Forza‘s run on the original Xbox started during the era of Project Gotham Racing. PGR was another Microsoft Game Studios product from developer Bizarre Creations that toed the line between arcade and simulation. PGR2 stands as one of the great racers of all time to mix sim and arcade, which was taken even further with the advent of LIVE support. At the time, Forza could have been observed as Microsoft’s answer to Sony’s much beloved Gran Turismo. It was way more tuned towards realism for dedicated motorheads. With both series going full steam, the Xbox could easily cover the genre’s dichotomy. Eventually, however, Bizarre Creations moved on, which ended PRG. So now, MS was left with a void in the market: no place for casual wheelmen (and women). In response, Turn 10 souped up their brand to facilitate any and all racing patrons. By the time Forza 4 rolled around on the 360, customization options had blossomed to the point that gameplay could be adjusted to a cushioned affair with full power and brake assists, to a stringent representation of actual driving by taking off the virtual training aids. Forza 5 was a launch title for the Xbox One, and while it showed promise, there were definitely some “finer points” that seemed a little unpolished. Turn 10 had some things to work on for F6; some performance tunes, if you will, that could really set it apart from its predecessors and set a good pace moving forward on the new hardware.
This latest iteration has corrected the missteps from 2013. For one, some tuning options didn’t seem to have a discernible difference in the way the car responded. Sure, extra engine parts made speed and acceleration increase, but none of that upped horsepower is going to do much good if you can’t stop and turn effectively. Just as crucial as a new intake system, roomier displacement, and turbo kits are racing brakes, 2-way differentials, and roll bars. In F5, the latter grouping struggled to convey the changes to the wheel (left thumbstick) and brake pedal (left trigger). Now, those extra parts can mean the world to a stubborn hot rod that doesn’t want to decelerate and turn properly. It feels as effective as it did in Forza 4 and last year’s awesome Forza Horizon 2 (made in tandem with Playground Games). Advanced tuning also puts a good amount of agency back into the digital wrench clutching hands of the player. Softening up suspensions, lowering the PSI of tires, resetting gear ratios, and adjusting brake bias can save a vehicle that struggles to enter and exit corners properly and turn it into a pavement eating, eat-my-dust passing monster. And you’ll might want to get acquainted with some of these aforementioned options if you plan on digging deep into the F6 showrooms. 460 playable machines are included on the disc from just about any manufacturer you could imagine. From these, nine classes are represented. Tuner Ds like The 1997 Honda Civic Type R share space on the roster with the likes of the A listed ’15 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. S class speed stalwarts such as the 2012 Nissan GT-R Black even blush at the egregiously fun lunacy of the Lotus E23 and similar race cars in the top level X class. Even better, all of them have been given the Forzavista treatment. Each car/truck/SUV have been rendered in obsessive detail, that can be experienced with a first person view mode that offers oral histories on its specs and origins. Of course there are some aspects that look sort of “uncanny,” particularly the interiors. Materials like cloths and plastics aren’t completely without a noticeable lack of reality. The exteriors, however, could pass as truly photo realistic at the right angles. From headlights to wheel housings to front grilles and beyond, those areas in which are most mechanically “busy” seem to show off the design prowess best. And for budding artists, all of the familiar customization options for paint schemes, decals, and vinyls are back, and those liveries can be made available to other drivers online.
Two features have been seemingly rebuilt from the ground up, and feel like completely different animals now. Rain and night conditions have never been more well represented within Forza. Of course, these two styles aren’t new to the series, but never before have they had such a preponderance upon gameplay. Wet conditions used to be a pretty cool visual change and gave the cars a slight bit more oversteer. Now, the car just being loose is the least of your concerns. For someone like me who doesn’t keep on any braking assists (because I want to have complete say on when and where the car slows down), I had to learn tricks to keeping momentum while not spinning. On a dry track, I can usually just pump the brakes a few times before laying into the left trigger substantially to prevent wheel lock. With a sheet of water enveloping the track, those short busts of brake have to be done with much more patience and observance. Keeping the wheel straight is crucial to stopping, so my slight “cheats” of turning in just a bit during my brake taps had to be thrown out the window. This made protecting the bottom racing line a much bigger challenge. Powering off the corner is another test of index finger articulation. Easing into the accelerator to prime the tires for the incoming jolt of power is the new braking rhythm’s counterpart. The gas and brake pedals can be thought of as a pair of tango dancers, undulating and complimenting each other to make their feet (read: tires) move and slide in a correct, coordinated manner. Usually, this dance is furious and angry by aggressively grabbing the brakes then slamming back onto the accelerator once the front end of the car is pointed in the right direction. Pouring precipitation calls for much more finesse and grace. Additionally, the more laps that accrue, the more the moisture pools up in puddles, creating areas of hydroplaning. In these isolated pockets, it’s essential to maintain speed and direction. Vehicles do not react well to braking or turning with the less substantial H2O particles underneath its weight. In these moments, the tires might as well be skates on a sheet of ice. Only decrease speed and adjust the wheel when absolutely necessary, otherwise, stay the course. The way Turn 10 was able to upgrade this particular track condition setting from a once obligatory racing game platitude into a viable change that affects all aspects of car control and line selection is a stroke of genius and is the type of adeptness and proficiency we’ve some to expect and appreciate about this development team.
