Forza Horizon 4 January Car Pass Revealed: More Porsches, Classic UK Cars, Mercedes SSK

I a haven't bought Horizon 4 yet.

I'll be honest..After getting bored really quickly with H3 I was a bit reluctant to buy this one.

But seeing the cars in the game I am getting more and more tempted to get the game.

That classic Transit and the Imp might seal the deal for me.
The reason I keep getting bored of Horizon games...next to no challenge, everything is just handed to you on a platter.
 
I am rolling my eyes at "Mercedes-Benz Super Sport Kurz." Microsoft's utter horror at putting one S next to another S is beyond ridiculous. If we get a VW Passat in the game will they call it the Pa Super Sport at? Or if we get a Chevy Caprice Classic will they call it the Caprice Cla Super Sport ic? You're embarrassing yourself, Microsoft.
 
I am rolling my eyes at "Mercedes-Benz Super Sport Kurz." Microsoft's utter horror at putting one S next to another S is beyond ridiculous. If we get a VW Passat in the game will they call it the Pa Super Sport at? Or if we get a Chevy Caprice Classic will they call it the Caprice Cla Super Sport ic? You're embarrassing yourself, Microsoft.

The Mercedes-Benz Schutzstaffel of Short Stature.
 
However, in Need For Speed, they use the "SS" emblem.
I guess this is Microsoft self-regulation.
Perhaps they knowing this problem, Microsoft removed the "SS" emblem to avoid risks in their games.
That's my point. Every other auto game developer uses the SS badging with no issues. No one has sued or even complained about Polyphony Digital using the SS name and badging on the appropriate Chevy models. Same with every other auto game that uses Chevys with the SS trim. Only Microsoft censors the name of their cars.
 
So that's when we'll start to get the really interesting vehicles! ;)

I wonder how. Free collabs, as with FM7's Spotlight? A "car pass 2"? An extension of the current car pass to include extra cars?

The only possible negative outcome is "we just get those four extra cars" - I certainly hope that won't be the case.
 
I wonder how. Free collabs, as with FM7's Spotlight? A "car pass 2"? An extension of the current car pass to include extra cars?
Probably like they've always done it - by releasing the next car packs as stand-alone purchases, rather than part of any pass.
 
I am rolling my eyes at "Mercedes Benz Super Sport Kurz." Microsoft's utter horror at putting one S next to another S is beyond ridiculous. If we get a VW Passat in the game will they call it the Pa Super Sport at? Or if we get a Chevy Caprice Classic will they call it the Caprice Cla Super Sport ic? You're embarra(super sport)ing yourself, Microsoft.

Fixed that for you.

People need to understand the actual acronym of SS in automobiles, which is, Super Sport, and not confuse it with another meaning of that acronym which is potentially offensive and racist which would evoke something out of Nazism.

It's all a matter of misunderstanding these days which is why controversies like that exist and that Microsoft had to name the specific Chevy models into the full acronym, "Super Sport".

Bet there are a number of cars with an SS moniker that aren't from Chevy, in which they all roughly mean the same thing (again, which is still "Super Sport") but Microsoft still does the same.

In my opinion, with regards to the most notable example, the Chevrolet Camaro SS, the name itself is better sounding than "Chevrolet Camaro Super Sport". That's why the acronym is there for a reason.

Heck, the Abarth 500 esseesse is pronounced as "SS".

Another lesson where people shouldn't judge books immediately by their cover, I see...
 
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Too bad it's not just the Chevys.

Yup. Back before Toyota got a bug up its 🤬 the last-gen Celica SS-II in FM6(?) got the same treatment. IIRC the narration even called it the "Toyota Celica Super Sports II," which isn't even what the "SS" on that car stands for (It's Super Strut, referring to a trick suspension setup.)! Gee, I wonder if that's one of the reasons Toyota is being so difficult now...

Meanwhile, I was playing Microsoft Ultimate Word Games a few weeks ago when this puzzle showed up:
 

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Probably like they've always done it - by releasing the next car packs as stand-alone purchases, rather than part of any pass.

But there aren't "car packs" in the traditional sense anymore. I haven't inspected the Store, but AFAIK, cars are only available individually for purchase right now, not as any sort of bundles outside of the Car Pass.

If Playground is going to keep paid DLC cars coming each week, I hope there's some sort of package deal!
 
But there aren't "car packs" in the traditional sense anymore. I haven't inspected the Store, but AFAIK, cars are only available individually for purchase right now, not as any sort of bundles outside of the Car Pass.

If Playground is going to keep paid DLC cars coming each week, I hope there's some sort of package deal!
I would imagine that once the next pack is announced that they'd offer it up for grabs as a package deal, and as the weekly cars become available on Thursdays, they'll allow the single-car to be purchasable. Another thought is they'll release them as Mini-packs, and each Thursday you can purchase the combo, or just snag up one if you're inclined.

