Forza Horizon 3 reviews are hitting

IGN 9.5

Gamespot 9.0

US Gamer 5/5

Destructoid 9

Polygon 8.5 "Why does Forza Horizon 3 make me feel happy?"

They didn't mess it up. After seeing these reviews I finally made my pre-order and I'm allowing myself to feel hyped. From the text of the reviews it seems like the team understood what makes the Horizon series great (choices; a laid back, player-friendly, vibe; polish) and just made a bigger better version of that.

I kinda need this game in my life right now. Only a few more days until the ultimate edition unlocks and Australia is open for racing.

Time to GET HYPE if you weren't already!

*shakes walking cane* Stay off of my roads, you hoodlums!

(I think I'll get this game.)

Might be the greatest racing game of this gen, really exicted.

Really excited about this and already pre-ordered my own copy. I'd really like to see any PC reviews but it seems like it wasn't unlocked by the time most publications were reviewing it. Forza Apex ran just fine on my machine so I'm not too worried about any serious technical issues but it'd still be nice to know what kind of experience Playground Games managed to pull off.

I am so incredibly pumped for this game. Can't wait.

I just cancelled my regular preordered and ordered the Ultimate edition so I could play it early...they're is something wrong with me but it's preloaded and I can't wait!

hnnnnnggghhh

Don't pre-order games.

That said I'll be excited to try it for PC.

So does the PC version of the game not support preloading? I preordered the ultimate edition and hit download only to have it complete in like 10 seconds. With my internet speeds the 60gb download is gonna take forever.

The game has tons of video out, it has a demo, it has dozens of reviews.

Why would you not pre-order it now? What is magically going to happen on the release date to make it worth buying?

If you can't pre-order a game when it's been thoroughly reviewed AND has had a demo then you are basically just saying "don't buy games."

@bigsocrates: This. Also some games you just know you want to buy no matter what.

I will try the demo out on PC first before decide to buy it.

@bigsocrates said:

The PC version could be completely broken? That platform didn't get a demo and very few of the reviews have anything to say about it, so if you've only got a PC then it'd make sense to hold off on pre-ordering for a bit.

Sure, though they did A-Spec to prepare for PC launch and that went well.

But I'm playing this on Xbox. And I am as confident as a person could be that I'm going to like this game (once again, there will be NO additional information available at launch except maybe how the multiplayer servers will hold up, and I will mostly play single player and trust MS to fix the servers if there are issues.)

If you want to hold off on buying the PC version until others have tried it that's fine, I would never tell anyone they HAD to pre-order, but it's silly for someone to tell ME not to pre-order a game when all this information is already out.

"Don't pre-order games" is generally good advice because a lot of games end up disappointing even when they look really solid in previews, but once there's a demo and reviews out there's no reason to hold back, and "Don't pre-order games" shouldn't be some kind of dogma.

I've been disappointed by games in the past but I've never been disappointed by a game that had a demo I liked AND reviewed well.

Can't wait to blast some tasty tunes and cruise the beautiful scenery.

I've had enough Forza to last a lifetime. I really wish they'd slow the releases down.

I don't think that Forza and Forza Horizon are really the same thing. They share certain elements (such as car models, UI, and handling) but one is a sim and the other is an open world arcade experience (at least the way I play it.)

The Horizon games are my favorite racing games for the last five or so years, and at this point basically the only 'major' racing games I play, and one every 2 years doesn't seem excessive. Especially since the development cycle doesn't seem to have damaged the quality (except for Forza 5, and that was a matter of getting a game out on new hardware during a launch window.)

Burnout's gone. Need for Speed has kind of gone off the rails. Ridge Racer and the other Japanese racing titles are gone. If not for the Forza Horizon series I feel like the arcade racer, a genre I've always enjoyed since like Outrun, would be on life support.

This game looks great and I couldn't be happier, and I'm sure by 2018 I will be salivating over Horizon 4 as well. If it's too many racing games for you why not take a break and see how you feel when the next release rolls around?

