Stuff - UK (2021-08)

DUE

9 NOV

18

MEXICAN RAVE

E3 specialises in dangling flashy

trailers in front of us, before cruelly

revealing that we won’t actually

be playing those games for several

long years. But this is never the

case with the Forza Horizon.

When Playground Games unveils

a new entry in its great open-world

racing series, it usually looks very

nearly ready to send out of the

door... and it’s the same story with

Forza Horizon 5. Out in November

and looking predictably stunning

in 4K @ 60fps with ray-tracing on

the Xbox Series X, this title takes

the series to Mexico in what its

maker is calling its biggest game

to date.

The diverse racing locales range

from deserts and jungles to modern

cities, crumbling ruins and even a

snow-capped volcano, while dust

fills your windscreen and tropical

storms rage as Mexico’s dynamic

seasons test your car-handling

skills. There’ll be a bigger focus on

story than before, with a host of

characters to assign you missions,

plus a huge selection of vehicles to

take on and off the roads.

Forza Horizon 5 will undoubtedly

be a riot for strictly solo players,

but this will once again be an

online open world that lets you

seamlessly enter challenges

and events with both friends and

strangers as you play – and if its

predecessor is anything to go by,

new content will keep coming until

the inevitable arrival of FH6.

Also new is Events Lab, which

lets players create mini-games

within the game, while cars can

once again be given custom paint

jobs that you can share with other

players online. The only negative

we can find is that November still

feels like quite a while away. Sigh.

FORZA HORIZON 5 Xbox, PC

SEA OF THIEVES:

A PIRATE’S LIFE

Xbox, PC

Sea of Thieves... but make it Jack

Sparrow. Yep, the online multiplayer

pirate-’em-up has joined forces

with Disney for a new storyline

that will centre around the Pirates

of the Caribbean rum-swigger.

FAR CRY 6

Xbox, PS5, PS4, PC, Luna, Stadia

Far Cry’s oddball personality still

shines through in the latest entry,

with entertaining weapons and

vehicles plus a wild rooster who

can do your bidding. Add-ons will

bring back previous Far Cry villains

as playable characters.

HALO INFINITE

Xbox, PC

We still don’t have a nailed-on

release date for the next Halo

game, but Microsoft did show

a snippet of campaign action as

well as giving us a look at Infinite’s

multiplayer, with a trailer featuring

lots of jumping and explosions.

WARIOWARE:

GET IT TOGETHER!

Switch

Finally, Wario gets his day in the

sun on the Switch, with a new

WarioWare entry launching later

this year. Expect the wacky vibe

of past micro-game collections

but with some new elements.

SEMAG 3E EPS LAIC