Forza Horizon 3 demo impressions

[pk500]

Downloaded the Forza Horizon 3 demo and played it for about 20 minutes today, so VERY early impressions:

+ This game is mind-meltingly gorgeous. Stunning. A few moments in which I said, "Holy sh*t, this borders on photo-realism."

+ Gibraltar framerate. I don't know the FPS, but it does not budge regardless of vehicles or water effects on the screen.

+ Great music and vibe, as with two previous Horizon games.

- Feels much like more of the same. My biggest beef with FH2 was that it offered very little new from the original other than a different location. The early moments of the FH3 demo feel identical: Same game, different location. OK, so I'm racing a car hung by a chain from a helicopter flying overhead. Didn't I race a biplane in Horizon 2?

- The Horizon series never has featured a sim-like handling model, which is fine. But at least the original Horizon had a bit of weight to the physics that occasionally required some touch and skill, creating almost a sim-cade driving model. FH2 dumbed that down, and FH3 continues that trend even more. The cars in FH3 don't slide and drift like Need For Speed Rivals, but only a dab of brake is needed except for the tightest hairpin turn. The cars handle on rails with very little sense of weight or momentum -- pure arcade. Not nearly as much fun as the original Horizon.

[Lancer]

Thanks for the impressions. Will try this demo out this week.

Have a question on ordering the game.

In the past for Forza games, was there a deal where you can buy a special version and you would get all the DLC included? I remember it maybe being called VIP?

Is there something like that in FH3? I can buy the VIP edition and I would get all DLC that comes out in the future for free?

[dbdynsty25]

Thanks for the impressions. Will try this demo out this week.

Have a question on ordering the game.

In the past for Forza games, was there a deal where you can buy a special version and you would get all the DLC included? I remember it maybe being called VIP?

Is there something like that in FH3? I can buy the VIP edition and I would get all DLC that comes out in the future for free?

Yup, just look in the store. Standard, Deluxe and Ultimate. Pretty sure none of them include DLC...as I bought the Ultimate last year and I still had to pay for the Storm Island expansion pack. Some of the cars were free though. I guess Fast & Furious was free as well...I guess I just forget what exactly it comes with.

[DChaps]

Here is a link to all the details you need on the different versions and options. I think what you are referring to is the Car Pass. VIP is different.

http://www.forzamotorsport.net/en-us/ga ... pre-order/

Forza Horizon 3 Car Pass
With the Forza Horizon 3 Car Pass, you’ll always be dialed in to the latest and greatest cars in Forza Horizon 3. The Car Pass brings you six monthly car packs (7 cars each) beginning in October 2016. That’s 42 amazing cars total, all waiting to be collected, customized, and raced, for one low price.

Your epic adventure through Australia begins this September with the launch of Forza Horizon 3. Apart from all the great content we have coming for pre-ordering, you can earn even more great stuff through our Forza Rewards loyalty program. To learn more about how Forza Rewards will work in Forza Horizon 3, check out the story.

VIP Membership
Exclusive cars, new events, and more await with Forza Horizon 3 VIP membership! Forza Horizon 3 VIP members receive five exclusive VIP cars, including the 2016 Lamborghini Aventador LP750-4 SV, the 2-016 Koenigsegg Regera, the 2015 Ultima Evolution Coupe 1020, the 2015 Ferrari F12tdf, and the 2015 Ford Falcon GT F 351. VIPs will receive additional benefits such as VIP wheel spins with extra rewards each time you level up, access to exclusive online events, community gifts, and more. Get your VIP membership today, only through the Deluxe or Ultimate Editions of Forza Horizon 3.

Forza Horizon 3 Pre-Order Cars
Pre-ordering Forza Horizon 3 will give you access to pre-order bonus car which are tied to participating retailers. These cars will be tuned to the top of their class and players will be able to automatically add them to their garage after redeeming the code provided by the retailer. Here’s how the breakdown will work for participating U.S. retailers:

Car - Retailer
2015 Ferrari 488 GTB - Gamestop
2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat - Gamestop
2016 Audi R8 V10 plus - Amazon
2016 Jaguar F Type Project 7 - Best Buy
2016 Mercedes-Benz C 63 S Coupé - Xbox Dash
2016 Ford Mustang GT350R - Microsoft Store

