Racing with a controller

Photo by Bill Huang

Driving with my fastest car, the Alfa Romeo in Forza Horizon 4.

During the pandemic, I often played racing games like “Asphalt 8” on my computer. Instead of doing the actual racing, though, I found myself admiring the scenery in the different maps and purposely driving slowly to look around. I realized I preferred an open map world where I could drive around in a relaxed manner and explore, so in the summer of 2022, I borrowed a game from a friend that allowed me to do exactly that: “Forza Horizon 4.”

“Forza Horizon 4” was released back in 2018 by Playground Games and cost around $50 million for developers to make, with each individual copy ranging from $50-$80 in stores like GameStop. Trying it out for the first time, I’d never played a video game of its caliber before. When you first enter the game, you are provided with a car and tasks to do: Drive to and enter a certain race or go to a “danger sign” or drive off a hill to see how far you go. There are also many landmarks you can discover and houses you can purchase to get certain rewards. 

The graphics, from the water effects to the car models, seem to come straight out of a camera. The map in the game is a fictionalized depiction of Great Britain, containing many references to its landmarks like Edinburgh Castle and Scott Monument. The terrains vary from mountains and forests to lakes. 

The game incorporates a whole new level of realism: The seasons change every other month, with realistic snow in the winter and multicolored leaves in autumn. These details make driving in the game feel like real life.

The game has almost every model car you could imagine. From old ones like a 1960 Aston Martin to modern cars like a Dodge Challenger and supercars like a Lamborghini Huracan, most of the designs are direct replicas. 

Modeling different parts of your car is also a feature of the game. By redesigning my wheels and engines to create my ideal car, I have learned about the different parts of a car like rims and suspensions. When I race, I often switch between cars to test how their engine sounds or how fast their acceleration goes.

Besides just driving around, there are many points on the map where you can enter races. In some races, a specific car is loaned to you; in others, you can operate a train or an airplane. Driving around for a long time does get boring sometimes, so entering these races gives me a boost of excitement and concentration.

The game is a great balance between relaxation and fun, making driving with just a controller and a screen such an interesting experience. Whenever I need to relax or get my mind off something, “Forza Horizon 4” is my go-to.