Forza Motorsport 6 Review
By UNDED
The latest installment in the Turn 10 developed franchise, Forza Motorsport 6, now brings the series water effects, better driving physics, and enough content to have you playing this game until the next Forzais released. There are three major racing modes: a highly extensive single player campaign, an enormous multiplayer mode, and showcase events that challenge you to battle it out in specific divisions with specific cars. You won’t need DLC for the game because the game is chock full of content, buy you’ll still want it anyway.
To start off, this game is gorgeous. All the cars from Holden to Hummers are recreated in the most excruciating detail down to headlight shine, rim shimmer, and the sun getting in your eyes. As your car gets damaged (and it will), the paint degrades and the body morphs into a twisted heap of metal racing around the track. The graphics are ever more present when you customize your car with decals and special paints and thanks to a copy/paste tool you’ll never have to guess if your decals match on both sides. Included is a Photo Mode that lets you stop the race whenever you see fit and take a sweet pic of your car with various filters and lighting effects.
The music itself is nothing special. It never hyped me up in a race, and sometimes reminded me more of an aviation game than anything else. More often than not, I would just put on my headphones and let my Spotify playlist do its thing. The sound effects, however, are a completely different story. Hearing the engine of my dream car (the Dodge Viper) roar to life in my first race gave me chills. Not just a beautiful sound effect, tires squealing will actually help you to recognize when you’re pushing the gas too hard, or braking too soon. As you pass by the finish line in your laps, you’ll also hear the crowd cheer you on.
Seeing as how Forza was Xbox’s answer to compete with PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, physics have always played a big part in the series. Here, Turn 10 has pulled all the stops. Racing on a regular track is hard enough, especially when you’re just starting to get the feel for things. I don’t play racing sims too often so this was something I had to get used to, but after a couple hours I was comfortable enough that I could start tuning my car. You can change the alignment of your suspension, the stiffness of the springs, and the downforce of the front and back of your car individually –tuning can get extremely extensive. Even so, I never felt that I couldn’t win a race if everything wasn’t tuned just right. In fact, all I ever “tuned” was the tire pressure. That’s right, the tire pressure alone meant the difference between 5thplace, and lapping the last few cars to take home 1st. I laugh to think just how much of a difference that would make on a real track, but maybe it does. Turn 10 has put so much detail into everything else in Forza for the past 10 years, I’d hate to think they’re exaggerating their seriousness for the sport. Still, tuning matters. Even with a “perfect” tune, the tracks are a “whole ‘nother beast” of their own. The first time I raced a wet track was the most horrific thing I endured in a racing game. The track was wet so I wasn’t trying to go too fast. As I was coming to a turn I saw a puddle of water in the road. Being the cautious man that I am, I took my foot off the accelerator and lightly tapped on the brake. Wrong. My car hydroplaned and sent me into the wall at 80mph. The state of the track can be a huge help as well. In one particularly memorable race, I started off the line and was in the back as usual, until the first turn when I hit a small pile of dirt scattered across the road. The dirt actually helped me to slide into the turns. One second I had grip, then I’d hit the dirt and lose as much traction as I needed, just to grip the road again and leave my opponents behind. I must have raced that track for an hour because I was having so much fun.
The single player career mode has no story to speak of, and that’s ok because this is a racing sim. The focus is not on the driver, but the gameplay. Thankfully, this is where Forza shines the brightest. The career mode will take you through various disciplines of racing including super street, grand touring, all the way up to ultimate motorsport. However, because of the Showcases mode, you don’t have to wait until your 70thhour into the game to race Formula or Super cars. As you progress through the story, Showcase mode unlocks different types of races. The first of which is a formula race around the Daytona Speedway. Truly exhilarating. In Showcase mode there is a sub-selection of races named “Moments in Motorsport” that focus on time-period specific cars. This is where I have to give all my respect to Turn 10. Here, they have paid homage to the pre-war birth of Grand Prix, classic American muscle, and even vintage experimental prototypes
Despite the soundtrack falling short; the gameplay, customization, and fun you’ll have makes Forza 6 a must own. Whether you’re a racing sim pro, or are a casual racing fan like me, Turn 10 has you covered. Two weeks into the game I’ve spent so much time with it and have just barely scratched the surface. I haven’t even had time to test out the split screen mode yet. With all the modes, cars, and built in features, Forza 6 is one of the few games this year that I can say with complete honesty is worth the sticker price.
New Challenger Gaming 