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Forza Horizon 3

Forza Horizon 3, the latest installment in Microsoft's long-running racing series, is nearly here. While it isn't scheduled for wide release until September 27th, anyone willing to driblet about a hundred bucks on the Ultimate Edition will be able to jump in this Friday. In grooming for this early launch, we clocked over a dozen hours behind the wheel on the Xbox One version to get a clear pic of just how well this racer holds up.

Just like the previous Horizon spinoffs, the moment-to-moment gameplay in Forza Horizon 3 is fast-paced, varied, and exactly equally deep equally you lot want information technology to be. If you lot desire an arcade-y experience, yous tin crank up the assists, ignore most of the nitty-gritty, and live the ultimate speed demon fantasy. But if you want something more sim-like, you can dive deep, customize simply about every aspect of the cars in your virtual garage, and decide precisely how y'all want your cars to control and perform.

With 46 reviews aggregated at Metacritic, the Xbox One version currently has a very impressive score of ninety/100. Over at our sister site IGN, the game received an "amazing" score of 9.5/10. There's no doubt that the Xbox One version is well liked, merely we'll take to expect patiently to see just how well the PC version holds upwards under scrutiny.

The realistic car models, smooth animations, and lively sound design all add together upwardly to course a very immersive racing experience, but the highlight in my listen is undoubtedly the environmental effects. Dirt kicks upward when you drive off-route, droplets splash on the screen when you bulldoze through standing h2o, and dirt accumulates on the underside of your automobile.

None of that is revolutionary, just information technology'southward handled here with exactly the correct level of restraint. What truly makes this game stand out from endless similar games is the expert execution of the thousands of tiny details. From the automatic detection of the actor's name to the over-the-top mid-race cutscenes for showcase events, the dev team'southward passion for Horizon shines through.

With all of that said, I did come across a variety of technical issues over the course of my time with the game. It's common to see stutters during the loading screens, and gameplay isn't immune from dropped frames. A few notable instances in the open globe popped up for me, but the overall bear upon was minimal. I however felt in control of my motorcar at all times.

In addition, I experienced a few crashes back to the dashboard, some unresponsive menus, and a claiming prompt that refused to appear until after I relaunched the game. It'south also worth noting that the draw altitude and anti-aliasing aren't great on the console version, merely both of those pocket-size distractions are piece of cake to ignore while you're going 150mph in the Outback. The rough edges were disappointing to run into, merely they didn't come anywhere close to ruining the game.

If you're sensitive to performance issues and occasional bugs, it's best to hold out for a few patches. Otherwise, Forza Horizon 3 offers an incredible open globe that's well-suited for racing fans of all types.