Forza Horizon 5: General Discussion

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The_Greaser
Again, I have no desire of ever wanting China as a location. Maybe I am very much biased because the country is barely known for anything except its history, mass production of cheap goods or its food, and much less for its cars, but I don't want it to gravitate to that location.

By comparison, I would want Scandinavia, as it should be an ideal proving ground for a wide variety of vegetation and terrain types. Who doesn't want to cruise around Lapland territories of Finland or take picturesque screenshots of Norway's fjords? I would - and so should everyone. Plus, the northern part of Europe is known for longer nights, and some nights not being dark at all (spend some time in Rovaniemi in the summer; you'll get the idea). While they don't have much of an automotive history, it should be quite a blast. Does anyone want an '80s Hilux?
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I can see why most people wouldn't--I mean, we're talking about a multi-billion dollar corporation potentially choosing to set its one big open-world game in a country that's looking to sink its teeth into Western-style media in general. It would set the casual fanbase ablaze in ways I don't wish to post here, even though from a gameplay and map design perspective China should absolutely be high up on PG's list of settings for the next game.

But at the same time... would such a map even be that much better than Mexico? Perhaps Sweden or Norway would indeed be better fits, Nordic countries that they are.
 
The most sense for me as a gamer would make Japan or Scandinavia, as both are very different when it comes to their predecessors environment and culture, and both offer a great automotive history. Japan‘s is much richer for sure, but Scandinavia or let’s better say Sweden is also very interesting as Volvo and Saab haven’t been explored a lot (or at all in Saab‘s case), there could be a lot of new to Forza cars. But I’m not sure how the licensing situation with Saab is right now.
I mean it isn’t absolutely necessary to pick a region with a big automotive history, that has (or had) global players brands as FH5 shows with Mexico, but as we had a location like Mexico in the current iteration, I would wish them to explore a region with this kind of history next, that would be the most logical decision for me as a car guy.
 
Some of the highways in China are WILD, with massive bridges going across valleys in the mountains. The country may not have a so-called "car culture" but it's road network is constantly expanding and more and more people are able to buy cars. I know that China would be a controversial choice, but I'm not against the idea because it's never been done before. Of course the major problem with China is the lack of automotive history compared to Japan, however tapping into a brand new market could prove extremely beneficial for the juggernaut that is Forza Horizon. I don't think the CCP would turn down the economic gain.
 
ScottPuss20
Some of the highways in China are WILD, with massive bridges going across valleys in the mountains. The country may not have a so-called "car culture" but it's road network is constantly expanding and more and more people are able to buy cars. I know that China would be a controversial choice, but I'm not against the idea because it's never been done before. Of course the major problem with China is the lack of automotive history compared to Japan, however tapping into a brand new market could prove extremely beneficial for the juggernaut that is Forza Horizon. I don't think the CCP would turn down the economic gain.
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And that's the other thing--Horizon would have the opportunity to help establish a Chinese car culture. They'd get to be there on the ground floor, which is something they couldn't do with Mexico or any prior setting. Hell, if you consider the Volkswagen Santana from the Lucky Stars car pack, there's the very real possibility of them somehow managing to find obscure car culture elements already present there. They've probably already completed their research of the area, all that'd be left is picking a suitable set of locales.

To me, PG has three or four realistic possibilities for FH6 settings. Of course there's China, but we've also been getting not-so-subtle hints in recent updates that they're looking into Japan, or at least one of the non-Honshu islands. They, too, would have a biome similar to Great Britain, just with more mountains. Possibility number three would likely be Norway or Sweden, simply because of Scandinavia's existing rally scene and the presence of Koenigsegg, but also would basically be Japan with more manageable plains and entertaining geography. Hell you could even make a very strong argument for Finland--on top of it having one of the most popular rounds of the WRC, it also has folk racing, which, while needlessly destructive by Horizon standards, does show a strong enough car culture to warrant a possible Horizon setting.

I think it's just that... China is the most attractive option PG could have, if we assume they'll want to leave the Americas and go somewhere with high biome diversity to facilitate a strong live service. If they pull it off, and pull it off well, FH6 could be to China what Gran Turismo is to Japan and beyond.
 
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Chinese car companies are sprouting like mushrooms, car ownership is rising fast.

