Forza Horizon 5 (XBS, XB1, PC) Review

As hinted last night, SPC does have one last review to end the month of November here, and it's a doozy of a game. Last night we covered Metroid Dread, a serious contender for Game of the Year, and fresh off that game's heels is another destined for the same consideration. It's Forza Horizon 5, so let's hop into the driver's seat, clutch the steering wheel, and get ready to race with this review.

Nirvana in open-world racing form

My experience with racing games is quite limited, especially when we're talking cars from real life manufacturers and not something like go-karts with mustachioed plumbers inside of them. Therefore, it was with trepidation that I entered into the verdant greens, majestic mountainsides, and lush landscapes of Forza Horizon 5's Mexico, not really knowing what to expect out of this open-world racer. After all, this was my first time with the Forza series as a whole, understanding only that Forza Horizon was the more open of the two Forza line of games, with the other, Motorsport, being inspired by and modeled after PlayStation's Gran Turismo series. 

From the moment my modern supercar launched out of a transport carrier and had its wheels press and pound onto the pavement, I knew my vacation in the Forza Horizon Festival was going to be a seriously enjoyable one. A series of racing set pieces started my introduction to and adventure in Mexico: speeding through a sandstorm, getting rough and wild with some off-road racing, and finally ripping and tearing towards the Horizon Festival itself in a car that would cost more than a decade of an average person's salary. 

It was from there where I chose from one of the handful of starter cars to begin my feverish collection of vehicles that Mexico opened up considerably. It was my playground to enjoy and explore as I saw fit. There were various races of multiple types and disciplines to engage with, such as some circuit racing, some variety with cross country racing, some down and dirty off-road racing, and even some white-knuckle street racing. 

SuperPhillip's ride is ready to rule the road in this Horizon Festival.

But, racing events are hardly the only thing to delve into in Mexico during the Horizon Festival, but they do help earn great amounts of accolade points, allowing you to participate in more and more event types, such as the aforementioned street racing and even drag races. You can help build outposts from completing special set piece-like races where the challengers vary immensely, such as trying to beat a team of jet skis riding the swamp's waters as you tear through the nearby land in your vehicle. Or, better yet, how about contending with two gigantic monster trucks as they crash and bash through the landscape? These set piece races are less about the actual racing (well, until the very end of the race where crossing first is necessary) and more about enjoying the ride and thrills along the way. 

Aside from numerous races that you can compete in either against the AI or other players (and these races come in lap or rally forms) and the special races against asymmetric opponents, there are story-related missions to complete at your leisure as well. These range from heading to destinations to take photographs of ancient architecture and statues, to reaching a specific place in the designated amount of time. 

Story-based missions such as these insert some not-so-much-needed
(but enjoyable all the same) variety into Forza Horizon 5.

There is plenty of side content aside from the main repertoire of modes and events within the Horizon Festival. For instance, sprinkled around Mexico is a massive amount of bonus boards, rewarding cheaper fast travel prices and experience points for finding and crashing into them with your car. Some of these are positioned in such a way that they can't be accessed through normal means, such as those on roofs of buildings. Sometimes you need to take a leap from a nearby hill to reach them, and discovering how to reach them and how much speed is necessary to do so becomes a bit of a puzzle, one extremely satisfying to solve. 

Other than bonus boards, there is a variety of Horizon Promo challenges to take on, such as photographing other cars via the game's amazing Photo Mode (which all screenshots included in this review were taken in). There are also speed traps which require you to pass through them at a set speed to clear them, drift zones where you earn points for drifting through a marked path, and also danger signs, where you launch your vehicle from a ramp to see how far you can go while landing successfully. All of these speed and racing-related mini-challenges reward you with up to three stars for accomplishing them well, and they will seriously test your driving mettle even further. 

Races make up the majority of event-based content within Forza Horizon 5.

Then, there are all the multiplayer options available. There's taking on players in the Battle Royale-like Eliminator mode, creating and playing other Drivatars' custom-made racing events and challenges, delving into Playground Games like capture-the-flag and infection, driving the vast game world of Mexico and engaging with other players by challenging them to races or simply teaming up with them in Horizon Arcade skill-based challenges, and simply cruising through Mexico with your best mates. The fact of the matter is that there is no shortage of stuff to do within the Horizon Festival this time around.

Whether a ride in the country or a drive through the city, Forza Horizon 5's Mexico is a pleasure to race around in.

