Home Features The Last Number – How Playground Games and Forza Horizon 4 reignited the joy of driving

The Last Number – How Playground Games and Forza Horizon 4 reignited the joy of driving

4 min read
37
This article was sponsored. The editorial and content is entirely created in-house, unless otherwise specified.
Forza Horizon 4 (2)

For many a year, the Forza brand was associated with the creme de la creme of racing. Microsoft’s motorsport series had emerged from the console wars as more than just an Xbox attempt to wrest precision driving away from the crown of Sony’s Gran Turismo, evolving into its breed of classy driving that kept its eye on the tasty prize.

Forza was as much a racing simulator as it was a saucy showcase of visuals in the current console arms race for superior visuals. But Forza Horizon? At first glance, this was developer Playground Games filling a void (in much the same way that a scrumptious Debonairs pizza does with the absence of tasty food in your stomach) for more forgiving racing title in the same vein as Project Gotham Racing.

Forza Horizon 4 (7)

It certainly had the PGR fan service down pat, rewarding players with points for style and substance straight out of the pizza box. That was 2012 in which Forza Horizon got off the grid with a solid start, but it was until 2018 that Playground managed to truly perfect the art of car adoration.

While every sequel since the original upped the ante and added something new to the trademark pizza base formula, Forza Horizon felt like the series shifting into top gear and blazing a path to the nearest petrolhead festival. It’s an apt description, as Forza Horizon 4’s carnival of car culture wasn’t just for show. With a picturesque steaming hot slice of merry ol’ England to explore, this was the adoration of pedal to the metal speed distilled into a pitch-perfect recipe for success.

Forza Horizon 4 (1)

Everything about Forza Horizon 4, was geared towards giving players a digital playground within which to not only set new lap records but to enjoy breaking the barrier of speed in the process in much the same way that Debonairs delivery does with free delivery on the tasty goods. Every section of the land had a few hidden secrets that ranged from finding new activities to lose a few hours in, to uncovering classic cars hidden in decrepit barns and just begging for a bit of restoration.

It also helped that Forza Horizon 4 played like a dream, with dozens of cars authentically recreated and given the all the toppings in the makeover department as they screamed around corners and threaded hairpin needles through the most absurd challenges that Playground games could think of. There was a balance at play here, a tight walk across an impossible chasm of gameplay that expertly kept its equilibrium between realism and arcade racing so that almost every taste under the sun could be satisfied. Similar to a Debonairs Triple Decker pizza that retails for a mere R149.90 when you think about it.

Forza Horizon 4 (4)

All that, and the game looks simply delicious to sink your teeth into. Whether you kept the quality at maximum or switched to performance mode so that you could drive through as many frames as possible, Forza Horizon wanted to burn the memory of your greatest racing achievements square into your retinas. Almost two years since it was released, and nothing on the racing game scene today can even come close to touching the masterpiece that Playground games unleashed on a fandom that wasn’t ready for the pure perfection of V8 horsepower that was raring to go.

Forzanairs

All slice, dice and thrice as nice to get your hands on, just like our favourite food from South Africa’s iconic deliverer of Italian cuisine at its most delectable. If this post has got you feeling hungry (and why wouldn’t it?), good news! We’ve got two vouchers to give away that’ll earn you up to R100 off – on any order that’s R79.99 or more. Just leave a comment below listing your favourite topping (Don’t you dare say pineapple) and we’ll pick a winner on Friday. Or to double your chances, head to our Twitter and give the post a retweet to up the odds of winning. Good luck!

The voucher is valid for orders placed via the Debonairs Pizza mobile applications (available on Google Play or the App Store) or website (www.debonairspizza.co.za). A minimum online order value (before discount) of R79.99 is required to redeem the voucher. A maximum discount of up to R100 per order will apply. The voucher is not redeemable against delivery fees and driver tips. The voucher is not transferrable and is only valid for the mobile number on which the SMS was received. The voucher cannot be exchanged for cash. The voucher can only be used once per customer. Only one voucher can be used per order. The voucher is only valid in RSA.

Last Updated: February 10, 2020

37 Comments

    • justlikemo

      February 10, 2020 at 13:35

      good food, are you promoting your business here

      Reply

    • Tbone187

      February 10, 2020 at 14:42

      Pizza Perfect up in Jozi was my Fave!

      Reply

    • justlikemo

      February 10, 2020 at 13:35

      good food, are you promoting your business here

      Reply

      • BradeLunner

        February 10, 2020 at 13:40

        Nah just light trolling, I don’t care what foodies say, I’ve eaten tons of authentic Italian pizza and I fucking love Debonairs pizza.

        Reply

        • justlikemo

          February 10, 2020 at 13:45

          cool place, good food, wheneva we down at kzn, we eat here. Although I have not been to kzn in 2 years.

          Reply

          • Allykhat

            February 10, 2020 at 14:04

            I used to be in delivery range… and what did I get for it?

            I got fat.

            Now I actually have to take a drive to get Hubcaps, and its the same order every time. The Bugatti Veyron. My heart pumps cholesterol for a few days after, but I dont care… My favorite pizza on the planet.

          • justlikemo

            February 10, 2020 at 14:21

            🙂 😛
            that’s what ya get for eating the good food. Time to work for your food, run there and back.

          • Allykhat

            February 11, 2020 at 08:18

            But I’m sooooo laaaaayzzzeeeeee

  1. Pugnascious

    February 10, 2020 at 13:52

    I see all the weirdos of the internet really loved your story. Typical fat gamers.

    Reply

  2. Tbone187

    February 10, 2020 at 14:37

    Some good ol’ fashioned pepperoni for me please!

    Reply

  3. HairyEwok

    February 10, 2020 at 15:23

    Where’s the Banana and Pineapple on my pizza people at. Personally, I’m loving the chicken cream topping.

    Reply

  4. NotBatpanda

    February 10, 2020 at 15:34

    PINEAPPLE!!!!!

    Reply

  5. Mark Treloar

    February 10, 2020 at 15:44

    I would hardly call it a masterpiece. No customs names is just lazy, and after 20 minutes of listening to the worst soundtrack ever that I couldn’t turn off. I hit the uninstall button and i’m done.

    Reply

    • HairyEwok

      February 10, 2020 at 15:52

      I guess in the 20 minutes you played, you couldn’t find the button that switched the radio station or even turn it off.

      Reply

      • Mark Treloar

        February 10, 2020 at 15:59

        Didn’t look for that, but even with master volume set all the way off it still plays. At any rate being forced to race as Marc with a C irritated me.

        Reply

  6. Pariah

    February 10, 2020 at 13:05

    “R100 off of any order of R79.99 or more” – yeah perhaps the wrong way around? XD

    Though I *might* eat one of their pizzas if they paid me to.

    Reply

    • Geoffrey Tim

      February 10, 2020 at 15:11

      yeah, 100% sorting

      Reply

      • Pariah

        February 10, 2020 at 15:23

        Wording is much more clear now, btw. *thumbsup*

        Reply

  7. justlikemo

    February 10, 2020 at 13:30

    anything with meat toppings good by me.

    Reply

  8. Phaezen

    February 10, 2020 at 17:33

    Avo, less controversial but always delicious. Especially when mixed with feta and bacon.

    Reply

  9. Shivaan Devraj

    February 11, 2020 at 14:48

    Jalapeños

    Reply

  10. Trevor

    February 11, 2020 at 15:32

    Has to be Feta 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also

Manchester United Sues Football Manager Over Use of their Name and Fan Mods

Manchester United, that massive global football brand whose fans are as equally annoying a…