Car culture is still very much European Supercars for the rich, long wheel base sedans for company bosses, but we all know Chinese cars will start to impact more and more in the coming years. I mean, just look at Hyundai and KIA doing great and being in the mix of the Europeans for styling recently. Chinese car companies can just follow the same path as the Koreans, but will probably do it faster.
 
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My opinion on all of the FH6 location speculation is that it doesn't really matter a ton where it's set, in terms of map diversity and car culture. The maps are a handful of national landmarks scattered into a totally made-up place which they can do anything with, and the full extent of Mexican car culture in FH5 is a single story where the same old Beetle model that's been around for years gets called a Vocho in dialogue. Eventually we got some mentions of the Baja and a Tsuru too, but 95% of the narratives and characters could be anywhere in the world, just with different accents.

To me, Japan is the obvious 'expected' setting as it was for 5, and China is another obvious pick with 5's introduction of their cars. I think the Finland suggestion earlier is fun, but I personally still want to see it set in Africa, because we need more games and other media set outside of western Europe, North America, and Japan. Let's see Kenya, or Thailand, or Estonia, or somewhere else interesting. Perhaps Horizon India would be a fun setting at some point too.
 
pez2k
My opinion on all of the FH6 location speculation is that it doesn't really matter a ton where it's set, in terms of map diversity and car culture. The maps are a handful of national landmarks scattered into a totally made-up place which they can do anything with, and the full extent of Mexican car culture in FH5 is a single story where the same old Beetle model that's been around for years gets called a Vocho in dialogue. Eventually we got some mentions of the Baja and a Tsuru too, but 95% of the narratives and characters could be anywhere in the world, just with different accents.

To me, Japan is the obvious 'expected' setting as it was for 5, and China is another obvious pick with 5's introduction of their cars. I think the Finland suggestion earlier is fun, but I personally still want to see it set in Africa, because we need more games and other media set outside of western Europe, North America, and Japan. Let's see Kenya, or Thailand, or Estonia, or somewhere else interesting. Perhaps Horizon India would be a fun setting at some point too.
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My top four guesses, to put it bluntly, looks like this:
1) Japan (but it'd have to be Kyūshu or Hokkaido, not the main island of Honshu--hell, Okinawa would work just as well)
2) Mainland China
3) Finland/Scandinavia
4) South Korea

I think all the recent exciting JDM picks, like the Chaser, new WRX and the Evo III (and to a similar extent the GR Yaris), do point towards Japan as the new location, but just because we've also been getting returning and New-to-Horizon JDM cars doesn't mean we're guaranteed a Japanese setting--not to mention we haven't really had enough Chinese cars in-game to warrant that kind of intrigue anyway. Finland or Scandinavia would require the least amount of work to justify, and with Microsoft apparently striking up enough of a partnership with Hyundai's N division, there's now a valid case for Korea as a kind of compromise location between Japan and China. Granted we also have to consider Xbox's playerbase in those areas--I still think half the reason 5's set in Mexico is because of the overwhelming amount of support Xbox enjoys in Latin America--but you never know with PG.
 
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The_Greaser
Oh, like this crappy low-rate Taycan handoff called the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra prototype?
The link is paywalled though as you only get two free articles.

This is partly why I don't like Chinese cars. Most of them are built so poorly they will fail within the year.
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Those same words could have been said of the Japanese and Korean (typo fixed) car industries at some points in the past, but look at them once they got past that phase. China is on track to get there very quickly, especially with the EV transition. I'm sure many companies like Xiaomi will be looking at EVs as an entry point into the car industry.
 
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skazz
Those same words could have been said of the Japanese and Taiwanese car industries at some points in the past, but look at them once they got past that phase. China is on track to get there very quickly, especially with the EV transition. I'm sure many companies like Xiaomi will be looking at EVs as an entry point into the car industry.
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BYD started off building Toyota knock offs two decades ago, look at where they are now.

Of course haters are still going to hate. There are still a large number of people hating Korean cars today.
 
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I think China would be interesting but I feel Japan is a long time coming especially when Phil Spencer is making strides for Xbox over there. However, correct me if I'm wrong, but other countries would need to be Microsoft/Xbox "compatible" to even be considered, like does GamePass and other Xbox offerings exist, are Xbox accounts restricted in any way and other such mandates. I'm sure how well Xbox sells in those particular countries is also a factor.

