Forza 5 was an early title for XBOX One and was a game that brought a lot to the new console, a great way to experience what could be on offer. We have been playing the new Forza and have some points to share.
CARS
The cars in Forza has never been a short list and Forza 6 has 450 cars on offer. Aussies will love to see the V8 Supercar range with Ford, Holden, Mercedes, Nissan and Volvo as well as a few other Australian cars old and new.
The range of cars in Forza 6 is extremely varied. A Fiat 500, a Formula 1 car, a wartime Jeep and a Tesla Model S, to name a few. There is no shortage of creativity in the list and I am sure you will find one you like. Or ten.
One thing that frustrates us about Forza is the downloadable content. Forza 6 will launch with DLC available on day one. This means that even after spending your money on the game, you will need to fork out even more REAL money unlocking a car pack from Fast and the Furious. This is such a disappointment as it just sucks more real money from our pockets. In Forza 5 we would have easily spent as much on DLC than we did on buying the game originally. The way this has started indicates it’ll be the same again, the car packs are great but c’mon Turn 10, you’ve made enough money from our original purchase surely.
MODIFICATIONS
The modifications and types of changes you can make to the cars is relatively unchanged from Forza 5, basically all mechanicals can be swapped out and tuned. The one thing we noticed was that the conversions are a little insane this time around. We bought an original Fiat 500 and managed to throw a twin turboed V8 under the hood and AWD. The game doesn’t seem to consider what is even possible in reality. But, that Fiat went like a rocket, completely undrivable though.
TRACKS
There are over 20 race tracks in the game however plenty of configurations and variations of each track. While Spa is one of the great tracks in the game it is able to be raced during the day, night and in the rain. All three environments creating entirely different experiences. The wet weather driving in this game may be the biggest differentiator from Forza 5, or any racing game. The environment changes feel real and have genuine impacts on the game. If you don’t respect the changed conditions on the track you will find it very unforgiving and you’ll be in the wall. Our favourite track is Rio, it is new in Forza 6 but it is a beautiful spectacle. Tight, twisty, hilly, and more, all in one track.
RACING
The racing in Forza 6 brings the drivatar feature from Forza 5 and has you racing AI controlled versions of your mates on the track. The grid is huge in this game and up to 24 cars could be lining up at once. This is great fun and allows you to get more overtaking done. The AI cars do make mistakes, they do push you around at times and they don’t make winning races easy. Damage on the cars in the race is well done and unforgiving. If you think you can barge your way to the front then you are in a lot of trouble. Patience in racing is important and if you hit that tyre wall in real life, expect a similar impact on the car in the game, good to see.
FRAMEWORK
The framework around the game is relatively the same from Forza 5, a few game modes such as career, free play, challenges etc. One key difference in Forza 6 is a pokie style reward whenever your driver level is upgraded. For us this meant millions of dollars and new cars. This was great as it allowed us to purchase and upgrade high-end Ferrari’s, the Radical and more. This part we’ll talk about more in the longevity. Something we loved in Forza 5 and even more in 6 is the vista experience. Looking at a car in Forza, opening the doors, getting in the car, taking the roof off the convertible, popping the bonnet etc was just beautiful. If you love cars then this is just heavenly.
GAME LONGEVITY
We’ve had the game for a little over a week and we enjoy it. The best way to give an opinion on a game though is six months later, are we still playing it and enjoying it then? FIFA 15 for us is an example of a game with longevity, something I will enjoy playing any day. Right now we think that Forza 6 won’t be one of those games. Besides the differences mentioned above you find yourself going through the motions in the same fashion all over again, start race, win race, buy car, upgrade car and repeat. The addition of the pokie prizes meant that we were able to buy cars and upgrade cars very quickly. This meant that we weren’t yearning for a La Ferrari for long, we bought one on the first day! If you get to the top of the mountain so quickly, where else can you go? This concerns us and hope that as the career progresses we will find other challenges to keep it interesting.
We rode in the Ford Racing XBOX car which features in the game
CHEQUERED FLAG
Forza 6 is one of the best racing games we have played. The graphics, car range, tracks and experience is far ahead of anything we have seen. It is impossible not to be impressed by the spectacle. Where Forza 6 doesn’t deliver though is how the game is really different to versions prior. If you haven’t played Forza 5 then this game will blow your mind now and still in 4 months time. If you are coming from Forza 5 though then it may feel like one big software update and not a whole new game.
