Forza Horizon 4 tried way too hard to be Cool and ended up having horrible in-game prizes

[Peek-a-boo!]

This is why I much prefer the first two Forza Horizon games — driving and racing in style, with a side sprinkling of over-the-top mayhem, whereas the third and fourth went further into the playground nature of things (off road, jumps and general wackiness).

Forza Horizon 4 also felt artificial, and the progression system was a regression from prior games too.

While folks were playing FH4 last year (and whinging that it didn't make any GotY lists...), I played the first Forza Horizon game via backwards compatibility and had a whale of a time! Driving through the French and Italy inspired scenery in Forza Horizon 2 feels really good.

 

[Falchion]

Yeah it definitely felt like there was a little too much filler in terms of cosmetic items with many being as boring as, brown pants.

 

[Jaaake]

I hate the wheel spins. Started playing the game on gamepass the other day and it kinda stood out to me. Reminds me too much of poker machines - even if you seemingly don't have to pay to use it. Just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[leng jai]

The cosmetic shit is a complete waste of time that should have been dedicated to something else like better engine sounds or a more elaborate weather system.

 

[Kapryov]

This is why I much prefer the first two Forza Horizon games — driving and racing in style, with a side sprinkling of over-the-top mayhem, whereas the third and fourth went further into the playground nature of things (off road, jumps and general wackiness).

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Horizon 1 is such a good game.
No nonsense, no prizes or clothing, not even any off-roading. It's mostly just racing to build up enough points to get a new wristband.
(edit: and it looks fantastic on the X! if it weren't for the occasional low quality texture here and there it could easily pass for current gen)

I love FH3/4 but after the LEGO expansion dropped I realised how exhausting even looking at that map is, I just had no idea what to do next it was actually kinda overwhelming... so I ended up loading up Horizon 1 and playing that to (near) completion instead. Just need that damned final barn find which won't trigger...

 

[Velocity:Design:Comfort]

I hate the wheel spins. Started playing the game on gamepass the other day and it kinda stood out to me. Reminds me too much of poker machines - even if you seemingly don't have to pay to use it. Just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

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This too. And it's weird because I'm not even sure the "wow streamer millennial xD" market they clearly wanted to tap into even likes or is known for gambling that much.

 

[newmoneytrash]

Counterpoint: I have more cars and money than I know what to do with in the game.

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And this has always been what it's felt like since Horizon 2. If anything the cosmetics help break up the wheel spins from money or car, so I'm glad they're there

Towards the end of the last few Horizon games I have so many wheel spins banked because that's not really why I'm there. The core of those games is still incredibly good, this is just superfluous stuff on the side that is pretty easy to ignore and doesn't detract from the main experience

 

['V']

I'm actually shocked at people saying they don't like the random gifts from the slot machine. It's a perfect reward for completing challenges. The ultimate goal of the game is to own all the cool cars and as many cars as possible and getting an opportunity to win a rare car or some money as a reward for doing well in a challenge or levelling up is freaking amazing to me.

Honestly the best racer i've played in every way since NFSU2. I hope they don't change anything for the next game. All it needs is more customisation options like Underground 2 with cool body kits, neon's and all that fancy showoff stuff and it'll be the true successor to NFSU2 for me.

 

[leng jai]

I'm actually shocked at people saying they don't like the random gifts from the slot machine. It's a perfect reward for completing challenges. The ultimate goal of the game is to own all the cool cars and as many cars as possible and getting an opportunity to win a rare car or some money as a reward for doing well in a challenge or levelling up is freaking amazing to me.

Honestly the best racer i've played in every way since NFSU2. I hope they don't change anything for the next game. All it needs is more customisation options like Underground 2 with cool body kits, neon's and all that fancy showoff stuff and it'll be the true successor to NFSU2 for me.