I should probably use hope rather than imagine, though. As long as the prices match up with the full packs from the past, I'm ok with either, to be honest.
 
The 968's stock, very clearly adjustable rear wing: non-adjustable. Thin carbon fibre strip spoiler option: adjustable. What? I would vastly prefer it if all aero parts were adjustable, it's annoying having to stick ugly wings and such onto an otherwise great-looking car to make it perform. Like the BMW M1, what was wrong with the real Procar aero kit? Why do we have to use that ugly toy wing?
 
Heck, the Abarth 500 esseesse is pronounced as "SS"

It's not spelled that way though, and that's what they seem to be stuck on. I can see why they might be hesitant to use SS as a term but it feels a bit like overkill given how frequently it's used within the car world without any problems.
 
The 968's stock, very clearly adjustable rear wing: non-adjustable. Thin carbon fibre strip spoiler option: adjustable. What? I would vastly prefer it if all aero parts were adjustable, it's annoying having to stick ugly wings and such onto an otherwise great-looking car to make it perform. Like the BMW M1, what was wrong with the real Procar aero kit? Why do we have to use that ugly toy wing?
Reminds me how much I miss the BMW E36 M3 from Forza Motorsport 2, which had E36 "Lightweight" style adjustable aero options rather than generic Forza wings (rear wing and I think front splitter), not seen in the series since, if I recall.

Weirdly, the only pictures I can find of this on Google images are my own pictures I took way back when. That's my Lightweight looking M3 on the bottom right!
bmw-e36-forza-wallpaper01.jpg
 
Yup. Back before Toyota got a bug up its 🤬 the last-gen Celica SS-II in FM6(?) got the same treatment. IIRC the narration even called it the "Toyota Celica Super Sports II," which isn't even what the "SS" on that car stands for (It's Super Strut, referring to a trick suspension setup.)! Gee, I wonder if that's one of the reasons Toyota is being so difficult now...

Meanwhile, I was playing Microsoft Ultimate Word Games a few weeks ago when this puzzle showed up:
Conspiracy theory 1. Toyota is not okay with Microsoft going ultra-pc and changing their car names.

To be honest, if I was in charge of a car company, I would tell them no too.
"No, you may not re-name our car, no matter how Super Sport(sensitive) you may be."
 
I a haven't bought Horizon 4 yet.

I'll be honest..After getting bored really quickly with H3 I was a bit reluctant to buy this one.

But seeing the cars in the game I am getting more and more tempted to get the game.

That classic Transit and the Imp might seal the deal for me.
Car list: best in the industry.
Map: beautiful, very detailed but boring at a certain point. FH3 and FH4 are the most beautiful car games but something is wrong with the map. Maybe the fact that every road is wide like an airstrip or the fact that everything is destructible (where is the thrill?!).
 
Car list: best in the industry.
Map: beautiful, very detailed but boring at a certain point. FH3 and FH4 are the most beautiful car games but something is wrong with the map. Maybe the fact that every road is wide like an airstrip or the fact that everything is destructible (where is the thrill?!).

I think the wideness of the streets is a little overblown as an issue. Sure, some roads are a bit generous with their width (at least compared to actual roads in the locale - they are pretty standard for roads in my country), but there's plenty of courses with narrower bits in them. Not harrowingly narrow, but not an airstrip either.

And when you consider what a collision-filled cluster**** the online racing can be sometimes with the current roads, it's pretty easy to understand why they erred on giving people more room.

I quite like the map, but I think for the next game (presumably on the next-gen console), I'd like to see them breathe a bit more life into their location - pedestrians milling about doing things, lots of traffic, nightlife, maybe even coming across random NPC street races. And I think the "festival" concept could also use some more life - large crowds watching actual representations of the bands play; race cars filtering in and out of the festival at all times; outdoor booths for the various radio stations where you can actually see the DJs; maybe even the ability to get out of your car and do stuff at the festival, like get new story "missions" from the game's various characters, who also might move around the festival doing stuff all day.

I'd also like to see the next Horizon have real, fleshed out, well-written characters that you have meaningful story arcs with. The characters in the past couple of Horizon games especially, are just earnest, polite, enthusiastic ciphers. Inoffensive, but uninspiring. They are like talking tooltip boxes. They don't get in the way, but that's also the best that can be said about them.

Forza Horizon is basically Microsoft's flagship racing game at this point (I think the switch happened with Horizon 3), and they need to give Playground time to innovate for the next one. I've loved my time with FH4, but if FH5 in 2020 or whatever is just more of the same from the past two games, I'm positive it's going to feel stale to a ton of people (myself included). Churning these things out in two years is a Herculean task, and relies on iteration over innovation.
 

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