Forza Horizon 5: General Discussion

[Turboteg90]

Maybe they are part of a horizon story

 

[Apple Slipper]

About the music, Metrik's song "Utopia" is coming to Forza Horizon 5 via Hospital Records Radio. According to Metrik in his livestream last year, "Utopia" was initially going to be part of his "Ex Machina" album, but didn't make the cut. So, the song is now coming to Forza Horizon 5. He played the song during his livesteam at 23:56.

 

[UKMikey]

According to my watch we still have four weeks to go.

 

[ykiki]

 

[YoungRhombus]

From a Reddit thread: this is supposedly (emphasis on supposedly) all the songs that have been spotted in the game so far. I'm not convinced yet, but having Foo Fighters and The Killers back is nice. The Glass Animals remix isn't too bad either. I have yet to listen to a majority of these since I'm in class.

Forza Horizon 5

Forza Horizon 5 is a 2021 racing video game developed by Playground Games and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is the fifth Forza Horizon title and twelfth main instalment in the Forza series. The game is set in a fictionalised representation of Mexico. It was released on 9 November 2021 for...

vgost.fandom.com

 

[Silver Arrows]

Seems pretty standard aside from Hospital. We shall see how it goes.

 

[-Fred-]

Well that wing is ridiculous.

 

[Stang616]

Well that wing is ridiculous.

That looks like something out of NFS....

 

[RageRacer]

With these crazy looking bodykits, they remind me a bit of the Tokyo Xtreme Racer games. Those games had incredible cars with cool bodykits.

And that huge wing on the Supra makes it look evil.

 

[GBalao888]

The last one.

This is it, guys, the last LET'S GO!!! is scheduled for October 18th.

 

[warp9engage]

The last one.

This is it, guys, the last LET'S GO!!! is scheduled for October 18th.

The last one, they say?

EventLab.............................please?

 

[Populuxe]

but it certainly doesn't excuse how badly PG has cocked this up.

Have they, though?

Well that wing is ridiculous.

All wings are ridiculous.

 

[NotThePrez]

So apparently a few ForzaTubers also got to have a Q&A session with Mike Brown of PG. I'm personally not familiar with this channel, but they were one of the channels that got access to the early preview build of FH5, so make of that what you will.



Of course, with such an interview there are going to be a few open-ended answers (and I think some, if not most, of these answers have been given before), but here are the highlights:

• It sounds like there won't be dedicated Car Meet locations at launch a la Forza Horizon 2, rather the Horizon Tour location itself has been designed in a way where players have loads of space for impromptu car meets to happen organically, such as when waiting for other people to cue up before starting a Horizon Tour event. Brown did apparently state that dedicated car meet features could be a thing down the line, but it sounds like it's nothing more than a possibility at this point, and that anything similar to FH2 or 3 being added was unlikely.
• Clubs will use the same system from FH4, where the game made clubs based on Xbox's own club system, rather than having a robust in-game club section like in FH3.
• Private lobbies won't be present at launch, but could possibly come back down the line. Private convoys will be coming back.
• Horizon Arcade has 5 themes, with "Drift," "Speed," Wreckage," and "Chaos" being named. Drift Arcade is always open, the others cycle through (how exactly isn't mentioned). There will be 11 game types at launch, and Arcade uses a group scoring and rewards system like Forzathon Live in FH4.
• There will be an option for Themed Convoys. Hoki mentions an example where a player can create a themed lobby centered on tandem drifting, and other players can search for that in-game and join the convoy.
• The start lines for custom races in Route Creator will be tied to the pre-determined start lines that regular races have at launch. PG would like to change this later down the line, so fingers crossed.
• For Forza Horizon 5, PG now has the ability to change the base open world, which allows them to do things like place decorations around the map for holidays, or decorate the stadium for certain events and place particular activities in the stadium based on real-world events. PG can now add more PR stunts, races, showcases, etc., during FH5's lifecycle.
  • I can't help but wonder if this means we'll get new, bespoke events and races added in-game, or if it's just an expanded version of the Showcase Remixes we got in FH4. It all sounds promising, but this is a wait-and-see thing for me personally.
• Vehicle perk point limits will stay the same, but points are spent faster with 1-click, rather than clicking and waiting for the animation to finish.
  • It's very minor, but I personally think that's a welcome QoL change.
• In terms of post-launch support and content, expect to see a similar (and I assume improved) style of support that we got in FH4.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Forza Horizon 5 is Forza Horizon 4 with cacti instead of hedgerows

