While at its core the game is very similar toForza Horizon 3,a glorious new locale plus a smart and ambitious push into a synchronised,online open world means there's plenty new to do here. Besides,in a bi-annual franchise as high in quality as this one,more of the same isn't really a bad thing.
This time the action moves to the United Kingdom,and it makes a stark contrast to2016's Australian deserts,beaches and flat highways. From the tightly winding roads around rocky mountains to the dazzling light-dappled forests,and from crumbling castles above pristine lakes to the lights and monuments of Edinburgh,it's a joy just to drive around this massive diverse map.
There are 25 different campaigns to conquer,themed after things like"dirt racing"or"cross country",but as before you're free to tweak the events to your liking,so if you only ever want to drive classic cars you can still take on all the races. The"bucket list"challenges of the last list are gone,replaced with a few of the more quirky campaigns including one where you have to take the place of a stunt driver. And of course the showcase events,where you take a particular vehicle into a head-to-head race with,for example,a hovercraft or a train,return and are as spectacular as ever.
And multiplying all this diversity is the seasons system — perhaps the biggest departure from previous games — which sees the whole world shift between summer,autumn,winter and spring. The change happens every week,in real world time,so you have plenty of opportunity to take in the purely aesthetic changes (like blooming flowers or falling leaves),but the seasonal weather makes a big difference to the terrain and routes too.
Unexpectedly I found myself really loving winter,with its pure white rally tracks through the woods,its unforgiving snow banks outside the main roads and its frozen lakes that provide access to some remote areas. Though there's something to be said for the puddles and leaves of autumn,the bright sparkling water of summer and the overwhelming flora of spring.
As hinted earlier the game is a much more connected,online experience than before,and the seasons play into that. In addition to regular"Forzathon Live"events that pop up hour,encouraging players to work together,and new challenges every day and week,each season change brings with it new seasonal championships and events. It's a smart way to tie regular content drops into a core part of the game,and if well supported it should keep things exciting whether you're bingeing the game constantly or just dropping in every now and then.