Forza Horizon 3 Motorsport All-Stars Car Pack
The Motorsport All-Stars Car Pack for Forza Horizon 3 is your chance to take 10 of the hottest modern race cars off the track and out on the open road. This pack includes the 2016 Ford #66 Racing GT Le Mans, the 2014 Audi #45 Flying Lizard Motorsports R8 LMS ultra, the 2014 Chevrolet #3 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R, the 2014 Dodge #94 SRT Motorsports Viper GTS-R, the 2014 Ferrari #51 AF Corse 458 Italia GTE, the 2015 Nissan #1 NISMO MOTUL AUTECH GT-R, the 2015 Lamborghini #63 Squadra Corse Huracán LP620-2 Super Trofeo, the 2016 Holden #22 Sharkbite HRT VF Commodore, the 2016 Ford #55 Supercheap Falcon FG X, and the 2014 #55 BMW Team RLL Z4 GTE.

Forza Horizon 3 Standard Edition (available digital and retail disc)
The Forza Horizon 3 Standard Edition includes Forza Horizon 3 and a special pre-order bonus car tied to participating retail outlets. Go here to purchase.

Forza Horizon 3 Deluxe Edition (available digital only)
The Forza Horizon 3 Deluxe Edition includes Forza Horizon 3, the pre-order bonus car, VIP membership, as well as the Forza Horizon 3 Motorsport All-Stars Car Pack. Go here to purchase.

Forza Horizon 3 Ultimate Edition (available digital and retail disc)
The Forza Horizon 3 Ultimate Edition includes Forza Horizon 3, the pre-order bonus car, VIP membership, as well as the Forza Horizon 3 Motorsport All-Stars Car Pack. Ultimate Edition owners will also get the Forza Horizon 3 Car Pass and will be granted early access to play Forza Horizon 3 beginning on 9/23/16, a full four days before the game is released to general availability. Go here to purchase.

[DChaps]

Here is some additional info and links on how to go more cars at launch based on your Forza Rewards, and how to get the Warthog from the Halo games at launch. Also, if you don't know what Forza Rewards are, there is a link and sectionon that as well. However, the only way to get to Tier 10 is to have maxed out the points for every game from Forza 2 to Forza Motorsport 6: Apex for PC, which is basically impossible now as certain achievements in Forza 2 are no longer available.


Forza Horizon 3 Loyalty Rewards

http://www.forzamotorsport.net/en-US/ne ... ty_Rewards

Brian Ekberg - Monday, June 13, 2016

With the launch of Forza Horizon 3, racing fans all over the world will be travelling to the Land Down Under to explore Australia. New cars, new features, and a brand new world to explore; what more could a racing fan ask for? Well, how about a pile of exclusive Forza Rewards cars, available to our most loyal Forza fans? In this story we’ll break down all of the great stuff Forza fans will have coming to them with Forza Horizon 3. And remember, there’s still time to make sure you set yourself up in the best position to get the most free stuff ahead of Forza Horizon 3’s launch on September 27!

Tier Rewards Cars
Whether you’re a longtime Forza veteran or a brand new player, it’s worth checking out Forza Rewards, our loyalty program, which gives fans access to regular rewards just for playing Forza games. Great cars are awaiting you in Forza Horizon 3, with a unique car for each Tier level in the game. Note that these rewards are cumulative so, for example, a Tier 4 player will earn both the Tier 2 and Tier 3 reward, in addition to the Tier 4 reward.

Here’s the full list of Tier Reward cars:

Tier 2: 2005 Honda NSX-R
Tier 3: 2003 Nissan Fairlady Z
Tier 4: 2016 Audi V10 plus
Tier 5: 2012 BMW M5
Tier 6: 2009 Ferrari 458 Italia
Tier 7: 2013 SRT Viper GTS
Tier 8: 2013 McLaren P1
Tier 9: Lamborghini Hurácan LP 610-4
Tier 10: 2017 Ford GT

Game Reward Cars
If you’ve played select past Forza games on Xbox One, you’ll also receive a free car in Forza Horizon 3 for each of the games you’ve played:

Forza Horizon 2: 2014 Local Motors Rally Fighter
Forza Motorsport 6: 2017 Ford Raptor

VIP Reward Car
If you’ve been a Forza VIP member in either Forza Motorsport 6 or Forza Horizon 2, you’ll also receive one of the most exciting European supercars of recent years: the 2015 Koenigsegg One:1!