Forza Horizon 5, just like previous instalments, falls well short of digital tourism. I don't feel like I'm in Mexico, I feel like I'm more in a generic computer world lightly inspired by it. That doesn't mean it's not fun to explore the various biomes—it just means this is a new map with some Mexico stylings, and frankly, that's enough for me, because this game is just the previous game with some new stuff to do.

This is pretty much what I assumed it would be also what I was hoping it wouldn't be. I wonder how many more titles they can crank out with the same formula before people start getting bored. Maybe as many as they want to. I wish it was more though.

When my quest giver said "It's not just a car, it's a lifestyle," that rang kinda true to me, though perhaps not how they meant it. Because I've played all the Horizon games, but almost as a way of not-playing. They're a gorgeous distraction, a game you can play when you're not playing a game. But they are substantial enough to become obsessed with if you choose to; there's real heft available for people who love a challenge and more importantly, a really loving approach to cars that enthusiasts can bond with.

The studios responsible are clearly aware of this balance, because if you're wanting anything remotely new in this instalment, you're not going to get it. They've hit a great formula. They know how to make computer game cars go. They know how to construct landscapes that feel good to race in. They've figured out how to make a racer satisfying but mostly resistance-free. They've shorn the annoyances out of crashing at high speed by simply making cars like tanks and trees like thistles. And they're just going to keep doing this until a lot of people decide this style sucks.

And since it doesn't suck—since it actually still rules—we'll probably keep getting Forzas like this for a long time, which is actually fine, though a part of me was hoping for something with the whiff of novelty. I'll sink 50 hours into it anyway.

I think this is spot on. In the context of somebody who might play FH as a diversion from a much larger roster of games (as in, somebody who plays a lot of games) then it's totally sufficient. I am not that person (I buy a game maybe once a year, maybe) and so leaning on FH so much leaves me wanting more. It's like a vacation in and of itself.

 

[willbsn13]

Treed

 

[NotThePrez]

Forza Horizon 5 is Forza Horizon 4 with cacti instead of hedgerows



This is pretty much what I assumed it would be also what I was hoping it wouldn't be. I wonder how many more titles they can crank out with the same formula before people start getting bored. Maybe as many as they want to. I wish it was more though.




I think this is spot on. In the context of somebody who might play FH as a diversion from a much larger roster of games (as in, somebody who plays a lot of games) then it's totally sufficient. I am not that person (I buy a game maybe once a year, maybe) and so leaning on FH so much leaves me wanting more. It's like a vacation in and of itself.

When some of the first actual gameplay started coming out on YouTube, I very immediately told my friends that, gameplay-wise, it's looks exactly the same as the last 2 games, and we were all pretty cool with that.

Recently I realized that I sunk 400+ hours into FH4 (I pretty much played it daily for the first ~8 months after launch, and then at least a few times a week for quite a while afterwards), and I was thinking about what made me so addicted to it. The author of the PC Gamer article already touched on this, but it really comes down to the fact that the game gives you a lot of things to do, and there's very few barriers to what you can and can't do. For my friends who don't really play racers (including one who pretty much hates racing games), they all ended up liking FH4 because the game basically allows you to do really, really silly things with really expensive cars that you couldn't even dream of doing IRL, and the game does pretty much nothing to stop you.

