Forza Horizon

Forza Horizon is a 2012 racing video game developed by Playground Games and published by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360. It is the fifth instalment in the Forza series, and the first entry in the Horizon sub-series. The game received positive reviews from critics.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Like Burnout Paradise and unlike the Motorsport series, the game takes place in a massive open world, something not seen often in racing games.
 * 2) Awesome graphics with superbly modelled cars to drive and some breathtaking sceneries.
 * 3) The story is somewhat reminiscent of what mh:crappygames:Need for Speed: ProStreet went with, but that is not a bad thing, especially since Forza Horizon does it way better.
 * 4) Decent soundtrack.
 * 5) You no longer lose credits after a race if your car takes damage.
 * 6) Amazing gameplay: unlike the main Motorsport series, you are free to drive like a madman, pulling off all sorts of crazy maneuvers.
 * 7) Large world based on Colorado to drive around in, with plenty to discover like roads, discount billboards, classic cars abandoned in barns, and of course, plenty of racing events! This all creates an element of discovery.
 * 8) Customize your car any way you want. Want to deck out your Ford GT to look like the 4-time Le Mans champion? Well, you can!
 * 9) The Horizon Rally expansion, which not only offers some substantial content, but it also offers a different playstyle, being closer to a game licensed by the FIA's World Rally Championship.
 * 10) A fast travel system is in place to make travelling between events less strenuous. Once discovered, each Horizon Outpost has 3 PR events to enter that reward you with discounts on fast travelling; beat all 3 at a given camp, and you can fast travel to it for free!

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The "1000 Club" DLC is no longer available since the game was delisted from Xbox Live. Even when it was available, some of the associated achievements required additional DLC to obtain.
 * 2) The ability to fast travel anywhere on the map (rather than just the Festival and the Outposts) was a (now unavailable) paid DLC option, unlike in all the sequel entries which made them an in-game unlockable feature.
 * 3) The open world is rather restrictive compared to its sequels (sans the 360 version of Forza Horizon 2) and even other open world games of its time (such as Test Drive Unlimited 2).
 * 4) Lots of cars absent from any of the previous four Motorsport games.