Why is this such a big deal? It’s officially surpassed Wii Sports as the third-best-selling game of all time, coming in right behind Grand Theft Auto 5 (which is almost at 230 million units sold). It’s a huge milestone, especially considering that Red Dead Redemption 2 hasn’t had any updates or massive changes in recent years.

Sure, there’s Red Dead Online, which saw new features, missions and Specialist Roles, but it stopped receiving content updates in 2022 when Rockstar announced it was focusing resources on Grand Theft Auto 6. There have been rumors circulating about a potential Enhanced version, but no official announcement has been forthcoming.

Regardless, Red Dead Redemption 2 stands as one of the best games of all time, receiving universal praise throughout the years. It’s even inspired other open-world titles in various ways, whether it’s The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or Crimson Desert. Check out our review here for more details, including why it continues to stand the test of time.

That’s Isola, by the way – an ally of this new, younger take on Bond but one who’s enigmatic enough to raise questions (and even referred to as a “means to an end” by M). Besides this, IO Interactive circles back around to 009, Bond’s quarry from the gameplay reveal. It seems he has a plan, but even Greenway, the head of the 00 program, believes the agency won’t see the endgame coming.

From that angle, Bond’s recruitment feels like a necessity – having more manpower to ensure “eyes everywhere.” Regardless of all the mind games going on, First Light promises plenty of action, showcasing a close-quarters fight in a bathroom and even an explosive jumping sequence in some facility on the water. Bond will still have time to employ his signature charm, though, especially when he calls himself St. John Smythe – an alias from A View to Kill starring Roger Moore.

007 First Light launches on May 27th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC with Deluxe Edition owners starting early on May 26th.

This Forza Horizon 6 guide is a listing of all 15 Barn Finds, their general regional locations, and the Discover Japan Stamp unlock requirements before they will even spawn.

2005 Honda NSX-R GT

B 608

RWD

Ohtani Region

South-east of Kinkaku-ji Temple

Requires Discover Japan Yellow Stamp

1987 Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500

C 484

RWD

Ito Region

In a clearing in the south-east of the fields

Requires Discover Japan Green Stamp

1969 Toyota 2000GT

D 377

RWD

Ito Region

Near the beach on the south-eastern coastline

Requires Discover Japan Green Stamp

1989 Nissan PAO

D 145

FWD

Minamino Region

Requires Discover Japan Blue Stamp

1971 Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R

D 380

RWD

Nangan Region

Requires Discover Japan Blue Stamp

1982 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3

B 550

RWD

Ohtani Region

Requires Discover Japan Pink Stamp

1984 Peugeot 205 Turbo 16

C 500

AWD

Shimanoyama Region

South-west of Narai-Juku

Requires Discover Japan Pink Stamp

1962 Lincoln Continental

D 267

RWD

Hokubu Region

Requires Discover Japan Pink Stamp

1998 Nissan #23 Pennzoil NISMO Skyline GT-R

S2 848

RWD

Takashiro Region

Requires Discover Japan Pink Stamp

1997 Mitsubishi Montero Evolution

D 346

AWD

Shimanoyama Region

Requires Discover Japan Orange Stamp

1997 Lamborghini Diablo SV

A 649

RWD

Ito Region

Requires Discover Japan Orange Stamp

1998 Nissan R390 (GT1)

S1 774

RWD

Ohtani Region

Requires Discover Japan Purple Stamp

2005 Mitsubishi #1 Sierra Sierra Enterprises Lancer Evolution Time Attack

R 962

AWD

Shimanoyama Region

Near Narai-Juku

Requires Discover Japan Purple Stamp

1983 Nissan #11 Tomica Skyline Turbo Super Silhouette

S2 847

RWD

Ito Region

Requires Discover Japan Gold Stamp

1991 Mazda #55 Mazda 787B

R 988

RWD

Takashiro Region

West of Hirosaki Castle/North-west of Soni Circuit

Requires Discover Japan Gold Stamp

Those are all 15 Barn Finds to be discovered in Forza Horizon 6 with their unlock requirements.