Now, this isn't without it's issues. The core gameplay experience has basically stayed the same for a decade, there is pretty much no real sense of actual progression in this game (which I find quite annoying myself), the in-game economy is questionable at times, and there are a few small-but-basic things that seem to get missed regularly. But it truly is fascinating how PG and Turn 10 have gotten this balance right between gameplay, engagement, difficulty and options. I personally find it impressive how they've managed to make it where the game can basically be as easy or hard as you want it to be, but it doesn't feel like you're missing out on anything major no matter which way you go, nor does it feel like the game ends up turning into a chore right from the get-go.

 

[Stupornaut]

I get the "no sense of progression" complaint, but the great thing about FH titles -- especially FH4 and (presumably) FH5 -- is that after the brief intro bit it doesn't look like you're particularly railroaded into a certain career path. I've seen people complain about not being able to start out in a slower car and progress to faster ones, but that's what I plan to do once the game sets me loose, and there seem to be plenty of ways to get a lot of mileage out of each personal idiosyncratic approach. My plan is to start with an inexpensive Common rarity car, like a Datsun 510, and race it until I've earned enough skill points to fill its grid and said car is completely mastered. Then on to the next one with a different build and focus -- a Baja Bug, a Porsche 914/6, an '02 RX-7, a '65 GTO, and so on -- making sure I spend at least a couple hours in a car to really get attached to it, until by the end of my self-guided "career" I've graduated to the hypercars. I've picked out about 100ish cars I plan on making the full commitment to as far as driving, painting, and tuning, and once I'm done with those I'll see what the other cars have in store. This really is a kind of "make your own fun" kind of game over the last few installments, and I like that openness.

 

[Ak1504]

Finally a satisfying amount of tire smoke

 

[Silver Arrows]

Have they, though?

Yes?

This slow drip of the car list has only caused confusion, and they (alongside people trying to be smart asses) can say that the list they made is always changing, and will be added until release, but the way that vehicles have been seen in the preview builds, but not on the list, and vice versa, plus that entire business with the Valhalla being clearly the V6 prototype, and not the V8 that PG was swearing in the two times that they mentioned it in their social media feeds was, certainly hasn't given people the impression that what PG is doing is in any way actually thought out, and certainly not helping the perception that FH5 is the great leap forward that it could be. These sorts of things are damaging in the lead up to release.

Which, on the other side of that token...

This is pretty much what I assumed it would be also what I was hoping it wouldn't be.

What do you think Playground could do to make that not the case considering the circumstances? Keep in mind that it's been made crystal clear that any of the actual, earth shattering changes that Playground could make to the Horizon series can't be made until Forza 8 releases and PG get their hands on the next iteration of the Forzatech engine, considering it seems quite obvious that T10 takes lead on any of those big ticket items, being the halo studio. Keep in mind that this is also a game that takes pride it casting a wide net, and any sort of pivot towards simulation is going to be met with disinterest from those who wouldn't have played a racing game other wise (Which, truth be told, is what most people, specifically on this forum, but outside of it as well, are going to suggest) Plus, as mentioned, the actual gameplay loop of Forza Horizon, for the past few games, has been actually pretty solid. It's open enough to a point where it doesn't feel daunting at the beginning, and it appeals to most. It's only with 4 that it becomes way too open, too early, and holds your hand in the beginning early, but even then, as you get into a rhythm and play more of the game, it feels a bit more natural.

It's clear by this point that Forza needs competition, but be truthful with yourself, where is it going to come from?

