No, The Old Forza Horizons Are Not “Overrated”

Forza Horizon has always been a contentious topic. Debatably the most popular racing game series out there, with arguments forming on all sides as to which games are best, how specific installments hold up, and as time has gone on, if the older games are over-rated. Today, Serp answers this question wholeheartedly in the hopes of showing the newer fanbase just why we fell in love with it.
Patreon: / ultraviolet208
Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/ultravioletchannel
Instagram ultraviolet_cha...

[@IlMemetor72]

People saying that the old Forza games are overrated is ironic coming from them as they haven't even played their latest games longer than we have played the ones.

[@chrisgoat6435]

What a braindead comment. Are you 12?

[@ForzaMemories]

Bro I’ve made videos on all the old forza games for a year now, and not once has anybody said they’re overrated in my videos 🤣

[@IlMemetor72]

​@@ForzaMemoriesnot gonna immediately discount what you're saying- but scroll through videos like Moses' and some of the more critical videos about Forza and you'll find a few zoomers going on about how the new games are so much better and has more cars and this that and other things, not understanding the principles we're critiquing the new games for lacking

[@user-vi4xy1jw7e]

I'm in my 30s and think they're overrated. I think they're all just as good. I just hate how Forza hands out cars like candy, rather than make you work for them, but that's been a thing for a while.

[@IlMemetor72]

​@@user-vi4xy1jw7eit's only been a thing since Horizon 4

[@ileutur6863]

I'd rather have a game that presents me with a slow car and a list to climb, than a game that treats me like a king and drops me in a supercar within 10 minutes of driving. I have no reason to play for more than 10 minutes then

[@IlMemetor72]

This may sound cringe and quite frankly I don't care- but I'm putting aside some money to buy an Xbox One S, with Forza Horizon 1 and 2 - even if it costs me over $100. Yes I own an I7 12700K 3080Ti 32GB PC with RGB and a high refresh rate monitor, owning FH3, 4 and 5 deluxe editions- YET, I still feel more desire to play Forza Horizon 1 & 2 over those three. Do I adore 3 & 4? Yes. But nothing in my eyes is more authentic than those first two games. Wish me luck, ebay hunting for a FH2 account with all DLCs

[@zippo71111]

And there you have it. Might be related to growing up with games that expected you to enjoy the journey and value the game. I want to earn my way to the top and look back at the journey, and a rival that talks smack and gets under your skin. Now you start off like a legend and nobody wants to offend you and rather hands away supercars like they're worthless.

[@evandaymon8303]

Personally thats what most of us miss. I have 92 mill but i dont have anything to spend it on. Yea could buy a auction ride but why? I have nearly all the cars apart from special edition ones you get from a nail company and a special edition controller. It just feels like gta but reverse opposite where you have a lot of cash but nothing to spend it on

[@l3go_yt]

Exactly! Even though I played the game much later, FH1 was my first Horizon game and I was severely disappointed when I picked up FH4 after playing it. In FH1, you are given a limited amount of money and a base level car to progress through the story. You start in entry level races slowly working up through the races in that one level. The more races you do, the more you progress and get into tougher races with better rewards. This is how every racing game should be. I hated getting thrown random races in a specific type and just choosing whatever vehicle I have to complete it jn FH4. I'm literally given a Viper GTS off the rip just because I played FH1. It's boring and stale gameplay because I could literally not progress the story at all and just random shit until I get a wheelspin so I can afford the vehicles that I want.

[@balazsvarga8582]

@@IlMemetor72 It’s perfectly understandable. I’m mostly playing emulators nowadays and planning to buy a 360.

[@chazhartwayne6493]

We N E E D A PC port of Forza Horizon 1 and 2 like so fucking bad

[@caboose6411]

I guess with the correct hardware you can emulate it pretty well. My pc can kinda emulate it but it has tons of visual issues. I’m probably just going to pick up an old launch Xbox One and some of the Forza games.

[@heatgamer7008]

Forza has came a long way and honestly each year that passes I get to appreciate the old horizon games more for their simplicity and authenticity.

[@NavGTI]

The shift from FH1/2/3 to FH4/5 is quite simple. FH1/2/3 was the core Horizon. 4/5 they went commercial, with imo depths like the Eliminator to join the battle royale hype to underscore that. The focus is big numbers. Which they're achieving. And sadly the people who are core Horizon fans from day 1 are not the target audience anymore.

[@GarethMcD-zq8ei]

I agree & disagree with this fair points either way icl

[@SamuelSantos_]

A bit like the Fast and Furious movies before and after Fast Five

[@GarethMcD-zq8ei]

@@SamuelSantos_ more so after Paul Walker, he was the heart of it

[@oli_gordon]

The real ogs remember fh2 360

[@lukasvokurka9224]

Shouldn't the real OGs remember FH1 360? Since it's actually the og Horizon game?

[@oli_gordon]

@@lukasvokurka9224 fh2 360 is the overlooked game that no one remembers Don't you get the joke

[@bdmr_isf]

​@@oli_gordon fh2 on the 360 was garbage...

[@justsomerando9010]

FH on Xb360 was perfect.. FH2 on Xb360 was pure dumpster fire.

[@EL100TIFIKO_01]

My first horizon game ever, it was terrible but somehow it kept me playing for a year and a half until i got FH3, which changed my perception of games from "just a game" to art forever.

[@RetroRangerReviews88]

I came into the series at FH3, not playing one or two at all prior. Played a lot of FH4 and forgot most of it, and abandoned 5 after a few hours. Recently played FH1 and fell in love. Looks amazing on series x in 4K. As soon as I’m done with it I’m going into FH2. I remember the map from FH3 clearly, even the slight misplacement of our cities and landmarks. Awesome video!

[@zerotofifty]

This was pretty much my experience with the series except I really liked FH4 for fixing online by having constant updates and for being a thousand times more optimized than FH3. IMO FH1 has the best campaign, FH2 has the best cruising roads and FH3 has the best mix of sandbox features and campaign mode.

