Recent reviews by Lil Crusty Dick

*IF YOU ARE LOCKED OUT FROM ARMOUR CHANGE BUG, LET INTRO CUTSCENE RUN AND REPLAY TUTORIAL MISSION TO COMPLETEION WITHOUT SKIPPING CINEMATICS, WORKED FOR FRIEND OF MINE.

Really want to like this and continue to put more hours into it, but simply can't bring myself to do it. Its too casual :/

To be fair, the sole driving and racing experience is done very well for what this game is trying to do. FH5 really nails the arcade racer experience while being grounded with simulation racing elements sprinkled here and there. That balance is what makes this a real joy to play, not to mention the further expansion of the off-road / rally gameplay. Its like the game tries to tap into a bunch of good elements from other racing titles, but doesn't ever dive too far into any one thing to please a hardcore fan. For a casual racing experience its worth the money. I'd imagine my 14 year-old self would play the crap out of this.

However, if you look past the flashy stylized triple-A package that this game brings forth, there's not a lot of depth.

Like I mentioned before, this game is not for a hardcore racing fan. When playing, I get the sense the developers were like,

"How can we get the most people to play this game, even if its just for 20 hours".

Which sucks, because if it did double down and flesh out the various mechanics instead of the surface level "appeal to the casual player", then this would be one of the greatest racing games ever really.

Then again, I can't really be mad at the game for doing this because that is exactly what the Horizon franchise sets out to be. Getting the casual gamer to come out and enjoy a racing game.

I guess I'll just what for the upcoming Forza Motorsport title to be truly satisfied.

P.S. - The fact there's not a ranked competitive multiplayer is a damn shame. That's ultimately why I stopped playing. I get why they would get rid of it from the previous entry, but seriously? Like that's such a good way to get replay-ability out of a game but they tossed it. Coulda squeezed a few more hours out of me but I guess not.