Compare Death Stranding 2: On the Beach vs Forza Horizon 5

Reviewers described the sequel as more understandable and more accessible, with lore and design changes that reduce friction for more players.

Accessibility is strongly supported through difficulty assists, disability options, prosthetics, pronouns, sensory options, and broad playability.

Age appropriateness is generally good for a racing game, with a caveat for suggestive lyrics and bleeped language.

Enemy AI was a rare weak spot, with one review saying it was not especially sharp even as combat remained playful.

AI behavior is mixed: some reviews cite rubber-banding or runaway opponents, while one says past AI has improved.

Aiming drew a small caveat because one reviewer wanted gyroscopic aiming despite the stronger focus on ranged weapons.

Animation and motion capture were praised as elite, with reviewers pointing to fantastic performance capture and some of the best motion work they had seen.

Animation quality is a weak spot in at least one review, especially for NPC crew presentation.

The art direction benefits from Mexico’s colorful, exotic festival setting and diverse landscape identity.

The atmosphere was consistently praised for haunting landscapes, calm-chaos contrast, and strange moments that made the world linger.

Atmosphere is a major strength, with reviewers emphasizing sense of place, Mexico’s beauty, and a breathtaking world.

Boss fights were broadly improved and visually striking, though several reviewers said they could be simple, optional, or less challenging than expected.

Bug frequency is generally low or minor, but reviewers still report specific issues such as radio bugs and small glitches.

Character arcs landed unevenly: some reviewers warmed to the cast and late-game moments, while others felt arcs happened away from Sam.

Co-op centers on Horizon Arcade and nearby-player minigames, which reviewers find approachable but sometimes less compelling than racing.

Combat was widely seen as improved, snappier, and more flexible, though a few reviewers found it clunky, overemphasized, or easier to avoid.

The community layer was a highlight, with reviewers praising the sense of shared infrastructure and collaborative help across the world.

Community features are strong through EventLab, custom races, shared routes, and creator tools.

Competitive balance is a concern in long-term coverage because ranked or serious competitive features are limited.

Weather, hazards, floods, earthquakes, fires, and other systems made the world and deliveries feel more varied and reactive.

Content variety is one of the strongest themes, with many race types, events, activities, modes, expansions, and map objectives.

Controls were generally praised as refined and smoother, including PC input options and better feel compared with the first game.

Controls are described as slick, intuitive, responsive, and supportive across both casual driving and more serious handling.

The delivery loop remained central but was described as tighter, more addictive, and more player-friendly across several reviews.

Reviewers describe the loop as open-world driving, racing, challenges, and self-directed play rather than a linear campaign.

Crash stability is mixed: one review reports no crashes while another reports a few PC crashes.

Cross-play is explicitly supported on PS5 with PC and Xbox players.

Cross-save support is a weakness because existing Xbox or PC saves cannot transfer to PS5.

Dialogue drew a mild caveat from one reviewer who found some cutscenes too long, even while praising the cast overall.

Dialogue and voice work receive criticism for being lacklustre and overly peppy.

Difficulty was mixed: reviewers noted optional harder settings and late-game challenge, but many felt vehicles, weapons, or BT changes made parts too easy.

Difficulty is highly adjustable and newcomer-friendly, though some reviewers note uneven balance or a game that can feel too easy.

DLC and expansions add value, especially Rally Adventure, Hot Wheels, free updates, car packs, and bug fixes.

Vehicles were one of the biggest improvements, arriving earlier and handling better, though some reviewers felt they trivialized traversal.

Driving is one of the strongest areas, with reviewers praising sublime mechanics, distinct cars, sim-arcade balance, and improved handling.

Many reviewers found the final hours, sincere human stories, and emotional stakes powerful, while one review felt comparatively unmoved.

Enemy variety was praised for making combat more engaging, especially with better-equipped bandits, BT variants, and Ghost Mechs.

The Australia and Mexico environments were repeatedly praised for variety, vistas, textures, weather, and visual detail.

Environmental detail is often praised for lush, lifelike biomes, though some city spaces are criticized as lifeless.

Exploration was praised for making the next horizon feel exciting and for encouraging movement through a striking world.

