While Playground Games have been putting out a good amount of DLC for Forza Horizon 2 since it's September 2014 release from more cars and the Storm Island expansion. Their latest expansion happens to involve the Fast & Furious franchise in honor of Furious 7 out next week. Surprisingly it is available now as a standalone expansion and also free till April 10, which it will be $10 for both Xbox One and Xbox 360. This being an expansion is as self-explanatory in which this is mini-sized version of Forza Horizon 2 especially for those that spent hundreds of hours driving through southern Europe or newcomers still on the fence getting the full game.
The primary goal for this Forza expansion is you have to acquire ten cars for Ludacris's character in the movies. Ludacris himself provides the voice over for the game instead of that host guy from the main game. These ten cars you will drive in the streets of Nice are actually in the movie, so you may seen some of them in the trailers already released. No festival to worry about, no skill system to level up and not much customization as it is just you progressing through the ladder getting these cars. Events vary from what players experienced in the main game especially the showcase races against other vehicles besides cars. Since it is a small standalone expansion, you can complete everything in the career path in four to five hours including an easy 1000 points for you achievement hunters.
Gameplay-wise, the only addition in this Fast & Furious expansion is nitrous during races. It can't be refilled once used, so make sure you use it at the right times. Nitrous being back in this type of racing game gave me great flashbacks to the Need for Speed and Burnout games. The skill system still works the same getting points for drifting, effective passing, etc. There's also new bucket list challenges and reward boards to find, but exploration is not the primary focus for this expansion. Driving mechanics and physics still feel great for any level of player. Barreling through the Nice coastline in a McLaren P1 or the Bugatti Veyron at 200+ mph with nitrous never gets old in this or any other similar racer.
From the initial boot up, the Fast & Furious additions don't feel like a tacked on expansion for Forza Horizon 2. The Universal logo screen comes on as if you're gonna watch the movie, the movie's soundtrack is in the game along with some songs from the main game and the cars from the movies are playable as mentioned earlier. From Dom's signature Dodge Charger, the Nissan GT-R, and others, these cars are already modified being Class B or higher. However, it is the same exact layout of the main game's map except you're only driving through a third of it. I wished there was a new area like the Storm Island DLC, but they have put this out around the same time as Furious 7.
Honestly, I didn't expect much from this collaboration between Forza Horizon 2 and the Fast & Furious franchise when it was first announced. I had a surprisingly good time returning to the streets of Nice with new cars to drive for the few hours I spent with it. This being a standalone expansion is a great gateway for those still on the fence getting the full game. For those that spent hundreds of hours exploring everything the main game offered, this is more of the same, but in a bite-sized chunk and that's fine with me. Plus, it is free for both Xbox One and Xbox 360 till April 10th, so this is an offering you should not miss if you're itching for more Forza Horizon 2 or just a new racing game fix.