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The economy in the game makes no sense at all, 90% of it is locked behind RNG wheelspins. Actual skill like winning races on the hardest difficulty gives you barely any money. How's that satisfying? Another round about way of unlocking money is spending "skill points" on each car unlocking wheelspins and credit bonuses that way. Utterly bizarre system with no logic to it. It's like they went out of their way to make you get credits in any way except for winning races. There's a reason that in the first in the first expansion went back to drowning you in money for the treasure hunting gimmick.

 

['V']

The economy in the game makes no sense at all, 90% of it is locked behind RNG wheelspins. Actual skill like winning races on the hardest difficulty gives you barely any money. How's that satisfying? Another round about way of unlocking money is spending "skill points" on each car unlocking wheelspins and credit bonuses that way. Utterly bizarre system with no logic to it. It's like they went out of their way to make you get credits in any way except for winning races. There's a reason that in the first in the first expansion went back to drowning you in money for the treasure hunting gimmick.

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Offline the fastest way to make money is through races like the Goliath. If you're playing online like I do you can make lots of money from online adventures, around 30k a race if your team wins. There's also the auction house where you can buy or sell cars which is always fun. I've never had a problem with the economy and I've found it extremely rewarding. I would be so bummed out if they removed the wheelspins because as a massive fan of cars in general I'm always looking forward to potentially unlocking a rare car I can modify, tune to my liking and just cruise around in it.

 

[No Depth]

The pointless prizes didn't bother me nearly as much as the pointless progression. The racing felt tepid and there was no sense of anything being different whether I finished first or dead last. Nothing mattered.

Did I have fun tearing up the road and delighting in the visuals? Kind of. To an extent. Briefly. It lasted less than a week before uninstalling. And I put close to a 100h into FH3.

 

[Ant_17]

I gave up on the game when it rewarded me a top hat and welington boots.

 

[KRaZyAmmo]

I still dislike the festival playlist feature. That bothers me more than getting dupe cars or money in wheelspins atm. (I have more money than I need)

 

[ItsTheLittleThings]

Nvm.

 

[GamerDude]

No, more dumb useless stuff in wheelspins, please. I don't know what to do with all the cars anyway.

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Why would you want useless stuff? That makes no sense whatsoever.

 

[DocH1X1]

This is what boredom looks like when trying to find something to complain about, lol. It's not that bad.

There is filter, but also cars.

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100% this, possibly greatest racing game ever, you gotta look hard for flaws and even then it's subjective

 

[leng jai]

100% this, possibly greatest racing game ever, you gotta look hard for flaws and even then it's subjective

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Oh there's plenty of flaws for racing fans and people that have played every game since the first.

 

[DocH1X1]

Well, I finally gave a try to the online and it is trash tier. I don't play racing games online so I don't know how good they are but fh4 is just frustrating

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Coments like trash tier make it hard for me to take you seriously. The online was easily the most fun online I've had in a racing game with easy ways to group up and do random races or forzathons etc, there was always something new and fresh to do.

 

[Era of not Yakuza]

Coments like trash tier make it hard for me to take you seriously. The online was easily the most fun online I've had in a racing game with easy ways to group up and do random races or forzathons etc, there was always something new and fresh to do.

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The Live Events were really cool but the team races were bad, really bad. People use's their cars as a missil even if you are at the same team.

 

[Treestump]

The Live Events were really cool but the team races were bad, really bad. People use's their cars as a missil even if you are at the same team.

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This is an unfortunate fact about that mode and quite a bit of racing games in general. Horizon is best online when trying to do events or challenges together while racing itself is hit or miss (quite literally so). It's certainly not trash tier though as it offers enough to enjoy. Most people just can't properly race without hitting everything including you.

 

[leng jai]

Coments like trash tier make it hard for me to take you seriously. The online was easily the most fun online I've had in a racing game with easy ways to group up and do random races or forzathons etc, there was always something new and fresh to do.

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The online and Forzathon stuff is terrible.

 

[statham]

I gave up on the game when it rewarded me a top hat and welington boots.

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You got welington boots? Fuck my life.

