Forza Horizon 6 has overtaken all challengers to become the best-reviewed video game so far this year. The arcade racer, produced by British studio Playground Games, has received an average score of 91 out of 100 on Metacritic.
Its nearest rivals, Pokémon Pokopia and Resident Evil Requiem, both averaged 89 when they were released earlier this year.
The review scores landed just days after the PC version of Forza was leaked, resulting in threats of bans for those who downloaded and played unauthorised copies.
Finally, Japan
Horizon 6, due to be released on Xbox consoles and PC from May 19, is the latest instalment in the hugely popular racing series. The open-world driving games allow players to speed around roads inspired by real-life locations, with Mexico and the UK providing the backdrop for previous editions.
This time, the developers have finally taken the series to Japan – something fans have been demanding for years.
In a five-star review, Video Games Chronicle’s Chris Scullion said the new setting “makes the most of Japan’s diverse scenery”. He called it “one of the best racing titles ever made”.
TechRadar agreed the Japan-inspired map was a big improvement on the previous entry’s “uninteresting” offering, praising developers for improving on “almost all” of its shortcomings.
Metro, in its 9 out of 10 review, praised the game’s “giddying rush of fast cars, beautiful landscapes, and pounding music that never lets up”.
Not revolutionary, but refined
While critics were generally positive, many said that Horizon 6 didn’t offer a revolutionary take on its established formula. But they agreed that the developers had successfully refined it.
Playground Games is one of many studios owned by Xbox maker Microsoft. The video game division has been criticised over widespread layoffs and price increases. New Xbox boss Asha Sharma has suggested the company might re-evaluate its stance on exclusivity.
As things stand, Horizon 6 is set to be released on PlayStation 5 later this year.
The leak controversy
Players getting access to the game a week early had threatened to overshadow its release. Unencrypted files were uploaded to Steam, enabling some to “crack” them and play without permission.
Playground Games denied it was due to a “pre-load issue” and said it was “taking strict enforcement action against any individuals found accessing this build including franchise-wide and hardware bans”. Users who uploaded footage have since claimed to have received bans set to expire on December 31 in the year 9999.
Games journalist Wesley Yin-Poole from IGN told BBC Newsbeat the episode was “pretty devastating” for Playground Games and he “felt very sad for the developers”. However, he didn’t think the leak would have too much impact on Horizon 6’s success.
“The data that we have… suggests that Forza Horizon 6 will still be very successful,” he said.
