I've been playing a lot of games recently but two of them have been taking up most of my time and I wanted to share some quick impressions. So here's what I have to say about Forza Horizon 6 and 007 First Light:
I’ve played a lot of the latest Horizon game and it’s incredibly well made. You’re doing all the same stuff you do in every other Horizon game but you’re doing it on one of the best maps in the series. The new Japan setting is stunning with a massive downtown area, miles of rolling countryside and lots of verticality. It is an absolute blast to tear though and explore.
If I have a complaint it’s that the game has become pretty boring in terms of its presentation. The series started out as an edgy music/car festival but now every person in it speaks like an adult in an episode of Sesame Street. I feel like I’m playing an extended PBS documentary rather than participating in a racing festival. It’s like the video game equivalent of Corporate Memphis and I just wish it had some personality.
I’ve spent about 6 hours with the new bond game from IO Interactive and I am blown away! The game itself plays out like an Uncharted game with a tight narrative and a mixture of epic action set pieces, level traversal, puzzles, shooting and close combat but they aren’t making Uncharted games anymore so this actually feels fresh to me! Plus, James Bond is the absolute perfect protagonist for this style of game. The gunplay and especially the hand to hand combat feel incredible but being able to bluff your way through certain encounters with Bond’s charm and wit is so fun. Knocking a guard out and then turning to the goons who just showed up to check on the body and saying “I found him like this and even checked for a pulse…twice, I’m nice like that.” While you walk past them adjusting your cufflinks it is so fun! This one is already on my Game of the Year list for sure, don’t skip it.
-Gabe out