No matter what you decide to do in Forza Horizon 5, you're always making progress in some way--whether that's gaining accolade points to unlock new event types, gaining skill points from driving in style to spend on perks for individual cars, or earning experience points to level up your driver rank. Doing the latter routinely nets you Wheelspins, which are roulettes where you earn a random prize, such as new cars, cash, cosmetics for your custom Drivatar, and unique car horns. Wheelspins and their big sister Super Wheelspins, which reward three prizes at once, can be earned through other ways than simply gaining experience points and leveling up, like completing seasonal objectives.

Don't mind me--just passin' through!

Seasons come and seasons go in the real world, and it's similar in Forza Horizon 5, save for the fact that these present unique opportunities to earn points each season in order to unlock exclusive, hard-to-find and legendary cars. A season in Forza Horizon 5 runs for about a month's time, and each week presents a new set of challenges and events to take on, and rewards to earn from them. Sometimes you'll be asked to compete in races against highly skilled Drivatars, while other times it's clearing a jump with a certain distance in a specific car. There are also daily challenges, offering Forzathon points for completion, used as another type of currency to purchase in-game goodies like rare cars, cosmetics, vehicle horns, and Wheelspins. 

The level of customization afforded to players in Forza Horizon 5 is simply insane in all the best ways. From customizing your car with custom-made liveries (yeah, I ride around like a bad ass with the adorable pink puffball Kirby painted on the side of my car--what of it?) to being able to tune your vehicle however you want, as well as making your own events, you can do a lot with Forza Horizon 5. Plus, each and every thing you create in the game--whether it's a custom livery, car tune, or racing event/challenge--can be shared with the Forza Horizon community. 

What do you think a driver feels when they look in their rearview mirror and see Kirby
racing up behind them? I think they feel absolute terror.

All of this nifty and cool content and features in Forza Horizon 5 would mean jack squat if the racing wasn't up to par. Well, I'll simply say that a racing video game series doesn't get to its fifth installment by having its cars habitually handle like crap. Even still, you can always tune your car to make it run the way you want it to anyway, if there ever is a problem! Nevertheless, the cars in Forza Horizon 5 feel fantastic, using realistic driving physics, such as having four-wheel drive vehicles work well off the pavement and having supercars like a Lamborghini burnout and enter oversteer if they attempt the same. Racing is intense and just awesome, making you feel like you're in the driver's seat of whichever of the 500+ vehicles you enter. 

Further, Forza Horizon 5 makes for an accessible game for almost all ages or at least all skill levels. The AI can be tuned to whatever difficulty you are comfortable with, and if the game sees you beating the AI handily and routinely, it will ask you if you'd like to up the challenge for your next race for a cash percentage boost bonus. Then, there's the recommended racing line that can be turned on and off at any time. This shows the ideal line to take a given race, and it will even change colors from blue to red when it's necessary to brake on an upcoming turn because you're driving a bit too fast. 

However, by far the best accessibility feature and an utter godsend to Forza Horizon 5 is that of the rewind button, designated to the Y button. It's totally optional, and can be used in and out of races. There's nothing more frustrating than participating in a 10 minute race, running a flawless race until you make a costly error late-race, losing first place and wasting 10 minutes of your life in the process. Rewinding remedies this annoyance, allowing you to retry turns without having to restart the entire race. Moreover, it's helpful in the open world to rewind if you get caught in a troublesome spot, want to redo a jump quickly without having to go through the hassle of driving back there yourself, and is just generally a massive timesaver. 

Forza Horizon 5 runs remarkably on the Xbox Series S, the Xbox that I played my version of the game on. Load times are negligible, coming in at the absolutely highest of 5-10 seconds. That's generally when loading races. Otherwise, even during instances of fast travel where you can warp across the map, the loading times are mere seconds, if even that. 

And I'm free... free-fallin'!

Meanwhile, the environments are immaculate and detailed. The foliage is a marvel to look at, the geography and geometry on display within are incredible, and the lighting only further enhances the beauty of this immensely polished presentation. No doubt the cars are the stars of the festival show, and these possess and push an insane amount of polygons to look absolutely incredible. Cars show visible destruction, such as destroyed fenders, broken-off side view mirrors, scratched paint, mud, and damage from colliding into walls or other cars. This is one delightful and damn fine game to look at, and I found myself marveling at its beauty more times than possibly the amount of cars in the game (and once again, that's over 500).