Exploration is a major strength, with reviewers enjoying Mexico alone, with friends, and even without racing objectives.

Facial capture and character work were strongly praised, with reviewers calling the faces and cutscene direction exceptional.

Reviewers agreed the sequel keeps Death Stranding’s identity but debated whether the stronger Metal Gear-style action sands away some original friction.

The game is faithful to the franchise by continuing and elevating Horizon’s open-world racing legacy.

Family friendliness is supported by low objectionable content compared with many other games.

Fast travel through the Magellan and key waypoints was useful, though some reviewers noted scoring tradeoffs or occasional restrictions.

Fast travel boards add another exploration incentive, though the evidence is limited to board hunting rather than system depth.

Performance notes were positive, with reviewers citing 60fps on PS5 and high, steady PC frame rates.

Frame rate is often solid, especially at 60 fps, but a few reviews mention performance-mode issues or dips.

Despite its strangeness and length, reviewers often found the sequel more fun, more gripping, or never boring.

Reviewers repeatedly describe the game as joyful, fun, welcoming, and capable of converting non-racing fans.

The mechanics were broadly praised as a major sequel upgrade, with richer delivery tools, stronger systems, and more approachable play.

Visuals were one of the strongest consensus points, with repeated praise for stunning landscapes, fidelity, faces, and next-gen presentation.

Graphics are an overwhelming strength, with repeated praise for photorealism, draw distance, lighting, reflections, cars, and environments.

One reviewer specifically noted that the game can be played at a relaxed pace without needing to grind it out.

The PC review found Steam Deck and handheld play workable, though at a fairly low resolution on Steam Deck.

DualSense haptics were singled out as excellent, bringing surfaces, weather, gear, and action details into the controller.

DualSense haptics and adaptive triggers make the PS5 version more tactile, though not revolutionary.

Immersion was praised through the world’s quiet storytelling and lingering human moments.

Immersion is strengthened by storms, visibility changes, speed, and environmental spectacle.

Innovation is best understood as refinement rather than revolution, improving a proven formula.

The game welcomes novices with assists and adjustment options, though one later review still found the learning curve daunting.

The new continent was praised for a far greater variety of locations and terrain challenges.

Live-service support is supported by years of free and paid additions, including cars, expansions, and features.

Load times received a rare explicit rave, with one review saying transitions from menu to play were almost instant.

One PS5 review says frequent loading screens interrupt gameplay flow.

The Corpus lore tracker was noted as a helpful way to manage the sequel’s dense terminology and story context.

Route planning and the 3D map were praised as important, clearer tools for planning long deliveries.

Map and navigation design are praised for scale and biome variety, though one long-term review finds parts of the map emptier.

Menus were viewed as improved overall, though at least one reviewer still found inventory and menu handling fiddly.

Menus receive criticism for being messy or too numerous despite the game’s strengths elsewhere.

Microtransaction impact is a negative caveat, especially unskippable car-pass promotion reminders.

Mission design was praised for moreish delivery structure and some fun, weird orders, though the core remains delivery-focused.

Expeditions and Showcases give the campaign authored set-piece structure beyond standard races.

Reviewers praised more varied cargo conditions, hazards, objectives, and mission setups that kept deliveries fresher.

Mission variety is generally broad, but one later review warns that some races and missions can become repetitive.

Movement on foot was described as smoother, more responsive, and still satisfyingly weighty when hiking mattered.

The asynchronous multiplayer remained a signature strength, praised for paths, structures, likes, and indirect collaboration.

Multiplayer is broad and improved, with PvP, online modes, group play, and easier linking, though competition depth is debated.

Narrative response was mixed-positive: many reviewers praised the story and themes, while others found it opaque, messy, or oddly paced.

Narrative quality is mixed, with several reviews calling it thin while later coverage notes a more personal campaign tone.

The sequel was seen as more welcoming and quicker to grab players, especially compared with the first game’s slow start.

Onboarding is usually exciting and fast, but some reviews mention content bombardment or mandatory account friction.

One review encountered servers going down before launch, making this the only direct stability caveat in the review set.

Online stability is a recurring caveat, with reviews noting server connection issues, lag, and flaky online behavior.

One mixed review still called it a strong open-world sandbox checklist game, even while missing the first game’s sparer approach.