This guide is a list of potential spawn locations for Aftermarket Cars in Forza Horizon 6, denoted by a green icon of a car with the letters ‘CR’ on the map, when nearby. Any cars mentioned have a high tendency to spawn, but are not guaranteed. Colored wristband unlock requirements are also listed.

Aftermarket Car Spawn Locations

Daikoku Parking Lot

Tokyo City

• Mazda RX-3 Forza Edition

Near Tokyo Player House

Tokyo City

Tokyo Rail Sprint Road Racing

Tokyo City

Green Wristband 2,500 Horizon Festival Points

Sotoyama Ski Resort (north of Snow Forest Cross Country Circuit)

Sotoyama Region

Blue Wristband 6,000 Horizon Festival Points

• Subaru BRZ Forza Edition

North-east of Sotoyama Scramble

Sotoyama Region

Blue Wristband 6,000 Horizon Festival Points

Okuibuki Parking Lot

Sotoyama Region

Horizon Festival Kilometer Drag Meet Strip

Ohtani Region

• MX-5 Forza Edition

North-west of Kinkaku-ji Trail Dirt Racing

Ohtani Region

North-east of Shimanoyama Charge Street Racing

Shimanoyama Region

Motoki Auto Garage 

Shimanoyama Region

• Ferrari SF90 Stradale
• Jaguar XJ220S TWR

Narai-Juku Circuit

Shimanoyama Region

Shimanoyama Circuit Parking Lot

Shimanoyama Region

South of Taiyaki Scramble Dirt Racing

Shimanoyama Region

Green Wristband 2,500 Horizon Festival Points

Near Coastline Sprint

Nangan Region

Pink Wristband 10,000 Horizon Festival Points

South of Hakone Nanamagari Touge

Nangan Region

North of Kawazu Nanadaru Loop Bridge

Nangan Region

Yuji’s Auto

Minamino Region

South-east of Airfield Trail Dirt Racing

Minamino Region

Airfield Trail Convenience Store Parking Lot

Minamino Region

Pink Wristband 10,000 Horizon Festival Points

Garage Near Yellow House

Ito Region

Sekibe Circuit

Ito Region

Among Houses On Ine Road

Ito Region

Private House Parking Lot On Ine Road (north-east of previous Aftermarket spawn)

Ito Region

Isolated House Near Flower Fields

Hokubu Region

South of Shikisai Sprint Road Racing

Hokubu Region

Blue Wristband 6,000 Horizon Festival Points

South-west of Horizon Festival Invitational Event

Hokubu Region

Hokubu Circuit

Hokubu Region

North of Waterfall Trail Dirt Racing

Takashiro Region

Blue Wristband 6,000 Horizon Festival Points

Soni Circuit Lot

Takashiro Region

Legend Island Circuit

Legend Island Region

Discover all roads on Legend Island first

Potential Aftermarket Car Spawns

• 2015 Alumi Craft Class 10
• 2018 Audi RS e-tron
• 1993 Autozam AZ-1
• 2020 BMW M8 Competition Coupé
• 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat
• 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon
• 2020 Ferrari SF90 Stradale
• 1992 Ford Escort RS Cosworth
• 2018 Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5
• 2013 Ford Mustang GT
• 1997 Honda Civic Type R
• 2004 Honda Civic Type R
• 2015 Honda Civic Type R
• 2022 Honda e
• 2019 Hyundai Veloster N
• 1993 Jaguar XJ220S TWR
• 2004 Lancer VIIIMR
• 2008 Lancer XGSR
• 1997 Lotus Elise GT1
• 1973 Mazda RX-3 Forza Edition
• 1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata
• 1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata Forza Edition
• 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF
• 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series
• 1997 Mitsubishi GTO
• 1989 Nissan S-Cargo
• 1997 Nissan Stagea RS Four V
• 2019 Nissan 370Z NISMO
• 1986 Porsche #186 959 Prodrive Rally Raid
• 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera
• 2004 Porsche 911 GT3
• 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS
• 1998 Nissan Silvia K’s
• 1996 Subaru SVX
• 2022 Subaru BRZ Forza Edition
• 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STI
• 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STI
• 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI
• 1990 Subaru Legacy RS
• 2019 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro
• 2021 Toyota Yaris GR
• 1966 Volkswagen Beetle

