Common Sense Media Review
By Chad Sapieha
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Licensed expansion pales in comparison to stellar original.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious
What's It About?
You don't need to own Forza Horizon 2 to play FORZA HORIZON 2 PRESENTS FAST & FURIOUS, a standalone expansion that brings elements of the popular film franchise starring The Rock and Vin Diesel to Playground Games' Xbox-exclusive racer. It's set in and around Nice, France -- a seaside area returning players will be very familiar with -- and offers players a dozen fancy cars to drive as they race to earn 10 vehicles requested by Tej, one of the minor protagonists from the Fast & Furious films. There's not much of a story beyond that, which leaves players free to explore the world and try a small collection of events: point-to-point races, rival challenges, and so-called "bucket list" events, such as smashing through a specific number of sandwich boards within a given time. The design and pacing are very similar to that of Forza Horizon 2 but in miniature; the expansion takes only four or five hours to finish, as opposed to the 100 or more hours players can squeeze from the full game.
Is It Any Good?
Forza Horizon 2 is a terrific open-world racing game, but this shallow, shameless licensed expansion doesn't do it proper service. Beyond a trailer for the film that runs at the game's outset, some familiar cars, and one of the movie's personalities acting as mission narrator, there's little to warrant the inclusion of "Fast & Furious" in its name. There's no connection between narratives, no guest spots by stars such as Vin Diesel and The Rock, and no over-the-top stunts that recall scenes from the film. The Fast & Furious moniker exists seemingly only to promote the films.
That'd be fine if the expansion still delivered fresh content that altered and grew the Forza Horizon 2 experience, but it doesn't. The locations, event types, and even many of the cars have been carried forward from the base game. There's exceptionally little new here. The racing mechanics are as solid and enjoyable as ever, and everything looks beautiful, but Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious feels like a demo for the original that probably should have been released prior to rather than after the main game. It may be worth a look only if you're still deciding whether you want to invest in the full Forza Horizon 2 experience.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about vehicle safety. Though racing can be fun in games, it's very dangerous in the real world. Do you know of anyone hurt or killed in a car accident? What caused the accident?
Talk about online safety. Which precautions do you take when playing online games? Which sorts of players do you make an effort to avoid? How do you ensure you don't encounter them again?
Game Details
- Platforms : Xbox 360 , Xbox One
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Microsoft Studios
- Release date : March 27, 2015
- Genre : Racing
- Topics : Transportation ( Cars & Trucks )
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate