I was speeding down the road in my Mazda RX-7 a few turns into a race, calm as could be. This was relatively early in my racing career, with just a few races under my belt. Nothing was familiar at all, though, as I came into the first sharp corner. The sky was dark, rain was falling, and the track was wet. Racing in the rain sounded absurd, sure, but I was in the mood to tear up the racetrack. A large pool of water had settled on the track, right where my line usually was, but I didn’t think anything of it. This was where my zen, my calmness, went out the window. Despite slowing down a little more than usual because of the rain, that puddle of water and my front tires didn’t get along when I tried braking, causing me to barrel straight into a barricade of tires, which exploded into a wheeled, rubbery mess. Welcome to Forza Motorsport 6, Don.
Forza Motorsport 6, Turn 10’s latest racing-sim, is a beautiful adventure into cars and racing. The foundation appears to be mostly unchanged, but the game still feels fresh and welcoming. The similarities are the basic physics and the astonishing graphics. Racing through some- no, all- of these tracks can be breathtaking if you lose your focus on the task at hand. Admittingly, I have lost control through a few turns while taking in the scenery.
The most immediately apparent difference is the main hub. The options are broken down into simple sections, and everything is laid out nice and neat. Selecting a race, your car, or upgrading a car, is all very easy and intuitive. I love the new look, and normally the main interface isn’t something I spend any time mentioning.
Career races are also different this time around. First, the career path is broken into volumes, which breaks down the range of cars used. Each of the five volumes have three divisions, which is the series of races itself. And while it sounds more complicated than it is, the third selection of the class of car, such as Executive Sedan, where a BMW M5 would be selected. On paper, like I said, it sounds a little complicated but it’s incredibly simple.
In order to actually complete a volume, you have to complete the three series’ with all six of the classes of cars. Don’t fret, because while that may initially seem very time-consuming (and fun), these series’ only have to be completed once with any of the classes to move forward. This is one of the few ways Forza 6 breaks up the career and keeps it from being monotonous like some racing games tend to be.
The other feature that breaks up the career mode is the Showcase event, Those were, in previous interations, silly events that used to split up races in the past game and had to be played. Now they are no longer mandatory, which is great because while Showcase is fun, when I am in the zone to race, I just want to race. And now I can do that, and when I want a break, I can go bowling with cars. There are some serious events here, too, mind you. The autocrossing events in particular are pretty hardcore. The best part about Showcase events is that they can be played while in the middle of the series, so if you truly want a break and don’t want to free race or play online, you can take a quick break without leaving the series.
One of the mechanics that was brought over from Forza Horizon 2 is the prize wheel, because let’s face it, everyone loves winning cars. In a game where I have such a broad selection of cars per series, winning cars really simplifies my selection because I can just use a car I have won from the prize wheel, which appears every time the player is leveled up.
Another major addition is mods, which get equipped before a race. There are three types, which directly affect the upcoming race in various ways. Dare mods give you bonuses for completing certain objectives, which could be a penalty to your car or driving a certain way. Boost mods give you bonuses like credits or XP, but after being used are gone forever. The last mod type, Crew mods, have bonuses like an extra 16% grip, and are like Dare mods in the fact that they can be used an unlimited amount of times. Mods are either won from prize spins, or purchased with money and have four rarity’s, giving better bonuses for ones that are more rare. This new feature is another welcome one, and gives me an RNG-based option to spend my credits on, which I now have more of because of the prize cars.
Turn 10 finally added rain, per my opening paragraph, and night races. Rain is done phenomenally, and not simply a graphical update, directly affect the action on the track in significant ways. Having a wet track is bad enough, but when you factor in puddles, which are placed in areas where rain would actually puddle up based on elevation, racing in the rain becomes a little more frantic. Dodging puddles going over 150mph becomes more of a threat to your race than other cars.
Night racing changes the game a little as well, as I noticed a slight loss of grip. The darkness and cold pavement shake things up both physics wise and aesthetically, but it’s not near as engrossing as driving in the rain. The only thing I wish Forza 6 had at this point was a more dynamic weather system. Driving on a cloudy day, and then a thunderstorm blowing through while zipping along in my Nissan GT-R would make me so happy.
Forza Motorsport 6 still has Rivals, where leaderboard-based challenges are, and multiplayer. Leagues are the new multiplayer option, where you can hop into a room with people racing the same types of cars, and progress up a leaderboard based on your standing at the end. Being as the career is so engrossing, I have only raced a few of these races and the first League I jumped in hasn’t yet ended, so I’m not sure what the rewards are. But, like every other mode, as long as the car is in your garage, you are going to gain credits, XP, and proficiency with your automakers.
Quite a bit has changed in Forza Motorsport 6, and almost every change has been for the better. Even the things that haven’t changed much, like the physics and Drivatars, are top-notch features that make Forza a golden brand. Based on Forza 5’s post-game support, it’s safe to say Forza 6 is going to be the top dog for a while when it comes to the sim-racing scene on consoles.
This review was written with review code provided by the publisher. For more on our review process, please read here.
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