The second wholesale change is night racing. In its own way, the adjustments to driving style are just as markedly stark as in rain. Sure, track characteristics don’t change much from day to night as they do under inclement weather (outside of slightly less grip because of cooler temps), but the lack of visibility generates just as much cause for concern and caution. This is done by rewriting the way sundown is represented onscreen. In most racing games, night equates to brightly lit roads with flood lights and neon signs, which can look really cool but doesn’t hinder one’s eyesight. For most locations in F6, headlights are about the only reliable source of illumination. That cone of vision that stretches just a few dozen feet ahead of the front bumper creates a sense of anxiety not experienced otherwise, not even in the rain. At least when it’s wet, you can still plan ahead hundreds of feet in advanced. Under the shroud of darkness, the afforded amount of opportunity to make decisions shrinks drastically. Suddenly, the occasional glance down at the mini-map becomes much more numerous and focused. Instead of just blandly looking at it ever so often, you now have to visually listen to the corner direction and degree. Now, more than some obligatory ornamentation, it’s the most reliable cheat sheet for keeping a solid racing line and speed. And as well as the map does to anodyne turns, it doesn’t show changes in elevation. A sudden dip or drop feels like riding a roller coaster blindfolded, a roller coaster that is still under your complete control, of course. As much of a dexterous challenge as driving in rain is, I think on certain tracks, night racing is an even bigger test of fortitude and proper driving. These two changes applied to the ForzaTech engine mark a vast improvement in gameplay from F5. Fortunately, the list of upgrades doesn’t stop here.
Game modes in F6 are impressive in number and variety. The main single player draw is Career. It spans five levels (Super Sport, Sport Icons, Grand Touring, Professional Racing, Ultimate Motorsport), and each contains three “series” with a number of similar races. It’ll smartly mix in one of the several configurations from the 26 licensed and meticulously recreated tracks from around the world. Many of the F1 favorites are accompanied by locations in the U.S., eastern Europe, Asia, and even Australia. Before the start of a new series, you’ll get to pick a theme out of a handful of choices. These run the entire motoring gamut and attempt to include any type of vehicle imaginable, from nibble little hot hatchbacks to hulking trucks and SUVs to full on GP and open wheel racers. It’ll also set condition variables like, you guessed it, rain and night. The variations for each block of races are great, and allow you to settle into a type of driving just long enough to be interesting but not so long as to be boring. The Drivatar system has been brought back and is just as effective as it was two years ago. Virtual profiles of your Forza friends, as well as others in the community, give the NPC AIs of the opposing cars more realistic tendencies in the offline modes. While it seems to make them less predicable, it thankfully doesn’t make them as bull headed and needlessly reckless as their flesh and blood counterparts are usually. They observe proper racing etiquette more often than not, but aren’t as complimentary of you as most racing game AIs. It’s good and competitive without being outlandish, except for one point. Since Forza 5, there has bee a tendency for one Drivatar to break away from the pack and be 2-5 seconds quicker than the 2nd place car. I’ve come to call this the “boss car effect.” Because of it’s frequency, it seems to be an intended design principle. A principle that I personally don’t understand the benefit. When choosing race and Drivatar difficulty, the selected setting has this hidden “plus” system where the selection is applicable for all participants in the field, except for one, which will be exponentially tougher. This problem didn’t occur in Horizon 2, so I thought it might have been an aberration of F5. But it seems to be an oddity that will remain steadfast in the “main” franchise. Stories of Motorsport allow you to go back through previous Career volumes and try the other possible choices for each series. All told, it’s said it will take 70+ hours to complete each set of Career mode races in their entirety. So strap in!