• The Crew? Ubisoft only cares about that title because it makes a few bucks, and some people still play it. It doesn't hold a candle to Rainbow Six Siege, which is Ubisoft's true online moneymaker. Hell, by this point, The Crew is probably lower on the totem pole then even mostly single player affairs like Far Cry and Assassin's Creed.
• NFS? EA and the devs of the series are too scared of pissing off the tribal camps that make up the NFS fanbase by this point to do anything actually interesting and unique, and are simply just going to bounce off cops and supercars and tuners street racing until the heat death of the universe.
• TDU Solar Crown? You're expecting a game from a series who's last entry was synonymous with the disasters that befall the launch of an online focused game, alongside being from a developer and publisher who are insulated by the relative cushyness of a license that not many in the racing game world care about that much. A license, it should be noted, they're going to lose a year before TDU:SC's release and are banking on TDU's success being the next big money maker for the company? I don't know about you, but that's a massive red flag.
• An effort from Sony? Considering they killed Evolution, for conspiratorial (in my mind) reasons, and Kaz is off trying to grift people that the next iteration of GT is going to offer Vocaloid support or whatever, that's never happening.

So yeah. Forza has no competition other then itself, and it's pretty clear that competition is coming with Horizon 6.

When some of the first actual gameplay started coming out on YouTube, I very immediately told my friends that, gameplay-wise, it's looks exactly the same as the last 2 games, and we were all pretty cool with that.

This is where I am at as well. It's pretty clear that Horizon 5 is in the same transitional period as a yearly sports game franchise that still has to make a game for the previous gen before going all in for next gen the next year. It's pretty obvious that Horizon 6 is going to be the big one, the one that truly blows the doors off the series, it's simply a matter of waiting for Forza 8 to release to get to work, and for the next gen to take hold and not be such a large piece of the pie before doing so.

 

[Ak1504]

I get the "no sense of progression" complaint,

I've seen people complain about not being able to start out in a slower car and progress to faster ones

Horizon is a playground for car lovers with as little as possible restrictions and requirements and so huge freedom to enjoy the cars how you want > to do every race with the car and the LI level you like to. So its not much a game for players that need to have a strict career path with goals to grind for to have fun.

 

[warp9engage]

Horizon is a playground for car lovers with as little as possible restrictions and requirements and so huge freedom to enjoy the cars how you want > to do every race with the car and the LI level you like to. So its not much a game for players that need to have a strict career path with goals to grind for to have fun.

I quite like games with that freedom, myself.

 

[buickgnx88]

Horizon is a playground for car lovers with as little as possible restrictions and requirements and so huge freedom to enjoy the cars how you want > to do every race with the car and the LI level you like to. So its not much a game for players that need to have a strict career path with goals to grind for to have fun.

I have seen many comparing the Horizon series to the Gran Turismo games when talking about the progression bit, but somehow forget that Motorsport is the series that competes with GT and will (theoretically) have the progression they seek.

 

[RandomCarGuy17]

Well, it's nice to know that BMW is in FH5, that's great. Though like Audi, there seems to be nothing new from them, kinda underwhelming.

Of course, I say that, but then I wonder if I should even want anything new from BMW considering...

and my favorite:

 

[Rob192005]

I have seen many comparing the Horizon series to the Gran Turismo games when talking about the progression bit, but somehow forget that Motorsport is the series that competes with GT and will (theoretically) have the progression they seek.

I wouldn't even say that does tbh,Gran Turismo is more of a traditional old fashioned type of racer where as FM seems to me at least be more user friendly,naturally I expect others to disagree,just my take.

 

[turk1993]

Finally a satisfying amount of tire smoke

I wonder if it can top the smoke of Forza Motorsport 7, the smoke in there was insane. you could cover your whole car in smoke

 

[UKMikey]

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Yes?

This slow drip of the car list has only caused confusion, and they (alongside people trying to be smart asses) can say that the list they made is always changing, and will be added until release, but the way that vehicles have been seen in the preview builds, but not on the list, and vice versa, plus that entire business with the Valhalla being clearly the V6 prototype, and not the V8 that PG was swearing in the two times that they mentioned it in their social media feeds was, certainly hasn't given people the impression that what PG is doing is in any way actually thought out, and certainly not helping the perception that FH5 is the great leap forward that it could be. These sorts of things are damaging in the lead up to release.

Which, on the other side of that token...