Remember that you can take every Aftermarket Car for a spin with a free Test Drive for two whole minutes.

Those are all of the Aftermarket Car spawning locations in Forza Horizon 6 as well as any wristband requirements, and some of the vehicles most likely to spawn.

This guide for LEGO Batman 4: Legacy of The Dark Knight is a complete listing of all 112 suits and costumes in their base forms. Bear in mind that each of the 23 Red Powerbricks have a skin customization effect, adding even more variation to these outfits.

Batman Suits And Costumes

Robin Suits And Costumes

Batgirl Suits And Costumes

Catwoman Suits And Costumes

Jim Gordon Suits And Costumes

Talia Suits And Costumes

Those are all 112 Suits and Costumes to be unlocked across seven characters in LEGO Batman 4: Legacy of The Dark Knight.

This LEGO Batman 4: Legacy of The Dark Knight is a complete listing of all 23 Red Power Bricks with their locations or purchase price.

All Red Power Bricks

Those are all 23 Red Power Bricks to be unlocked by either finding or purchasing them in LEGO Batman 4: Legacy of The Dark Knight.

What I am going to dwell on is how complaints, both minor and major, have now been made redundant thanks to a rapid cycle of patches and updates. The issue of Pywel feeling empty once you have liberated all occupied areas and beaten all bosses? That one just got addressed last week, with boss rematches and the reoccupation of liberated areas now a part of Pywel’s charm. It made me wonder about how what was supposed to be a single-player experience that got quieter the more you completed it has become a sort of hybrid live-service title without the trappings of microtransactions, season passes, and the like.

It’s almost as if the developer is trying to make the world feel incomplete again, and in a good way. It’s treating Pywel like a world that continues to react to you long after you’ve rolled the credits on the main story, and perhaps even cleared out most of its map. Why do I feel that way? That’s what we’re here to discuss. Let’s roll!

A World That Pushes Back

Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way. Yes, there have been a ton of patches rolled out in what I’d say is a record time in comparison to other studios. Yes, they’ve addressed several quality-of-life issues that were major complaints, such as clunky controls, a lack of balance between Kliff, Damiane, and Oongka, performance problems, and inventory management issues that adversely affected the experience. Those are all gone now, and I’m going to leave them in the past where they belong.

But what interests me is the way Crimson Desert looks like it’s building a future for Pywel that I wouldn’t have even considered if not for the evidence in front of me. The latest patch makes me wonder if the developer is borrowing the philosophy of a live-service model and applying it to a single-player title. It’s bringing a sort of responsiveness to Pywel that’s very welcome for Greymanes who continue to frequent it and will probably continue to do so until it has no secrets left to unearth.

The Rematch system is the first stop on this particular train of thought. The boss designs in Crimson Desert are absolutely brilliant for the most part, a sentiment echoed in almost all critical analyses of the game across the board. I’ve previously said that their unique gear should not be discoverable in the open world, but the fact that you can now battle them as Damiane and Oongka in places where only Kliff takes them on is a very welcome addition, and there are a couple of reasons as to why I think so.

For starters, it encourages you to keep switching between the three playable characters, making them viable options when you want to take on an enemy that might have previously deterred you from doing so because your take on Damiane or Oongka wasn’t powerful enough to do so at the time. Well, you can now go back and play each fight over and over till your heart’s content.

