Forza Horizon 3: Hot Wheels Xbox One Review – Play With Your Toys
C’mon, there had to be some point in your youth when you ripped open a Hot Wheels toy out of its [...]
A Whole New Toy World
There are slight balancing issues with some events. For instance, one race requires you to make an incredibly long jump, something you just can't do if your vehicle is too slow. (You basically regenerate on the other side and lose a whole lot of places as a result.) However, if your car is too fast, there's a good chance you could fly right off the track if you don't brake enough. It's a mild catch-22 that enters you into a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" sort of situation.
But these situations are seldom compared to the sheer fun you'll have coasting around this beautiful island. Whether it's racing right under the jaw of an animatronic Jurassic Park-like dino, or simply cruising around what appears to be a volcano on the brink of exploding, you'll find plenty of sights to take in. And there's miles of terrain to cover here, with new events that open up each time you level up and earn stars within the game. And even when you're done, there's plenty of joyriding to be done – especially with those loop-de-loops.
Playground Games spared no expense in putting together this expansion, and it shows. It looks absolutely breathtaking, even more so than the snowy Blizzard Mountain, and really presents a toy-based paradise that's Forza Horizon at its finest. Dare we say that this is even more fun than all of Forza Horizon 2's previous expansions put together – and those were impressive.
The music selections are about the same that you hear in Horizon 3's tremendous soundtrack, and, like always, you can provide your own through Groove Music if you feel so compelled. But there are a lot of high-energy tunes presented on the various radio stations included in the game, whether you prefer to coast to Young M.C.'s "Bust a Move", or something a little more contemporary. It's still right at home here.
prevnextGo On, Play With This Set
As for the gameplay, it remains unchanged from Horizon 3's core set-up, and that's fine with us. In fact, blazing your way around bright orange neon tracks may be just the thing to get some people pumped about this game again, even if they believed they conquered everything within it. The racing feels as great as always, and the various challenges still can't be beat, especially as you go onto the higher difficulties. Just remember, the track doesn't always stop you from falling off. We learned that the hard way. Ouch.
Even if you've never heard of Hot Wheels (but, really, who hasn't these days?), the newest expansion of Forza Horizon 3 just makes it feel that much more complete. It's incredibly fun to play, and its design is not only fulfilling to racing fans, but also imaginative, hunkering back to the good ol' days of arcade racers when it was all about the thrill of speed, and not necessarily meeting objectives. And it gives you a lot to do as well, even if it means making death-defying jumps into the downtown skyline.
Forza Horizon 3's Hot Wheels expansion more than justifies its entry price. So go ahead, play with your toys.
RATING: Five out of five stars.
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