What do you think Playground could do to make that not the case considering the circumstances? Keep in mind that it's been made crystal clear that any of the actual, earth shattering changes that Playground could make to the Horizon series can't be made until Forza 8 releases and PG get their hands on the next iteration of the Forzatech engine, considering it seems quite obvious that T10 takes lead on any of those big ticket items, being the halo studio. Keep in mind that this is also a game that takes pride it casting a wide net, and any sort of pivot towards simulation is going to be met with disinterest from those who wouldn't have played a racing game other wise (Which, truth be told, is what most people, specifically on this forum, but outside of it as well, are going to suggest) Plus, as mentioned, the actual gameplay loop of Forza Horizon, for the past few games, has been actually pretty solid. It's open enough to a point where it doesn't feel daunting at the beginning, and it appeals to most. It's only with 4 that it becomes way too open, too early, and holds your hand in the beginning early, but even then, as you get into a rhythm and play more of the game, it feels a bit more natural.

It's clear by this point that Forza needs competition, but be truthful with yourself, where is it going to come from?

• The Crew? Ubisoft only cares about that title because it makes a few bucks, and some people still play it. It doesn't hold a candle to Rainbow Six Siege, which is Ubisoft's true online moneymaker. Hell, by this point, The Crew is probably lower on the totem pole then even mostly single player affairs like Far Cry and Assassin's Creed.
• NFS? EA and the devs of the series are too scared of pissing off the tribal camps that make up the NFS fanbase by this point to do anything actually interesting and unique, and are simply just going to bounce off cops and supercars and tuners street racing until the heat death of the universe.
• TDU Solar Crown? You're expecting a game from a series who's last entry was synonymous with the disasters that befall the launch of an online focused game, alongside being from a developer and publisher who are insulated by the relative cushyness of a license that not many in the racing game world care about that much. A license, it should be noted, they're going to lose a year before TDU:SC's release and are banking on TDU's success being the next big money maker for the company? I don't know about you, but that's a massive red flag.
• An effort from Sony? Considering they killed Evolution, for conspiratorial (in my mind) reasons, and Kaz is off trying to grift people that the next iteration of GT is going to offer Vocaloid support or whatever, that's never happening.

So yeah. Forza has no competition other then itself, and it's pretty clear that competition is coming with Horizon 6.


This is where I am at as well. It's pretty clear that Horizon 5 is in the same transitional period as a yearly sports game franchise that still has to make a game for the previous gen before going all in for next gen the next year. It's pretty obvious that Horizon 6 is going to be the big one, the one that truly blows the doors off the series, it's simply a matter of waiting for Forza 8 to release to get to work, and for the next gen to take hold and not be such a large piece of the pie before doing so.

All of those franchises you listed are varying degrees of "much worse" than the FH franchise, I won't argue with that. I'm mostly just complaining into the void that I wish FH was more what I want it to be.

First up - I don't mind the actual gameplay of the game. It's not blowing me away, but it's not bad. It's close to the right balance of cinematic excitement (TDU completely lacked this) and actually satisfying mechanics (TDU also completely lacked this ). So that's all fine and has been since FH1. I do feel like the handling took a step back in FH4 and I find it annoying to drive some MR and RR cars without a rear wing (it deeply frustrates me that adding MORE weight to a rear-biased platform resolves oversteer, but I digress) but generally it's fine. Is Assetto Corsa more entertaining to drive in? Marginally so, but that's not the issue with FH for me - I wouldn't have sunk at least several hundred hours into FH4 if it was a serious issue. I really do enjoy the actual racing bit.