With the launch of Forza Horizon 3 just a few months away, you’ve still got time to go back and make the most of your time in Forza Horizon 2 and Forza Motorsport 6, increase your Forza Rewards Tier level, and make sure you’ve got the best possible garage before tackling the open roads of Australia! If you’d like to know more about the Forza Horizon 3 pre-order offers that are available now, check out our in-depth story.


Warthog from Halo

http://www.forzamotorsport.net/en-us/news/hma_9_1_16

To get your Warthog CST, you have to have played either Halo 5: Guardians or Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Xbox One. Eligible players will begin receiving codes beginning next week via an Xbox Live Message. Haven’t played any of the Halo games? You will still have a chance to earn the Warthog via a special “Forzathon” event in Forza Horizon 3 event in October.

Considering the massive size of the Warthog FAV (Force Application Vehicle) it simply wasn’t feasible to directly co-opt it into being Earth-friendly, so a new model was conceived between Playground, Turn 10, and the folks at 343. “We had to think about how the world of Forza Horizon 3 differed from the Warthog’s natural habitat,” Phillips said. The M12 CST is 33 percent smaller and 50 percent faster than the FAV. Also, the FAV’s rear-wheel-steering feature would have made the CST unstable at high speeds, so it was excluded from development.

Similar to when the Chryslus Rocket 69 was brought to Forza Motorsport 6, there was no real-world data to draw from to build the vehicle or determine its driving characteristics. According to Phillips, “[We were required] to approach it as if we were AMG Transport Dynamic engineers with the technologies of the mid 2550’s available to us in order to create the car’s data.”


Forza Rewards is Here

http://www.forzamotorsport.net/en-US/ne ... h_announce

https://rewards.forzamotorsport.net

The Forza Motorsport series has always been about car fans – an ever-growing community of passionate car lovers who love every aspect of car culture found in the Forza series. Now, Forza has a new way for fans to explore and enjoy the Forza experience on Xbox: Forza Rewards. Our new loyalty program actually rewards Forza players for doing what they love most: playing Forza games!

Here’s how Forza Rewards works: By playing Forza games, you earn points in Forza Rewards. The more points you earn, the higher your Tier level and, the higher your Tier level, the better rewards you can earn. Each month, you can redeem rewards in games like Forza Motorsport 4 and Forza Horizon, including cars, in-game credits, tokens, and more.

So how do you get involved with Forza Rewards? If you’re a Forza player, you can check your current Tier level (and redeem any rewards you currently have waiting for you) at the Forza Rewards site. You can also see a detailed breakdown of how many points you have earned from playing earlier games in the Forza Motorsport series, going as far back as Forza Motorsport 2 for Xbox 360. While there, you can see exactly how many Forza Rewards points are still available for you to earn, and what rewards you’ll have waiting for you once you level up to the next Tier.

Finally, if you’ve got a competitive streak, head over to the Friends Compare feature in Forza Rewards, where you can see how your Forza Rewards points totals stack up to every other Forza player on your Xbox Live friends list.

[sportdan30]

Paul,

I'm in agreement with you regarding the demo. It feels like the same ol same ol, albeit in a new locale with even more beautiful visuals. I'll still buy the game, but I'd love to see the developers add something new and creative (i.e. police clocking speeders, earn money to build a huge garage to store your cars, have the ability to control your person in third person and stop off at different places along the route, etc.

[Dave]

I like that they're releasing the Ultimate Edition at retail this year (had been digital-only before) so I can get 20% off through Best Buy's GCU.

Maybe it is just my car choice, but the Holden Ute definitely didn't feel on rails once I turned off traction and stability control. But I agree that some of the weight/momentum that was in the original Horizon feels dialed back a little, it is really easy to get massively sideways and get the car sorted out.

The buggies are so much fun in the demo, I can see those being a blast online.

[Wilk5280]

It's definitely more of the same, but man I really like it. It's got a little bit of a Motorstorm Pacific Rift vibe to it as well with some of the off road stuff. I'm a big fan of the Horizon series and this will be added to the collection.

[Diablo25]

I may be in the minority but I lik Horizon more than Forza series. I'm not a big racing guy but the open endedness of Horizon is cool. I'll definitely be getting the game. I downloaded the demo late last night so I'll give it a whirl tonight.

[sportdan30]

I may be in the minority but I lik Horizon more than Forza series. I'm not a big racing guy but the open endedness of Horizon is cool. I'll definitely be getting the game. I downloaded the demo late last night so I'll give it a whirl tonight.