 

[Betelgeuse]

More or less the same thing that turned me off of FH3. It's a very well produced game, but stricken with overly complicated menus, an aimless feel to progression, and an unappealing aesthetic that emits a "this is what a corporation thinks the kids think is cool" vibe.

I wonder if it's less the Horizon series specifically and more that the open world racing genre just isn't my thing.

 

[BionicDreamer]

I love the wheelspins and I love the way the everything in the game looks, it fits me perfectly.

 

[Moist_Owlet]

The progression is also bad. Win or lose a race the game throws rewards at you anyway.

 

[Mechaplum]

I checked out because of the narrator lol, same with The Crew 2 and OnRush. Guess that's what the kids like these days, but the voice felt super patronising.

 

[crienne]

I dunno, I guess I'm odd for liking the presentation 100%. It's silly, over the top, and cheesy as hell. Just like me.

 

['V']

This is an unfortunate fact about that mode and quite a bit of racing games in general. Horizon is best online when trying to do events or challenges together while racing itself is hit or miss (quite literally so). It's certainly not trash tier though as it offers enough to enjoy. Most people just can't properly race without hitting everything including you.

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This is literally impossible though. They fixed this months ago with collision detection systems where it ghosts you if you or someone else are about to collide at high speed or if you crash into wall so other people don't crash into you.

 

[Treestump]

This is literally impossible though. They fixed this months ago with collision detection systems where it ghosts you if you or someone else is about to crash into you at high speed or if you crash into wall so other people don't crash into you.

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Ah, well shows how much I know, lol. Nevermind me then. Thanks for correcting me as I really did not know.

 

[Conkerkid11]

I want a version of Forza Horizon without all the bullshit. I don't care about the "story". I don't need a whole bunch of unskippable cutscenes, dialogue, menu transitions, etc... I don't need a character avatar who I dress up and do Fortnite dances with. I just wanna drive.

 

[leng jai]

I want a version of Forza Horizon without all the bullshit. I don't care about the "story". I don't need a whole bunch of unskippable cutscenes, dialogue, menu transitions, etc... I don't need a character avatar who I dress up and do Fortnite dances with. I just wanna drive.

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GT Sport is your time then. The "fluff" is part of the game's DNA even if they overboard with it, Horizon has never been about just racing. Horizon 1 had the best balance I feel, 4 the worst.

 

['V']

I want a version of Forza Horizon without all the bullshit. I don't care about the "story". I don't need a whole bunch of unskippable cutscenes, dialogue, menu transitions, etc... I don't need a character avatar who I dress up and do Fortnite dances with. I just wanna drive.

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There isn't any open world racer on the market aside from Horizon as far as I've seen. Those cutscenes and menu transitions before and after races are hiding loading screens which won't go away till next gen.

 

[Era of not Yakuza]

This was me playing today. My team left the game after losing 2/5 rounds. The first round was a race. The checkpoint system wasn't very forgiving, it's terrible when someone pushes you out of the road.

And this was an obligatory event for the summer season.

 

[DocH1X1]

The Live Events were really cool but the team races were bad, really bad. People use's their cars as a missil even if you are at the same team.

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It ghost your car for collision detection that is obvious. Is this a troll thread or what?

 

[KKHN]

Emoticons and cosmetics are limited, once acquired they no longer appear in wheelspins.
I don't appreciate them but I never consider them a problem, the more you play the less you see them.

 

['V']

Is this a troll thread or what?

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Evidently so. From reading this thread you wouldn't even think this game is the highest rated racer this gen.

 

[Deleted member 274]

Evidently so. From reading this thread you wouldn't even think this game is the highest rated racer this gen.

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Close the thread everyone, we ain't allowed to criticize a game if it happens to be rated very high

 

[Niks]

Evidently so. From reading this thread you wouldn't even think this game is the highest rated racer this gen.

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Agreed.
Let praise the perfect game that is FH4, there's NOTHING wrong with this game at all.
Its so perfect there's no need for a FH5.

