With the Xbox One soon to head off into the sunset thanks to the arrival of the Series X/S it’s worth stepping back to revisit some of the games that made an impact here during this generation. Not all of them are exclusive but each of them resulted in many hours spent glued to controllers and that’s all that really matters. 🙂

I’m certain that not everyone will agree with me on believing that Forza Horizon 3 my choice in this series and I can understand stand that because the series has consistently been one of the highlights of Xbox from this generation. I suppose my own reasoning is mainly as it’s set in Australia and that respect the Ford versus Holden rivalry which might just be the last game we’ll ever see that piece of Australian motor history be given credit.

Describing the game as an “open world racer” probably doesn’t do it justice but it does share many of the attributes of other games in the genre. There’s the huge map of Test Drive Unlimited, the stunts and hidden boards to smash of Burnout Paradise and all held together by the racing engine of Forza Motorsport but with the dial turned more in the direction of an arcade racer than it’s sim-lite sibling. While Forza Motorsport did benefit from Top Gear branding for a time, I think the Horizon series shared much of the that spirit too… especially if you were a fan of the specials and their elaborate set pieces. Where else are you going to race a giant hovercraft? On top of that we had DLC like the Hot Wheels expansion which gave players the kinds of tracks to race on that we’ve only seen previously in more fantastical racers and so the fun factor was bumped up a few more levels.

It’s a shame that licensing has once again ended the life of another Forza game earlier than it deserved as this still holds up exceptionally well. If you can find a physical copy (or digital code, if they are still applicable) it’s worth checking out. Hopefully Microsoft and Turn 10 can find a way to keep these games alive in future as all the games in the Horizon series are worth going back to.