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Forza Horizon 2 features Kinect-enabled assistant called ANNA
Road trips are a blast if you've got someone to talk to, but not everyone can just drop their life for weeks at time to attend driving festivals. You're an exception to that rule in Forza Horizon 2, but Turn 10 Studios Creative Director Ralph Fulton shared some good news with Examiner: Horizon 2 drivers will have a companion in a Kinect-supplemented AI partner called ANNA, which means the prime passenger seat real estate is open for a kickin' snack buffet. While ANNA probably won't keep your meal upright in hairpin turns, Fulton explained that she acts like a digital, navigation-savvy assistant. She'll suggest events to try, let you know when friends sign on and supply a recap when you slip back into the driver's seat. Sounds like ANNA will help you keep your eyes on the road then! When your view isn't darting between the windshield and your passenger side smorgasbord, that is. [Image: Microsoft Studios]
Report: Xbox One, 360 versions of Forza Horizon 2 are 'different games'
Forza Horizon 2 will offer players a different experience on the Xbox One and Xbox 360, Playground Games creative director Ralph Fulton confirmed with Digital Spy today. "It's based in the same world, it's based on the same themes," Fulton said. "Rather than thinking of them as the same game on different platforms, they are different games inspired by the same ideas." Microsoft previously announced that the Xbox 360 edition of Forza Horizon 2 is developed by Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing developer Sumo Digital, while the Xbox One version is backed by Playground Games, and is based on the Forza Motorsport 5 engine. Fulton additionally revealed that the Xbox One version of Forza Horizon 2 will employ Forza 5's Drivatar system, and will boast platform-exclusive features like 1080p resolution and a new weather system. [Image: Microsoft]
Joystiq Weekly: Battlefield 4's launch, an Entwined review, E3 previews and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. Joystiq celebrated its tenth anniversary of existence this week, which means ... we're teetering on that edge of middle school angst? No, no, we're thankfully immune to that. What it does mean is that we're still alive, and we think being alive is pretty okay! While the site has presumably made it this far because of its content, quality isn't sustainable on its own – we've been able to write news, produce videos, record podcasts and talk about video games for years because of all of you. Whether you stop in every day, have only read a single breaking news story from us, or you've just fallen down an impressive wrong turn on the Internet and have no idea why you're here: Thank you. Your patronage is a huge part of why we get to cover this industry, and we look forward to creating compelling content for you for another 10 years. Speaking of content, there's a ton of it this week: EA CEO Andrew Wilson addressed Battlefield 4's launch, we have reviews for Entwined and Pushmo World, and there's an avalanche of written previews and video interviews from E3, all waiting for you in a neat pile of bulletpoints. Dive in after the break, right after you drop off our presents next to the cake.
Forza Horizon 2 to debut without microtransaction tokens
When Forza Horizon 2 races onto the Xbox One on September 30, long-time series' fans will notice a distinct lack of proprietary currency, only useful for buying virtual cars and other accoutrements within the game. Though these "tokens" were an omnipresent hallmark of Forza Motorsport 5, developer Playground Games prefers to grant players new cars based on their in-game performance, instead of their meatspace bank accounts. "The approach we've taken is that we've designed our game at Playground Games from the ground up to be fair, to be fun, to be rewarding," creative director Ralph Fulton told Digital Spy. "That's incredibly important to us. For that reason, we will launch in September without tokens." The idea, Fulton claims, is to offer players the ability to switch vehicles on a whim without having to spend real money to do so. "We want to enable you, at very regular intervals, to be able to change your car, pick a new one from the list," Fulton said. "If that doesn't work out, you're able to buy a new one really quickly." Unlockable cars will still be a cornerstone of Forza Horizon 2, but in lieu of a token-based marketplace, the game institutes a nigh-random prize wheel at the end of each race. If you're incredibly lucky, you could win a sole event and drive away in a $2 million Bugatti Veyron. [Image: Microsoft]
Forza Horizon 2: Blame it on the rain
During my earlier meeting with Forza Horizon 2 devs Playground Games, they put a heavy emphasis on the racer's new dynamic weather system. Raindrops spatter windshields, turn roads into soggy slicks and reduce visibility. At the time I wasn't able to experience the effect for myself, but after a bit of hands-on time, I've learned one crucial point: Summer showers turn exotic supercars into missiles with all the guidance of a blind penguin. The key thing to remember is that all weather in Forza Horizon 2 is actually dynamic. A given race may be bathed in sunshine, while the same race, later in the game, might feature a sunny start, followed by a momentary deluge, then a bone-dry race to the finish. In most racing games, weather has a less than realistic effect, but in the case of Forza Horizon 2, a sudden downpour translates to cars sliding off the road at 160 miles per hour. Once the rains come, you should be prepared to drive as cautiously as possible, lest your expensive ride turn into a rolling hunk of scrap.
