#12. FORZA STREET

An easy pick for the lowest spot in this list. Forza Motorsport has consistently offered excellent simulation mechanics, while Horizon is an incredible arcade series, but Forza Street is really neither here nor there. It doesn’t help that it’s a mobile-only title, which means that it’s lacking in the sort of mechanical perfection, polish, and visual fidelity the series has traditionally been known for. It’s an extremely simplified experience that doesn’t do much of anything you’d expect a Forza game to do. Thankfully, it’s not technically a mainline entry, so it’s rather easy to completely overlook.

#11. FORZA MOTORSPORT 5

As the first Forza game to release for the Xbox One, Forza Motorsport 5 was well-positioned to really leverage the new console to deliver an excellent experience, but the game turned out to be a bit of a letdown, especially coming off of the excellent Forza Motorsport 4. It looked great, the audio design was typically excellent, new features like Drivatars and Forzavista were introduced, and the cars felt really good to drive, but the game was crippled by a shockingly small roster of vehicles and a disappointing lack of track variety at launch.

#10. FORZA MOTORSPORT

The one that started it all. The first Forza Motorsport’s legacy is impossible to oversell, and for fans of racing sims, this was a landmark release. At a time when Gran Turismo ruled the roost, Forza Motorsport came along and defied all expectations by not only delivering an excellent racing sim, but one that was genuinely great enough to be able to go up against Gran Turismo and provide some meaningful competition. Being 16 years old and having been improved upon by numerous sequels, it’s a little hard to go back to now, but the game deserves massive props for setting down solid foundations for the franchise.

#9. FORZA MOTORSPORT 6

After the backlash that Forza Motorsport 5 received at launch for its issues, Turn 10 Studios knew they needed to come back strong with a proper statement- Forza Motorsport 6 wasn’t exactly a strong statement that could make people sit up and take notice, but it was an improvement. The selection of vehicles and tracks was much better, the visuals were beautiful, and the career mode and online were a blast. Mechanically, Forza Motorsport 6 wasn’t as polished in terms of its sim aspects as some other games in the series, which made it a bit of an inconsistent experience, but by and large, this was a really good game.

#8. FORZA HORIZON

Forza Horizon was an interesting and risky experiment for Microsoft’s racing series. After having made a name for itself with four excellent racing sims, with Forza Horizon, the series decided to do something different, delivering a more arcade style of racing in an open world environment. It’s fair to say that the experiment worked out, thanks to excellent driving mechanics and a world that was an absolute joy to simply drive around in. The first Forza Horizon has been improved upon by all of its successors, so by default it feels a little aged, but even so, it’s still a blast to play even today.

#7. FORZA MOTORSPORT 2

Forza Motorsport 2 had a lot of expectations to live up to, not only because it had to build on the success of its groundbreaking predecessor, but also because it was the series’ debut on the Xbox 360, and it succeeded very nearly in everything that it set out to do. It looked and sounded gorgeous, its tracks and cars were brimming with details, the roster of vehicles was vast and varied, and the mechanical polish and sheer range of customization options in the game were staggering, especially for its time.

#6. FORZA HORIZON 2

Forza Horizon 2 didn’t have the novelty factor of the first Horizon game, which meant it didn’t make nearly as big of a splash as its predecessor did, but it was more than a worthy successor, and an excellent evolution of the series’ open world arcade racing branch. The freedom and arcade-style racing that Horizon 1 established were taken to even greater heights in the sequel, while the open world featured here was also absolutely gorgeous and just a pleasure to drive around in. Sadly, the Xbox 360 version of the game as a bit of a mess, to the extent that it almost felt like a completely different game.

#5. FORZA MOTORSPORT 3

As great as the first two Forza games were, it was with Forza Motorsport 3 that the series really came into its own. Turn 10 established the formula that the series would continue to be built on for years to come, and it was with Forza Motorsport 3 that the franchise really solidified its identity and emerged as a true and proper contender to the racing sim throne. Excellent cars, tracks, driving mechanics, career mode, and more came together to deliver what was and still remains one of the best racing sims of its time.

#4. FORZA MOTORSPORT 7

Forza Motorsport hit a relative slump in its Xbox One era, but at least it ended strong. Forza Motorsport 7 wasn’t perfect, no – the microtransactions at launch, for instance, were a bit of nuisance – but in most ways that matter, this might just be one of the best renditions of the Forza formula. Visually spectacular, absolutely overflowing with a ridiculously large selection of vehicles, packed full of content that could keep you busy for dozens upon dozens of hours, Forza Motorsport 7 was a great return to form for the series. Driving mechanics were more polished and refined than ever before, the career mode was excellent, the progression system was genuinely engaging, and the introduction of dynamic weather was an exciting new addition.

#3. FORZA HORIZON 3

Like Forza Motorsport, Forza Horizon really hit its stride with its third instalment. The first two Horizon games are spectacular open world racers though, so that should tell you something about how good the third one was. Australia was an excellent open world setting, not just in terms of size, but also in terms of variety, while the driving mechanics were also better and smoother than ever. It was with Forza Horizon 3 that many started wondering whether the spinoff Forza series had surpassed the mainline games, and it’s easy to see why- this is easily one of the best racing games ever made.