Second, it encourages you to take advantage of the fact that you could switch your loadout with a single visit to the nearest Witch, letting you completely change how any of your characters feel when conflict occurs. You could, in theory, test out multiple builds on a boss you’re comfortable with, allowing you to see your ideas in action before you choose to commit to a particular loadout. The fact that you now get to extract resources spent on upgrading gear coming in the latest update is a fine addition to the entire Rematch system.

Of course, all of these points I’m making apply to the Re-Blockade system too. But the added advantage there is that you can now farm Abyss Artifacts with abandon if you so choose, especially since there are ways to control how the system works that I’m getting to shortly. You now get to look and feel like your best every time you unsheathe your weapon to take on anybody foolish enough to challenge a Greymane.

Aside from the gameplay, I think that the Re-Blockade feature makes Pywel feel more alive in terms of how the narrative has framed things. It was hard to believe that so many factions just meekly walked away from their strongholds with their tails tucked between their legs after a sound beating. Granted, the thought of a single individual taking down literal armies might give me pause if I were considering fighting the said individual again, but the fact that enemies now don’t take their losses quietly makes Pywel a very interesting place to be.

What’s very interesting about these two systems is that they have made Pywel a place where conflict now feels like a permanent part of its landscape. That, in turn, makes your duty as a Greymane all the more relevant from both narrative and gameplay standpoints. But nothing about all of this could be classified as weird or strange, right?

Hold that thought.

Player Controlled Chaos

While it’s good that the developer is making Pywel become a world that consistently pushes back against your actions, it’s equally important that none of the new changes are forced onto its players. Bosses don’t spawn back in places where you fought them unless you actually trigger the fight. And some helpful settings allow you to control the frequency with which enemy factions try to regain the ground they lost to you.

It’s an important factor, as it allows the game to be dynamic without sacrificing player agency in the process, which is a major part of Crimson Desert’s draw in the first place. It’s a clever way of avoiding forcing players into an endless grind while giving them full control over how alive they would like Pywel to feel as they make their way across it.

At this point, it’s a good idea to bring in a recent interview that the studio’s Head of Marketing, Will Powers, had with The Washington Post. He asserted that the studio is foregoing a roadmap in order to retain the agility it needs to respond to player complaints with both speed and efficiency, with the team’s experience enabling it to churn out patches without requiring crunch hours.

The developer is no longer treating it as a one-and-done release, but as a long-term platform it wants to keep expanding. After a strong commercial start, including major revenue and over five million copies sold, the developer is now looking beyond regular patches toward bigger growth opportunities, with DLC specifically mentioned as one possible route. The interesting part is that nothing is confirmed yet, but the wording suggests the developer sees room to build on Pywel through new content, platform expansion, continued updates, and maybe even story material that addresses the base game’s weaker narrative side.

Anyways, Crimson Desert’s post-launch support is sufficient evidence of that sentiment in my book. It isn’t just about new stuff being added to the game, but in how that stuff directly addresses structural issues that affected the gameplay. The patch notes state that the Rematch and Re-Blockade features were added to let Pywel keep the sense of challenge it offers to its players alive long after they beat the game and track down all of the mighty foes that the protagonists must bring down.

It’s a great way of solving a late-game design problem, to be sure, and it sets Crimson Desert apart from a lot of great titles out there. Why do I think so? Well, most titles roll out a release build, add in a few patches and fixes, and then remain largely static for a while before they get new content via DLC. But in Pywel’s case, the base game is being actively reworked on to make it continue to be appealing even before players have had a chance to experience it in its entirety.

Crimson Desert isn’t just expanding outward, but is also growing through introspective change that’s fuelled by a community that’s as passionate about it as its develoeprs seem to be. But that comes with risks. There’s always the chance that the studio could make the game feel unfocused or bloated if it adds in too much new content haphazardly. As a former people pleaser myself, I can tell you that trying to make everybody happy is a sure-fire way to make yourself miserable. A player-first approach is definitely welcome, but it needs to be tempered with common sense and the guts to take stands whenever they’re necessary.

But looking at how things have progressed in the last few weeks since the game’s release, I’m pretty sure that those risks have already been given due consideration. It isn’t looking like chaos piled onto an already chaotic world that has so much that it’s honestly hard to keep track of it all. But Crimson Desert’s story post-launch is a fascinating one, where it has not begun to behave like a live-service title.

The developer isn’t just fixing the game. Instead, it’s making it more reactive and quite harder to put down, thanks to insightful responses to the game’s flaws. Crimson Desert’s Pywel feels more alive than ever, and the future is looking quite bright indeed.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Even before all of this, its success seemed a given from minute one of the reveal. A brand new LEGO Batman title, one that drew upon the vast array of stories that the World’s Greatest Detective has been a part of. The Nolan-verse movies – recreating iconic scenes in a sometimes juvenile but ultimately charming fashion. The Gotham art museum scene, complete with Prince’s classic “Partyman”, the movements of the Joker and his gang adapted in a more LEGO-appropriate venture. The sheer array of Batsuits and Batmobiles draws from a rich history both legendary and obscure. A rogue’s gallery of every foe that’s ever contributed to the Bat’s sleepless nights.

And that’s without getting into the gorgeous art direction and fidelity, which thankfully doesn’t sacrifice performance on PC – or the depth of the character roster, favoring quality over the quantity of previous LEGO titles, or even the open world of Gotham City, with its vast swathe of iconic locations and plentiful activities. That the biggest complaint against the entire experience is that it’s on the easy side (which is what Dark Knight mode is for) and lacks online co-op really says it all.

But as much as LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight inspires joy, it also brought back memories of vitriol for me. No, not of past entries, or all the terrible entries that starred the big bad Bat (which have themselves become iconic, for better or worse). Rather, it was the simple revelation that two other studios besides TT Games had worked on the title.

Ever since the reveal of its combat, everyone had the same reaction: “This looks pretty Batman Arkham-esque.” No effort was made to dispute this because, lo and behold, Free Flow combat was back in almost all its glory. As it turns out, Rocksteady may have had a hand in implementing this because it’s credited as a co-director, with about 24 team members – including senior programmers, artists, a producer, and a designer. And if that wasn’t enough, WB Games Montreal also helped.

So there you have it. Two studios, best known for their respective works on the Batman: Arkham franchise. One delivering an unforgettable trilogy that still ranks among gaming’s best. The other delivers an underappreciated (at least by its parent company) prequel that still rocks some of the better boss battles in the series, sans tank combat. Both working on a single-player, open-world Batman game that one could consider “Arkham-lite” if they really wanted to split hairs.

And after how long? Oh, just almost a decade since the launch of Batman: Arkham Knight, and almost 13 years since the launch of Batman: Arkham Origins. Why, I ask? Not of TT Games or either developer, but rather of Warner Bros. Games.

Because LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight proves what every fan of the series and Batman in general has been saying, calmly and outright screaming, for years now: That you can make a very good, single-player Arkham-style game, and it will do well. Why did WB Games and, by extension, Warner Bros. Discovery, take every single other annoyingly awful route instead?

Obviously, live-service trend chasing, hence remembering my utter vitriol for the hours-long trainwreck that was Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League – one of the only games I’ve ever played where annoyance quickly turned to jaded apathy and stayed like that, even when it was announced almost a year later that the Justice League you killed were just clones. Spoilers, by the way, for all twelve of you who could possibly care.

Not that Gotham Knights gets a pass. I don’t have enough fingers or toes to count the sheer amount of things it did wrong, be it in the treatment of the Court of Owls, Bruce Wayne, and not one, two, or three but four iconic Bat Family members, or the more action RPG-focused combat, or the traversal in general, which relied on fixed points to grapple and jump to. All for the sake of some co-op live-service model that ultimately never came to pass, resulting in this messy amalgam.

In both cases, however, the blame is squarely at the feet of WB Games. Sure, you could argue that it wanted the really big money that live-service had to offer (and whatever it was hoping Gotham Knights would accomplish). Instead, it ended up with record losses. Both studios faced extensive layoffs, though given everything that occurred with Warner Bros. Discovery and its sale, it’s safe to say that the head honchos had bigger fish to fry.

Now, you could argue that Legacy of the Dark Knight would have been a success without the involvement of Rocksteady or WB Games Montreal, but that just further proves my point. We didn’t need to indulge in the unfunny adventures of the Wallers’ discount mercenaries or the antics of the fumbling four. Batman, in all his glory – focused, in a single-player effort – would have been enough. Besides, it’s not LEGO Batman itself that is a fundamentally hot property – the last entry released in 2014 remains the lowest-rated (while still averaging a decent 74 Metascore). And despite the success of The Lego Batman Movie, its sequel was cancelled following the underwhelming The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.

The real kicker to all of this? Rumors of LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight’s development began as early as January 2023. TT Games was reportedly in flux following reports of extensive crunch on LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. Besides cancelling projects, it was also working on DLC for the title while simultaneously developing the next LEGO Batman.

Hardly an ideal development situation, but within three years or so, and with some help, it delivered a new Batman title. Meanwhile, Gotham Knights reportedly began development after the rumored Batman title starring Damian Wayne, which was apparently cancelled around early 2018. Suicide Squad reportedly began work in 2016, following the cancellation of an earlier iteration that Montreal was supposed to deliver.

Over six and almost nine years, respectively, with the result being a forgotten, janky action RPG and a dead live service game. Bravo, WB.

Far be it from me to praise the monetization of Legacy of the Dark Knight, though you are getting a pretty healthy amount of additional content for $20 extra, or to hold TT Games up as the new gold standard of development. But if the latest LEGO Batman should prove anything – beyond the fact that a single-player Batman title can and will succeed with critics and fans – it’s that WB Games has been wrong for over a decade, and wasted some of the very best talent to deliver absolute dreck.

Here’s hoping that it motivates Rocksteady for its next Batman title. The night is darkest before the dawn, but one can only hope that it doesn’t stretch on for years and years.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

But what makes it so special? Amid all the critical praise – Forza Horizon 6 is currently the highest rated game of the year on Metacritic and Opencritic – it’s worth remembering that its predecessor was equally beloved. What elevates the sequel beyond just “open-world racing sim but Japan”? Let’s delve into the ten ways that it does better than Forza Horizon 5, and there’s no better place to begin with than…

Progression Actually Feels Earned

If the Horizon Festival felt more like a carnival in Forza Horizon 5 – presenting a buffet of cars, events and paths to choose from with little restriction or consequence – Forza Horizon 6 brings much-needed structure back into the equation. Instead of a renowned competitor, you stat as a tourist – a relative newcomer to Japan, who must not only qualify for the Horizon Festival but also earn the right to access faster cars. This is possible through the Wristband system, which introduces tangible goals to work toward. Yes, you’ll still be presented with an array of cars to choose from – more on that shortly – but at least there isn’t that feeling of receiving every single supercar within hours of minimal effort.

Better Structure With Wristbands

Speaking of the Wristband system, it’s more than just a means to gate your progression. It defines your place in the world – your journey in becoming a legend and accessing the appropriately named Legend Island. Beyond providing a much more tangible endgame to indulge in (including The Goliath, spanning a whopping 53.1 miles), it offers something to work toward—a persistent goal, even as you take in the sights and uncover everything magical about Japan while being rewarded for it.

