REVIEW: Forza Motorsport 6

The Forza Motorsport series has always been at the forefront of simulation racing. Turn 10 wanted the next-generation racing experience to be better than it has ever been so they went back to the drawing board. Tracks were rescanned, more detail was added to cars, and damage was improved. Forza Motorsport 5 laid a very strong foundation for the future of the franchise. While Forza Motorsport 5 was an excellent title, it featured less cars and tracks than its predecessor on Xbox 360. The inclusion of microtransactions and limited ways to earn credits were not welcome additions. Gamers also wanted nighttime racing and weather for a varied experience. Forza Motorsport 6 needed to go beyond everyone’s expectations. From our time with the game, which totals to more than a hundred hours since we got a copy at the end of August, we can say with confidence that it surpasses all simulation racing titles out there.

The most important feature that Forza Motorsport 6 needed was the ability to earn credits with relative ease and the removal of microtransactions. Both of these have been implemented in the title. Turn 10 confirmed that the game would not include any microtransactions. This is very important because the addition of the mods system, which we will get to later in the review, relies on purchasing packs through in-game currency. While it is a natural fit for microtransactions, we are glad that Turn 10 opted for a different model unlike other racing games out there.

The addition of the prize wheel—which is accessible every time you level up—makes purchasing the car of your dreams that much easier. The minigame rewards you with hundreds of thousands of credits and expensive vehicles. You can also win coveted mods through it. Races also give a lot of credits.

Some of the other notable additions to Forza Motorsport 6 have to be the new weather system and nighttime racing. The weather system goes beyond rain and includes climate specific events like sandy wind or shedding leaves. The rain in Forza Motorsport 6 sets a new standard because it includes three-dimension puddles. Many racing titles that have come out in the past modify the parameters for the entire track to make it slippery during storms. Forza Motorsport 6 has puddles and varying degrees of friction for different parts of the track. This makes driving that more complex and engaging. While in other titles you can just ease off the gas to compensate for how slippery the track is, in Forza Motorsport 6 you have to avoid puddles and make choices on which ones you will pass through using which wheel. We have never experienced this in a racing game before.

Nighttime racing is rather terrifying on some tracks. We would encourage you to turn off guided lines to experience what Forza Motorsport 6 has to offer for this racing variant. Going down the Nürburgring in total darkness is one of the most exhilarating experiences ever in any video game. It was genuinely frightening and amazing at the same time. Forza Motorsport 6 might have included weather and nighttime events much later than the competition, but it definitely delivers the best execution by far.

We cannot talk about Forza Motorsport 6 without discussing the photorealistic graphics. Weather, darkness, cars, tracks, and lighting have never looked better in any other Forza game. While the graphical leap might not be as significant between Forza Motorsport 5 and Forza Motorsport 6, the softening of the edges and improvements in textures, lighting, and reflections are a sight to behold. The refinement is definitively noticeable and appreciated. Turn 10 has gone to great lengths to foster realism in the title. Even the windshield gathers dirt during a race.

Gamers will also be excited to know that the immediate spectators are not cardboard cutouts anymore. They are properly modeled and have many different animations. When you drive past a crowd, they actually jump, clap, and cheer for you. Little additions like fleeing birds as you skid off the road are great touches that enhance the race. We could go on and on about the little details but one of the most amazing races to experience has to be on the Rio de Janeiro track. While driving through the city, a massive passenger plane lands very close to you at a nearby airport. It is great to see some theatricality from Forza Horizon 2 make it ways into Forza Motorsport 6.

Nowadays when a game is advertised as 1080p 60 FPS, it usually means it is really 60 FPS half of the time. You should expect dips and other issues. We have seen this problem with many titles in the past. You will be happy to know that when Turn 10 says 1080p 60 FPS, they mean it. We did not encounter any frame rate problems in any of our races. There were no issues during rain, sand, or nighttime events. Even the giant plane landing next to the racetrack and fireworks going off in the distance did not impact performance. The game maintained a steady 60 FPS. Usually there are noticeable drops in any game but Forza Motorsport 6 seems to be that rare exception. The gameplay is flawless.

Unlike Forza Motorsport 5, Forza Motorsport 6 separates career and showcase events into different groups. This allows you to freely partake in career events using your own car collection, or jump ahead to special showcase events that feature cars you do not own. It makes it possible for a beginner to experience some of the most thrilling moments in racing, such as speeding down Daytona in an Indy car at 230 MPH. Forza Motorsport 5 rarely provided these moments but it is good to see this problem has been rectified in its successor.

There are 24 cars on track now too. This makes any race a lot more fun and intense. The Drivatar in Forza Motorsport 5 felt very aggressive but thankfully Forza Motorsport 6 gives you the option to dial it down and make them more civilized. This is another welcome addition. The multiplayer is robust and continues the tradition of the franchise. We played it a lot and could not get enough. Racing with your friends is even more fun than racing alone. The refinements introduced in Forza Motorsport 6 also enhance the online experience.

Forza Motorsport 6 also boasts the largest number of tracks available at launch. In addition to all the tracks available in Forza Motorsport 5, there are nine new tracks added from destinations around Europe and the Americas. The number of cars that can be collected is at 460 right now. Forza veterans can rest assured that almost all cars available in Forza Horizon 2 also appear in Forza Motorsport 6. This makes the game one of the biggest racing titles out there.

Now we have to talk about one of the most important additions to the game—mods. Mods are like equipment that you can earn by winning prizes or hitting affinity level 25 with a certain manufacturer. You can also purchase mod packs with varying costs. More expensive packs yield rare mods that offer better perks. The common ones are single use boosters such as those that help you gain extra experience. Some mods have unlimited use when equipped. They can enhance the performance of the vehicle like adding extra grip. Apart from that, there are very rare mods that disable certain features of the game to make it challenging or just more fun. You earn massive credit bonuses by using these ones.

As stated earlier, mod packs can be bought for in-game credits. There are no microtransactions so you do not have to worry about spending anything else on them. They just work during career events so you do not have to worry about certain racers having unfair advantages during multiplayer. We loved this addition to the franchise and hope it is expanded upon in future titles.

We forgot to mention one last topic. The game allows you to choose your driver. You can play as a male or female and customize emblems that let you to express your individuality in single-player and multiplayer modes. This is definitely a welcome addition to the game and reminded me of the emblems from the Halo titles.

Tuning is also back and better than ever. We felt that there was more variety to the customization than what was offered in Forza Motorsport 5. The improved user interface makes everything simpler and more robust. Forza Motorsport 6 allows you to do whatever you want to do to your vehicle. We have to warn you that tinkering around too much without knowing what you are doing will result in disaster. There are many tutorials out there that will help you get started with this expansive feature that has been a highlight of the franchise for many years. Just be careful because you might end up making an unstable car.

Forza Motorsport 6 is a triumph on multiple fronts. The new features, the graphics, the rain, the nighttime driving, the player customization, and the showcase events…everything makes it a wonderful racing simulator. We tried to find issues with this title but we could not. We were blown away by how amazing it is. It is a marked improvement over Forza Motorsport 5 and builds upon what it offered gamers during the launch of Xbox One. Forza Motorsport 6 is a crowning achievement in the genre and is addicting and scintillating. We cannot recommend it enough and if you own the next-generation console, you need to experience this game.