Edit: I just remembered "The Crew" exists but that game did not review well and I never played it.

Not sure what's it's worth for you guys, but I've played and review the game for my private little site and while I sure was a bigger fan of Forza Horizon 2 than Jeff, I really, really do enjoy this game a whole lot more. Creating and sharing your fun might be one of few new things here - but the little things basically makes up a whole new game. My review is in Swedish, but the IGN review is kind of the one I agree with the most.

@bigsocrates: I'm not saying don't buy games, I'm advocating against pre-ordering games especially for cheap "bonuses." Just buy it on release day. Why would you let someone have your money ahead of time especially when there isn't going to be some sort of shortage? I pre-ordered Grow Up because they were offering discounts on pre-orders. Otherwise I'll just get the game on release day.

Of course it's your money so ultimately you can do what you want with it.

Can't wait for this. the launch trailer dropped today too

Because you can preload the game. Why would I wait until release day and then start downloading a game I know Im going to buy when I can pre-order it and have it ready to go? Especially on Xbone where install times take forever.

I jumped on the digital ultimate edition to get both versions.

This and what benefit do I get by waiting? Other than having to wait longer to play the game (in this case I'd miss a whole weekend of play since I'm getting the Ultimate Edition) and NOT getting the cheap "bonuses" (which don't matter, but are nice to have anyway) what benefit am I getting?

Normally the answer is "you get to avoid wasting your money if the game isn't good." But this is a game from a series I love. It has a great demo. It has a Metascore of 90 based on 47 critics.

What are the chances it won't be good, and what information is going to come out between now and release that's going to convince me of that in the face of A) Beloved series B) Strong demo C) Glowing reviews?

This might be the first time in ages I'm buying the Ultimate Edition of a game. Early Access starts on my birthday, which fits just perfectly. I'm not even that big on racing games normally, but the demo of FH3 sold me on the game instantly. A job well done, Turn 10. A job well done.

A little bird told me that no one has even played the PC version yet.

This article from this morning seems to support what I heard -

http://www.pcgamesn.com/forza-horizon-3/forza-horizon-3-pc-review

But PC reviews are not among these. Or at least, ours isn’t. Why so? Well, although we received Xbox One code for the game a week ago, and although it is indeed a Play Anywhere title (meaning one code gives you both the XO and PC versions), the PC review build still isn’t live on the Windows Store.

Is windows store ok for games now? it used to have forced v-sync, no g-sync, no sli support and other quirks.

Like I said, it's your money after all. If pre-loading is that huge a deal then of course, pre-order the game and live in the now. Personally I can wait and I don't like the idea of handing over my hard earned money ahead of time especially if my only benefit is playing the game an hour sooner or whatever the timeframe might be.

On PS4 this isn't really an issue for me though since the day of release I can go to the PSN store on my phone, buy the game and tell it to start downloading onto my console where it will be ready to go when I get home from work. PC's should really have something similar with the same ease of use, since Doom was quite a large download.

So here's a question, with the Play Anywhere stuff I know you can play online with Xbox players on the PC version, but does the Xbox app on Win10 allow for party chat?

Hot damn, apparently you can: http://www.windowscentral.com/how-start-xbox-live-party-windows-10 That actually makes the cross-platform co-op MP option super exciting to me.

Steam has remote install through the Steam Mobile App, has had it for years now. A workaround for Windows Store games would be to just use Chrome Remote Desktop.

While pre-ordering games was a shady mess at the beginning (many years ago), due to important exclusive in-game content, on a per-retailer basis - and stupid stuff like that... nowadays it's usually just smart, and completely safe if you buy from the right places. Unless you're pre-ordering on a service that doesn't let you change or refund your pre-order if you decide you don't want it after release, it's all benefits in the vast majority of cases. Also, I for one, hate to miss out on any in-game content, even if it's minor, for any game I end up loving (unless it's some garbage skins or something, then I usually don't care as much).