[@akiplay312]

Believe me FH2 will be your favorite one. It's just out of this world.... Cinematics , graphics , gameplay..... Everything was just perfect

[@JDT2309]

Sadly FH2 got no 4K update and is the only FH game with no servers but I’m sure you’ll still enjoy it for what it is. I loved the multiplayer when it was available and even now, 200 championships later, i’m still playing and enjoying horizon solo.

[@chrisdominik1822]

@@JDT2309 even without 4K graphic updates the game still holds up VERY well nowadays

[@JDT2309]

@@chrisdominik1822 Completely agreed. They were pushing the limits of the new console generation from day one and it shows.

[@Austindogftw]

People who say that the old Forza Horizon games are worse than the new ones like being gatekeeped, and enjoy this feeling of Stockholm syndrome

[@ld9387]

1 had the best campaign. 2 had the best location and overall vibe. 3 had the best balance between freedom and progression. It also had a map that I believe has aged the best. 3 could still be receiving updates to this day. 4 and 5 are just live service games with weekly rewards to keep people playing. It's not even about the festival anymore.

[@simeonyves5940]

Blame Mike Brown for the Ruination of Horizon, I just hope that Torben Ellert can get the Series back on its wheels with 6.

[@falcongamer58]

​@@simeonyves5940 Mike Brown wants to make a story focused racing game, blame Xbox Game Studios for pushing live service

[@BloxWich]

Ultraviolet, your passionate defence of the old Forza Horizon games is exactly what the community needs! 🎮💖 It's amazing how you break down the timeless appeal and enduring quality of these classics. Forza Horizon's legacy isn't just about nostalgia-it's about ground-breaking gameplay and unforgettable experiences. Thanks for showing the newer fans why these games are cherished by so many. Keep championing the classics! 🚗🔥

[@ultraviolet_channel]

I try

[@stevenmoinian5511]

Forza Horizon 1 was and still is one of favourite racing games of all time. I've hundreds of hours in FH1, 2 and 3 and loved every moment. Compared to those, 4 and 5 felt very uninteresting I guess, and kinda monotonous (5 even more so than 4). So I refuse to believe that they are overrated my any means

[@MrBossFML]

Another thing about the newer Horizon games that irk me is that their is barely any progression, you can complete most races in a single sitting

[@Kieran_OPC]

I had no enthusiasm when fh5 released unlike fh1 or fh2. Im not even caring if fh6 is any good because im just tired of it.. especially after Motorsports failure which i tried without buying and glad i mever wasted my money. FM3, FM4, FH AND FH2 are the goats

[@gabrielsobrosa]

For me, the classic Horizons convinced you that you were at a festival, in a real location, with real challenges. The modern Forzas have settled for showing players that they are just video games, with an empty atmosphere and environment, merely made for weekly challenges,

[@T7_MATEUSZ]

After spending hours in every horizon I think modern horizon problem is creating new content to always fell FOMO and lack of storyline.

[@ld9387]

Festival playlist is now sadly the priority. I wish they focused on a campaign for year 1 and introduced festival playlist on year 2 or something.

[@OfMoonlightAndGrave]

For me, FH5's main selling point is the new physics. The reworked suspension and tire model is a godsend for people that don't want everything AWD. Beyond that, it's a weightless game. No progression or reason to play the game past the weekly playlists and multiplayer. You get given everything you need in the first hour of booting the game up which makes playing at all borderline pointless.

[@RiC3R69]

Forza Horizon 1 & 2 = Golden Era of Forza Horizon Series Forza Horizon 4 & 5 = DownFall of the Series Forza Horizon 3 = SomeThing in Between

[@jyynarpalisenniemi6242]

FH3 was the peak of the series in my book

[@Luka9S9]

For me the older Forza Horizon games are better for one simple fact, *progression* , in older Forza games you really had to work to get the car that you wanted and tune it to your liking, it took time and effort, which made when you managed to get that car and customize to your liking, all that much rewarding, and even so, each car had a different feel. On the newer games, it became just a numbers game, having a different bodytype slapped on top, there's no sense of progression or achievement because you can play the game for just 2 hours and the game will gift you a Bugatti Chiron that you can use till the end of the game.

[@mrfreshchicken795]

The problem I had with going from horizon 3 to 4 was the fact that they changed from it being focused as a story mode driver to more of a live service game as once you wanted to get the new cars you either had to save up a lot of money and hope someone else would do the grinding for you or you would do it yourself. The other main feature that changed was with the seasons and if you didn’t want to drive in the snow there was no option to change the season while in prior games you had specific dlc that was optional and was more unique since it was a different map.

[@ArthurLopes39]

Can't help but feel this comes from Horizon broadening it's horizons when it comes to demographic. Of course the super casual crowd they are banking on now prefers 4/5 to 1/2, they got more advanced graphical features and none of the "nerdy grinding crap" so they can just hop on it, drive the latest Lamborghini for 10 minutes, then turn it off. Game Pass only made that more evident.

[@benn8793]

That's exactly it. The dilution of the gameplay and the nerd factor to appeal to a wider audience. But Forza Horizon shares this fate with many other game brands. Unfortunately...

[@sarvinravinthiran7208]

i miss forza hub 😔😔😔

[@AD1978leo]

One and 3 were my favorites

[@iurysaraiva3411]

I played Horizon 1 about 5 times.. 4 and 5 I played about 1 hour and dropped and now I'm back to Horizon 1 I'm much more of a singleplayer than multiplayer... so that's the reason for abandoning the recent ones.. Motorsport, for me, is better in this aspect of playing alone to pass time

[@greybound362]

Whoever says these kinds of things are either tunnel visioned or blind. Look at fh4 & 5. Just look at it. 4 was... eh, it could work, but 5 is just bad. Fh 1 & 2 & 3 were constant upgrades, and the post launch content for 2 & 3 had were just incredible. P.s: i still have clear memories of the ff car pack... that car pack was just amazing.

