

Forza Motorsport 6 might take itself way too seriously, but there's an argument to be made as to why - it's one of developer Turn 10's best games, and leads the pack over the likes of Driveclub and Project Cars.



According to Forza Motorsport 6, there is nothing in the entire world more important than the racing of - or just admiration of - fast cars.

They are important. You should care. Everything about the game tells you this, from the grossly aspirational voiceovers to the really rather comically over-the-top epic soundtrack.



If Forza Motorsport 6 weren't as good a game as it is, that would really serve as a bloody big nail in its coffin - confidence that strays horribly into arrogance, which would be a big helping of hubris were the game bad. Thankfully, this game is not bad. It's actually very good.



There's been a fair few moves to bring Forza 6 up to the standards people expected from its predecessor. Fortunately, there are more cars than before - and all of them actually crafted for Xbox One, so they look bloody gorgeous - and the track list is back up to previous numbers, with 10 new tracks making themselves known.





After laughing at Turn 10's announcement of it and then saying, 'Yeah, but Driveclub has rain in it', some of us need to be eating our words. Rainy races in Forza 6 are incredible.



These include the gorgeous Rio de Janeiro, the revamped Daytona International Speedway, the 'we don't know what to put here' Watkins Glen, and British classic Brands Hatch.



As well as the new tracks, there are new ways to take them on - in rainy weather and at night. Yes, night racing is a thing that's been around before, but this time there's a couple of new touches to it: firstly, when it gets dark, it gets dark.

To the point where the game itself feels totally different; you're almost scared to progress along a track because you can only see what your headlights highlight.

Second, and more press release-y, is that the physics simulation takes on board things like a lower temperature at night time, making the tarmac and tyres react differently with one another. We'll have to take Turn 10's word on that, though.

Racing in the rain is one of the marquee new features for Forza 6, and after laughing at Turn 10's announcement of it and then saying, 'Yeah, but Driveclub has rain in it', some of us need to be eating our words. Rainy races in Forza 6 are incredible.



Aside from the fact they look utterly spectacular, with wet mist kicked up from every one of the 24 cars on-track, races in wet weather play very differently to those in clearer conditions. There's the obvious ones, like how braking takes longer and so turning is affected, but Turn 10's big focus has been on - puddles!



Yes, puddles. They're physically rendered and accurate to where they would be on a real-life track, apparently, and if you hit them... well, you'd better be prepared. Even the simplest of high-speed straights can go awry if you hit a deep puddle too hard, or at the wrong angle.

It's a novel new consideration to take into account, even if sometimes it does feel like you're just avoiding oil spills on the original Super Mario Kart.



Career mode continues in the fashion introduced last time around - it's no rags-to-riches story of a driver working their way up from a second-hand Nissan Micra to a brand new Bugatti Veyron.



Instead you play through five different series of races, called Stories of Motorsport. Each one covers a different step in the evolution of a racing driver, from street cars all the way through to ludicrous, track-ready monsters that put your VW Golf into stark contrast.

Within each story is a series of races, each with a different theme - race tracks, street tracks, night races, daybreak races and so on - and each allows you to choose from six different categories of car or truck. Or van. Because the Ford Transit returns, thankfully.



It does still feel a bit sudden compared to older Forza ways of doing career mode - you can be in a car you'd never get anywhere near in real life within minutes. It will suit some players down to the ground, but we can't help but feel like a bit of the effort - a bit of the journey - is lost by putting you straight into the good cars.



Stories of Motorsport are backed up by Showcase events - there are plenty of these, unlocked fairly frequently, and each gives you a chance to experience another race, vehicle, stipulation or whatever as you go.

Don't be put off by the first one - a 'Turn left a lot' Indycar showcase - they get better, with the likes of endurance races thrown in, if you've a few hours to spare.



Top Gear also makes its return to Forza, though this year it's sans Jeremy Clarkson. Unlike the real-life show, though, it does come with James May and Richard Hammond, who offer audio descriptions of types of car in a way that, while functional enough, feels a mite phoned-in.



Much better is the series of events in which you challenge the Stig in a bunch of different cars - Ariel Atoms, Audi RS6's, Ferrari FF's and more. It's as straightforward as can be, but that simplicity is a huge boon.

Another new addition to Forza 6 is mods. This is a card system, basically - you unlock cards by purchasing packs with in-game currency, and each card is one of three things: a crew card, a dare card or a straightforward boost.



Crew and dare cards are unlimited use - you apply them and receive boosts when it's the former, and penalties/restrictions resulting in better rewards from the latter.



So you might apply a crew card to improve grip by 10%, while also adding on a dare card that turns off the racing line completely and awards 15% more credits at the end of the race.

Boost cards offer bigger and better gains - like being moved up in the starting lineup - but are consumed on use, so need some more thought applied to them.

This brings us neatly into microtransactions - something you'd expect to be backing up the mods system, what with its packs of cards being thrust on you and you being encouraged to buy them.

But no - Turn 10 has learned from the backlash against Forza 5's terrible token system and has removed microtransactions - as far as we can tell - entirely from the game.





Turn 10 has learned from the backlash against Forza 5's terrible token system and has removed microtransactions - as far as we can tell - entirely from the game.



There's still paid-for DLC, and car packs are available as of day one - as well as the VIP pass and inevitable track/mode packs that will pop up in future.



But there's no push to squeeze every last penny out of every single player - card packs are affordable with in-game currency, and frequent prize spins awarded on levelling up bring a steady stream of packs, credits and even new cars. It feels good to not be scammed by a game for once.



Forza Motorsport 6 is a terrific game. It misses a few minor beats, with yet another career mode that throws you straight in there, and good god the serious attitude of the game is sickening at best. But this is one of the best driving simulations out there: it's the game launch title Forza 5 really should have been.



We're a bit spoiled for choice in great driving games this console generation, and Forza 6 screeches in and finds itself a place at the head of the table with consummate ease. Your move, Driveclub, Project Cars and Gran Turismo.

5

Release Date: September 15 (worldwide)

Platforms Available On: Xbox One

Developer: Turn 10 Studios

Publisher: Microsoft Studios

Genre: Racing simulator









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