Forza Motorosport 6 Review

This is a review of Forza Motorsport 6 for Xbox One. To be fair, this entire review is based only on the demo of Forza 6 which you can download now for free on Xbox One. Why the demo? Because, in my opinion, this is the type of game you'll know if you like or not just from a few demo races. The full version isn't really going to add much beyond the demo in terms of gameplay. You'll either like it or you won't.

I had trouble finding the demo on Xbox One and even Bing wasn't very helpful, but Google took me to the Forza 6 Demo on Xbox.com. So go get that download started while you read.

Background

If you've never played a Forza Motorsport game before then know that this is a racing simulation. Meaning, it's goal is to provide a very realistic driving experience. Don't confuse the Forza Motorsport series with the Forza Horizon series. The former focuses on lifelike, track based racing simulations. The latter focuses on open world driving that is arcade like (with power slides, drifting, jumping, and other stunt driving).

The two franchises may share similar technologies and vehicles but the experiences they provide are completely different. With that said, you may find that you love one series but dislike the other.

This 6th version of the Forza Motorsport series is said to feature 450 cars, all with full interior cockpits and full damage modeling. The game's career mode feature 70 hours of gameplay to keep you gaming for quite some time. Obviously, online play with others will keep you going for countless hours as well. The big new thing in Forza 6, as compared to previous versions, includes wet weather and night racing.

Gameplay

The controls work well just as in previous versions. So, they're as good as they can be. Using a controller is a flawed way to drive at high speeds. Thumb stick movement means that small corrections lead to huge movements on the road. I've tried these games with steering wheel controllers many times and those are always worse. But the big problem with this type of game remains because it's an unforgiving simulation.

If you drive with the various aids on then almost anyone can pick up and play. But that gets boring fast as you can literally run around a track with the throttle mashed down and never touch the break as the auto-breaking aids do the work for you. So you quickly want to turn the aids off but as you do you realize just how difficult it is to drive fast and well.

Those who take the time to learn how to drive will be rewarded. For the rest of us, it just isn't all that fun. It's too serious and too complex for a casual gamer like myself to really enjoy.

I do like the rewind features so that if I do make a mistake I can rewind a few seconds and try again. Without that I am sure many controllers would be tossed down in fits of rage.

Some tracks make the gameplay more fun than others. For example, racing at Indy in an open wheel racer doing 230 MPH should be awesome. Unfortunately, I found it boring. It got my heart racing a bit, but ultimately a bunch of left turns just aren't fun at any speed. Of course, toss me in the real thing and I'd love to take a spin around Indy!

Graphics & Sound

The first thing that the PS4 fanboys need to know is that Forza 6 plays at a full 1080p at 60 frames per second. That means very fluid motions on screen. It also means that the old "which console is better" fight doesn't land here. Well, it's also not a fight because Forza 6 is exclusive to Xbox One.

The graphics don't really seem any different than Forza Motorsport 5. That's not a bad thing as Forza 5 had amazing visuals. Somehow, I guess I expected something more even if I don't know what that would be. The graphics look excellent, there's no argument there, but I just thought they would be "plussed" somehow.

The new wet driving does look amazing. The rain looks realistic as it hits your car and puddles up on the track. Of course, wet racing means slow racing which just isn't really fun. Night driving is also well done but I still prefer racing when it's bright and sunny out. It just feels like a real race that way.

The car sounds are excellent just as in the previous release. No complaints with the sound except the music which is always terrible in these games.

Conclusion

I want to like the Forza Motorsport series so much. I've played all of them and bought several of them. I'm not a race fan in terms of watching it in person or on TV, that bores me. But I like driving in real life and in games. I want these games to be more fun than they are. Clearly, the problem is me and not the game. I know the game is good, it's just not my style.

If you're love racing simulations I'd tell you to go buy Forza 6 because I think it's the best out there. On the other hand, if you're a casual gamer who isn't into the unforgiving simulation world then this may not be your game. Fortunately, you can try the demo to see. If you don't like this game then try Forza Horizon 2 instead, that's a game I really enjoy.