I also think that the existence of pre-ordering solved the issue of not producing enough copies of a given title these days - it almost never happens now, but was common back in the day of N64 and earlier, because they didn't have any good indicators of the actual consumer interest in the title aside from hearsay - until it was too late.

I really don't get the continuing pre-order hate these days. I definitely hated it back in the day, but they solved those issues in 95%+ of cases now.

I'm pre-ordering on Friday through XBL.

The pre-order waters get further muddied on PC when you see sites like GMG offering 20%+ discounts (not this game specifically) for pre-ordering digitally. Hell, even PSN are doing this now.

As someone not exactly rolling in dough, I've caved in a few times and been burned once or twice.

I'll be getting it on PC and am stoked. I'm not buying it until I see some PC reviews though.

It's ridiculous this game has two release dates, one for the $100 version and one for $60.

i have faith as forza 6 apex runs perfectly fine on my machine. also, arkham knight debacle aside, i rarely put credence into cries of "this game is broken" when it's usually a big exaggeration.

i know Quantum Break was less than spetacular, but we did have KI which was also superb.

@mike said:

Pre-load just went live for PC:

Hopefully this means they'll unlock the Windows Store version for reviewers today.

@bigsocrates: I still don't want a Horizon every two years, though. I don't want a Burnout that often either. I want something crafted and heavily-anticipated. Not something from a clockwork assembly line.

If you love waiting, might I suggest:

Man if you think that the Horizon games feel like they came off a clockwork assembly line I guess that's your opinion and that's fine, but they don't feel that way to me. The maps so far have been amazing, the soundtracks are very solid, and even what they do with the festival and how the game is structured has evolved significantly.

The cars are often the same, but a good car model is a good car model, I don't see much to gain by totally redoing them every game, and even Gran Turismo (famously) doesn't do that.

These games do not feel "assembly line" to me at all. They feel joyous and passionate. But that's just me. Horizon is one of my favorite series and I enjoy the opportunity to get a new map/soundtrack/progression every couple years.

Wow. I kind of want to buy this. Would be the first racing game I have bought in years.

@flasaltine: The last racing game I bought was Horizon 2, which I actually found disappointing. It was a good game but it didn't click with me like the first game. I adored the demo for 3, the environment is so much better than 2's.

I don't give a shit about mainline Forza. Racing sims are not my jam, but I love arcade racing and since it doesn't look like there's going to be a new Burnout anytime soon (or ever!), Forza Horizon is the next best thing. Horizon 3 looks great and will be the first time I turn on my Xbox in months.

Also, people are awfully opinionated about how other people choose to spend their money. Yeesh.

Add me on XBox Live

GT: Cream in my pie

Lets do this

This game looks great, especially visually.....just wow. And I'm not a huge fan of Horizon, but I see the appeal although I prefer the simulations that the Forza series provides much more. As far as preordering, I think everyone who enjoys the more arcade style of racers---I think you all are very safe. Turn 10 doesn't make bad games period. Play the demo and if it's your cup, get it, would be my advice. This developer has earned the trust imo. The new play on pc/xbox is a great bonus too, and just another reason obviously.

I don't play racing/driving games but everyone is saying great things about this. Hmmm

Got this sucker preordered a very very long time ago. Forza is always going to mean quality, I never expected anything less. It's just that now the video is coming and wow does it look amazing. Considering the lengths Playground went to record the Australian sky for an extended period of time just to make sure the lighting would be appropriate.....It is beyond impressive. Sound in racing games is hitting new highs! I'm totally thrilled!

@frostyryan: I played Horizon 2 as somebody who enjoys racing/driving games, but doesn't play them often and had a great time with it. It feels really got, but isn't particularly involved. It turned out to be a great podcast game (I don't mean this as an insult - I like having a podcast game on hand).

So if you're interested in Horizon 3, it might be worth grabbing it, even if you aren't super into driving games.

Happy this is getting good reviews. I'm really excited for it.

@mike: I've been using Steam for years and I've never heard about the option before. I assume it requires your PC to be left on at all times? I know last time I used hibernation states on a desktop it didn't end well so I'm wary of it to this day.