When you show up to Forza Horizon 5, do so in style. [credit:
Xbox Game Studios ]
Nearly a decade before this week’s launch of Forza Horizon 5, the Forza Horizon series began life as a plucky, goofy offshoot of the “serious” Forza Motorsport racing games. Instead of confining you to just race tracks, Horizon’s massive map ranged from busy city streets to wide-open countrysides to muddy riverside romps.
The resulting game curried a ton of favor upon launch, since it evoked the beloved and long-dormant Burnout Paradise concept—with the bonus of Forza’s solid car-handling model at its core. But while each subsequent Horizon game has improved the series’ technical chops, the formula hasn’t changed much. Horizon’s best ideas have mostly come from wacky DLC packs that reimagine the series concept, particularly FH3’s Hot Wheels set and FH4’s Lego pack.
In spite