Some call it a racing game, others refer to it as a simulator, but gamers everywhere know it as the Forza Motorsport series. Forza Motorsport 6, the newest title from Turn 10 and Microsoft Studios, has earned the right to known as the best racing simulator available on the Xbox One. Featuring an epic globetrotting campaign, voice talent and endless supply of cars, Forza 6 has become the ultimate racing fantasy.
The tutorial to this game drops you immediately into the action, even if it is confusing at first, the game is designed to help you along. Forza 6 creates an environment that wants you to succeed and does so with the series’ trademark rewind and navigation features. The point being that after that first race is over, no matter how well you did, you will know that you can do better the next round. The single-player campaign developed by Turn 10 is built to entice gamers that at the very least have played a round of Mario Kart. Based on actual racing tournament rules, new players are given different categories of cars that qualify for the particular tournament. Choosing from any and everything, players utilize a seemingly endless supply of cars to race against some of the video game world’s most intelligent AI. Gradually, anyone who plays this game will learn the differences between sport and muscle cars and what makes Hatchbacks truly impressive.
The crowd reactions and foliage on the sidelines all look as good as the previous iterations. Lighting tweaks have made the skylines and scenic vistas even more beautiful as you race through Italian or Brazilian country sides. The only downside to all of this is that, like real life, you will crash if you take your eyes off the road, which are where the staple features of the Forza series come into play.
The rewind and navigation features are what truly make Forza 6 a unique experience. Whether you’re just figuring out how well a Camaro can handle turns, or trying to test out the brakes on your luxurious Bugatti Veyron, figuring out each car’s limits is the only way to get better. The blue arrows of Forza’s navigation feature teach you about the risk and rewards of taking wide or sharp turns, and although at first it may seem like the player is being talked down to, a more experienced racer may actually take advantage of these features. The game doesn’t force you to follow the arrows, which allow you to sneak around some of the more patient AI and shoot in front of the crowd.
The other form of accident forgiveness is the incomparable rewind feature. Starting out as a means by which to understand the twists and turns of each track, the feature’s true function is to teach you how to perfect each lap and build a positive relationship with your car. The game isn’t afraid to suggest that something might be the player’s fault, but it is always quick to show you how to do it better. By the time a player gets into their second championship, both features will become more passive since they’ll only feel necessary for when you truly mess up.
The driving is a refined version of what long-time players have experienced in previous entries in the series. However, the game does come with a new twist we haven’t seen in a Forza game until now – stormy weather. Admittedly, the weather system still isn’t as dynamically as one would hope, but driving rainy courses does actually force you to rethink what your car is capable of handling. Sliding out of control is by far the most infuriating experience within the game, but once you start avoiding deep puddles and get a better handle on traction, you’ll be overtaking noobs in no time.
Damage was always very detailed in the Forza series, but the damage effects in the latest entry are so realistic that the sole motivation for gamers to get better may be to purely keep their car in perfect condition. Even though it is still fun to spin out someone who was in first place and now has to slowly crawl their way back up from sixth, your car will not thank you for it, as it starts to chug along at a slower speed.
Leveling up is the most rewarding aspect of the game. With every level, the player participates in a tiny but exciting lottery mini-game. A wheel moves randomly across nine different prizes. Once the player stops the wheel, it slows down and eventually lands on a prize ranging from expert packs of modification cards, to millions of dollars, to the most expensive cars in the game. No matter what, you are guaranteed to get something that will enhance your gaming experience. Mod cards come into play before each race. Players can upgrade any car with a wide range of cards that allow them to permanently upgrade their handling expertise or temporarily move your car to a better starting position. Whichever way you choose to get the upper hand, the game encourages you to explore your options to figure out what works best for you.
The always online nature of the game may turn people away initially, but the features that it creates more than make up for the inconvenience. During Forza 6’s campaign, you are pitted against some of the most intelligent AI ever created for a video game. The ghosts you race against are the combined skill sets collected on every individual player to create an artificial intelligence that races like an actual human player. Preparing you for competitive online play, these ghosts give you the satisfaction of racing against other people, without the pain of incoherent insults yelled at you from halfway across the world.
Forza 6 acknowledges that everything sounds better with a British accent, especially when the people narrating are Richard Hammond and James May. The hosts of the world famous British TV series Top Gear have lent the game their voices, expertise and the likeness of their faceless driver The Stig. Their typical television antics may be missing from the game, but their familiar voices make the overload of information a little more accessible. Starting wide and pushing in, first they’ll explain the history of a type of car and what makes it great. Although the English gentlemen are not playable driver avatars within the game, Forza 6 exceeds in providing plenty of chances for gamers to live out their racing fantasies in more ways than the classic program.
In addition to the intense F1 and sports series challenges that are unlocked through the main game, Forza 6’s most exciting experience is that of racing Top Gear’s The Stig. Presented as an ultimate master of any and all cars, The Stig’s capabilities are infinitely better than yours. In short, he presents the game’s greatest challenges that you simply won’t be able to win without becoming great at the game first.
In evenly matched races that forgive you for making mistakes and encourage you to do better next time, Forza Motorsport 6 is the most politically correct racing simulator that also teaches you what you need to know to master a competitive racing game. The gameplay and side features are amazing, even though the visuals are only par for the course. Whether you’re playing to become a world champion racer, or simply curious how fast a Lamborghini can go, Forza Motorsport 6 will take you for a spin.
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