The trips are some of the highlights of Horizon 2, and they give context to aimless cruises through the Italian and French hills. To ascend to the next level you go on a Road Trip – a lengthy drive from one area to the next, through day and night, rain or shine. You still work through a mishmash of different events to progress to the next wristband level, but this time you travel between hub areas that add their own new events into the mix. The structure of the campaign is similar to the first game, but a couple of changes have shifted the way you progress. That distinction is important in Horizon 2, because so much of the fun comes outside of races. Plus, the new weather effects and day/night cycle add compelling visual diversity to long drives. Still, the 200 or so cars are shiny enough to make even the most apathetic magpie perk up and pay attention – there’s a gorgeous sheen to everything. There’s also little distinction in the environments themselves – while Horizon’s Colorado felt like a range of hyper distinct regions packed into one space, Horizon 2’s Europe feels more geographically authentic but more samey because of it.
With seemingly endless automotive freedom on and off road, the presentation takes a minor hit: there are noticeable texture issues on the Xbox One. The countryside is now open, allowing mad dashes through crops, fences and shrubbery. The move to Europe brings a much larger playspace, not only in physical dimensions – the map spans a condensed array of French and Italian cities complete with rolling fields, cliffside roads and long tunnels – but also in the spaces in between roads. There was plenty to love in developer Playground Games’ 2012 debut and it’s all back – just in more generous helpings. It feels like Horizon 2 has matured significantly, then, but it’s still strictly iterative. They also stay out of the way for the majority of the game. Sure, there is now a handful of rich 20-somethings racking up their insurance claims because, heck, Daddy can afford it, but this time they want you to be part of the fun rather than running you off the road like B-movie villains. Gone are the first game’s abrasive hipster bros tamed are the obnoxious cutscenes that suffocated you with faux-cool lingo whenever you weren’t at the wheel. The motoring festival that forms the focal point of this vast open racer has abandoned its original Colorado home, turning up instead on the Mediterranean coast. Microsoft Xbox 360/Xbox One (version tested) £45 3+įorza Horizon has moved.
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