time to buy a new wired controller.
 
I can see the traffic a mile away, not really had a problem with car's getting in the way myself. The sat-nav voice is the best thing as in other games like burnout and NFS I am constantly looking at the mini map, with this game I just listen for the ques.
 
There are no cars left to model - they've all been done already..! (except open wheelers, natch).

well, that's kind of what i said. without Forza 4 having already modelled a bunch of cars Horizon wouldn't have been (possibly) a lower budgeted project.

or to turn it around another way, even if they could at this point just recycle models etc to make cut price Forza Horizon sequels, they could do the exact same thing for Forza Motorsport sequels. if the games share engines/programming etc, then they spread out the costs by having two different franchises.

i'm sure Codemasters save loads on their costs by sharing all their technology between three or four different racing brands. if Horizon does well, i don't see Motorsport getting dropped, because part of the appeal of doing something like this is taking all that work that Turn 10 have done, and getting more out of it.
 

derFeef

Member
Yeah traffic is no problem really, and they flash most of the time. The only pop-in I noticed are some road markers or how they are called, the yellow ones.
 

DD

Member
I have pics in my minus account for those interested

http://minus.com/mB0OAru3oHT82

Just played the WRC3 demo with joypad, and the rumble is very subtle too. Don't remember how it was in DIRT. Maybe they dropped the rumble to not dry the batteries so fast, since the game is open world, theres no menus and you are driving most of the time.

Time to buy a new wired controller.

Cool, thanks for sharing!

Offtopic: what's your opinion on WRC 3? Is the demo available on the brazilian Xbox Live?
 
You're missing out on one of the greatest racers this gen... PGR4.

The fidelity in the environments is still unmatched.

30fps is good when done right with motion blur.

This.

I had major concerns about Forza Horizon and had no plans of picking it up. The demo totally changed my opinion and I ordered it last night.

I will say, however, that I will forever miss PGR. Those city environments are still stunning and the track layout was phenomenal.
 

Mascot

Member
Serious question: what's the big appeal of 'cruising' in a videogame? A lot of people in various FH threads seem to be really looking forward to just driving around the map for hours on end without any particular goal in mind. Won't it get a bit boring, feel a bit pointless? Especially on such a small map?
 

Sethos

Banned
Serious question: what's the big appeal of 'cruising' in a videogame? A lot of people in various FH threads seem to be really looking forward to just driving around the map for hours on end without any particular goal in mind. Won't it get a bit boring, feel a bit pointless? Especially on such a small map?

Taking in scenery, enjoying the feel of a car, enjoying the freedom or just sitting back and relaxing with a drive can be exciting for some gamers. Some people enjoy train simulators others study sims. There is no such thing as 'boring', just subjective opinions.
 

Seanspeed

Banned
I have no idea where you're coming from with the handling issue, for me to experience understeer I literally have to keep accelerating and not brake or attempt to coast once.

I also race with no assists with manual/clutch on, same way I race in Forza 4.
Same here. Handling is fine. Forgiving and predictable, not real weighty, but weighty enough. No overly understeery or oversteery characteristics. Feels nice and enjoyable enough if you're not expecting anything too sim-like.
 

cbox

Member
Serious question: what's the big appeal of 'cruising' in a videogame? A lot of people in various FH threads seem to be really looking forward to just driving around the map for hours on end without any particular goal in mind. Won't it get a bit boring, feel a bit pointless? Especially on such a small map?

I played midtown madness 2 and mafia alone for their cruising aspects. Sometimes you don't need a goal in mind, and all you want to do is waste some time going for a drive.

It's relaxing.
 

Brandon F

Well congratulations! You got yourself caught!
Demo was alright. Playing with a wheel felt perfectly fine, though I had an impossible time managing to keep up with the pack or my rivals on a difficulty setting above Normal.

The entire time I kept thinking I should just snag Dirt 2 or 3 sometime, which I never bought. The open world stuff is probably not very indicative of the content going by this demo, but I saw very little substance there(aside from breaking signs and running speedgates for potential achievements).

I really dug the race against the plane.

Loadtimes could be better.

Not sure if I'll get this or Most Wanted. As a huge fan of Burnout Paradise, I am going to hold off and see what Criterion is delivering. I am happy to see the Forza brand break away from the sterile "simulator" experience, but I was left far too curious about what the game will ultimately entail as I was unimpressed by the open-world concept. If the game delivers more creative variety comparable to racing planes, then I'll take a closer look at release.
 
I thought the handling was crap until I realized I was driving the Lancer and not the Viper after the first race (not sure how I missed the wheel not being on the left).
 
Serious question: what's the big appeal of 'cruising' in a videogame? A lot of people in various FH threads seem to be really looking forward to just driving around the map for hours on end without any particular goal in mind. Won't it get a bit boring, feel a bit pointless? Especially on such a small map?

Imagine this: Coming from work, dealing with kid and wife, after kid is asleep, sorting out the mess in the house, by this time of the day I am pretty much exhausted, and most of the time i need something to relax. And what is better then to drive/cruise aimlessly, and just relax, listen to a good album/band/songs. Sometimes it's hard to concentrate for additional 2 hours just to be competitive in online races.
I only wish that there could be more traffic in game.
 

shinnn

Member
Cool, thanks for sharing!

Offtopic: what's your opinion on WRC 3? Is the demo available on the brazilian Xbox Live?

I'm not really into rally. The demo is fun, the driving looks solid. I think it only available in EU marketplace. Got it from digiex.

Jump time! lol

iAN5flkY2Qcy2.gif
ibfliCIQvoYKbQ.gif
iXkSCvHgpdWgb.gif
 

derFeef

Member
Serious question: what's the big appeal of 'cruising' in a videogame? A lot of people in various FH threads seem to be really looking forward to just driving around the map for hours on end without any particular goal in mind. Won't it get a bit boring, feel a bit pointless? Especially on such a small map?

