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| forza horizon |
Released in late 2011, Forza Motorsport 4 had assumed without too much concern as the best simulation on consoles and cash Forza imposed a new standard in the field.
The announcement of Forza Horizon and its approach Arcade in March, had suddenly surprised many. With the first title under the supervision of Turn 10, the studio Playground Games attempts to launch the series into the deep open world, a kind requiring, as can be Forza ... but perhaps not for the same reasons.
FESTIVAL ON THE HORIZON
So welcome in Colorado for the festival Horizon, a fictional event over several days in which concerts and beautiful cars competing displays. Driving his old Corrado, the player (called simply "unknown") succeeded in extremis to register, the jeers and spitting the other participants, but his talent and will to win of course will enable the win over the events recognition of his peers. That's the scenario quickly put in place quickly forgotten, which will serve as an excuse to string together a series of races, more harsh, more and longer. At key points to win bracelets colors more prestigious (the sad spirited yellow gold, through green, pink or purple) in each bracelet opponent privileged to large villain, Darius Flynt and his brand new Ferrari.
Much to say, this hunting strap has relatively little interest. We quickly tired of these races on portions of roads closed to traffic, against IA also snapping of fragmentation. The key is also all around us, on the kilometers of roads that extend around the festival. Unlike other titles in the series, Forza Horizon is a game open world in which the path leads us to a race wants at least as fun as the race itself. As such, Colorado seems to be a suitable playground with large tracts lined canyons and mountains, where settled hamlets not well populated. Certainly, the traffic is marginal, there is also not cross a single red light, but it takes a certain pleasure in swallowing bitumen driving the hundred vehicles proposed that buys Ruby on nail (with credits earned in the game or via DLC tokens to buy at a price somewhat prohibitive elsewhere ...) or they are loaned us the time of an event.
FORZA MI, MI-HORIZON
The sensations joystick in hand are not foreign to the joy that one feels, launched at 200 km / h on a national meandering among the trees: driving, demanding and precise, has nothing to do with the purely other arcade racing games open world, Test Drive Unlimited, Burnout Paradise or Need For Speed Most Wanted. Between Corrado our inception, we will offer Subaru Impreza for our first race on mixed surface, the old BMW M1 identify for you in an old barn or the Bugatti Veyron for which we save for hours and hours we feel good behavioral differences, not only in the passages on earth, quite common when you approach the edges of the map. In the garage, we can for example offer a spoiler to avoid flying in the fields at every turn, or install some lighter parts for off instead of starting blocks at every boot.
However, Forza Horizon wants more arcade than other episodes, as required by the genre, and fans of the hard-simulation could not quite find their account. If the vehicle behavior is rather thin, with a good weight transcribed and acceleration / top speed lifelike, Playground Games has not hesitated to make some concessions enough trenches on many points. Thus, we can shamelessly rely on his opponents in the corners, they will not budge an inch, or actually take on an exterior wall support when you have a little underestimated its braking distance. Similarly, the damage is managed at the margin, and only a visual point of view: we can therefore eat a wall at 250 km / h as a flower and leave after a short walk back, cover just twisted. The game is full of these concessions that will tear their hair purists, starting with the lack of settings per se, or a transcript rather lax adherence (including grass). Profile races, like civilized rarely can be a circuit, it is true that encourages not necessarily this kind of jokes, but as driving will nonetheless his followers - and its benefits to those who wish to deactivate a maximum aid.
BREAKING THE LAW
Joystick in hand, Forza Horizon is suddenly halfway between the seriousness of Forza and the exuberance of a Burnout without conducting ultra-precise nor management adhesion of the first, or Action over the top, or the second nitro. The rest of the game is just like driving: ass between two chairs. Thus, there are various occupations annexes supposed to show us that there is not just racing in life radars scattered around the map, which lead us to bind the bursts of speed, compared with records of his friends stashed barns, where some rather upscale antiques; outposts where they will enroll in the contest of "prowess", where you must enchainer drifts and stunts to garner maximum points. There is even a counter popularity, is filled with strength and prowess that can unlock gatherings, these special races where they will compete with planes, helicopters and even balloons to win a car ... That will be its only purpose.
Alas, if we take great pleasure in discovering the card the first few hours, and if these additional activities we occupy some time between races, all in dire need of variety and folly, even animation. Apart from a few cars that we meet, at long, sometimes with a bus which intercalates, life does not seem to have taken on the roads of Colorado. Sidewalks as parking lots are empty intersections are never crowded, the police are obviously absent and cities are devoid of any inhabitant. In short, if we meet regularly on the roads of opponents ready to make a jail for a few thousand credits, we feel still feel a little empty vadrouillant in these spaces, these ghost towns where even the streetlights have no place.