[@maximusalpha5630]

Post launch content is debatable because 2 & 3 each were meant to last only 2 years and had a Motorsport title in between them.4 & 5 added so much to the vanilla game with free updates. In other aspects like Progression etc the classics esp 1 & 2 top it!.

[@AkiRalcolf]

​@@maximusalpha56304 and 5 expanding on 1,2,3? Don't make me laugh 😂

[@maximusalpha5630]

​​@@AkiRalcolfI never said anything about 4&5 expanding on the classics. I only said post launch support added a lot more content for free to 4&5 respectively.

[@RageRaccoon]

Great to hear someone talking about stuff like this. Racing community as a whole needs to hear this.

[@w33bfu]

I'd add the fact that many people theese days seem to hate when videogames have a progression system, a thing I'd say is completely non existent in modern titles. Just to back it up I recently went through reviews for FH5 Hot Wheels expansion and most critiques had the fact that the game locks you out from races and fast cars behind progression is "stealing" what they have bought as a product. I wonder how theese types of people would feel when playing for example, NFS Underground 2 where you start in absolute crapboxes and have to play for 10 hours to get to the exciting fast cars. I obviously disagree with them. Nice video btw!

[@TheJayden3977]

That’s the biggest reason I loved Hotwheels in 3 and 5 - You actually had to use slow cars and progress up. FH3’s campaign I think wasn’t the best and is where the “sandbox” really started, so when they added Hotwheels it was a nice change and took me back to the days of FH1 progression.

[@benn8793]

That is precisely the issue. Horizon 5 fans hate progression. If you want to talk to them about it, they always say that Horizon never had progression, because with the abundance of cars the game has, it wouldn't make sense to have progression. They just want to drive around with their friends in multiplayer with free cars. Progression only slows you down. Who wants to look stupid in front of their friends because they don't have the great new cars yet?

[@w33bfu]

@@TheJayden3977 Yeah, exactly. It's not like they need to remove sandbox aspects of the game, but for example add an endgame crazy money earning system. Maybe something in the style of Yakuza series? I'd consider it a good way of pleasing both fans.

[@w33bfu]

@@benn8793 forgot to at you in this comment.

[@sunman2566]

Ironically one of the starter cars is one of the best in the game and it's the one speedrunners use

[@AMS-KungPao]

My first Horizon game was Horizon 3 and I played the demo of the game a lot before the game came out and I was having so much fun already with the demo alone. When I got the full game it was my favorite game ever for a solid half a year or so. No other game will make me feel like I did in Horizon 3 from the demo to the full game. The map is just unmatched compared to the other Horizon games and it just felt so perfect. I am also saying this as a person who grew up playing Gran Turismo and still plays it pretty much every day. Old Forza Horizon was just better and I preferred playing the Horizon games over Gran Turismo Sport back when that game came out. I was just in gaming haven back when I was playing both Gran Turismo 6 and Horizon 3 back and fourth because both games were the most fun games I have ever played. GT6's online mode was the most fun I have ever had period and FH3's single player was just an amazing experience. Nowadays, GT7 is way more fun than any modern Forza game. Even the Forza Motorsport games fell off after Motorsport 6 and it's just sad to see.

[@Coyote_Arts]

I will say that each Horzion game brings something new or improves upon the game in certain aspects. - Horizon 1: the best campaign bar none, arguably the best street races as well. - Horizon 2: introduced dynamic weather and some of the most iconic map spots. - Horizon 3: introduces wide body kits and overall has the best map and possibly best DLC. Also adds race cars into the game - Horizon 4: while lacking in the map department it did set up the ground works on festival circuits, and introduced heavy online competition play with things like grandmaster. While yes horizon editions were a thing in Horizon 3, in 4 they did introduce actual custom cars like the Aventador FE. - Horizon 5: I believe it’s fair to say that it’s a combination of the past 4 games in some areas, including in its DLC. While yes it lacks in airstrips and proper online ranked mode, it makes up for it for having the best car customization and car variety in the game. While yes it’s struggled in its starting years the past like 5 updates or possibly since the low high car update this game has been getting better and better.

[@DANK3M3RALD]

Ultra back at it with another banger!

[@TheTerminatorCarrot]

I've still got all three of my physical copies of the OG Horizon trilogy. FH3 is still my favourite racing game of all time, because of how I remember it: - First time playing was at my best mate's house in our last year of high school, spent most of our time launching cars off the hill just east of the airstrip. - Got myself an Xbox One & FH3 with my first paycheck nearly a year later. Couldn't wipe the smile off my face for the rest of the day. - Moving in with my previously mentioned best mate for a few months, setting up our consoles in the same room & making our own races & liveries, racing up & down Surfers, fucking around & laughing. Not to mention it gave me a new lens to view old lands from - I'm Australian, and seeing the little details so lovingly recreated (like the old Telstra payphone booths & the correct wheelie bins, even down to the lid colours - red for trash, yellow for recycling, green for natural waste) helped me appreciate my home even more, and warmed me to know that the devs cared enough to put in something only the locals would notice. And the cars, my God, the cars! Plus the liveries of legendary Bathurst winning cars that people made, all the way back from the late 60s right up until the game was no longer supported. I know I sound like a boomer, but there truly was something special back then that's missing now. I have logged more hours into Horizon 3 than every other Horizon game combined. I have logged more hours into Horizon 3 than every other racing game I've ever played. To me, it felt like the OG trilogy (but especially 3) had captured lightning in a bottle. I don't hate the later ones - I've had fun with them, but they just feel too safe to me. Too sanitised, too clean. Too corporate. For example - I love FH5's drift mechanics, but drift mechanics aren't what makes or breaks Horizon. It's the atmosphere, and the OG trilogy had it in spades.