My problem, and I've said this before, is that they've created an open world RPGish game with no RPG hook and no depth, basically there is pretty limited immersion. The environments never feel particularly like real places (though some look like real places) like they do, almost miraculously considering the poor visuals and terrible mechanics, in the TDU games or even the extremely simple TXR games. Even NFS Payback & Heat feel more like real places within their own internal logic - even though they are totally fictional. Maybe it's the sort of distant and computery feeling GUI that always pulls you out of the world and into the nonspace realm. You want to feel like you're in the world, but you are constantly bombarded with things that pull you out of it. It's almost like they've deliberately designed the game to avoid immersion, rather than encourage it. And I try - I turn off the entire HUD sometimes and disable all notifications and I get some sense of immersion...But all it takes is one stupid drivatar driving the wrong way down the highway or a speed zone rendering all the cars into ghosts or a steam train flying by at 180mph and it pulls me out again. FH3 had slightly better immersion...especially with the street races - you would start and finish a race with a grid of cars parked by the side of the start line, no music, people walking around. It felt believable, almost chilled out. Without immersion, the open world of FH starts to feel less like a world and more like a big arena or like...The Truman Show or Westworld or Tron or something.

In many ways, they've done a brilliant job of producing a critic-proof metascore game. I challenge anyone to play a FH title and explicitly describe any real, fundamental problems with it. I'm having a hell of a time describing what I take issue with and its way beyond the scope of any reasonable review. The most you could expect is that a critic might mention it lacks some intangible open world quality, but it's hardly going to lead to a negative review.

 

[Famine]

I challenge anyone to play a FH title and explicitly describe any real, fundamental problems with it.

I did a brief Twitter rant about it a couple of months back, which I won't embed because I'm a very sweary human being indeed, but:

I like it, to a certain point, but it has three pretty major problems for me.

Firstly, it just incessantly throws 💩 at you without any concept of why. What am I supposed to do with a gold skirt or some flip-flops? Oh wait, now it's a 700hp hypercar. Now 500,000cr. Oh, a hat.

Secondly, NOTHING is ever explained. Do an ultimate speed. Kay... how? Never mind that, do a great crash landing. Now three wrong numbers. What does any of this mean?

And then there's the pause screen, which is different depending on where you are at the time.

Pause on the road and you can do anything except tune or paint your car. Except if it's someone else's tune and then you can. In your house you can't do most things other than car stuff, except buy cars which you can only do at the Festival site.

And the tabs are mad.

Why are there 4 tabs for game modes, and 2 for DLCs regardless of whether you have them? Is tuning/painting your car "creative" or not? Oh and why go right to other people's designs when you buy a car, and bury colour choices? Also the scripted events make my pancreas itch.

Having sat and thought about it for a while since, there's also a stop-start aspect to it that bugs me. You do this thing in this car but now you have to go here and do that thing in a different car, and once you've done that go over here instead and use this car.

That also pops up in the Online Adventure, which I've been digging into on PC because my XB1X decided to fry itself (14 months, barely used for eight of those, goes pop) and it turns out you don't need XBL Gold on PC. First you must use an A800 to do this event. Now it's an S1-900, but it must be a Rally Monster (what?). Now B700. NO YOU MAY NOT BUY A NEW CAR FOR THIS, you're stuck with the sack of crap you have in your garage because you didn't know it was going to be a B700 event because we didn't tell you!

Speaking of car classes, why is a car's class not displayed with the car? If this car is a.... I don't know, Retro Supercar, why doesn't it say "Retro Supercar" on the car's tile somewhere, or in the infobox at the side? That's crap UI again though.

I still kinda enjoy playing it though.

 

[ImaRobot]

Speaking of car classes, why is a car's class not displayed with the car? If this car is a.... I don't know, Retro Supercar, why doesn't it say "Retro Supercar" on the car's tile somewhere, or in the infobox at the side? That's crap UI again though.

I believe it does show it on the infobox by clicking in one of the joysticks? I could have sworn that was an option, or something at least similar to what I'm saying. It's been well over a year since I actually sat down and played the game, so I can't recall exactly.

 

[UKMikey]

It also tells you what type of car you need to do seasonal events by highlighting the event on the map. I usually use GTP's writeups in the news section though. That said, I wish you could take the house functions like customise character and paint car with you on the road.