This desert was - perhaps - the price to pay to make the most beautiful horizon Forza racing game on consoles open world, and yet far enough. Technically, the game allows Playground Games is all nonsense, displaying environments gigantic car models perfectly modeled and a whole bunch of effects without ever encountering a single drop of framerate. It even offers the luxury of a day / night cycle cushy, from dawn to dusk through the dark, barely lit by huge spotlights and fireworks festival Horizon. Eyeful, therefore, and ears also quite rhythmic with three radios (but the tracklists fairly short loop quickly turn alas), but mostly well marked intonation engines following vehicles.
HORIZON FOR THE SKY
Of course, to prolong the pleasure, Forza Horizon also offers several multiplayer modes, alas partly dissociated solo. Thus, if we can use all or part of our garage (or that of our fellow club), and if the credit meter is common, events take place directly on the circuits without access to the whole map. In other words, it connects races without linking them with back in the lobby between each test. In addition, unless you disable the contacts for damage and vehicle behavior during contact can transform races session Destruction Derby. A game mode consisting of three well-known methods (Cat and Mouse, King and Infection) is also available for those who love the exchange of volunteers painting.
Note, finally, that way free ride, which takes place on the main card can be played up to eight. Not bad elements of the solo adventure are not present, starting with the traffic, but there are challenges designed specifically for coop and, most importantly, one can ride for hours with his friends, to beat records wildest corner on radar - failing to organize real thin parts unawares. Again, we would like to see more ambition, but we will be content this time.
Trying too hard to do well, Forza Horizon ass stuck between two stools: quite demanding for a game arcade typed, not enough for a sim Forza, it will aficionados of the pure simulation game and takes all that popcorn draws between two racing games more seriously, but may frustrate players looking for a more immediate fun and a little madness. Especially, if the card offers various driving conditions, it sometimes seems a bit empty and sorely lacking animation, released a few races and related activities that the game offers us. And yet, despite these shortcomings, this spin-off series of demanding Forza does not lack charm, with its implementation and bluffing his original approach finally open world. A first successful test for Playground Games, so we hope to see transformed into a not too distant future
Literally called "The Warriors", the new Medal of Honor has the merit of being clear about its contents. So the program: the war and combatants. Philippines to Bosnia via Dubai and Pakistan, our brave and proud Warriors hunt down and eliminate the enemies of America and other free chocolate bread thieves. With the inevitable Call of Duty: Black Ops II in sight, Medal of Honor Warfighter could see himself in solid alternative for fans of virtual war in the first person. An ambitious challenge but should be well prepared. The Warriors are they
WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR, DADDY
Since not change a formula that works, the degree of originality of the new Medal of Honor is very close to zero. Wide aisles of a meter that will clean enemies that always happen in the same way, if planquent the same place and do most any initiative. Between two headshots on turbans, the player can enjoy a cascade of events and scripted cinematic extension that will not always happen if the urge took him. No questions to ask, anything above deserves death and will be found invariably ahead. The only possible approach remain front, unless of course they have been expressly invited by the game to do otherwise. Situations already seen a thousand times (in Modern Warfare, Battlefield, or even in, ironically, in the previous Medal of Honor) are linked therefore with a certain monotony. Small consolation, however: the adventure is guaranteed 100% QTE. There are however a bunch of sequences where interactivity will be very limited, if curiously absent. You can not have everything. However the game well try a few things to give a little personality.
The first novelty concerns the management arsenal. It begins with the level effect in a preset combination of two weapons that can not change. All rifles crossed path may be used but shall be cast as soon as we want to use another gun. A choice of game design that brings a bit of visual dynamism but turns a bit painful when one is obliged to systematically collect his shotgun just because you changed weapons instead of reloading, taking our avatar its time to change the charger. The second innovation concerns our friends doors, these insurmountable obstacles the player as his friend Bobby, or whatever his name did not open for him. Again, in order to properly copy the competition, the game increases the dramatic sequences ripping doors to clean the room behind idle. This time, the player can choose between different ways: kick, crowbar, tomahawk, shotgun or explosive. Each method has its small spectacular sequence obviously scripted and clean but beyond that, it is completely useless. No tactical advantage to using one approach over the other, so we will just always use the first way because it is the one that takes the least time.