#2. FORZA MOTORSPORT 4

The absolute pinnacle of the Forza Motorsport line of games. Turn 10 kept on consistently improving on the formula with each progressive game in the series’ earlier years, and with Forza Motorsport 4, ended up crafting a veritable masterpiece. Excellent variety in tracks and cars, a ridiculous level of detail that exhibited a true love for the craft, the most polished driving mechanics the series had ever had up until that point- for all of these reasons and more, Forza Motorsport 4 is not only the best Motorsport game, it might even arguably be the best racing sim ever made. It’s that good.

#1. FORZA HORIZON 4

When Forza Horizon spun off from the mainline series, no one could have expected that it would go on to surpass the Motorsport line of games. By the time Horizon 3 came out, the subseries did start hinting at that level of quality- and with Horizon 4, it just blew everyone out of the water. Open world Britain is beautiful, massive, full of varied sights and sounds, and densely packed with a vast variety of consistently enjoyable activities, from excellent racing events to buying houses to competing against Drivatars to just aimlessly driving around the open world. Add to that the ingenious seasons mechanic, which completely changes the world in fundamental ways, and you also get an insane amount of dynamism in the experience. Forza Horizon 4 is easily one of the best racing games ever made, if not the best, and we’d be lucky to see Horizon 5 coming anywhere close to that level.

Microsoft’s PC gaming initiative has begun to bear fruit a little, with the last few PC ports of their games actually being fairly good. There are, of course, still some problems- Microsoft’s Xbox games are only available on PC via the Windows Store, which is loathed by just about everyone who uses it, and they are tied to the UWP format.

Some Xbox games, such as Rise of the Tomb Raider, Quantum Break, and Dead Rising 4, have shown up on PC on Steam as Win32 exe files- but none that were actually developed by Microsoft’s internal studios. However, if this rumor on OnMSFT is correct, then we may be seeing some Xbox One exclusives make their way to PC- Xbox One exclusives that aren’t even available via the Windows Store yet.

According to the findings of SteamDB, a reputable site that keeps track of changes in the Steam database, listings for Halo 5: Guardians and Forza Motorsport 5 have been discovered within the Steam database. This seems to imply that the games might launch on Steam at some point in the future (possibly alongside, or after, a Windows Store release)- at the same time, however, it is important to remember that not all Steam database listings pan out. Remember that Halo 3 listing in the Steam database from all those years ago? Ten years later, Halo 3 is still an Xbox 360 exclusive.

This week’s sales for Xbox Live Gold subscribers are actually pretty damn good- if only because some of the best exclusives on the Xbox are being offered for cheaper prices. Forza Motorsport 5 and Forza Horizon 2 are both on sale this week for Xbox Live Gold members.

Forza Motorsport 5 was an Xbox One launch game, and was honestly considered rather disappointing, thanks to a lack of content, as well as a misguided emphasis on microtransactions; it has since been succeeded by the far superior Forza Motorsport 6. However, for the current asking price, it’s not a bad buy at all. Forza Horizon 2 on the other hand is flat out a great racing game, possibly the best (non Kart) racing game of this generation- so being able to get it for as cheap as it is being offered for is a pretty sweet proposition.

On the Xbox 360 front, you can get Syndicate for  cheap, should you want them- but really, the Xbox One is the star of the show this week.

On the whole, Microsoft never showed us the promise of the cloud like they said they would with the Xbox One- but some of the best games on the platform all silently utilize the cloud in the background to deliver a great experience that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.

Take the Forza games on the Xbox One. All three – Forza Motorsport 5, Forza Horizon 2, Forza Motorsport 6 – use the cloud to power their great Drivatar technology, where the AI is reactive, learns from the player, and steps its game up. Among other things.

Former FOX Engine lead designer Julien Merceron (currently working with Bandai Namco) was impressed with this technology, and he thinks that it has incredible potential for other games in the future, reports DualShockers. The possibilities of synchronous, asynchronous, passive, active, and persistent multiplayer, as well as that of the AI learning and growing in response to the player, intrigues him- and he thinks something like this has applications in other video games.

Personally, I think cloud assisted gaming eventually will become a thing- I just think that by trying to push it as the central focus, and by trying to push it now, when the world isn’t ready for it, not even from an infrastructure perspective, Microsoft may have made a bit of a mistake.

Black Friday used to be a purely American thing, the day right after Thanksgiving, to allow for people to get some great stuff for stupidly cheap and save some money on holiday shopping, but if there is one thing that unites all of us humans as a species, regardless of national boundaries or barriers, it is our love for saving money and being as cheap and stingy as possible. So there’s no reason the rest of the world can’t join in!

Thus, GAME in the UK is now offering some crazy good deals for Black Friday too. These include an amazingly tempting offer of the Xbox One with four games for just £299- keep in mind, when this stuff is bought separately, it would cost you almost 150% as much, at £480.

