Preview - Forza Horizon 2

I was a huge fan of the first Forza Horizon. I loved the open world, the beautiful setting of Colorado and the music festival setting, which had me addicted to some obscure techno music for a couple of weeks. Having had the chance to play the sequel on the Xbox One it looks like things are much the same, and that happens to be a very good thing.

There are differences, of course, and the main one is probably the dynamic weather effects that make their debut in a Forza game. Now rain can fall in the middle of a race and it'll dramatically change what you see on the screen. Cars will glimmer and appear even shiner than before while roads will have puddles forming on them. As beautiful as Forza was before, it's never quite looked this good.

The setting is different, too. Now we've moved into southern France and northern Italy, two sites that are sure to give us some amazing backdrops. Creative director Ralph Fulton is extremely happy with the two locations, which combine to create a world that is three times bigger than the previous game.

"I think it's an amazing location for the game," he told us after we went hands-on. "It feels really fresh and different. They were both, individually, locations we considered for the first game, France and Italy separately. This time when we started looking at where we're going to set this game, we have more power now, so why not throw a net over both of them? So we have more diversity, more beautiful landscapes, and I'm delighted we've got them in the game."

Horizon has always looked to set itself apart from the Forza Motorsport series, but one thing it's bringing across for this game is the revolutionary Drivatar mechanic. Drivatar famously tracks the data from your performances in the game and uses it to create AI drivers that act much more sophisticated and intelligent. However in Horizon 2 the Drivatar feature goes a little bit further.

"I think Drivatar in Forza 5 really redefined racing AI," added Fulton. "I think it's the new benchmark everyone should be aspiring to in the racing genre. Of course it's changed in Horizon 2, because not only do they learn how you drive, they learn where you drive as well.

"What we've been finding over the last couple of months, our world is full of Drivatars and full of the personalities of people we know, people we work with, and you see those personalities manifested in the car choices, in the way they've painted their cars, tuned them. I love turning on the game every morning when I get into the studio just to see what people have been doing in the game."

But what hasn't changed is the sheer fun that Forza Horizon can provide. Driving your incredibly powerful Lamborghini across the country roads of southern France and through the fields of Italy is thrilling and liberating. Taking these supercars and placing them in the middle of crop fields might seem like a strange idea, but that's the premise that makes Horizon so appealing as a concept.

Those familiar with the first game will also be happy to know that the points for driving stylishly make a return, ensuring that even a short trip to your next location can be a rewarding experience. Those points can be used to purchase new cars, and there's a long list of over 200 that'll be drivable in the final version, which should be more than enough to keep you going for a while. 

"We want you to drive stylishly, we're going to reward you for showing off your skills wherever you are and whatever you do," said Fulton. "Now we've made skills important as well. Now you'll use skills to unlock perks, the perks will give you subtle advantages in lots of different areas of the game." These skills could include unlocking a fast travel feature, or a bonus if somebody downloads and uses the liveries you've created. There's always going to be something to work towards.

Online modes are back and better than before, too. Both King and Infected make a welcome return, but they'll take place in custom designed arenas that will be dotted around the open world. They've been designed with the multiplayer modes in mind, so expect lots of jumps, hiding places and things to smash into.

Forza Horizon 2 faces some stern competition for the top racing game awards this year due to the releases of Ubisoft's The Crew and Sony's Drive Club. While there's no doubting that all three of those games possess some great qualities, from what we've seen - and played - we're backing Horizon 2 to come out on top. Watch this space.