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Forza 6 is the ultimate racing experience
Fri, 11th Sep 2015
FYI, this story is more than a year old

It has been ten years since the first Forza game came out on the original Xbox console. To mark the ten year anniversary, Turn 10 has delivered what is arguably the best game of the entire series with the release of Forza Motorsport 6. Forza Motorsport 5 left a sour taste in some people's mouths because it didn't feel like a complete game. To meet the launch date for the then new Xbox One console, the fifth game in the series had far less cars and tracks compared to the fourth game. Not to mention it was also DLC heavy. Thankfully, Forza Motorsport 6 is packed full of all the content that was missing from the fifth game. There are now over 450 cars which is twice as large as the previous outing. The sixth game also has a total of 25 tracks – nine that are brand new to the franchise. Speaking of new, the game also adds weather effects and night racing for the first time in the main series. These elements add a whole new dimension to the racing as it makes it more difficult and challenging. Night time racing is dark and you have to make sure you don't crash or else you could lose a headlight.

The weather effects are also great because you can actually see the puddles that congregate on the track itself. It can be quite fun just running over the puddles and splashing water all over of the place... The overall graphics in Forza Motorsport 6 is simply astonishing. The game runs at a glorious 1080p resolution and is a stable 60fps during gameplay. Not to mention some of the new locations and tracks are beautiful to look at. My favourite track in the entire game is the one set in Rio de Janerio, Brazil. The sunny skies and ocean view is a must see. It's not just the environments that look great in this game, but every car has been articulately modelled too. Turn 10 didn't focus on just making fancy cars like the Lamborghini Aventador look awesome, but even something more humble like the 1985 Toyota Trueno appears cool in this game too. Another area Forza Motorsport 6 excels in is that the game is playable to anyone. It doesn't matter if you are a beginner or a racing veteran, you can customize the settings to suit to your driving preferences. The A.I. is also very smart as its behaviour is modelled from actual players thanks to the series' “Drivatar” system. Normally racing simulators can get boring because you have to race in many events to earn the amount of money you need to spend on the more expensive cooler cars. Earning money in Forza Motorsport 6 is easy because you earn currency in a variety of ways. Apart from just winning races in the main career mode, you can participate in many other side activities that this game has to offer. There is a whole mode called “Showcase Events” that are special challenges that you have to complete. This may include overtaking Top Gear's Stig on the test track or running over bowling pins. There is also a new mode called “Rivals” where you have to beat other players' times or drift scores. The drift mode is probably my favourite part of the entire game. It can be really entertaining choosing your favourite car and see it skid all over the place. Forza Motorsport 6 is very generous with its money that you will be buying some of the more expensive cars in a short amount of time. Every time you level up, you can spin the wheel so to speak and win a prize. This usually includes more credits or a new car. I was lucky with this and won $1 million twice by spinning the wheel. There are only a few minor flaws that still annoy me. The game lacks any type of licensed soundtrack so it can be boring listening to the generic orchestral music that plays in the background. Turn 10 also hid some newer cars behind a pay-wall as well so you are still forced to pay extra to unlock every car in the game.   Despite those flaws, the pros outweigh them by a huge margin. Forza Motorsport 6 is the game Forza Motorsport 5 should have been. The sixth iteration of the franchise offers tons of content that will keep players occupied for hours on end. The gameplay is as excellent as are the visuals too. Racing fans should pick this game up if you own an Xbox One. Verdict: 9.0/10