Well, I've had a play with the demo today and have to admit to being pleasantly surprised.
Watched Jack's review first off and from what I saw looked worth the effort to try the demo. I was well aware that Forza Horizon was not going to be a sim on the same levels as say a GT5 or Forza4, but you can see/feel the Forza inspired game engine. It's a sort of Forza 4 sim-cade version. Comes with in car cockpit view (unlike say GRID 2) so those that prefer the behind the wheel feel, are catered for.
Gameplay seems to be a mixture of TDU/Midnight Club/Forza/DIRT (probably not a surprise given the collaberation of programmers that make up Playground Games) as the 3 in game challenges on offer in the demo are found by driving to your given destination and then taking on the challenge, much like TDU/Midnight Club. The 3 cars available all have their own handling characteristics, so Forza Horizon hasn't dumbed down the physics to a level where every car feels the same. The Evo handles differently from the Viper and they are both different to the Mustang.
Off road racing was real good fun, running in a pack of AI in one challenge, and with the AI level cranked up to 'Insane' it makes for a helluva battle and the AI seemed to behave really well as far as racing game AI controlled cars go.
The area available in the demo is restricted as many roads have shimmering walls that reset your car if you attempt to drive through, as obviously these will be available in the full game. There appears to be plenty of road/dirt track to get to grips with come the full release. As you drive around you can see the 'Horizon' festival in full swing, but are unable to get to it, lol.
Rivals makes a welcome return and operates in the demo much like it did in Forza 4, giving you the next best time ahead of your own and giving you the chance to go head-to-head with your opponents ghost car in the hope of taking down their time.
Whilst it is not a game to be pitched against the PC oriented sims of iRacing, Assetto Corsa, GSC 2012 and rfactor or even Forza 4 and GT5 on consoles, for me it certainly has its place and makes for a solid, fun alternative from the usual circuit racing and will be an ideal alternative when just looking for some driving fun.
The demo was enough for me to pre-order and whilst it ain't the greatest driving title ever released, it is far from being the worst.