Forza Horizon 3 arrived in my possession at a pivotal point in my gaming journey. On a new, more powerful console, the realism of the graphics was what first caught my attention. It was alien to me then – I was used to the likes of Lego Harry Potter – but even today it holds up against its successors.
I thought it was the coolest thing in the world, and I still do.
I vividly remember my experience with the tutorial’s first danger sign. For the uninitiated – to complete a danger sign, you drive your car as fast as possible off a ramp on the edge of a cliff. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world, and I still do.
After the thrills of the tutorial, I spent pretty much the entire day playing the game. The premise was addictive; race your way to the higher tiers of different disciplines of racing, upgrading the fleet of cars at your disposal, and upgrading bases across the map to be bigger and better as you go. TL;DR: Drive loads, ascend to racing godhood.
There was so much content, a vibrant world with so much to discover in it. That element of discovery was perfectly encapsulated by barn finds – exploration missions to find abandoned barns containing exclusive cars to try out. Me and my sister would scour through the wilderness looking for these – it was a brilliant bit of game design, it gave us hours of enjoyment.
Whenever I go back to Forza Horizon 3, it's the map that gives me the greatest sense of nostalgia.
I want to take a minute to talk about the map. Whenever I go back to Forza Horizon 3, it’s the map that gives me the greatest sense of nostalgia. In my opinion, it is perfect. It is beautifully varied, with lush jungle giving way to open desert, and a city backed by a stunning coastal road. Australia was an amazing choice for the game setting, and the graphics quality really does the beauty of the visuals justice.
It was a gaming experience I'll chase for years to come.
This was the game that got me hooked on the Forza Horizon franchise. Forza Horizon 4 was equally incredible, and 5 was good, but neither will match the level of enjoyment I got from 3 – it was a gaming experience I’ll chase for years to come.
Maybe Microsoft Xbox studios should reinstate the DCL maps for Forza Horizon 3 as it's great to play on my Xbox one s, can't wait to play on X series