The latest addition, and certainly the most notable is the appearance of phase drive. Placed in the skin of the driver, the player must stick to train villains Salafi or otherwise escape. Driving with a very arcade and the possibility of takedowns in Burnout as these passages are quite entertaining as motorized dynamic and they actually require the player to fly a minimum to overcome. Of course, there will be no particular interest in the remake as the plots do not allow any initiative. Anyway, events, as traffic will always be identical from one party to another. Note that you can also play as a robot tank to kill the fundamentalist to the ground, and not height. In short, nothing changes.
WAR WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR
The other way to Medal of Honor to stand Warfighter Call of Duty is the tone, which means much more authentic. Emphasis will be placed (or not in our case) two heroes, and Stump Preacher, we will not stop confused throughout a campaign combining family life, terrorism and defense of Western values. The worst clichés of the genre are linked with aplomb at all times. The game takes care to tell us that some missions are based on real events. Height of good taste, a DLC we can even participate in the hunt for Bin Laden multiplayer content in partnership with Zero Dark Thirty, the next film by Kathryn Bigelow.
Approach very first degree of the things that will surely surprise when you see the title of the propensity to exaggeration in Hollywood staged. To put a little thing, remember that in the first level you still escapes the collapse of a crane dock before exploding helicopter at close range with a rocket launcher that was carelessly the ground at the corner of a stairway. The contrast between intentions and shape plunged the company into the ridiculous, especially when the end credits, background music soup served by Linkin Park, tells us, again with the utmost seriousness the world, that great heroes exist, and that American soldiers are returning home to kiss their children at night. Embarrassing.
JOURNEY TO THE END OF BOREDOM
Technical side, the new Medal of Honor is doing well. If we do fail to wince on characters without shadows, cinematic characters to sometimes vile (the girl!) Or some details a little ugly, the game is pretty often and constantly fluid. Warfighter ensures its visual part correctly, it is worn by the Frostbite 2 engine to which we owe the visual Battlefield 3 vamp. We are not at the beauty of the blower as DICE but the effects of light and particle engine has the advantage of providing a pleasant sight in the middle of shooting. The scenery, however, did nothing destructible. Oh sure, we meet from time to time a crumbling wall or a wall that crumbles but nothing that upset the orderly arrangement if corridors. It is also important to acknowledge the percussive sounds that provide the intensity to the game just to give the gameplay, it's always good to take. Note that you need to provide a few GB to install the HD textures pack necessary for optimal graphics rendering.
With solo part is looping in 4 hours, including kinematic, so scripted and will find that marked hardly a reason to do it a second time, it will turn to the multiplayer to try to monetize the purchase of our fighters war. Once our soldier carefully customized interface via a heavy anti-instinctive, we embarked on one of the 8 cards available with arcade gameplay but not completely far from "simulation", for some strange sensations. Easy to grip, simple but a little too heavy and floating, the gameplay just expected to provide the sensations of an FPS multiplayer of this caliber. Fault maps also narrow, limiting the choice of approach. A lack of variety makes obsolete also part of the class system as bourrinage pure and simple is the golden rule, offering no real interest in using the same classes or scout sniper, even if it is always possible to rot parties camping key positions like a coward. Chic.
The player will be able to caress her more or less latent nationalism by 100% Canadian soldiers to go beat up to 100% Polish soldiers for example. At least the traditional racial slurs inherent gender of cats will finally make sense. Besides that, we would still have preferred more originality in the fighting. Even the famous original Homerun fashion, tendencies to e-sports, does in fact hides a capture the flag without respawn not very interesting. Can not be found or nervousness hypnotic Call of Duty, or the appearance of a massive tactical Battlefield 3. Icing on the cake, the multiplayer is paid a serious setback level graphics, textures and architecture are coarse visual rendering program that flirts with ugly willingly. Although comprehensive game modes, full of parameters to be set and immediately playable without taking the head, it is unclear how the title will survive to compete with a formula as warm.
Once precursor FPS extravaganza, the Medal of Honor license now runs after its direct competitor without ever trying to do better or do differently. A simple recycling as evidenced by the lack of originality situations and staging. The title is straight forward just enough to not fall asleep the player but proposes no idea strong enough to hang. With its Manichean narrative and pre-chewed, and despite all the special effects used to get the pill, Medal of Honor: Warfighter forgotten as fast as a game console off Rickets with his short solo ever played dozens of times, just as also to catch up with any multi too hope to retain players for a long time. Quite pretty and sometimes spectacular, the game nonetheless SPF hollow and routine play symbol of a formula threadbare.
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