'More than 200 cars' available at Forza Horizon 2 launch
If you were disappointed with the relatively paltry selection of exotic rides in Forza Motorsport 5, the developers of Forza Horizon 2 have good news for you: The car culture incarnation of the franchise will boast over 200 cars when it debuts on September 30. Following a developer-led demonstration of the game's lovely European vistas and wildly expensive vehicles, I asked Ralph Fulton, creative director at developer Playground Games, if Forza Horizon 2 would follow the Forza Motorsport 5 tradition of debuting alongside a handful of cars, then trickling the rest out to fans in the form of downloadable content. Though Fulton admits that post-launch DLC vehicles are nigh-inevitable, he told me that "more than 200 cars" would be available at launch, ranging from exotic supercars to off-road vehicles to hatchbacks. [Image: Microsoft]
Engadget Daily: the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Tesla opens Supercharger patents and more!
Today, we dive into day one of the Electronic Entertainment Expo and pore over a load of new games like Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Forza Horizon 2, learn about Tesla's plan to expand the EV market and ponder the applications of an Arduino-equipped hoodie that can send text messages. Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.
Forza Horizon 2 coming to Xbox consoles September 30
Forza Horizon 2 is coming to Xbox 360 and Xbox One consoles on September 30, Microsoft announced during their E3 2014 press conference today. The game, which will run at 30 frames per second and 1080p resolution on Xbox One, is in development by Playground Games as opposed to the usual Forza studio, Turn 10. [Image: Microsoft]
Forza Horizon 2 hits 1080p, 30fps on Xbox One
Forza Horizon 2 on Xbox One will run at 1080p and locked at 30 frames per second, Creative Director Ralph Fulton told IGN. "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," Fulton said. "30 [fps] actually enables us to realize that experience." He continued, "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." Forza Horizon 2 takes place in Southern Europe. Fulton is with Playground Games, the studio developing the Xbox One version of Forza Horizon 2. The Xbox 360 edition is in development at Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed studio, Sumo Digital. Forza Horizon 2 is due out in the fall on Xbox 360 and Xbox One. [Image: Playground Games]
Joystiq Weekly: GOG's Galaxy, Murdered: Soul Suspect review, Homefront's combat and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. E3 doesn't technically start until June 10, but with all of this week's announcements and E3 trailers, you wouldn't really know it. Forza Horizon 2 will let you drive recklessly later this year, Homefront is due for a return in Homefront: The Revolution, and the thinly-veiled Mortal Kombat X tease is finally over. And that's just the early stuff - we're about to get trampled with news and hands-on demonstrations as the convention itself kicks off next week. Don't worry though, we'll survive by channeling Simba's light-footed evasive maneuvers. Just ... y'know, without the tragic loss immediately preceding our exercise. You don't have to stick around and watch us warm up though - this week's highlights are waiting for you after the break. There are release dates for The Witcher 3 and Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved, reviews for 1,001 Spikes and Tomodachi Life, and an exploration of combat in Homefront: The Revolution. It's all awaiting you neat and orderly-like after the jump!
Forza Horizon 2 arrives this fall for Xbox One, Xbox 360 [Update]
Microsoft has announced Forza Horizon 2 for Xbox One and Xbox 360, IGN reported. The racing game follows the 2012 spin-off Forza Horizon, and is primarily being developed by the same studio, Playground Games. Forza Horizon 2 is expected to launch this fall. The next-gen racer will seemingly be set in southern Europe and bases its events around a music festival. It's the second game in the series to launch on Xbox One, the first being Turn 10's Forza 5, which launched with the console in November. Update: To clarify, the Xbox One version of Forza Horizon 2 is being developed by Playground Games, whereas the Xbox 360 version is in development by Sumo Digital, creator of Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed. Playground is collaborating with Turn 10 for the next-gen game, sharing some tech and staff to develop the game. [Image: Microsoft]