[@Ricys]

watching the ultimate horizon 5 critique and hokihoshi's ' best horizon is 5 ' video back to back while high gotta be top 10 moments

[@t.k3579]

I feel like this is kind of the same sentiment with the NFS community. The UG2-MW-Carbon trio were praised by fanboys up to the point it became annoying, and the fact that those same people spread hate on newer games of the series has made a part of the community have the opposite opinion towards the classics NFS-es. Imo the first two Horizon, while not having as much content as the later games, have it's own soul and personality, which is the thing later games lost due to PG trying to make Horizon a "game-for-everyone"

[@spencerboyce6227]

Everybody praises most wanted and underground 2 but only the real ones praise carbon

[@Austindogftw]

Nothing will beat the feeling of being 6 years old and playing Horizon 1 for the first time, when Horizon 1 came out I was only 3 years old. So 3 years later I was able to play the game which was a hand-me-down for my brother, I didn't know what a video game was at the time but now I play so many new games that I like to go back to the classics sometimes and appreciate what they did better.

[@Bassemann87]

My favorite classic FH games im my opinion. 1. Forza Horizon 2: Europe 2. Forza Horizon 1: Colorado 3. Forza Horizon 3: australia * Forza Horizon 2 have the exact feeling to be in the IRL Location (yes i was there irl. Both italy and Nice and other places in france + Monaco.) And had a perfect balance of driving freedom. * Forza Horizon 3 has the best diversity on map diversity and was really great to drive on. * The first Forza Horizon: had a really good map, but sometimes freedom seems too limited.

[@raki31]

beating darius after climbing up the ladder is so euphoric

[@FriendsAndGamingYT]

Man, the fact you can't get them digitally is very sad! Makes one scared of a pure digital future

[@slushg3326]

Ownership licenses were not revoked to my knowledge and you can still get 3 as a physical copy. Licensing agreements are a pain though and new players not being able to get them at all digitally is unfortunate.

[@notalkingforzasmr]

I paused the first bit to grab a snack and enjoy bc Ultra is soothing

[@VanillaSpooks]

Great video, reminds me some of your slightly older content!

[@ultraviolet_channel]

Glad to hear that!

[@Chari_zar]

Great work again hun ❤

[@ultraviolet_channel]

Thank you!! 😊

[@Chari_zar]

@@ultraviolet_channel anytime~

[@maurizza3499]

I remember a lot of people saying that FH4 has a terrible map and car sounds, now they're saying the opposite when FH5 comes out.. lol

[@austinbaccus]

Horizon has never really had interesting maps because it's never been difficult to traverse them. Going 200 mph offroad in a Ferrari is a novelty that wears off quickly. Being able to get to the top of a mountain isn't as fun when an AI in a lowered Lotus Elise is able to get there just as easily.

[@sssveden]

​@@austinbaccus The offroad shit began mostly in FH4 where they flattened the map for Eliminator. In FH1 there wasn't even offroad at all

[@FranquitoMV2004]

Forza toxic players are capable of contradicting themselves just to praise their favourite game of the market or the saga

[@AlvinWillistonDavis]

I have all the Horizon games, I play them intermittently, I have put thousands of hours into all of them and I like them all. I see something in all of those earlier titles and in the newer ones that is an advance in time whilst not losing the original charm. I think that nostalgia is a hell of a dug, but often leads to thinking that older games are automatically better. Like complaining about the online being broken when the sheer number of players is an order of magnitude larger than the game before. Like campaigns being better for the first, sure I will give you that, but the best weather is objectively 5, with better and more varied weather and effects. But as someone who has played the classics when they came out, and also looking at the modern games they all have their own charms and when you just strip back all the additoinal stuff, they are all just objectively great driving games. IMO, of course.

[@SrHiroo]

Been playing since horizon 1 since 2012 and have played all 5 horizon games And after years of playing i still prefer the first 2 games over any of the other ones in the franchise

[@skyline1613]

I started with horizon 3. Went back to the first one and it was one of the best racing games I've ever played. Im an nfs baby, i started racing games with hp2. But horizon 1 atmosphere was unmatched. The first race in your little Volkswagen and seeing all the more expensive cars trying to beat you to the finish line in order to have a chance to join horizon was insane. Sadly i never actually experienced horizon 1 to it's fullest as the dlc and online servers weren't available. But the story mode itself was just perfect. Also the last race with Darius was legit very difficult on the hardest setting. But beating him was such an great feeling of accomplishment. Idk about 2 or 4 but we need something like one again. Start from nothing and work out way to the top

[@karabancha]

some of your and other people's looking backs on forza series inspired me to trade consoles with my friend (my switch for his xbox series s), lucky for me he has digital version of horizon 2 for the xbox one! really looking forward to play it (maybe even horizon 1 if i'll find it)

[@ultraviolet_channel]

That’s awesome, best of luck with a hell of a horizon journey

[@pxartfun4688]

Ngl the more they release forza thr more they lose the feeling of progression.i love the concept of fh1 having bosses going from zero to hero

[@flybid301]

most of the people saying that the old forzas are overrated are probably younger than said games 😭🙏

[@Ramaxx95]

Everyone has their own opinion, there is no definitive answer. As someone who played all titles (nearly sequentially as they released) I consider 3 as my favourite and 2 as my least favourite.

[@matrixracing8268]

In my words: FH1: I loved it, I could spend all day on it just driving around and going online and having fun. FH2: Same thing as one but it had way more content and a bigger map and the online was more popular so I could just go forever FH3: Almost the same as the other 2 I have probably the most hours on FH3 as I had more time then but overall I enjoyed FH1 and 2 more FH4: I didn't mind it but I couldn't play it for all that long I did appreciate the amount of stuff there was to do and the online servers always being full. FH5: I don't really have anything to say about it but I have played it for about 100 hours total which is nowhere near the other games and I am only level 200, to me the game just lacks that nostalgia feeling coming from FH1 up to FH3 or 4 they all kind of had something in common but FH5 doesn't have that spark Those are my words and opinions

[@Wolf-1260]

Most people who play 4 and 5 today didn't play horizon 1 and 2 because it always remained xbox console exclusive. The oldest game they have played is most likely horizon 3 and it is so different from the first 2 games. The 3 is still a classic, but someone could not make their opinon about classic horizons only the 3rd. People need to play all 3 games to make your opinion

[@benn8793]

Game Pass is also a big factor. Many of the old games didn't have that luxury.

