FH5, Series 44, Week 1

I’m still here, but I oughtn’t to be.

I started with the PR stunts this week. Muffed my first attempt on the danger sign in the Jesko, but got a two-thirds good SWS from the second attempt. I one-shotted the speed trap and got a one-third good SWS. The speed zone was a sodding pain in the arse. I tried with the Jesko even though I knew it’d be way to fast to be any good. I tried the F40 Competizione without any success and eventually completed the task in the Koenigsegg CCGT.

I blasted my way through Rivals. Normally I’m a bit cautious because I don’t usually need to worry about not defeating my opponent, but today it was all pedal to the metal even in the Mission R.

The photo was where the wheels started to fall off this week’s shopping trolley. I took a pic of the 812 Superfast outside Buenas Vistas, but later found that the tile was still live. I took the picture again, completed the job, but think I got no points.

The treasure hunt also proved to be faulty. I got five near miss skills, but the treasure chest, which is on the roundabout at the west end of the motorway, was greyed out on the map and nowhere to be seen.

I did the HA after that, and while I was planning to do the weekly, the game froze and went CTD on me.

When I got back to the game, the points for the weekly in the Ariel Atom did register.

Eventlab (1), Windy City, was an exercise in annoyance. Night, damp, irritating boost pads, a bridge with a bothersome jump, and a couple of irksome hairpins. Props were decent enough, but the layout had unnecessary issues.

Eventlab (2), Mulegé Outskirts, was an actually decent dirt circuit which was only marred by the wriggly bit with its wooden (?) surface which had no grip. Rubbish SWS.

But neither Eventlab counted as complete; nor did they contribute any points to my greater glory.

I one-shotted the HW PR stunt and somehow PB’ed it. One-third excellent SWS

It took me a couple of attempts to do the RA PR stunt, which I also PB’ed and was rewarded with a rubbish SWS.

The Trial. Hmmm. 2007 Honda Civic Type R again. I started Copper Canyon on the back row and managed a 2nd. Quite an exciting race because the lead kept changing hands. Team win, but some players having their inevitable problem with corners. I started last on Volcán and had a teammate try and force me out of a checkpoint early on in the race. The drivatars just ran away with it, and even if I’d been on the front row, I don’t think I could’ve saved the race. I was on the back row for Dunas Blancas. On my screen we were winning and I finished in 3rd. As far as FH5 was concerned we were losing and I was in 5th.

I tried again. This time one of my teammates was a genuine prestige 10 player. I started on the second row of Copper Canyon and came 2nd. Team win. However, on my screen, Antonia, who was in 12th place was actually right behind me for most of the race. I was on the second row again for the Volcán Sprint, but the drivatars buggered off in a mob and couldn’t be caught. I came 5th after a late overtake on another player whose overtaking and cornering skills were questionable. And once again for the final race I was on the second row. I managed a 6th, but Dunas Blancas was almost certainly favouring faster cars. Team win, but Katya romped off into the distance.

Like the Eventlab events, the Trial failed to register or add points.

Horizon Realms

The realms are the various evolving worlds from the game as well as a new one called Stadium Track, which finally gives us a proper motorsport-style track, albeit another one that’s been jammed into the stadium. The layout definitely looks better than the ghastly Winter Wonderland, but it’s taken until the dying stages of the game to finally give us an heir to the Falcon Speedway in Lego Valley. I anticipate that the course will be another sub-minute job, which makes me wish this had been built outside the stadium instead. The game suffers from mostly short circuits. [Is this meant to be some sort of witticism? –ed.]

There will be two modes, skills and free roam, but we have no further information about either. The assumption seems to be the latter will probably be timed. Perhaps it’ll be like the stories in FH4 where we had to get a certain number of skill points in, say, two minutes, or we’re back to racing between Guanajuato and the volcano in a set amount of time. I assume free roam will be for breaking things such as Christmas trees to complete that accolade.

As well as access to the Evolving Worlds, we’re also getting new reward cars, the Lamborghini Revuelto, the Lamborghini Sterrato, the Lotus Exige Cup 430, and some ridiculous, fat, six-wheeled American barge. I can’t help but feel that the first two ought to have been in the game a long time ago. The Exige is a nice surprise which will probably join the roster of cars that I’m more likely to drive. The Mammoth is no surprise at all as you can’t have a four-car pack in FH5 without one of them being a bloated, dear-God-why vehicle. It’s probably the marketing car.

I can only see myself using this feature to get the new cars and race round the new track.

Nissan Retro Rides

“The 60s rang asking for their awful car designs back.”

The new DLC will be free if you bought the complete DLC pack. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to extend to those of us who bought the DLC cars as they were published.

Various people have already been suggesting that this is a signal that FH6 will be set in Japan. Perhaps, but the Lambos could suggest that it’s going to be set in Italy. No, I think this car pack has come out to coincide with the launch of FH5 on the PS5 and nothing more than that.