Forza Horizon 5 is a magnificently crafted open world racer with a world in Mexico that is varied in amazing geography that is just a blast to explore and drive about mindlessly in. Racing and driving feel tremendous and realistic in all the best ways (and some of the worst if you're not into realism and want a much more "arcade" feel than what's presented here). The absolutely massive amount of content currently in the game and constantly coming with seasons means you'll have plenty of reasons to keep returning to Mexico and enjoying the ride. I sure know I have so far, and I also sure know that I will continue to do so. 

[SPC Says: A]

Psychonauts 2 (XBS, XB1, PS4, PC) Review

Let's wrap up the month here with one final review. It's for the long-awaited sequel to one of developer Double Fine's most beloved games, Psychonauts. Considering how many of Double Fine's games are beloved, that's quite the title to achieve! It's Psychonauts 2, and SPC has its review live on the site for you tonight!

One fine--ahem, double fine--platformer

It's been a 16 year journey, but finally, FINALLY fans of the original Psychonauts have the next full-length chapter in Razputin's psychic saga. For those like myself who never got to partake in the original game, Psychonauts 2 is just as inviting to new players as it is to veterans of Double Fine and Tim Schafer's 3D platformer magnum opus. Of course, those who have played the first Psychonauts will discover a deeper appreciation for the characters and world than those who have not.

Either way, with Psychonauts 2 and with Xbox bankrolling part of the development of the game, Double Fine's latest title is not only one of the developer's better games in its multi-decade history, but it's also one of the finest games released this year.

Psychonauts 2 picks up where the original Psychonauts and the VR-only follow-up Rhombus of Ruin left off story-wise. Fortunately, if you haven't played either of these games, the opening cutscene is essentially a colorful and comical summary of the events from those two titles. It serves as a wonderful primer that eases newcomers into the Psychonauts world. 

The Psychonauts enter the mind of Dr. Loboto in order to discover the true identity of the person or persons who tasked Loboto with kidnapping Truman Zanotto, the Grand Head of the Psychonauts. Probing around and investigating inside Loboto's mind reveals a shadowy figure, whom one of the Psychonauts agents notes is the terrifying Maligula. A group called the Deluginists wants to revive her. Not just that, but in Loboto's mind, Raz discovers that there is a double agent within the Psychonauts. It's up to the Psychonauts to prevent Maligula's revival as well as find out who the double agent is before it's too late.

As one might expect from a Double Fine-developed game, Psychonauts 2's story is full of whimsical, eccentric characters that are a delight to interact with. The dialogue is full of punchy humor and witty writing, routinely making this particular player and review writer laugh more than he expected to. Conversely, Psychonauts 2 also goes into some deep and occasionally dark territory, too. There are some tender, poignant moments that were pleasant surprises to experience as well.

It's a big world out there, Raz. Feel free to take it all in and explore!

Psychonauts 2 starts out relatively linearly with set levels done in a specific order and one main hub. However, after a couple of levels or so in the rearview mirror, the game opens up considerably. There is an unexpected amount of freedom available to players, offering a duo of new, expansive hubs, the ability to tackle the main quest in any order, and plenty of content to sink one's teeth into. It's never overwhelming, however.

The "eyes" have it in this truly trippy (but wonderful) world.

In Psychonauts 2, Raz enters into the minds of various characters in order to sort out their thoughts as a means to help them get back on track. Well, that's except for one early case within the game, of course. The worlds in Psychonauts 2 were always exciting to see. I never knew what to expect when Raz would pull out that door into a character's mind and then leap inside, and the surprise was always a welcomed and riveting one. Whether entering a hospital turned casino for high rollers, delving into a world based off a hellish, nightmare version of a cooking competition, or traveling through a literal tour of the five senses complete with trippy, far-out visuals, Psychonauts 2 delighted with every new world that myself and Raz were introduced to. Every new world was a new opportunity for Double Fine's level designers to wow and amaze, and they seldom, if ever, missed the mark.

Out of the way, ladies and germs, Raz is coming through!

Each world sports its own series of collectables to acquire, all optional. There are Half-A-Minds to find (understandably when two halves are collected to form a full mind, Raz's health increases by one brain), Memory Vaults that regale players with lore regarding the character whose mind Raz is in, Nuggets of Wisdom that level up Raz's psychic rank, Emotional Baggage that requires Raz to find the corresponding tag for each piece of literal baggage, and Figments, which are the most plentiful collectable to find in worlds. Some Figments are just maddening to find when there are 200+ scattered throughout a world that is split up between various parts. I would have liked--nay, loved--to have seen a "Figment Finder" of sorts that beeps when Raz is near one, for example.