So far, each FH game has been in countries that Xbox does decent in. Japan would be perfect since they check off all the MS corporate stuff and Xbox has a real interest in rebuilding there. Last year, they hired a new chief of Xbox Japan in Mena Kato, a veteran with Playstation, so all this points to being serious in Japan, which is good.

Link: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2023/12/13/companies/microsoft-xbox-director-japan/
 
urmie
I think China would be interesting but I feel Japan is a long time coming especially when Phil Spencer is making strides for Xbox over there. However, correct me if I'm wrong, but other countries would need to be Microsoft/Xbox "compatible" to even be considered, like does GamePass and other Xbox offerings exist, are Xbox accounts restricted in any way and other such mandates. I'm sure how well Xbox sells in those particular countries is also a factor.

So far, each FH game has been in countries that Xbox does decent in. Japan would be perfect since they check off all the MS corporate stuff and Xbox has a real interest in rebuilding there. Last year, they hired a new chief of Xbox Japan in Mena Kato, a veteran with Playstation, so all this points to being serious in Japan, which is good.

Link: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2023/12/13/companies/microsoft-xbox-director-japan/
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Yeah, I'd agree with that. Like, here's what I think PG looks for in settings, in order of priorities:

1) What is the core feature/theme of the game? Does [INSERT LOCATION HERE] suit it? (In FH3 it was being your own boss and taming the unknown, which made Australia perfect since it's basically 90% Outback. In FH4 it was the seasons, and Great Britain has them to the most pronounced degree while also remaining civilized--not to mention PG is based there so they had perfect reference material for how each season should "feel" while driving. FH5 was the Horizon Adventure, made manifest through non-linear Accolade progression--a map you could explore and discover long-lost civilizations in was perfect for this.)
2) Would [INSERT LOCATION HERE] be a great place for everyone and every car to drive in? (This is why I think Japan's evaded Horizon for so long--most of Japan's roadways are either highways, mountain roads or city driving. Not much there for high speed hooning and skill chaining. Sure it's a bit of a moot point since gestures wildly at Kyushu and Hokkaido, but when most folks think of any sort of open-world driving game set in Japan they think of TXR, NightRunners or Japanese Drift Master, games that take after Wangan Midnight or Initial D respectively. There isn't much of a place for hypercars in that kind of setting.)
3) Does [INSERT LOCATION HERE] have a strong Xbox following? (Japan also falters here. Japan itself is a very xenophobic country, and has always tended towards buying stuff made by Japanese companies--this is why Xbox failed to make any sort of headwind in Japan, even after essentially buying the exclusivity rights to a whole bunch of popular Japanese games at the beginning of the seventh generation. By comparison, Mexico--and Latin America in general, by extension--has a huge Xbox install base (80% to this day!) to the point where Microsoft used to host massive conferences in Mexico City. FH5, released at the tail end of the pandemic, could be seen as an acknowledgement of those fans.)
4) Does [INSERT LOCATION HERE] have a strong car culture? (Not as pronounced in FH5 but every single setting other than Mexico has been a major player in car making and car culture in general. You could make the argument that FH5 tapped more into American car culture than FH1 did, what with its long-running collab with Donut Media, but that's more because the US shares a border with Mexico so things could absolutely blend together.)

If we take these into account then more likely than not Japan doesn't stand that much of a chance at getting a Horizon game, not unless Horizon goes multiplatform and sets the game that breaks that trend in Japan as a symbolic gesture. But looking at the install base data for what we have talked about, China aside, then South Africa, South Korea and Scandinavia emerge as absolutely worthwhile contenders. I'd bet good money it'll be one of those three, if not China.
 
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It's a shame there don't seem to be any eligible countries which have both jungles and snow. Although it did snow in the Sahara Desert a couple of years back...
www.bbc.co.uk

In pictures: Snow falls in Algeria's Sahara Desert

The ice crystals leave stunning patterns in the sands of the Sahara, the world's largest hot desert.
www.bbc.co.uk
Personally, I'd prefer that any Horizon game set in a country which has one of these would benefit from having a DLC which included the other to balance it out, like FH3's Blizzard Mountain did. I missed the hot weather in FH4 and the Lego Speed Racers add-on didn't really scratch the itch for me.
 