The games being offered are pretty good as well- you get Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Assassin’s Creed Unity, Forza Motorsport 5, and LEGO Marvel Superheroes, with the former three being digital downloads.

It’s a great deal, and will be available at all GAME stores throughout Friday, so… yeah, go for it, guys. Hard not to recommend the console at that price point.

Remember Halo Waypoint? The app, dedicated to the Halo games, and on fleshing out the lore and mythos of the series, was pretty damn incredible, and became a one stop point to discuss the franchise and soon, it became engaged with its players too, leading to a kind of community experience that is pretty much unmatched anywhere else.

Well, Microsoft is now hoping to replicate that same experiment with its other big franchise: hot on the heels of the release of Forza Horizon 2, the open world arcade sim racer that stands as a sequel to the first game that hit the Xbox 360 in 2012 to a surprisingly positive reception, they have released the Forza Hub.

The Forza Hub is a one stop app for players of Forza games, letting them track their progress within the Forza series, monitor their statistics, compare their progress with friends and stay updated with the latest Forza news. Players can even earn and unlock cars and coins from within the app itself.

It is now available on Xbox Live on the Xbox One.

Microsoft, Turn 10 and Playground Studios must have pleased a lot of Forza fans today. Not only did they released new gameplay trailers but also announced that Forza Horizon 2 will be the first Xbox One game that will be available for digital pre-order and pre-loading.  A number of other games will also support pre-loading. Microsoft will update on the list as and when it happens.

Pre-loading is already available on Microsoft’s rival game console to the PlayStation 4 so this feature will bring Xbox One further in line to its counterpart. In addition to that, Turn 10 studios also announced a free  Infiniti Car Pack for Forza Motorsport 5 featuring the 2014 Infiniti Q50S and 2014 Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge today.

The new car pack is available immediately for download.Furthermore, the game will also receive Spark-Renault SRT-01E which will make Forza 5 the first racing game with a Formula E electric racer.What are your thoughts on this news? Let us know in the comments section below.

The latest DLC update, titled ‘Hot Wheels’ (and no, disappointingly enough, this has nothing to do with the toy cars of the same name) adds ten cars to the roster and they’re pretty darn good ones.

The Car Pack costs $10 (or $1  per car), unless you have the Car Pass, in which case, good going, you got suckered into buying something called a ‘Car Pass.’ At least you get these cars for ‘free’ now though.

• 2013 Lamborghini Veneno
• 1939 Audi Auto Union Type D
• 1967 Lotus Type 49
• 2013 Mazda #7 Andretti Autosport USF2000
• 1952 Ferrari 375
• 1974 Toyota Celica GT
• 2015 Audi S3 Sedan
• 1956 Ford F-100
• 1973 Ford XB Falcon GT
• 1983 GMC Vandura G-1500

Forza Horizon 2 was next for Microsoft’s E3 media briefing. The Drivatar AI carries over and dedicated servers have been confirmed. You can now create Clubs as well with up to 1000 players, and the first gameplay trailer was showcased as well. Check it out above, with the usual Euro-dance music and stunning car visuals.

Forza Horizon 2 will be heading to Xbox One on September 30th – we’re not sure about the Xbox 360 release since it’s being developed by a different team so stay tuned for confirmation. It will feature more than 200 cars and include “seamless multiplayer”. The game is already available for pre-order apparently.

Dan Greenawalt also revealed that Forza Motorsport 5 would be receiving the Nürburgring track for free starting today. What are your thoughts on the Forza Horizon 2 trailer though? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more information on games and reveals from Microsoft’s E3 media briefing.

Update: Added screenshots.

Forza Horizon 2

Forza 5 Nurburgring:

Playground Games’ Forza Horizon 2 will be releasing on the Xbox One (with Sumo Digital working on the Xbox 360 version) later this year, but unlike 2013’s Forza Motorsport 5 will be running at 1080p resolution and 30 FPS.

Creative director Ralph Fulton spoke to IGN about the same and stated that, “I think what we did on Horizon was demonstrate that, and this is really important, a locked frame rate that’s absolutely solid and never drops is the most important thing for our game. 30 [frames-per-second] actually enables us to realise that experience.

“I think I remember that’s always a hot-button topic, until a game comes out and people go, ‘Oh, this actually really works.’ But 1080p was an absolute must for us; it’s the benchmark for next-gen.”

The reason for the drop in frame rate is fairly obvious: Forza Horizon 2 is an open world game, unlike Forza Motorsport 5 which stuck to static tracks. “The biggest difference is that, obviously, we’re an open-world streaming game. We need to be able to drive in any direction at up to 270 miles an hour, if you’re gonna soup up a Veyron or something like that.

“So one of the big technical challenges that we had to face was making sure that we could stream in a world that is next-gen beautiful, but fast enough to keep up with the fastest car. That’s a huge tech challenge but it’s one that our guys just eat up.”

Forza Horizon 2 will be out in Q4 2014. Will it play as good as it looks? We’ll find out in the coming months.