For the second time in two weeks, Turn 10 Studios is giving its gamers an early Christmas present. Not that we’re complaining because we’re positively giddy about this particular new DLC, dubbed the Storm Island Expansion Pack. Unlike most expansion packs, including the recently unveiled NAPA Chassis Car Pack, the Storm Island Expansion Pack has a laundry list of new goodies that aren’t limited to the usual vehicular offerings. In this case, we’re getting a new location, 90 new events under five new event types, a brand new Car Meet, and new Bucket List challenges.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The pack also comes with five new cars and trucks,->ke1311 plus a new barn find car that Turn 10 Studios is keeping under wraps for the time being.

The five vehicles are made up of a platter of off-road and rally racers, all of which are perfectly suited to handle the treacherous world of Storm Island. The most notable, at least in my opinion, is the 2013 Robby Gordon #7 Speed Energy Drink Stadium Super Truck, a 600-horsepower monolith that Gordon used to win the Stadium Super Truck series in 2013. This bad-boy will certainly be at home on Storm Island and the location’s abrupt and dramatic terrain changes.

Should you feel that Gordon’s beastly Stadium Super Truck isn’t to your liking, you can opt to play with any one of these other options, including the 2013 MINI Monster Energy All4 Racing X-Raid, the 2014 Ford Ranger T6 Rally Raid, the 1981 Ford Fiesta XR2, and the 1992 Mitsubishi Galant VR-4.

None of these vehicles are as sexy as the cars included in the NAPA Chassis Car Pack, but they’re likely your best chances of surviving in Storm Island. That is, if you think driving a McLaren 650S in that mysterious and foreboding environment is a good idea.

The Forza Horizon 2: Storm Island expansion can now be purchased from the Xbox->ke3732 Live Store for $20. It’s exclusive to the Xbox One->ke4786 so be wary of the system you’re using before making the splurge. If you’re a VIP, you get the pack at a discount of 50 percent, making your purchase just $10 bucks.

Click past the jump to read more about Forza Horizon's new Storm Island Expansion Pack.

Why it matters

The Storm Island Expansion Pack not only offers Forza Horizon 2 gamers a new racing environment to obsess over, but the Storm Island location also opens up new racing events specific to this location.

If you want to get your fix running point-to-point off-road sprints, the “Rampage” event is just for you. This new feature lets you take control of your ride and contend with obstacles and smashables before crossing the finish line. The name says it all, really. It’s also kind of like the “Brawl” event that you can play with your ride-of-choice and blast through the extreme and obstacle-field terrain of Storm Island.

Should you want to play something already familiar to Forza Horizon 2, the "Extreme Cross Country" event on Storm Island takes it up to, well, an extreme level. From high elevation changes to sharp drops in various terrain types, Extreme Cross Country definitely lives up to its name. Oh, you’ll also have to contend with strong storms on the island as if the course itself isn't difficult on its own.

Okay, so maybe Extreme Cross Country isn’t your cup of tea. You can instead opt to do the "Cross Country Circuit," which pits you against the same unpredictable challenges offered by Storm Island in multi-lap race formats. You need a whole lot of intestinal fortitude to tackle this event.

Speaking of fortitude, the "Gauntlet" event is the ultimate challenge on Storm Island. These involve point-to-point races designed specifically for long and arduous races that don’t carry the benefit of driver aides at any point in the race. All you have is your car and the light from the moon helping you navigate through a stormy and obviously dangerous off-road track. Sounds fun, right?

 

If you can survive all these events on Storm Island, then you’ve earned the right to go online and play in the pack’s four new multi-player Playground arenas, which includes 20 new online race routes, six Gauntlet events, three new Showdown events and five online championship types on any one of the five events.

As an added bonus, Turn 10 Studios is also giving Forza Horizon 2 players a special 1983 Audi Sport quattro dressed in a custom Storm Island livery and fitted with Storm Island rally tires, suspension, and transmission upgrades.