[@Wolf-1260]

@benn8793 Yes, it brings even more _new_ players who weren't fans of the franchise originally. It's fun to have players to play with, but the new fans have a different vision than the older fans. Older fans might prefer having more work to do to get cars, and newer fans might prefer to start with a lot of cars. This is the kind of thing that drains older fans and brings newer ones. Unfortunately, it just makes many people unhappy about the new games, but for different reasons on each sides

[@existentialselkath1264]

Never played FH1 until xenia could emulate it on PC. I started with FH3. No nostalgia here, and yet it immediately became my favourite by far. FH2 may strike the perfect balance but I can't play it on PC

[@Yusuf.819]

It’s the classic gamer mentality: if it is unacccesible nowdays, it was better

[@Dortiik]

FH1 really worked well despite the limit’s of the 360 the smaller closed map was good+the atmosphere of the festival and linear progression. FH2 really set the stone for the future with open map and more robust online element which all got perfected in FH3. After that i felt the festival spirit and sense of progress got lost, but i still think FH4 a 5 are good racing games, they are just too casual which work’s for new people.

[@zerotofifty]

As a huge fan of older Horizon games and your channel and even though I agree with most of your arguments here I just couldn't like the tone of this video. It's obvious that you didn't want to spend too much time on what made each classic game great after the "Horizon X is the best Horizon game" series but the fact that you didn't even mention them makes it really hard for a newcomer to understand your perspective which is incredibly ironic because now your opinions will also be criticised without proper context just like the games you're trying to defend. Putting myself in the shoes of a newcomer to the franchise (and to this channel), after watching this video I'd think that Old Forza games are indeed overrated games that were products of their time but didn't age well and those that defend them aren't able to provide sufficient argument as to why they're better than Modern Horizon games. I also find some your arguments like Modern Horizon games looking the same everywhere as FH2 is without a doubt the most uniform looking Horizon game, FH4 at least had the seasons so the scenery had some variation to it (IMO FH2 is still the best looking Horizon game despite/thanks to having less variation) FH5 also has a relatively diverse map and even though I hated how that seemed to be their biggest focus during marketing when FH3 had just as many biomes, I don't think saying that "It's brown everywhere" really makes it justice. There are hundreds better ways to criticise FH5's map like how it's flat, has a small city, looks like a collage of different biomes instead of a coherent ensemble of them and how the Eliminator negatively impacted its design or how dull the colours look (this one is not really about the map but when I saw the gameplay for FH5 it was my first time seeing a Horizon game look inconsistent and ugly as the rest of the trailers and gameplay footage during the marketing phase looked gorgeous). TL;DR I too prefer the older Horizon games but I don't think this is the best way to demonstrate what makes them modern classics. You should instead watch "What makes Horizon X the best game" mini-series made by this very same channel as they're in-depth reviews focusing on the good parts of each game in the franchise.

[@ultraviolet_channel]

I don’t know what you’re talking about with the “X horizon game is the best” series as I’ve never made any videos like that??

[@serperior2264]

Hi! Writer for this vid here I understand your critique of the points made being the lack of backing up what is said in the video, which I do agree with you on. But this wasn't made out of a mistake or anything, it's simply cause this was meant to be a shorter video to help output more content inbetween the releases of much larger videos. As stated near the end of this video, if you want in depth reasons as to what made the older games so fantastic, and newer ones lacking by comparison, we have anywhere from half an hour to 2 hours covering each game individually. Our goal was not to recycle old content just for the sake of it, but instead as a sort of response to many comments received which I thought could make for a relatively interesting video topic

[@zerotofifty]

@@ultraviolet_channel Sorry, I confused you with Hoki Hoshi because of similar content and thumbnail/title styles. Still, my criticism stands and in this case the viewers can watch your review of each game.

[@zerotofifty]

@@serperior2264 I mean I totally understand your concerns and stated it in the beginning of my comment but I also feel like there was some recycled arguments throughout the video itself. One little "mistake" you guys made is when you calculated FH5's playerbase numbers you (probably) used the number of players that made it to the wall of fame most of which came fron GamePass and do not interact with the community all that much anyway. On the other hand, FH1 and FH2's sell numbers don't reflect the whole story either because not only the players that played it via Live Gold (it was a part of Games with Gold) like me aren't counted, there is also absolutely no way to know how many people played the game by buying 2nd hand CDs. After my Live Gold subscription expired, I bought 2 second hand copies of FH2 and gave one of them to my friend who then went on to give it to everyone else in our group once they were done with the campaign. Of course this absolutely doesn't reflect how it usually works but it'd be nice to point out these possibilites in the description. I also feel like there are way too much personal feelings involved in this video like how you mentioned FH3's demo and trailers got you "hyped" but one must realise that these don't belong to such a short video if you want to present as many quality arguments to help the newcomers realise that Old Games do have inherent qualities that make them worth playing other than simply being good memories of past. Overall, I think you guys can benefit from making more astute deductions like Whitelight (another video essay channel) and make it clear that your personal experiences are in fact personal and don't reflect the actual quaility of the products you're reviewing as there's nothing wrong with sharing those experiences with your viewers as long as they don't get mixed up with the real arguments.

[@AkiRalcolf]

God no wonder The Forza Community is so fucked up. People like you always have to breath around his neck. You wrote this long ass Essay for what? To call him out? Say he was wrong? Which is it smart boy?

[@l3go_yt]

Raise your hand if you're like me and grew up watching people like Deoxide, AR12, and JackUltraGamer on Horizon 3. Never had the opportunity to play the game myself, but watching all these people have fun making videos about the game made me really want to have a copy for myself. You can tell that excitement has drastically decreased from that time. It just goes to show how much the modern games have felt "meh".