The open world is consistently praised as massive, gorgeous, varied, and one of the best racing maps in the series.

Originality remained a strength, with one review calling the sequel exciting and original despite its imperfections.

Originality is limited because one review says the series cannot do much new at this point.

Pacing was one of the most divided attributes: many reviews praised improvements, while others criticized slow burns, filler, or poorly paced story delivery.

One review found the abundance of interruptions and prompts could make the game feel scatterbrained.

Performance was strongly praised on PS5 Pro and PC, with several reviewers reporting flawless or dreamlike optimization.

Performance is generally strong on consoles and newer hardware, though some reviews mention hardware-dependent issues or PC crashes.

PC and controller support were praised for deep options, upscaling support, and broad input compatibility.

Platform-specific support is strong on PS5 through DualSense, adaptive triggers, and enhanced graphics features.

Polish was frequently praised through streamlined tasks, quality-of-life upgrades, tighter design, and a more focused sequel structure.

Polish is a core strength, with multiple reviewers describing the game as highly polished or nearly flawless.

Progression was praised for APAS, RPG-like upgrades, freely swapped perks, and systems that reward how players approach deliveries.

Progression is broadly praised for steady rewards, accolades, unlock choices, cars, and a constant sense of advancement.

Sam drew a mixed note from one review that still found him emotionally hard to connect with despite more range.

Quest design was mixed, with some reviewers finding filler or insufficient challenge despite the stronger overall delivery structure.

Replay value was split between extensive remaining missions and one reviewer saying they would not replay from scratch.

Replay value is high because the campaign leads into ongoing discovery, car collecting, seasonal goals, and repeatable races.

One reviewer praised the sandbox for giving players broad choice across traversal, combat, and stealth.

The sandbox lets players set their own goals, roam freely, and create their own fun with minimal pressure.

Seasonal and weather content is mostly praised, but later playlist reuse becomes a concern.

Side characters were a major strength for several reviewers, though some felt the new cast was underused or less forceful.

The APAS and skill systems were described as useful and flexible without being overly bloated.

The skill tree is criticized because upgrades remain tied to individual cars rather than the driver profile.

Social features were praised for ziplines, shared structures, likes, and infrastructure that made helping others satisfying.

Social features make playing with others easier and more seamless through Forza Link and online grouping.

Sound design was praised as immaculate or immersive, including 3D audio, voice work, and soundscape details.

Sound design is repeatedly praised for revamped car audio, engine detail, and improved spatial/vehicle sound.

The soundtrack was strongly praised for licensed music, original tracks, and emotional placement during key moments.

Soundtrack impressions are mostly positive, especially licensed and Mexican music, with one reviewer finding the stations less memorable.

Stealth was broadly improved through more tools, better combat integration, and added tactical options, though not always as deep as Metal Gear.

EventLab’s lack of tutorial guidance is called out as a weakness for creators.

The upgrade system was praised because unlocked tools felt useful and rewarding during deliveries.

Upgrade and customization systems are a major strength, with extensive tuning, swaps, visual options, and shared designs.

UI and UX were praised in one review for making objectives clearer and loadout handling smoother.

The interface can feel overloaded, with one review describing the experience as information overload.

Value was supported by the long runtime and substantial post-credits content, with the caveat that it asks for a major time commitment.

Value is strong through Game Pass and content breadth, but PS5 pricing is more mixed for a four-year-old game.

The vehicle roster is consistently praised as huge, varied, and still expanding through updates and DLC.

Voice acting and performances were widely praised, especially Troy Baker and the broader ensemble cast.

Weapon balance was mixed, with reviewers noting a large arsenal but also saying it could overpower enemies or trivialize friction.

World-building was praised for being unique, expanded, bizarre, and richly thought out, though sometimes delivered through dense exposition.

World-building benefits from Mexico as a cultural setting, car stories, and small character/environment details.

World interactivity was praised through player-built structures that improve both the user’s route and other players’ journeys.

World interactivity is mixed: destructible foliage and objects impress, while disappearing NPC traffic hurts believability.

Writing quality landed mostly positive but not unanimous, with praise for Kojima’s charm and story highs alongside some criticism of nonsense or opacity.