FH5, Series 31, Preview

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No MC20, no 911 GT3 RS.

Yes, it’s European Automotive Disappointment. I think I typed “update”, but my fingers slipped. Old person problems.

The series rewards are the Ferrari 575 M and 2021 Audi RS6. Do I ever drive these? No. Am I excited for their reappearance? No.

Week 1 we get dished up the Valkyrie AMR Pro in short order, which is good, but can we have some proper motorsport tracks to race this on? Probably best in the Hot Wheels expansion where the power can be put to good use. I don’t mind the reappearance of the Megane RS 250. Probably the most practical addition of the week is the Lancia Fulvia, which should’ve been copied and pasted with all the rest of the Lancias. I’m hoping that it’ll be as good as it is in Horizon 4.

Week 2 gives us the VW ID.4. O Dullness, thou purveyor of blandness, how thy servants furnish the land with their anodyne blessings. But the ATS GT is a welcome return. Don’t care about the Citroen DS23. I think I drove it once in FH4 after we got it in that game, and have never given it a second glance. I also note three PGG seasonals. Three?! What ninny thought that was a good idea? I’m hoping I can ignore all three (i.e., I can use the points from the expansions) because like the Eliminator, repeated exposure to PGG seasonals won’t make me loathe them less.

Week 3. Finally, a modern MB SL63 AMG. We could do with a few more modern cars because the garage is looking dated. And then there’s the FE Mini. Pah! The Lotus Esprit returns, but I’m not a fan of the antique Lotuses.

Week 4 and I knew the MB 500 E would be another ghastly old barge. We have the Hammer and the less drivable 190 E in the game. This seemed to be the one car that got the fanboys all hysterical. I’m betting the car will have the same car masteries as the Hammer or the 190 E, and the same tuning. At least the Ascari is returning, but the VW Double Cab is being copied and pasted from FH4. It’s been so long since I’ve driven it that I suspect I may never have raced it more than once.

As for the DLC, again, er… I would like to have had the other Bentley Continental from Horizon 4 in the game (the FE one), but instead we get a pop top instead of, say, the model the GT3 car is based on. The Jaguar Project 8 turns out to be a super saloon (track toy?) The Pininfarina Ferrari is an EV which apparently comes from FM 2023. This is not a recommendation, and I’ve been around the block enough times to know that she might look pretty, but that’s not a recommendation either. And then there’s another old banger from the 80s. Marginally better than the Asian Car DLC, but not by much.

Meanwhile, from the real world…

I usually come home at lunchtime and do the daily in FH5. Unfortunately, when I left my des. res. in Mulegé, it was straight into an HA that I didn’t want to do. I pootled off down the motorway and completed the daily, also doing the jump and the east end and surviving it in spite of the ropey landing. 

But since I thought I ought to be a good sport, I jumped in my Hoonigan Mustang and joined the HA which for the other two players, had been going badly. Although I’m not a drifty boy, I instantly outdid the pair of them and just managed to complete the HA with mere seconds to spare after they decided not to bother participating in either of the other two events. I should’ve quit the game and left them to stew.

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