RSS Feeds NGN on Facebook NGN on Twitter NGN on YouTube
Tuesday March 19, 2024
Header logo
  1. Index
  2. » Articles
  3. » Reviews
  4. » Forza Motorsport 6

Forza Motorsport 6 Review

Sim racing franchise returns to form with its second entry on Xbox One

Posted by on

Forza Motorsport 5 was the debut title for the iconic racing franchise on the Xbox One, and while it was a generally good game, there were a number of issues to contend with. Whether it was due to the time or budget constraints, the team at Turn 10 were not quite able to match the stellar experience of Forza Motorsport 4 on Xbox 360. So when I say that Forza Motorsport 6 is everything that 5 should have been, and is the real debut for the franchise on Xbox One, the words may not carry as much impact. But you better believe it, and start those engines – Forza Motorsport 6 brings the franchise back to greatness.

Forza Motorsport 6

To get players right into the experience, Forza Motorsport 6 opens with a race in the new 2017 Ford GT cover car on the sunny and twisted streets of Rio. It’s a solid enough intro for newcomers that aims to awe, but with all assists on, simulation fans will want to get it over with. From there, you’re dumped straight into the career mode, named Stories of Motorsport. It’s actually a long while before you get to see the game’s slick main menu, and can just keep going through the career mode till your fingers tire.

The career mode is broken up into five sections (named Volumes), each offering a look at a specific grade of racing machines. You start off in the street class, and move on to Pro Racing and beyond. Within each volume are three series, and those contain between 4 to 6 race events. The series essentially act as a way to group races together by a theme of some sort – a trip through the US tracks, or a collection of night races. And in classic Forza style, each race offers six different car groups that can participate. So you’ll always be racing with a car of your choice; whether it’s a hatchback that you take to every event, or something new each time. Overall, the career mode is an enjoyable trek through the car disciplines, though it offers the same design that Forza has stuck with for a few years.

What helps the career mode stay fresh is the content. There are over 20 tracks included, with 9 being brand new to the series. Compared to Forza 5, this means you won’t be racing in Prague every 5th race, and Nürburgring is here at launch this time. Along with the usual collection of world famous locations, there are new tracks such as Circuit of the Americas, Daytona, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

But the bigger news is that rain and nighttime are making their debut in the franchise. Although these conditions are static for the duration of the race, it’s a long-overdue introduction of a feature that has previously appeared in other racing games. It was certainly worth the wait – driving through the ‘Ring at night is a nerve wracking experience, and trying to stay between the lines during a rainy day at the Top Gear track is both exhilarating and fun. The new weather and daytime changes do add some nice atmosphere to the races, and all of the corresponding water and lighting effects look great. It’s rather disappointing, then, that these conditions are featured on less than 10 circuits each, and do not cross over (racing at night in the rain won't happen). It was undoubtedly a lot of effort to accurately position and simulate light sources and puddles on the tracks, so hopefully in future games we’ll see this expanded to the full gamut of race locations.

Forza Motorsport 6

To help add variety to career, FM6 offers Showcase events that have been made popular in racing games over the last few years. These one-off events are gradually unlocked over the course of the career mode, and you can come back and try them at any time. From racing The Stig's Digital Cousin in a one vs. one showdown, to a special event featuring unique cars and conditions, to endurance races - there is a lot of diversity. Perhaps the only downside is that you can't see the payout for winning a Showcase without loading it first - some turn out to be not worth the effort.

You’ll be hitting the starting grid of these tracks in one of Forza Motorsport 6’s staggering 400+ car roster, which is more than twice the number of cars at launch in Forza Motorsport 5. There’s brand new 2016 models, the usual assortment of supercars, sports, compact class cars, muscle cars, Grand Prix beasts, and more. Over 60 different manufacturers are in the game, not to mention the inclusion of cars from motorsport series such as Formula E, V8 Supercars, FIA World Touring Car Championship, and more. And every single one of them can be used in the Forzavista mode, which means fully modeled interiors, interactivity, stats, and an audio narration. Further, unlike the needlessly restrictive FM5, players can “rent” any car in the game and use it in Free Racing mode, even in splitscreen with a friend. Truly, Forza Motorsport 6 is sure to please even the most casual automobile fan.