[@maximusalpha5630]

Definitely can relate, My introduction to the series was with FH2(yet to experience 2&3 ) and I would watch videos of AR12 and Tomcat just hanging around having a good time with their friends and followers. It is with steam that I got to experience 4&5 and recently 1 through the Xenia emulator. I can understand how FH1 starkly differs to the modern titles in terms of campaign and even map design to an extent like I don't mind sections being closed off.I believe it gave us incredible locations like "Red rock" and "Finley Dam" . FH2 also followed this to an extent , but it was from 3 onwards that to make the map truly open world we had to lose out on elevation changes.

[@falcongamer58]

City Camouflage, anime reference editing, challenges with Bluecrew 🍷

[@falcongamer58]

​@@maximusalpha5630 I miss tomcat

[@JDumbz]

I never played the first or second one but they look more fun than 4 and 5. I'm excited the OG devs are making their own racing game. Forza became nothing more but overdone festival slop that barely brings anything new to the table aside a map and 'aaaah pretty graphic' updates. The matchmaking sucks too, I love getting put into empty lobbies all the time.

[@royhardingiv1244]

I played 2 more than 1, but Forza Horizon 1 will always be my favorite for the campaign and atmosphere. Having opponents who aren't just AI wearing the usernames of friends and strangers felt more enjoyable, especially since they actually had personalities. Not complex ones but at least they had them. I also loved how it really made you feel like you're at a hybrid music/automobile festival. The car sounds were also very good.

[@youtubeaccountlol4942]

Is there a way to play the DLC on a modded version of the game on PC? I have a disc copy for XB but not the account my brother and I purchased the DLC on

[@RedZeppelinAirship]

I remember with older horizon games that there was much more of a grind to get everything. FH3 added the auction house, which when paired to having a random roll for money, cars, etc, made the game go by extremely fast, because you would typically just sell the random volvo or Mustang you got in a roll in the auction house because you didn't need it. I would rather have a game where the vehicles are valued at like $100K but to get that $100K there was a lot more grind then just getting a random roll at $500K. This tied with the auction house becoming something where everyone just sold unwanted cars that were almost always unmodified, made a sense that these vehicles were worthless, and had no use in game. If the developers didn't have a loot roll for vehicles or money, then the auction house would be a far more interesting mechanic in game, since then there would be actual use on these vehicles because somebody purposely went and bought it from the market brand new to use. Another problem I had with FH in general is that if there is an auction house and there is barn finds, then those barn finds should be randomized to be 1 of 5 vehicles per barn, giving a reason to go to the auction house to get the other vehicles. I think the main problem with modern FH titles is that there is no grind, bad gameplay mechanics, and maps being very boring with nothing to do between cities and rural areas. Also dumb country choices for places that people would want to play in, and/or not using modern hardware enough such as having exponentially large maps, like full countries should be able to be done at this point. If the next FH is like the entireity of Japan, and the developers do not skimp out on backroads and get the entire map of Japan down, it would sell like hotcakes. But knowing XBox and Playground games, they will likely make one mountain touge, and like some random rural town, 1/10th of the distance of a popular freeway to race on, and a highly condensed Tokyo, with like maybe 30 roads in it. Same thing if they did America again, they either go the route of The Crew and copy it's aspect of having a full map of the USA, or they'll make something like New York City and a small rural down and a random abandoned Nascar raceway.

[@krishacz]

i'm a PC kid so horizon 4 was my introduction to the franchise. in 2018 i absolutely LOVED the game. but then just as lockdown started my friend gave me his x360 with Horizon 1. My perception of the franchise flipped turned upside down. I saw that Horizon could be more than *just* a fun and chill open sandbox with no real story. Then I finally bought Horizon 3 just before it delisted, having only played the demo, and realised that even a free sandbox horizon can have a lot more Sauce than 4. Then 5 came out and i was quite disappointed. And because my pc at that point had a temporary Pentium Gold (since my old CPU had died), i decided to pull the trigger and buy an XBone S, and Horizon 2. I only first played FH2 in 2022 and it's probably my favourite of the series. it's not about when you've played the game, it's about your expectations. If all you want is more cars to shove down your throat and more fluff to do, then older horizons are not for you. but if atmosphere and The Sauce are important to you, they are some of the best racing games you could experience.

[@flynnedwards]

I can provide a perspective that's a bit different to most people's. I grew up with Horizon 1 and 2 on Xbox 360, didn't have an Xbox One so I couldn't play Horizon 3, even though I was super hyped for it. Aside from progression and soundtrack, I would not say the older ones are better than the newer ones on any metric. You discussed the perspective of how significant improvements were between each title, and how the newer ones don't have as significant changes compared to the older ones. Maybe this is because of diminishing returns. When the games are already so polished and perfected, what are the developers supposed to do? It's so much harder to improve something that's already excellent compared to something that's missing features.

[@iurysaraiva3411]

Os caras tiraram um simples evento de zumbis olhando por do sol.. como pode , era tão magico 🥺

[@-atnx7-]

I started with FH3 abs still haven’t played the 2 previous but I want to and unfortunately it’s very hard to do so

[@_Motomaniak_]

I've always prefered separation that FH 1 and 2 are the classics, 3 was that transition from old to new style of gaming and FH 4 and 5 are the new ones, I've started playing since 2014 when I got FH2 and I loved the series so much, from then I've played every single title that came out after but I always wanted to put my hands on original Forza Horizon and in 2023 I bought secondhand game on cd and run it on my Xbox One, I am that person who understands and rates the game from perspective when it came out but often this games are simply better than newer ones, when I first played original Forza I had tears in my eyes because I've launched so iconic game and feeling this game, this atmosphere was something that no game delivers today I've had similiar situation with NFS that I've never played before, in December 2023 I've bought every NFS that is available on steam and started playing, NFS MW 2012 had one of the best soundtracks I've heard in racing game but at the time it was so different to other titles and this game wasn't the best but it was still very fun to play, after playing NFS Payback (I was playing in chronogical order) I wanted to play some older NFS from "Black Box era" and I've Cracked Pro Street on my computer, to date it's my favourite NFS I've played so far, it was so amazing, it still doesnt look bad after 17 years and this game offered more than some games offer today, when I was playing career I just wanted to play MORE of it cause it was so addictive to play because how this game was great and still is, in my opinion older games were, are and will be better than newer titles because they had that "something" and were way more fun to play, my comment is so chaotic but I hope that it will be easy to understand, thanks to everyone who read whole comment :)

[@x-90]

Dang I’ve been playing FM3. Played every Forza after that. From FH1 to Fast and Furious FH2, to Forza Motorsport (8).

