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E3 2016 Preview: Forza Horizon 3

One of biggest surprises of E3 came from one of the most obvious announcements. We knew Forza Horizon 3 was going to make an appearance, even if there hadn’t been the unmistakable shrill of Lamborghinis in the vicinity of the Xbox press conference – Forza has been an annual franchise this generation, alternating between the carefree, scenic joyrides of Horizon and the pernickety petrol-head enthusiasm of Motorsport. But there’s one thing we didn’t see coming: it’s set in Australia. Once synonymous with Xbox exclusivity, Horizon 3 embarks upon a new dawn for Microsoft, as one of the first Play Anywhere and cross-play games with Windows 10.

During E3, we went hands-on with what Microsoft touts as the most social racing game ever made, and got to go behind-the-scenes with Playground Games creative director Ralph Fulton.

“It’s the first time the franchise has simultaneously shipped to different platforms and the first time we’ve built a game not just for one specific platform, we’ve been thinking about Windows 10 as much as we are Xbox One,” said Fulton, who has served as creative director on all three Forza Horizon games.

Forza Horizon 3

In this world nothing can be said to be certain; except for death, taxes and the promise of an even bigger map with every open world sequel at E3.

“Australia is the most beautiful, the most diverse, open world we have ever built in Horizon,” said Fulton. “We never set out to create a 1:1 map of Australia,” he explained – and frankly, I don’t understand the criticism. If you want to spend eight hours driving from Melbourne to Adelaide along the Western Highway, looking at remnants of roadworks that might be completed next century and signs warning of certain death if you don’t take a power nap, go and do it; it wouldn’t make for a fun game.

“What we do want to do is realise the spirit and the beauty of Australia, because we were really inspired by this country when we researched it, and we want to reflect that in the world we’ve created. This world is twice the size of Horizon 2, and that was not a small game by any stretch.”

What’s been created is the best of Australia’s varied landscapes, condensed into a world that works for a social racing game. Playground did exactly the same thing in Horizon 2, set in “Southern Europe”, which merged elements of France and Italy into a fictitious island, based on real world landmarks.

Forza Horizon 3

Drive through Byron Bay, through the rolling hills of the Yarra Valley, into Surfer’s Paradise, passed the Twelve Apostles on The Great Ocean Road and, of course, through the outback.

“They’re not where they are in Australia,” said Fulton about the array of locations. “They’re where they need to be for this game, so our players can come to it, maybe not knowing a great deal about Australia, and learn about its beauty.”

You’ll be able to do that in more than 350 cars when Horizon 3 ships in September, and those too have a distinctly Australia flavour. There is an abundance of Holden and Ford classics, including the first Holden Ute, up until current models. Movie buffs can go full Mad Max with a matte black ’73 Falcon, with the scoop on front. Aficionados of the local motoring scene will shed a tear in solace that this is the last year the Commodore and Falcon will be manufactured in Australia, and both of them are drivable in Horizon 3.

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT

Last time it was puddles of rain collecting in the crevasses of warn bitumen. This year, it’s the Australian sky that will transfix your gaze, as the Lambo Centenario under your control wraps itself around a tree.

Forza Horizon 3

If watching clouds sounds mundane, well, it is; but it’s the prettiest mundane feature Xbox One has to offer – to be technical, I played on Xbox One S, which allows Forza Horizon 3 to benefit from high-dynamic-range colour on compatible screens. The reason it’s so spectacular is Playground Games actually recorded Australian skies, all across the country, using a custom-built 12K camera rig for three months. The cloud formations and transitions between day and night actually happened last summer.

It’s this attention to detail throughout the landscape, not to mention the passion crafted into each car, that makes Forza Horizon 3 stunning. Amongst the bustle of E3, I only played for about 20 minutes, but if that’s representative of the entire package, there’s no better looking game this generation; and this time, you’ll be able to hop out of the car, into a drone, and record all of it from any angle.

“You saw some drones flying around in the festival there [on-screen]; they seem to be all the rage. At any time in single-player or multiplayer you can pop-out and pop-in to Drone Mode, which means you leave your car,” said Fulton. “You start controlling this drone – up, down, left, right, with a really nice lag on it – which is for camera work, basically. Our players love to make videos. They’ve never been able to make videos in multiplayer before, and now they can.”

LIKE A BOSS

Enough gushing over Australia being represented in a video game, what’s actually new in Horizon 3?

You’ll be kept busy by a promotion; yes, this year you’re in-charge of the Horizon festival. The events have been devised by Playground Games, but they’re all customisable through Horizon Blueprint. Change the route, weather, time of day, car restrictions – anything about an event can be altered to suit your preferences. With social gameplay at the forefront, the championships created, edited and tweaked by your friends will automatically appear in your world; choose to play them, your own or the original versions made by the developers.

Forza Horizon 3

Customisation extends beyond just gameplay, with a variety of mods to choose from, including the introduction of wide body kits. For the first time, players will be able to choose their driver from a diverse roster of characters. It was a minor oversight in Horizon 2. Something that could have easily been forgotten, since it’s the cars, not the driver, in the spotlight; but that doesn’t mean it’s not important. Playground has noted its mistake, and recognise it’s important for players to have a choice in the avatar behind the wheel. Music isn’t left behind, which a bunch of new tracks, and a radio station dedicated to Australian music. If that’s still not good enough, become your own D.J. with Groove Music Radio – a station that compiles and plays your own MP3s automatically from OneDrive (this is different to the recently announced Background Music, as it’s integrated directly into Forza Horizon 3).

Drivatars return with updated intelligence, and in a series first you’ll be able to race alongside the real thing in Horizon 3, through the introduction of four-player co-op, which is cross-play between Xbox One and Windows 10. We didn’t get to see much, or play any, of this; but were assured waiting until the third game has allowed Playground to implement it properly. Everything from the solo campaign can be completed in co-op and it will “just work” with drop in/out matchmaking.

I never thought I would be this excited for a racing game. Part of it is being able to drive roads I actually know; while I’ve done that to an extent in American cities, there’s no place like home. But it’s so much more than that. Forza Horizon understands the little joys of arcade racing, as much as the big ones. Horizon 3 takes it a step further with excellent multiplayer options, connecting Xbox One and Windows 10 players, without penalising those who prefer to go it alone. I’m never going to become a Top Gear presenter (although I’d do a better job than Chris Evans), but Forza Horizon 3 just might allow me to recreate the perfect road trip with my mates, throughout our beautiful country.


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About the author

Ben Salter

Ben has been writing about games in a professional capacity since 2008. He even did it full-time for a while, but his mum never really understood what that meant. He's been part of the Stevivor team since 2016. You will find his work across all sections of the site (if you look hard enough). Gamertag / PSN ID: Gryllis.