But if you’re the sort of career-focused player that actually wants to collect ‘em all, there’s good news as well. As before, players will be earning experience points for their driver profile, and also for manufacturer affinity. Each time you level up your affinity (by using the same car maker for racing), you get a cash bonus. With each driver level increase, you get a prize spin – similar to Forza Horizon. This helps get some extra cars and cash on a consistent basis. Creative types can earn their worth by sharing car tunes and liveries. Further, there's cars and cash that series fans will get automatically for free via the loyalty rewards program. Following the highly microtransaction-focused FM5 launch, the economy in FM6 feels much improved, and the car token system is absent, at least for now.

The extra cash can be spent on the usual assortment of performance and visual upgrades for your rides that all Forza fans will be instantly familiar with. You can also still tweak every little thing around your car’s performance, from tire pressure to gear shifting, as dedicated fans of the franchise have been doing for a while. The tunes (and visual customizations) can be shared with others, and if players use them, you can receive some credit income.

Forza Motorsport 6

Before hitting the starting grid, there’s one more new feature to mention. Mods have been added to single player races. These act kind of like Titanfall’s Burn Cards – you collect mods by opening packs, bought with credits. The three card types are Crew, Dare, and Boost, and they also come with different rarity values. Crew cards offer a specific bonus, such as +3% grip or power, and have unlimited use. Dare cards (also unlimited use) act as challenges – for example, being forced to use a specific camera angle or reducing your braking efficiency; and if you still succeed, you’ll be granted bonus credits. Finally, Boost cards are one-time use, and also offer a variety of benefits, such as increased payout, more horsepower, or improved starting grid position.

The rarity of the card dictates the card’s effects – a rare Crew card will give a higher performance bonus; a rare Dare card will offer a difficult condition but with a higher reward. There are three slots for mods, and they can contain any number of Boosts, but only one Crew and one Dare card. Overall, this is an entirely optional system, but it’s simple fun that provides even more variety to offline racing. Perhaps the only annoyance is that mod packs are included in prize spins - thus reducing your chance of an actually valuable prize like a car or cash.

Your mods are set, and your car is tuned and roaring to go. You may yet choose to undertake a practice session, as there is no qualifying. But for those that enjoy living on the edge, it's time to race. Forza Motorsport has never had an issue producing a solid car racing simulation, and FM6 is no exception. All of the cars in the game feel different, unique in their own ways, and the calculations that go on under the game's hood result in a realistic race day experience. But there's an important aspect to it - it's fun. FM6 makes it a joy to drive, from the everyday Honda to the extreme LaFerrari. From the sometimes annoying understeer and slippery roads of FM5, Forza Motorsport 6 handling feels smooth and purely enjoyable.

Forza Motorsport 6

That being said, on medium settings this is probably one of the less challenging games in the series; it will be a great entry point for newcomers, but veterans will need to tweak their assists and Driveatar difficulty to be challenged. The Driveatar system returns, letting you race against the profiles of other real players that mimic human behavior. Not much has changed in this regard.

While the nighttime racing may impact your lap times because you can't always see where the next turn is, rain will certainly challenge drivers to be at their best. While it's only found on a few tracks, the rain is simulated very well. From the slippery road itself to the deadly puddles that form, not only does it look realistic, your car responds in an appropriately unpredictable manner. It truly is a test for all drivers, and you'll be just as happy keeping your car on the road as you will leading the race. With 24 cars on the track (making for some very congested areas), it's a free for all out there.

You'll probably encounter your most intense racing, rain or otherwise, during online play. Here, also featuring up to 24 cars per race, is where your true skill will be showcased. Unless someone slams into the group on the first corner, that is. But that's the joy of playing with strangers. The multiplayer system is similar to what we've seen in the past - there are a number of different disciplines to choose from, and you can also create your own private lobbies and tweak just about every aspect of the race day. If you happen to join a public lobby with a race in progress, you can now jump in and observe it thanks to a spectator mode. When it comes to the races themselves, FM6 doesn't showcase any glitching or teleporting cars, even when playing with folks across the world. As long as your connection is good, you'll have a smooth online race.

Forza Motorsport 6

Also returning is the Rivals system. Much as before, the game will constantly compare your times against friends and random online opponents, and challenge you to beat them. Doing so results in a reward payout and a new opponent. Thanks to a helpful new feature, you can see and download the tune (and also paint) of every player on leaderboards, in multiplayer lobbies, and so on. So you'll know you're trying to beat a Rival using exactly the same car and tune they did. A level playing field for all leaderboard hopefuls.

