The open-world Racing Throne, Reclaimed.
I wanted to write a late review of this game, now that I've had adequate time to invest in playing it.
It is great, but just shy of being absolutely amazing. I will also go as far as stating that I haven't had as much fun with an open-world racer since Burnout Paradise. Obviously the two games are very different, each having their own outstanding qualities, but BP placed the bar quite high back in 2008. I really enjoyed the first Horizon but, like most other racing fans, found Horizon 2's appeal mostly lackluster. It was a good game, but did not feel like its own experience from the first.
Horizon 3 immediately fixes that problem, though. Not only is the map much better than the sequel's, but it's also better than the original's Colorado playground. Australia looks and feels very life-like and complete, while giving you a very wide spectrum of environments to tear up and explore. What stands out more though is the freedom to go nearly anywhere you want, save for the very edges of the map. I found it just as rewarding (and fun) to blaze along the freeway at 220mph+ as it was romping through field after field of farmland and thick crop. I was quite convinced that the game would prevent me from plunging off of the cliffs near Byron Bay but I was very wrong. Not only did I fly right off the edge, but I had a good laugh as my choice super car landed down on the beach head and just kept on going. Not very realistic, but I'm not complaining because I earned many an experience point for that little stunt.
I spent a good deal of time wandering around, authoring blueprints, setting records, and smashing fences--all while earning a ton of XP. I found most, if not all, of the showcase events absurd, but it was still fun to race around the map against some "unlikely" opposition. I kept clear of most of the tight little circuit races, because I was never a fan, but there are some really good routes to race here and there. I wasn't able to enter any long courses until some of the sites had been upgraded past level 3. It was worth the wait though, because I ended up racing the goliath track like 5 times in a row, across several different vehicle classes. This track has you race around the entire perimeter of the game world, respectively, and is quite the challenge if you are driving without most assists or rewind. Even as a very experienced racer, I kept the rewind on because I occasionally underestimated my braking or cornering speed. Beyond Expert, the AI was a bit too hard for me to keep up with but I found the harder racing more enjoyable than just being alone up front all the time. There were even some instances where I had absolutely no chance of keeping pace once my tires were shot.
Overall, this game is plenty worth a look if you have even the slightest interest in automotive racing or car culture. The range of vehicles to choose from is second-to-none and, although somewhat tedious, finding the barn cars is rewarding if you appreciate some of the examples. This is the only game in recent memory where I can cruise the coast in a classic Ferrari, shred the outback in a trophy truck, drift hairpins to my heart's content, or even just fly down the runway in a Bugatti because everyone else seems to be doing it. There's also plenty of rallying, skirmishing, drag racing, and corner-cutting to go around, so you will not be bored. The blueprint system adds even more excitement, and I was happy to see that some of my challenges were becoming popular among enthusiasts and other showoffs. The online capability is exceptionally well-oriented, and if you have buddies to join in on the fun the game feels incredibly complete.
I am taking off a single star only because I encountered some frustrating patterns in traffic AI and the number of times I felt that I got ripped off on wheel spins. It's all good, though, but I seriously came so close to winning some of the game's most desirable cars that it felt like a big middle finger. The traffic seemed to fluctuate from being barely a problem to being intentionally placed to f*** up my entire world. I was trying to set some record drift and speed zone scores but was constantly held back by innocent Australian motorists. I'm the one being the reckless monster, I realize, but I'm not going to pretend that I bought the game to practice my responsible driving abilities, or lack thereof.
Anyway, great game. I will be playing it for a little while longer because there are many unfinished races and challenges to complete.