Exploration and Goals

All too often, open-world games devolve into simply checking off items from a list. Go here, complete this event, clear this Speed Trap, destroy this sign, and so on. And while many of the same activities make their way to Japan, there is a more definitive purpose to discovering them, thanks to the new Collection Journal and Stamps. You’re not just happening upon a new location and raking in the XP, but also admiring landmarks, photographing the environment and adding all those little achievements into your journal. The rewards are nice and all, but that feeling of discovery feels more prominent than it did in Forza Horizon 5.

Improved Fast Travel

Of course, there’s the other side of exploration – fast travel. Whereas Forza Horizon 5 requires buying properties and then smashing all the fast travel boards to eventually make it free, Forza Horizon 6 takes a different approach. There’s no cost at all, right from the start, but fast travel is only available on previously discovered roads. So even if you’re just picking a direction and driving to nowhere, it feels like you’re doing more than just defogging the map. And if you discover any interesting content, it’s much easier to return to it later.

A Land of Contrasts

Variety is the spice of life, especially in an open-world racer where you want to offer a bit of everything. Mexico achieved that purpose pretty well, but Forza Horizon 6 raises it even further. Beyond Tokyo City, which the rest of the world revolves around, Japan offers a stunning contrast at every corner. Snow-capped mountains and rural roads quickly give way to quiet suburban neighborhoods and winding paths perfect for high-stakes Touge battles. The fact that Japan itself is a stunning contrast of the old and new, the traditional and the new-age, only feeds this further, presenting a stunning degree of variety.

The Best Urban Driving Yet

Of course, we’d be remiss not to mention Tokyo City because there’s simply been nothing like it in previous Horizon games. Even though Forza Horizon 5’s Guanajuato is fairly large, Tokyo is five times larger, presenting a diverse range of sights across its four districts and unparalleled urban exploration. One moment, you could be barreling down narrow roads to deliver food; the next, you’re participating in street races to the backdrop of neon signs. And that’s before accounting for the sheer amount of layers, lending a unique sense of verticality.

Car Meets and Cultural Exchange

Despite the many ups and downs of Forza Horizon 5’s multiplayer, you have to give it credit for trying to encourage more social play, especially with convoys and the introduction of EventLab. Forza Horizon 6 leans into the community aspect much more, courtesy of Car Meets – in-game locations like Okuibuki and Daikoku, where you can actually meet other players and show off your vehicles. It’s more than just bragging rights, though – the entire experience exposes you to new designs (which can be downloaded) and yet-to-be-discovered vehicles. Even if you’re not actually making any new friends, the indulgence in car culture is unmistakable.

The Sounds of Japan

Seeing Japan is only the first step – you also need to hear it in all its glory for the full experience. So, beyond the revamped engine audio and acoustic modelling, Forza Horizon 6 also uses field recordings from across the country, complete with different seasons. Then there’s the music, which offers a heaping helping of Japanese artists – ZUTOMAYO, Yoasobi, KANA-BOON, Ado, and the legendary Hikaru Utada, among others. All of this contributes to the ambience in different ways, and it truly feels like something special.

Customization And Player Ownership

Circling back to the whole “Discover Japan” aspect of the exploration, Forza Horizon 6 also allows you to go further beyond, letting you effectively make it your home. While Forza Horizon 5 had garages to purchase, the customisation in 6, especially with the ability to craft your own base through the Estate, is on another level, especially when inviting other players over. Customisation has also gone improved by leaps and bounds, thanks to the long-awaited addition of window liveries, on top of the hundreds of new options to personalise your vehicles.

“What’s Next” UI Page

What’s the point of all this content, especially the vast array of multiplayer modes, when the user interface doesn’t make it easy to discover? Forza Horizon 6 circumvents this with the “What’s Next” page. It’s a handy guide for those confused about the next steps to take on their journey, especially en route to becoming a Horizon Legend.

Make no mistake: Forza Horizon 5 is still one of the best racing games on the market and a remarkable open-world title in its own right. Mexico is a fantastic setting, lovingly brought to life and rendered in gorgeous detail. But with fans craving a new destination that both looks and feels like nothing else, it’s great to see Forza Horizon 6 deliver on that promise and elevate the franchise as a whole to new heights.