A whole new subset of multiplayer is Leagues. Here, the developers create various races for players to participate in, that have a start and end date. As you continue to race in the League event, you'll earn points based on your results. When the League ends, your payout will depend on how well you ranked - your standing can be seen at any time on the League leaderboard for the current event. Leagues also offer skill based matchmaking by placing you into one of five divisions. The more you race and the better you do, the more likely you are to be moved up to higher tiers. Developer-controlled Leagues are a nice structured addition to the multiplayer of FM6.

The Forza Motorsport franchise continues to be a good looking game with its sixth iteration. It's the amount of detail that is impressive, rather than perhaps the technical prowess. The game does look good, no doubt, but there are signs of inconsistent quality - some jagged lines reveal themselves on certain cars, there are notable draw distance issues, and the objects on the sides of the road can look poor. Car damage modeling remains very limited. However, these are minor imperfections in a game that's immersive during night/rain, features 24 cars on the track, has a great sense of speed, and does it all at an unwavering 1080p and 60fps.

Forza Motorsport 6

Audio design is similarly great. From the roar of a 2015 Corvette Z06, to the more sophisticated purr of a Ferrari or Lamborghini, to the ear-splitting road of a 2015 Lotus E23, you won't find any hiccups in the audio. Further, the Top Gear partnership means you'll hear the voices of Richard Hammond and James May for every car class. Various racing car icons also narrate relevant showcase events.

Forza Motorsport 6 marks the full, overwhelmingly impressive debut for the racing franchise on the Xbox One. With this release, it's difficult not to look back at FM5 in a negative light, because this time around the game gets almost everything right. From the huge amount of offline racing, to the extensive roster of cars and tracks, to the well organized multiplayer. There's not much that FM6 gets wrong, and even though it comes up a bit short in some areas, and lacks innovation in others, what is here is well worth the gate admission ticket.

Our ratings for Forza Motorsport 6 on Xbox One out of 100 (Ratings FAQ)
Presentation
84
A few small problem areas; the game looks and sounds great overall.
Gameplay
89
Car simulation racing at its finest. Maybe a bit easy on medium settings, but that just means everyone can join in on the racing.
Single Player
85
The career mode is typical for a Forza game, and it still works. What's more important - the economy has been fixed, the amount of cars and tracks is staggering, and there is a lot to see and do for everyone.
Multiplayer
80
Classic multiplayer options, with Leagues hoping to provide some additional dev-controlled variety.
Performance
90
What FM6 may trade off in looks, it certainly makes up for by keeping a solid framerate at all times.
Overall
85
Forza Motorsport 6 marks the true arrival of the franchise on the Xbox One. From an overabundance of content to great gameplay, the bar has once again been set for simulation racing on consoles.
Comments
Forza Motorsport 6
Forza Motorsport 6 box art Platform:
Xbox One
Our Review of Forza Motorsport 6
85%
Great
The Verdict:
Game Ranking
Forza Motorsport 6 is ranked #191 out of 1953 total reviewed games. It is ranked #13 out of 110 games reviewed in 2015.
191. Forza Motorsport 6
192. Dark Souls 3
PC
Related Games
Forza Motorsport (2023) Forza Motorsport (2023)
Platform: Xbox Series X
Released: October 2023
Developer: Turn 10 Studios
Forza Horizon 5 Forza Horizon 5
Platform: Xbox Series X
Released: November 2021
Developer: Playground Games
Forza Horizon 4 Forza Horizon 4
Platform: Xbox One
Released: October 2018
Developer: Playground Games
Forza Motorsport 7 Forza Motorsport 7
Platform: Xbox One
Released: October 2017
Developer: Turn 10 Studios
Forza Horizon 3 Forza Horizon 3
Platform: Xbox One
Released: September 2016
Developer: Playground Games
Forza Horizon 2 Forza Horizon 2
Platform: Xbox One
Released: September 2014
Developer: Playground Games
Screenshots

Forza Motorsport 6
6 images added Jun 16, 2015 05:50
Videos
Forza Motorsport 6 - Teaser Trailer
Posted: Jan 14, 2015 20:51
Forza 6 - E3 Gameplay Trailer
Posted: Jun 19, 2015 10:00
Forza Motorsport 6 - Racing in the Ra...
Posted: Aug 4, 2015 22:18
Advertisement ▼
New Game Network NGN Facebook NGN Twitter NGN Youtube NGN RSS