‘Forza Horizon’ Rally pack gets date, details, trailer
Just before the launch of Forza Horizon, publisher Microsoft Studios announced a forthcoming expansion pack all to do with off-road rally racing. Now Microsoft, alongside developers Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios, are ready to tell us more about the DLC, which releases Dec. 18 on the Xbox Live Arcade for 1600 Microsoft Points ($20).
Believe it or not, the Forza Horizon Rally pack is more than just a collection of new cars; in fact, players will see only five new vehicles in this expansion. That said, Microsoft promises a game-changing experience. introducing co-drivers, new online modes and, of course, new maps.
Rally car racing brings with it a unique set of challenges. In order to stem the learning curve (and to add some realism, we imagine), Playground and Turn 10 have added co-drivers who shout out “rally calls” to the player. According to an IGN interview with Ralph Fulton, design director for Forza Horizon, players will do well “to heed the warnings and instructions from their navigator,” lest disaster befall them. Fulton gave an example of one of the calls, as well, pointing out its authenticity:
“One hundred, easy right, into medium left. Care bumps.” = There’s a right-hand corner 100 yards ahead you don’t have to slow down much for, but it blends into a medium left turn that gets bumpy.
We’re not quite sure at this point whether these will be taught in a tutorial, or if in-game experience will teach players this rally speak.
While the single-player expansion will add a rally car championship to the game’s campaign, the online portion of the DLC will receive some updates as well. “We’ll have a new set of rally-themed Rivals events for players to explore,” Fulton said. “In addition, we’ll have two new rally-centric online playlists: one for rally beginners, and one for veterans who know their way around a rally stage.”
Oh. The cars. You probably care a bit about the cars. The Rally expansion introduces five new cars, including the ’82 Lancia 027 Stradale, ’92 Toyota Celica GT-Four RC ST185, the ’92 Ford Escort RS Cosworth, the ’05 Subaru Impreza WRX STi, and the ’05 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII MR. Presumably, these are all all fitted for rally racing excellence.
Check out the trailer below for a look at all the new content introduced in the Rally pack.
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