Why Forza Horizon 3 is the best racing game of the generation

Racing games do not usually excel at serving up emergent gameplay mainly because of their rigid nature of being confined to a specific track through which players are required to speed through and finish first. Forza Horizon 3 takes that formula sheet, runs it through a shedder, and dumps the pieces of paper into the sea. 

Imagine this, you're driving through tarmac streets with the sun peeking through the mountains while it emanates a reddish-pink hue. You're in pole position, desperately trying to maintain your line so that the pesky Pagani Huayra that's been shadowing you since the start of the race doesn't get a chance to overtake you. A drop of sweat trickles down your forehead as you deftly maneuver through the apexes of turns that you swear were made by a sadist. Suddenly, to your utter disbelief, the racing line leads you off-road and your Lambo starts buckling on the gravel, sliding around like an amateur ice hockey player who fell flat on his face. Somehow you manage to make it to the tarmac again and it's only a quick straight sprint to the finish line. The scoreboard with your name at the top is the fruit of your labor and you feel as if you bested a fair challenge with your own skill. 

This is the sort of satisfaction that I got from beating bosses in Dark Souls. However, FH3 is neither a hack and slash game nor is it unfairly difficult just for the sake of it. 

With over 300 cars (and more being added through DLC) in its lineup, Forza Horizon 3 has the most extensive library of vehicles that I've ever seen in a racing game. And it'd be a crime to assume that only a handful of these will be well-detailed. Playground Games have outdone themselves here. Every single car is meticulously crafted to perfection starting from the inner dashboards to the lights. These individual assets of cars reflect a certain type of craftsmanship and dedication that is rarely seen in any video game. There's an astounding level of variety too. You can find myriad off-road SUVs and buggies to supercharged exotics. There's also that British three-wheeler that everybody used to make fun of back in the day, the Reliant Robin. I do have to mention that all future DLC is paid. This actually sucks because Playground Games are actually adding in a lot of good quality cars to the game. However, you can get them through the in-game auction store using credits you can earn by completing races.

The gameplay of FH3 is a prime example of how semi-sim racing games should work. Just enough assisted gameplay options to not throw off newbies while retaining the core principles of how cars realistically behave to keep the simulation aficionados happy. It is excellent, tight driving that is a blast to experience with controller and steering wheel alike. The bellowing engine sounds of the cars is recorded very well and you can also adjust the sound of tires and engines individually. Great thing if you're a drift-junkie and you prefer the sound of rubber being burnt in in favor of your crankshafts working in full gear. 

I'd be doing the game a huge disservice if I skipped over the graphics. In motion, Forza Horizon 3 looks absolutely gorgeous regardless of what the completely dynamic weather and day-night cycle comes up with. Rain makes the roads glisten eerily realistically, car reflection mapping is insane with even the minutest details being picked up by chrome paint, smoke and other particle effects are aplenty, and the lighting is just jaw-dropping. I would say FH3 is the best-looking racing game on the market right now. 

These are the major reasons why FH3 is arguably the best racing game of the generation. There are other much smaller details that make the game stand out more but I'll leave you to discover them on your own. Forza Horizon 3 is out now for PC and Xbox One. 

Shahrukh Ikhtear is a sub-editor at SHOUT who stresses himself out while trying to learn marketing. Send him pictures of Philip Kotler as blessings at fb.com/sr.ikhtear

* All screenshots were captured in-game on the PC version.