A “borrowed” invention from Forza proper’s more fun loving cousin Horizon is Showcase Events. There are ten categories in total, each with several to participate: Bondurant Autocross, Endurance Racing, Factory-Spec Racing, High Speed Chase, Moments in Motorsports, Passing Challenge, The Race Driver Experience, Track Day Shootout, Top Gear Stig 1-1, and Top Gear Showcase. Of all the modes, this one offers the most variety. Expect to be sliding around the cone gates of an Bondurant, to passing Mustangs in a new Ford GT Sprint, to besting the Stig in the same car, to knocking over huge bowling pins on the Top Gear Test Track, and so on. These offer additional hours of activities that sometimes require skills not often applied in straight up races, but are pertinent to advanced car control techniques. This section is probably the most unabridged fun you’ll have playing this iteration of the series and is a great way to break up the intensity of Career events. Rivals downloads ghosts of other drivers that have completed the same races and has you trying to best their time. This is a great way to practice on tracks that you may not be very comfortable at and find ways to shave off precious seconds per lap. The last of the notable offline modes are Free Play and Test Drive. The former allows you pick any class(es) and track, set up an event with dozens of custom options, and race solo or split screen while the latter affords endless “time trial” runs on any track and configuration from the menu.
Online also includes worthwhile endeavors and supports them with a solid coding backbone. Regular lobbies afford the same custom tools as Free Play, with support with up to 24 participants on dedicated servers. I was given the opportunity to test server load during sessions hosted by community managers from Turn 10. In terms of gameplay, things were smooth on my end. Even at full capacity, my car ever experienced any lag or frame rate issues. I was always solid and the controller was just as responsive as offline. There were a few issues of cars dancing around the track from side to side, almost as if the report from the consoles to the server and out to everyone’s home networks couldn’t keep up with the pace of the vehicle. Fortunately, these anomalies didn’t occur very often, and I was also in a session with a few folks playing “across the pond.” Assuming the finalized netcode keeps players as regionalized as possible, the experience should be rather clean. This new installment also gives us a ranked playlist, of sorts. League tracks your performance in each race, and adjusts your level accordingly. While in this menu, you’ll (presumably) be matched with comparable competition. The value and effectiveness of League will be revealed in the subsequent weeks and months, but I’m a fan of the idea and hope it works well and becomes a way for hesitant offline players to give Xbox LIVE a whirl. All progression, locally and online, contribute to your driver level. Another Horizon influence is the Prize Spin. Each new attained level gives you a change to “spin” for a host of goodies like credits, new cars, and Mod packs. Mods act as power ups that have varying degrees of effectiveness and length, like: Braking Engineer (buff braking and power of unlimited use), Improved Payout (10% credit up for one use), and Immersion (Dare card with no suggestion line and cockpit cam lock with 20% credit boost).
Just as strong as all the gameplay mechanics and various ways to play is the presentation, particularly the visuals. Simply put, this game has stunning graphical quality. I felt F5 has this strange “sheen” across the car models that made them seem less-than-real. It’s a critique that is hard to put into words, but it was like the devs weren’t exactly sure how to harness the new hardware properly in 2013. Jump ahead to 2015, and that unappealing edge has vanished. These vehicle models are unbelievable at times. Yes, a really focused look in Forzavista won’t look like a high res IRL photo. But during races, the representation is scary good. The 60 frames are silky smooth, but retain a high notch of realism. The motion of the cars doesn’t look fabricated. Also, the tracks themselves are way more active than in years past. They’re more alive with little niceties like helicopters flying overhead, fireworks lighting up the night sky, and much more animated grandstands, all there to increase verisimilitude. The moment I saw a photographer in a media vest leaning on the guardrail of a hairpin to get in for a close shot, I knew Turn 10 had made ambiance a top priority this time around. Improvements even go beyond the screen. Impulse Trigger response is remarkable in its complexity. A feather light open wheel race car will send subtle feedback from the track as to relay a sense of levity those types of cars commonly embody. On the other had, my tuned up Ford Focus RS with after market racing brakes, upgraded tire compound, and lowered suspension sent way more tact and force into the pad. Getting onto the brakes sent the trigger motors in a tizzy, as did powering off the corner in a low gear, turbo influenced blast. Said effect is accompanied by a much better sense of speed than was created in F5. Going at breakneck speed is a visual sensation predicated on the way the environment delicately morphs into a blur. The IndyCar Showcase Event is hard proof of this improvement. Grandstands and pit areas of Indianapolis coalesced into a collage of colors and waves as I approached top speed. That type of experience was nowhere to be found two years ago, and it’s now offered in abundance. Even something as small as the correct proportion of cracks in a broken windshield while in cockpit view is yet another fine detail that didn’t miss the concentration of the design team. Dedication to this type of minutia speaks volumes to Turn 10’s mission of not only upping their own ante with each release, but also packing as much bang for the consumer buck as they can reasonably muster.