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UKMikey
It's a shame there don't seem to be any eligible countries which have both jungles and snow. Although it did snow in the Sahara Desert a couple of years back...
www.bbc.co.uk

In pictures: Snow falls in Algeria's Sahara Desert

The ice crystals leave stunning patterns in the sands of the Sahara, the world's largest hot desert.
www.bbc.co.uk
Personally, I'd prefer that any Horizon game set in a country which has one of these would benefit from having a DLC which included the other to balance it out, like FH3's Blizzard Mountain did. I missed the hot weather in FH4 and the Lego Speed Racers add-on didn't really scratch the itch for me.
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I mean technically China does, towards the south. But that's mostly because China's a pretty big country--it does have a wide array of biomes to include.
 
So, with Year 3 of content done after this coming update... Felt like I should at least give it a good review!

Honestly, wow. I don't think I'd be exaggerating in the slightest if I said this was probably the best year of content FH5's ever gotten. Feels like PG's finally found a rhythm they can jam to when it comes to making these updates--car update one month, Evolving World update the next. We got most of the car packs I think we're ever going to get, some highly requested cars, a couple killer Evolving World set pieces... honestly, aside from that long stretch of upgrade fodder cars going back to the midpoint of Horizon Cars and Coffee, I couldn't name a single major low-point. But, that being said, I think I owe it to myself to try.

Highlights:
  • The theming. PG seems to have hit on a good pattern for how to theme each car update--starting with Horizon Retrowave, there was a pattern of 'one theme, then the opposite of that theme' going through each update. Retrowave's Retro Revival gave way to Modern Horizons's focus on the 2020s, Cars and Coffee's focus on cars you don't see every day turned into High Performance Dailies' 'performance you can find every day in your garage', which in turn led to Hidden Horizons' "Performance Hiding in Plain Sight." Heck, Back to the '90s -> Horizon Track Day could be argued as 'round every day JDM cars' turning into 'round European supercars'. This was a fun year to try to predict, I'm not gonna lie.
  • The cars. My word, the cars. The Valhalla, both road car and AMR, the Dark Horse, the 992 911 line-up this month, the GR Yaris, the Aventador Ultimae (and basically 75% of Cars and Coffee, I'll admit, aside from the Thing), the Ioniq 5 and 6 N along with the N Vision 74, basically everything Apex Allstars brought... we got ourselves quite the star-studded line-up in the New-to-Forza department. Not to say the returning and New-to-Horizon cars weren't awful, but man, when we got something new, it tended to be well worth it.
  • The Evolving World setpieces. Well, at least a good chunk of them. I still think the Drift Arena is absolutely the best Evolving World set piece FH5's ever had, but this year also saw the Retro Highway and Stadium Maze, along with the Winter Wonderland circuit. I do think there were some stinkers, like the Coffee Shop and Race-Off mini-outposts (one was pointless and the other was just a photo mode studio) but even the Coffee Shop made clever use of the Mexico map in terms of its placement. This team was on a roll this year and I can't wait to see what they bring to Year 4.
  • The return of Horizon Backstage, heck yes. This was actually a much more pleasant reason for me to uninstall, knowing at least some of the cars I lacked in my garage from my first auction house binge would come back at some point.
Lowlights:
  • The August-September-October update stretch. I won't lie, these last three months broke me and actually did make me uninstall at the eleventh hour. Sure we got the Evo III and JZX80 Chaser, along with two good Ford hatchbacks, but beyond that... yeesh. Upgrade fodder pretty much everywhere you looked, and the Stadium Maze has got to be one of the more pointless Evolving World set-pieces. I mean, c'mon, you don't even get a badge for solving the damn thing or finding all the plinths?!
  • The early stretch of 40 point car week updates. Still missing a '69 Judge from that so I will always harbor ill will towards American Automotive, even if it brought four really darn good Horizon Apex routes.
  • The Fast X and Universal Studios Car Packs. Not a fan of expensive collab car packs, those were no different.

I'd give this year a final score of 9/10. Even taking those low-lights into account, all three only combined for a full point loss in my eyes, so maybe if I'd stuck around for American Automotive the first time it'd actually be a 9.5/10. Hoping they can keep this pace up for Year 4, now that it's basically confirmed.
 

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