Though with the Psychonauts he starts as a modest intern, Raz is quite the capable psychic. In the beginning of the game, he's equipped with a small amount of abilities, such as Telekinesis, allowing him to interact with or pick up and throw objects. As his adventure progresses, he obtains a whole slew of psychic abilities that are great in a pinch in and out of battle. There is the PSI Blast, which shoots fireballs out at enemies and can hit faraway objects in order to activate them. There is the Levitation ability, allowing Raz extra height and distance in midair after jumps, or allowing him to ride on a ball of mental energy. Later abilities are even cooler, particularly one late-game psychic maneuver that is as equally fun as it is comical to use. I won't spoil it, however.

While Censors love to literally stamp out threats, some foes love to bully poor Raz from afar.

As Raz finds collectables in worlds, his psychic rank increases. With each level increase he earns skill points that can be spent to upgrade his psychic abilities. For instance, with Pyrokinesis' initial version, it erupts in a small sphere. As Raz upgrades this power, not only does the range grow but so does the effectiveness, burning enemies for much longer, damaging them over time. In order to fully upgrade every psychic power in Raz's repertoire, players will have to essentially collect everything in the game's worlds. Seeing as how enjoyable the platforming is and how clever the level designs are in Psychonauts 2's worlds, offering an abundance of clever, fresh ideas and obstacles to interact with, that's not exactly a bad thing. 

Mental Connection allows Raz to move from one stray thought to another
to reach new heights and otherwise inaccessible destinations.

These psychic moves work in battle just as well as they do outside. Raz can use his Telekinesis to pluck weapons like hammers or bombs right out of an enemy's grasp and chuck it back at them, while his Mental Connection ability can grab foes and either bring Raz closer to them or them closer to Raz. Raz can roll to evade enemy attacks, and then let loose a flurry of kicks and punches to slowly whittle them down in health. 

If battles get too boring or frustrating (and they just might),
there's no shame in turning on an accessibility feature or two.

Though, it is safe to say that while the platforming in Psychonauts 2 is of a stellar enough quality, combat is where the game is at its weakest. There is a lack of visual feedback for enemies taking damage. They simply stand there and take hits with your only visual cue being their teeny-tiny, depleting health bars. Further, the combat controls feel a bit slow and laggy, inelegant, and at times downright frustrating. Fortunately, if battles prove to be too much of a nuisance, you can turn on an accessibility feature to make fights more fun, enabling enemies to take more damage and output less onto Raz. Otherwise, whenever a battle scenario started, I would occasionally let out an audible sigh. By far my least favorite part of this otherwise excellent game. 

While regular battles are nothing to make a positive note of, it's the boss battles, that like the platforming worlds, are insanely clever and well done. This is one part of Psychonauts 2 that would not have been possible or included without Microsoft's backing. Whether you're dealing with the oversized neon Luctopus who has death in the cards for poor Raz, or battling a trio of judges hellbent on making Raz fail their cooking show with one last ditch boss battle, these fights are fun, massive, and marvelous. 

There's nothing lucky about Raz being in the Luctopus' sights,
but it sure does make for an entertaining boss battle.

Psychonauts 2 looks absolutely wonderful on the Xbox Series S version of the game. The game's performance is stellar running on the S, and technical issues were at a minimum. Load times were insanely impressive, seldom taking more than five seconds to switch between worlds or hubs. The latter offers fast travel between underground tunnels to get around Psychonauts 2's hubs quickly. The voice work feels suitably Saturday morning cartoon-like, and it's masterfully done. Masterfully done as well is the soundtrack, which brings whimsical orchestral sounds that were reminiscent of Rare's composers' works, rock-based anthems, and simple but truly effective bops. 

Psychonauts 2 is quite the looker running on Xbox.

Few games lately have made me want to put forth the effort to complete them 100%, but Psychonauts 2 was certainly one of those games. Outside of battles, occasional obnoxious invisible walls, and platforming pitfalls due to some depth perception issues, Psychonauts 2 offers a plentifully polished game. It's hilarious one moment, tender and poignant the next. It's the type of game that gave me a bittersweet feeling upon completing it. On one hand, I got to experience a (doubly) finely crafted game. On the other, I just hope it won't take another 16 years to see a sequel! 

[SPC Says: A-] 

Halo Infinite (XBS, XB1, PC) Official Multiplayer Reveal

Incredibly impressive multiplayer footage from today's Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase premiered of Halo Infinite. Essentially taking the action-packed, adrenaline-filled multiplayer the Halo series is known for and cranking up the intensity dial to 11, Halo Infinite's multiplayer with be free to play this holiday season. Check out the trailer for much, much more.