That setting is depicted just as beautifully as the exotics that speed through it. A well-paced day-night cycle is a subtle reminder of the passage of time as you kick around the varied biomes of the map. The sunset plays off the hood of your car as you blast towards the neon-lit central hub. Perpetual fireworks explode in the sky. Through it all, an expertly-curated soundtrack bumps between cartoonish DJ voiceovers that are constantly reminding you: This is a party. You’ve been invited here by a bunch of affluent 20-somethings to tear shit up.

It’s this premise that makes the game so incredibly compelling. Sure, the music festival atmosphere can grate at times, with some pretty flat “storytelling” in the career mode and hilariously one-note antagonists, but it’s still a great excuse to be driving around an open world. The concept of a freewheeling racing festival leaves room for improvisation in a way that a strictly-structured career mode can’t.

A lot of that comes down to the way the game incentivizes you to simply drive. Horizon is the kind of game that offers you a fast travel system and then gives you a thousand reasons to never use it. You’re constantly earning points while driving; for drifting, for speeding, even for running into environmental objects. It’s as if the developers are saying “it’s alright, have fun however you’d like. We’ll make sure you get yours.” These points feed into a wristband-based progression system for unlocking events, ensuring that your map is constantly flooded with new things to do.

The formal racing in the game is a great blend of serious motorsports events, street races, and wildly original showcase events. The latter are elaborate challenges wherein you might find yourself racing against a biplane or a series of hot air balloons. They’re a great break from racing hot hatches around a circuit, and if you need even more variety, you can challenge AI drivers in the open world to a one-on-one race at any time. Forza Horizon encourages freedom. It’s your car, you earned it, you painted it… so drive it anywhere and anyhow you like.

That freedom extends to the tuning. Instead of choosing to implement a potentially out-of-place arcade leveling system to vehicles, the game smartly allows you to customize your tuning and parts within a car’s given power tier. If you have no interest in carefully crafting your perfect Volvo, you can just hit one button to automatically optimize your vehicle for an event. It’s an absolutely painless experience for those who just want to race while still offering the ability to tinker for those who feel inclined. Forza Horizon doesn’t gloss over the complexities of tuning a vehicle, but it does allow you to take the easy way out without being patronizing.

It’s for these reasons that Forza Horizon remains my favorite racing game. Horizon 2 pushed things in new directions with its off-road sensibilities and european setting, but the spirit that I loved about the first game was sanded down by a focus on next-gen scale. Plus, its music was just… forgettable. When I originally saw the trailer for Driveclub, I thought for sure it would dethrone Forza, but alas: that game had some of the most confused driving physics i’ve ever experienced. It also lacked the personality of its trailers, with next-to-no customization options and a bunch of incredibly boring courses.

So here we are, as a new Forza Horizon approaches. Will the new Australian leg of the Horizon Festival have staying power? My short time with the game at this year’s E3 was promising, and the preview coverage has been mostly positive. In the meantime, I’ve dusted off my Xbox 360 to tool around in the first game again, partially to research this piece and partially just to check in on my fond memories. Great news: It’s all still there. If you have a love of driving but can’t get used to strict, overly reverent simulations... if you love kicking those blue sparks but long for something beyond the Mushroom Cup… Turn up the Avicii, open the throttle, and drift into your very own sports car advertisement. You won’t be sorry.