[@godspeed9466]

For me no horizon will ever beat the feel of horizon 1 it just hits different and also feels more arcady than all the horizon games after, you want your sim go to Motorsport i loved that idea but but somewhere along the way they both became the same as eachother by feel but i still love all of the horizon games though but the first one just felt way more fun id love it to be remastered

[@balazsvarga8582]

Even FH1 holds up pretty well today. Played it via emulation lately and it’s fun as hell and looks good enough.

[@Cliffside_district]

i just loaded up fh3 when this vid got posted perfect timing lol

[@Samurix16]

I've put a couple hundred hours into each title and still the first three games are the best in the series.

[@dragnor6810]

I played fh3 for the first time last year after having already played fh4 and 5 and it immediately became my fav horizon, this game just hits hard

[@tankomarcell789]

NFS at its core was always this: drive cars fast and dangerously. If the devs can make a game that fulfills that as its primary goal, like MW05, Carbon or HP2010 did, it doesn't matter which theme or idea they pick for the game, in a sense that it will be an objectively good game. Doesn't need to be open-world either, by the way.

[@PeterF12]

You are just so right with the demos generating excitement, and the disconnection of a community via news being delivered by twitter. The old car releases, features and online structure of Forza Horizon 3 will not be recreated sadly.

[@x7ameedo700]

Also to mention FH1 to FH2 to FH3 had drastic improvements, while FH3 to FH4 to FH5 was mostly graphical improvements

[@jjecha1]

I remember watching every GameRiots video on FH2 and wanting it so badly. When I finally persuaded my parents to let me buy Xbox one and FH2 I put so much time into it. Also got FH3 as a gift later. Great games and I also agree that modern games are not as good. I think I did finish FH4 but FH5 got a bit boring and I left it unfinished. Great video, looking forward to next one.

[@cosmictoaster5048]

I found fh1 in the used section at game stop a few weeks ago and played it all the way through, it feels like there's a soul in it, whereas 4 and 5 don't have that as much but I still play 5 all the time because of everything you can do in it, fh1 only had a little over 100 cars and doesn't have tuning and rally tires are part of a dlc you can't buy anymore and the map is super limited with indestructible fences a few feet from both sides of almost every road, but you can feel the love in it, last time I felt that was fh3, that's probably why 3 is my favorite, the soul that makes me feel good just sitting in place, alongside all the new options of modern games and in my opinion the best map and expansions of the whole series made me play it as much as I possibly could doing everything I could come up with just so I could be in Australia for as long as I could, but in Mexico? After the weekly things are done id rather go play something else

[@EAdeveloper.]

8:45 1-No I didn't bc I was poor at those times 2- Now days getting a physical copy of those games is really expensive like, $459 MXN just to afford one and with taxes

[@JustGenius2001]

Man, I really wish I can play the classic Horizon games. I've been playing Horizon 5 for a while now and I've been enjoying it, but I'm kinda curious about the older games. I watched a walkthrough on Horizon 1 and it got me thinking "what did I miss out on?" and I know what I exactly missed out on: greatness. I would love to take in the atmosphere Horizon 1, 2, and 3 offers. Mexico is the most dead open world map I've ever drove around in. I want to feel what Colorado, Europe, and Australia feels like, but I sadly won't anytime soon. I have an Xbox Series S, the digital only console so getting the older games is absolutely impossible. Man, I can only dream😞

[@MrFern21]

I feel so sad thst I wasn't into gaming at the time of the old Horizons. I play the first 3 a lot and wish that Forza Hub and DLC was still downloadable. I feel like I missed the best bit

[@amandacartagena4721]

i remember playing FH3 about 2 or 3 years ago because i didnt play it when it first released and i immediately thought of it as the absolute peak for the Horizon series, the main selling point for me being the map that was really unique and diverse im glad FH5 picked my country as the setting of the game but i do feel underwhelmed and feel it wasnt done enough justice, wish it got more of that FH3 treatment in terms of setting honestly

[@PimpSpeed]

It pains me to play the classic Horizons because when I could finally afford to buy all DLCs, they were de-listed. Seeing that Fast 7 Supra listed as “Free” in Horizon 2 but being unable to get it now is… a different kind of disappointment🙂

[@tomasz9429]

I have played all the FH games, and sadly, the newest one is a step down and a let down compared to the FH4, which is in turn not as good as the previous one. I still managed to spend several hundred hours in FH4, so it's not a bad game. However, in comparison, I left FH5 after about two dozen hours, with a sour taste in my mouth. It's dead, Jim.

[@amazanta1605]

FH1 is still the most memorable Forza just mostly due to the story and atmosphere Microsoft delisting the previous horizons it’s tragic that a lot of people will only judge from modern horizon so 3-5

[@goodie2shoes874]

If Forza has taught me anything, but all the DLC before they’re delisted

[@syaieya]

I threw a friend of mine at FH2 recently after they had played a good amount of 4 and the biggest thing they could hold against 2 is just how much slower and lower the rewards felt compared to the absolute downpour of wheelspins and free cars you get from 4.

[@DXSHTPST]

I'd rather play FH3,because it has progression,sure, you're the boss of the festival,but that game doesnt treat you like a spoiled child by giving you a supercar every 20 minutes or so.

[@tuningtunetuningtuningfunny]

mommy mommy I want supra mommy mommy! No no I mean ferrari!!!