What was already said :). Plus I have my TDU buddy who will join me. Most of the time we met in TDU we just drove around in a realistic manner, stopped by car dealers etc, had some races. It's just relaxing and fun driving around in a car you adore. And I don't know if the map is that small really, felt okay to me. TDU will still be unbeatable in that regard, but it had it's downsides.
 

Arucardo

Member
What was already said :). Plus I have my TDU buddy who will join me. Most of the time we met in TDU we just drove around in a realistic manner, stopped by car dealers etc, had some races. It's just relaxing and fun driving around in a car you adore. And I don't know if the map is that small really, felt okay to me. TDU will still be unbeatable in that regard, but it had it's downsides.

Yeah TDU was great but the big map meant that all the elevation changes on the roads were insanely rough so you'd end up jumping or spinning pretty often.
 

ALAN ULTIMATE

Neo Member
What I want to see in FH is how car upgrades affect performance and handling.

And will we get a choice of perfomance rubber to adorn our aftermarket rims or not?
 

Mascot

Member
I played midtown madness 2 and mafia alone for their cruising aspects. Sometimes you don't need a goal in mind, and all you want to do is waste some time going for a drive.

It's relaxing.


Imagine this: Coming from work, dealing with kid and wife, after kid is asleep, sorting out the mess in the house, by this time of the day I am pretty much exhausted, and most of the time i need something to relax. And what is better then to drive/cruise aimlessly, and just relax, listen to a good album/band/songs. Sometimes it's hard to concentrate for additional 2 hours just to be competitive in online races.
I only wish that there could be more traffic in game.


What was already said :). Plus I have my TDU buddy who will join me. Most of the time we met in TDU we just drove around in a realistic manner, stopped by car dealers etc, had some races. It's just relaxing and fun driving around in a car you adore. And I don't know if the map is that small really, felt okay to me. TDU will still be unbeatable in that regard, but it had it's downsides.

Yeah, thinking about it I used to spend hours on end in the gyrocopter flying around the islands in Just Cause, following rivers, exploring mountain peaks, swooping under bridges and viaducts. Had a real Pilotwings vibe about it. Very relaxing. And the vistas were stunning.
 

saladine1

Junior Member
What I want to see in FH is how car upgrades affect performance and handling.

And will we get a choice of perfomance rubber to adorn our aftermarket rims or not?

All upgrades and cosmetics are pretty much being ported over from FM4.

Again, i'm a little disappointed that this aspect of the game wasn't expanded upon. I know it's PG's first outing so I can overlook it and hopefully wait for Horizon 2 to feature a "Speedhunters/SHIFT 2" type of car culture. WORKS upgrades was a genius touch!
 
Serious question: what's the big appeal of 'cruising' in a videogame? A lot of people in various FH threads seem to be really looking forward to just driving around the map for hours on end without any particular goal in mind. Won't it get a bit boring, feel a bit pointless? Especially on such a small map?

It's a photographer's paradise.

I love taking photos in Forza. Last night, I spent an hour and a half roaming the map and taking in the scenery. I could have wasted hours doing so if the demo actually allowed me to snap pictures.
 

bryehn

Member
I really liked it, but it's next to impossible to play with the speed wheel on default settings. Got a good deal (10 off plus 10 off a future order), so I'll let my pre-order stand and check out NFS at bomba prices.
 

acm2000

Member
So the game is NOT open world IC.

well its is, but obviously there is limits, you can go off through golf course etc, but you cant drive up the side of a mountain/cliff face, open world is generally described as a world thats open for you to explore and do things as and when you want
 

GlamFM

Banned
well its is, but obviously there is limits, you can go off through golf course etc, but you cant drive up the side of a mountain/cliff face, open world is generally described as a world thats open for you to explore and do things as and when you want

Of course I should not be able to drive up a mountain, but I think I should be able to hit it and not an invisible wall right infront of it. That seems lazy to me.
 
Of course I should not be able to drive up a mountain, but I think I should be able to hit it and not an invisible wall right infront of it. That seems lazy to me.

Well, if you don't put an invisible wall there you have the chance to get stuck between the trees or something and the developers would have to create something that make you able to reset to the road. Besides that, you have little business driving there since there are trees everywhere.
 

GlamFM

Banned
Well, if you don't put an invisible wall there you have the chance to get stuck between the trees or something and the developers would have to create something that make you able to reset to the road. Besides that, you have little business driving there since there are trees everywhere.


This is what I meant by "lazy".
 

shandy706

Member
Of course I should not be able to drive up a mountain, but I think I should be able to hit it and not an invisible wall right infront of it. That seems lazy to me.

Oh be quiet, look at the IQ, detail, and pure beauty of the environment in this game. Even mentioning "lazy" is absurd. They, like anyone, wouldn't expect you to manage a 30' high jump into the side of a mountain while driving down a small canyon with no "ramps".

If that is what you qualify as "lazy" in a game, then every other game in the world must be downright horrible with how lazy their devs were.
 

saladine1

Junior Member
They probably should've marketed the game as open road and not open world. I can see someone buying this game,thinking they can go anywhere then boom...invisible wall..
 

GlamFM

Banned
Oh be quiet, look at the IQ, detail, and pure beauty of the environment in this game. Even mentioning "lazy" is absurd. They, like anyone, wouldn't expect you to manage a 30' high jump into the side of a mountain while driving down a small canyon with no "ramps".

If that is what you qualify as "lazy" in a game, then every other game in the world must be downright horrible with how lazy their devs were.

I´m just saying that "open world" is not a term you should just trow around when in fact your world is closed by invisible walls.

Open world means if you can see it you can go there. At least to me.
 
Top Bottom