 

[Madrugador]

I don't care about the prizes, but the casino feeling I get is the only thing I do not like about the game.

 

[Adathir]

Thankfully the most important part of the game is just fine and I really enjoyed my time driving around in the game. I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous Horizon games but it was worth having game pass for that month to play it.

That being said I do feel that they took the Wheelspins a step too far this time and all of the added cosmetics, dances and horns did take away a lot of the fun for me. I don't play the game simply to get things, but it would have been better to receive more cars instead of emotes I won't use.

 

[Era of not Yakuza]

It ghost your car for collision detection that is obvious. Is this a troll thread or what?

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I wish my online experience was as good as yours. I will make another video later to show how bad it can be.

 

[Twister]

This was also my first Forza game and I agree that the menus were a bit much, but as for the cutscenes at the beginning of races, I believe they are intended to allow the game to load. Would you prefer a black screen? Just curious as to what other loading method you would prefer because either way the race wouldn't be instant

 

['V']

Agreed.
Let praise the perfect game that is FH4, there's NOTHING wrong with this game at all.
Its so perfect there's no need for a FH5.

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Nope, not from my experience. It's the best racer I've played in 3 generations. There's criticism then there's misinformation and flat out nitpicking non-issues like loading screens. Like c'mon is this a joke for real?

 

[professor_t]

It's an amazingly fun and gorgeous game with an incredible amount of varied content, but, yes, sometimes it is annoying to win a pair of shoes in between hundreds of thousands of dollars and new cars.

I think people complaining about the stuff they win not being good enough in one of the best racing games of all time has to be peak entitlement. I mean, is there a higher level?

And I'm not trying to be a jerk, OP, but this is kind of silly, I'm sorry.

 

[Clay]

I want a version of Forza Horizon without all the bullshit. I don't care about the "story". I don't need a whole bunch of unskippable cutscenes, dialogue, menu transitions, etc... I don't need a character avatar who I dress up and do Fortnite dances with. I just wanna drive.

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Me too. I love Horizon and it's basically the only game that walks the line between arcade and sim the way it does (Project Gotham is my favorite racing series and Horizon in the closest current franchise to it's feel IMO) but I'm constantly rolling my eyes at the cutscenes. Are those appealing to anyone? They always seem a little pathetic to me, like the people who write them are thinking "OK, our audience are miserable people who play games solely for escapism, now how are we going to convince them that they're the coolest racer in this fictional festival?"

 

[Era of not Yakuza]

Evidently so. From reading this thread you wouldn't even think this game is the highest rated racer this gen.

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Are you really unable to handle criticism about something that you enjoy ? The game is amazing, I already said that in multiple threads. Just check my posts.

 

['V']

Close the thread everyone, we ain't allowed to criticize a game if it happens to be rated very high

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I don't think you've ever been in a God of War thread and called it linear and repetitive.

 

[Just Some Rando]

I have two gripes with the game:

1) After winning some awesome clothing item, you have to drive to a house to put it on. There should be a "Put On Now" button, right next to Next Spin. 😠

2) Gimme five minutes... I 'll think of something... 🤔

 

['V']

The game is amazing

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So amazing you made this thread voicing your dislike at the biggest core feature of the game which also happens to be a fan favourite feature, and using words like "horrible" implying absolute disgust at the game? Did this even need a thread? Be honest here.

 

[Era of not Yakuza]

Thread whining / derailment stopped being reason for ban here ?

So amazing you made this thread voicing your dislike for the biggest core feature of the game which also happens to be a fan favourite feature, and using words like "horrible" implying absolute disgust at the game? Did this even need a thread? Be honest here.

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You can either ignore me so you will never see me again. Look how nice it would be. You can also not click in every thread made on era.
If you stop being so stubborn you will see that many others here agreed with me.
But hey, I'm just a troll with nothing better to do on a Saturday night. I need to troll this game.