[@MontegoReviews]

Good video. I'm glad someone has gone against the general consensus about these games on KZbin. I think what makes the delisted Horizon games seem overrated to new players is that they don't get as much content as those who bought the games years ago, so they don't get the DLC and expansions. I get it, but you have to look at the game for what it was when it was released, and that is something that I always bare in mind when I review games. What other open world games competed with Horizon 2? Nothing. Test Drive Unlimited was done by that point and had been for a few years, and Need For Speed Rivals and The Crew took a different direction for their gameplay. What a lot of People who are only just getting into these games now don't realise is that 2014 was only a year into the Xbox One's life cycle, so the game was obviously going to the a lot smaller than the later games, and you're not going to get the features that you are used to now.

[@ultraviolet_channel]

Thanks a lot man

[@DaddyCRUDE]

"The culture and build ups to these games was immense".... I remember staying up all night here in Australia to watch the reveal of Forza Horizon 1 at E3 and got goose bumps in excitement - I couldn't sleep that night! 😆I'm an old school racing gamer at heart and I own all the collectors editions of the Xbox 360 versions of every Forza. I recently acquired a Forza Motorsport Fanatec CSR Wheel setup to play Xbox 360 Forza games. The newer Forza's just don't match the feeling overall that you get when playing these nostalgic Forza games! Excellent video, thank you.🙏💯

[@ultraviolet_channel]

Seriously, I remember being in school watching that E3 reveal trailer, core memory of mine

[@DaddyCRUDE]

@@ultraviolet_channel it was beautiful man! Thanks for the reply. :)

[@imbroke6354]

One of my friend's friend asking what racing title he should buy between the crew 2 or fh5, i asked him why not the older title of fh. He said that it's suck because the car list were small, the graphic sucks and there's no bugatti la voiture noire.

[@FittestTrack]

ive played fh2 in early 2016, fh3 from launch, played fh4 from launch, played fh5 from launch. i think most people just forget about how good we had it back in the day including me. and theres no way to relive the glory days of each game

[@TheRacingGuy_06]

W Video🔥💯🗣

[@Fydril]

The first 2 were amazing! The third one was good, but I felt like it was less than previous 2 But still enjoyable. And they got worse with every game since. 5 is my least favorite. It has no personality.

[@user-kw1ji8hz2y]

started playing horizon/ in first place, then by curiosity i played 1/2 (360)/3 i love the 1 that i play it sometimes the 2 (360) is not the right game to give an opinion so i'll ask a friend for that and the 3 is my all time favorite, i still play to this day and enjoy the map so much.

[@GroovyChipp]

I feel like FH3 was by far the most fun I’ve ever had in a Forza title. I may be the only person who’s got an issue with it, but I feel like the reason that is, as well as the big difference between FH3 and FH5, is the multiplayer. I remember in FH2 & 3 when you would be put in a 12 player online lobby and be able to see everyone on the map, drive around with them without them randomly disappearing, and would be able to talk with those people in the lobby. However since FH4 & 5 things changed where the map just looks completely empty now besides the few that are in your vicinity. It’s just felt like the online presence and sort of the feeling of “life” in the game just hasn’t felt the same since the change to whatever it is now. Personally, the only thing I ask for in the next Horizon is to bring back the old multiplayer lobbies. Or at least make it to where you can see everyone on the map and not have people disappearing when driving around.

[@konohamaru77]

i play only the horizon 1 on xbox 360 i bought few years back. i wont lie, its fun. they hold really what a festival racing to the most..

[@RetroRangerReviews88]

Well written Serp!

[@serperior2264]

Thank you very much!

[@DV-ou1yu]

Forza 1-3 have a soul. FH4/5 lack a soul!

[@haystan02]

Unpopular opinion, but I think Horizon 4 will be a future classic as I still find myself going back to it because of its better map, better race routes, better showcase events and to drive some of the cars that are not in Horizon 5.

[@abhrasrepository1173]

And FH4 soundtrack is so much better than 5

[@Otherface]

​@@abhrasrepository1173 Forza Horzion 4 has probably the most underrated soundtrack of all games. Hearing Starset was such a huge surprise for me, but a welcome one.

[@TheJayden3977]

Eh Horizon 4 wasn’t a bad game but I would never consider it a classic, for me it was the true beginning of the franchises big downturn.

[@FrozenDrone12]

Forza Horizon 4 in the nutshell for me The Best Tittle Screen in the series and in the same time also the worst car sounds in the series (especially Viper like, hell dude)

[@AdminAbuse]

@@FrozenDrone12 Tittle

[@isaaclewis8572]

7:27 erm akshually, they were Horizon Editions! ☝🤓 this is not meant as harassment. this is just pointing out that in this game "Forza Edition" cars were called "Horizon Edition" cars. it only happened in this game though.

[@beardedgearhead1327]

FH3 is the only game in the series I've played, and it was a blast! I remember blasting up and down some touge roads, drifting my widebody cars around that small town in the outback, drag racing on the train tracks. That game was so much fun! I ultimately stopped because while it was fun, I've always been a playstation guy. Forza is the franchise I've wanted to come over most, and I hope they do, cause even if the new ones aren't as good as the older ones, I still wanna play Forza.

[@Twiggo_The_Foxxo]

Well people complain about fh5 having car packs but then look the other way when the older games also had car packs

[@The_MrBlue93]

My first introduction to the Forza series was Motorsport 2 and later bought Horizon, I sold my Xbox 360 and bought a ps4 and later a PS5, I wanted to play Forza again since racing games are at an all time low so last year I bought a Series S mainly because it was cheaper and I was in a hurry to play some 360 classics, I booted up Horizon 5 from game pass and after 2 hours I was bored, I went on KZbin and people all had criticism for Horizon 5, I tried Horizon 4 which was a little bit better but after a day or so of playing it I got tired. I heard alot of praise for Horizon 3 and Australia sounded like a good place for a horizon game but unfortunately I only found out then that Horizon 1-3 were all delisted and now basically there is no way for me to play the older games.