A recent post on Windows Central just reminded me that time is running out if you’re wanting to get your hands on one of the best racers EVER for Xbox One in Forza Horizon 2. Not only will it disappear from Games with Gold at the end of the month but come the end of September it will also be gone from the digital store too due to licensing issues.

It sucks that this kind of thing still happens. We’ve already lost the original Forza Horizon for the same reason as well as Forza Motorsport 5 but I think the loss is more so with Horizon because the maps for these games are unique and unlikely to return whereas Motorsport brings tracks over in each iteration. Other games have suffered the ignoble fate of delisting too such as Alan Wake and Sega’s own racing titles in Outrun Online Arcade and Sega Rally Online Arcade. Delisted Games is a great resource for finding what is gone if you’re curious.

Rockstar however finds a way and has been steadfast in finding alternative music tracks for their games to ensure they can continue to be sold. When you have a franchise like GTA I suppose you have a lot more room to manoeuvre when changing up the radio stations for the games (plus bucket loads of cash) but it’s still a shame that the iconic soundtracks from the launch games are lost to time.

Still, I think I will feel the loss more with Forza Horizon 2. This was the first racing game on Xbox One that I was genuinely happy to play for the fun of it. In the past I’d spent a lot of time in Forza Motorsport racing with friends but much more of my focus was on the design side coming up with vinyls to show off new cars. Having a basic paint package in the game kept me entertained and I spent hours between racing just working on designs. I pretty much accepted that’s where my focus would be but I’d be ready to jump into a race if any friends were around.

That changed completely in FH2 when I could just drive ANYWHERE and do only the races I was interested in while checking out the countryside. That was something I hadn’t really come across since Test Drive Unlimited so it was brilliant to see that back but now powered by more modern tech. Being able to throw cars around roads with less concern for the racing line and “clean” laps is just perfect for the kind of racer (I think) I am who doesn’t care for how I get to the end just as long as I do. Smashing through the countryside never gets old either. 🙂

Anyway, it’s a shame that the developers at Turn 10 and Playground weren’t able to patch the game to keep it available because it still looks great, plays brilliantly and compares VERY well to its more advanced siblings. From my perspective, the only racing game on Xbox One to do it better was its own sequel. Get it now while you still have the chance and the DLC is going cheap too (like the Porsche expansion) – it’s an amazingly great deal that you’ll soon miss out on.