Definitely agree with you. I'm a much bigger fan of the Horizon series as well. Motorsport is just too dry for my liking.

[pk500]

Paul,

I'm in agreement with you regarding the demo. It feels like the same ol same ol, albeit in a new locale with even more beautiful visuals. I'll still buy the game, but I'd love to see the developers add something new and creative (i.e. police clocking speeders, earn money to build a huge garage to store your cars, have the ability to control your person in third person and stop off at different places along the route, etc.

I'm not buying FH3 at launch. Just not enough freshness for me to justify a full-cost purchase.

Plus there are just too many Grade AAA games being released now through November that generate more interest for me: Madden, FIFA, F1 2016, NBA 2K17, Battlefield 1, Titanfall 2, Dishonored 2. Between F1 2016, Forza 6 and DIRT Rally, I have more than enough good racing games to satisfy me.

I'll definitely keep an eye out for FH 3 on Black Friday or the inevitable holiday discounts. The game interests me, but I'm not drooling for it like the titles above. Plus we all know the NHL series is the only game with DSP Poker Night legs longer than Peter Dinklage's. FH3 will be no different.

[AcemanPR]

The FH3 demo impressed me alot, especially the visuals! I think Australia will be a fun location to race in the Horizon series.

To me, the cars in the demo seems to have a less floaty feel to them than in the previous Horizon games. It could be the cars, but all of them felt solid and fun to drive.

Sure, there is a sameness feel to this game, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I know there are some additional challenges added, plus the online mode is even beefier and you can co-op in the "campaign" as well.

I was picking this up come Day Zero anyways, I love the Forza franchises. I'm hoping someone will start up a DSP club for this game, if so, I'll definitely join up.

[Aristo]

Felt like the demo was everything I wanted. I can understand that this is a busy time of year for games. there is awesome stuff coming every week.

But I'm looking forward to tearing up Australia.

[Lancer]

Looks like Best Buy doesn't have the Deluxe edition on disc, just download.

[AcemanPR]

Looks like Best Buy doesn't have the Deluxe edition on disc, just download.

They just have the regular and Deluxe on disc.

[Wilk5280]

If you're an Amazon Prime member you can get it there for 20% off, free 2 day shipping (arrives on release day)

[pk500]

If you're an Amazon Prime member you can get it there for 20% off, free 2 day shipping (arrives on release day)

Same with Gamers Club Unlocked at Best Buy. Nice to have these discount options as a consumer!

[Danimal]

If you're an Amazon Prime member you can get it there for 20% off, free 2 day shipping (arrives on release day)

How exactly does this work. I typically buy my stuff digitally but I went on to Amazon to pre-order Battlefield 1 and I added it to my cart and didn't see 20% off.

[dbdynsty25]

If you're an Amazon Prime member you can get it there for 20% off, free 2 day shipping (arrives on release day)

How exactly does this work. I typically buy my stuff digitally but I went on to Amazon to pre-order Battlefield 1 and I added it to my cart and didn't see 20% off.

It will give you the regular price till you go to check out. Assuming you're a prime member and selected the physical copy of the game, you'll see the discount.

[TCrouch]

Doing the unthinkable and not trying the game until release. This is making it tough.

[dbdynsty25]

Doing the unthinkable and not trying the game until release. This is making it tough.

I'm doing the same, tho I did download it. Never really been a big fan of demos anyway...the EA Access stuff excluded.

First world problem, but gonna have to wait till the actual release date to play since I ordered the physical version of the Ultimate Edition to save the 20 bucks via Amazon. So yeah, it's gonna hurt.

[Dave]

They're releasing the physical version of the Ultimate Edition the Friday prior to the regular version's launch, so you still get the early access.

[dbdynsty25]

They're releasing the physical version of the Ultimate Edition the Friday prior to the regular version's launch, so you still get the early access.

Yeah, true. It'll come that day.

[DivotMaker]

Plus we all know the NHL series is the only game with DSP Poker Night legs longer than Peter Dinklage's.

Quote of the month....

[Diablo25]

Felt like the demo was everything I wanted. I can understand that this is a busy time of year for games. there is awesome stuff coming every week.

But I'm looking forward to tearing up Australia.

Yep. Played a bit last night and it was superb. Day 1 buy for me.