How much of Disco Elysium’s DNA should players expect to see in ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies?

Kosmos: Disco was a good first draft of a new type of CRPG. ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is the second draft. We’ve taken what worked well in Disco but also adapted it to a new setting, story and genre.

Beyond the visuals and overall art style, will there be any other connective tissue between ZERO PARADES and Disco Elysium?

Justin: As always, we hold story-telling and player agency in the highest regard. This time we prioritized giving players a wider variety of methods to overcome the obstacles they encounter throughout the game. This ties back to one of the central themes of our espionage story – making it up as you go along.

"Disco was a good first draft of a new type of CRPG. ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is the second draft."

How did the idea of translating espionage themed gameplay into a tabletop RPG styled system come about?

Kosmos: It felt like a very natural progression from what we’ve done before: Roleplaying as a roleplayer has a certain intuitive appeal, doesn’t it? As soon as we came to it, we knew that we had a strong hook that also offered us a different perspective on our roleplaying systems.

Justin: Of course, we knew early on that this would not be a stealth game. The player still has to have a high degree of freedom to roleplay as they choose, even when it goes against their own interests or those of the assignment.

This is what gives the whole a pleasing tension – the push and pull between the choices you want to make as a player and the choices you feel you should make for the sake of your assignment, not too dissimilar from real life.

ZERO PARADES revolves around a three way power struggle. Will players have opportunities to shift their allegiances during the story?

Kosmos: As in our contemporary reality, the geopolitical contest frames the story, but Hershel is not one of the secret puppet masters pulling the strings – she’s like the rest of us, at the whims of forces beyond her control. The real power struggle is internal – what is the player’s motivation for doing what needs doing, and how far are they willing to go to do it?
In the murky twilight realm of espionage, one must be ready to work with everyone.

One of Disco Elysium’s most memorable ideas was turning your stats into voices you could interact with. Will ZERO PARADES explore anything similar?

Justin: Absolutely. We are still very much interested in holding a mirror up to the dark and sticky things inside the player’s heart. We have 15 skills from 3 different faculties all vying for the players time and attention, not always in beneficial ways. What facets of yourself you listen to and which you tune out is an important part of crafting your character.

How do Pressures and Exertion factor into the regular flow of gameplay?

Kosmos: The job of a spy is thankless and hard. In ZERO PARADES, this is expressed via the pressures they face in the field: Anxiety, Delirium and Fatigue. Just like in real life, the right amount of pressure makes us perform – and the wrong amount makes us fold. When the player hits one of their limits, they lose a skill point in the associated faculty.

Pressures are managed via story events and consumables. Pressures are raised by exertion – a new mechanic. You can exert yourself on active checks to roll three dice instead of two, using the two highest against the check. This means that you have a better chance of succeeding, but doing so raises one of your pressures, giving the player a new balance between short-term gain and their long-term health.

"Pressures are managed via story events and consumables. Pressures are raised by exertion – a new mechanic."

The game’s description suggests that players will fail quite often. What kinds of consequences or punishments will failure bring?

Justin: As developers, accounting for both success and failure is what makes the game for us. We walk that line with a fine balance, both metaphorically and literally – failure can be as enticing as success, granted that it is entertaining.

At the same time, it’s not just about stumbling blindly forward through every situation. Every challenge in ZERO PARADES has multiple solutions, if you’re able to find them and, more importantly, if you’re willing to live with the consequences.

Will ZERO PARADES focus on one large central environment, or will players visit a variety of locations throughout the story?

Justin: Portofiro is a large city, made up of several districts. The heart of the story takes place around the formerly working class stronghold called Quisach, but the player’s adventures will bring them to a number of surrounding areas that are quite distinct both from one another and anything we’ve done before. There’s a colourful world out there for the player to explore and – we hope – fall in love with.