Microsoft announced earlier this month that Forza 6 is officially a thing (we all kind of knew it was coming) and I hope it picks up from where Forza 5 and Forza Horizon 2 left off.
Forza 5 released with the Xbox One at launch and is a showcase for what the console can do graphically and technically. The game looks stunning and runs at a smooth 60 fps and 1080p resolution. Every car from the classic Lancia Delta to the mental McLaren P1 is accurately detailed and the tracks have undergone the same detail. The amount of tracks on offer is a bit lacking but the choices are good and offer a wide variety of courses that all demand a different approach. From a technical standpoint it plays really well. There’s a bunch of assists and settings to tinker with so anyone of any skill level can jump right in and feel like Lewis Hamilton. The force feedback on the triggers works well and tells you when you braking too heavily or putting too much power down through the corners.
The cast of Top Gear also make an appearance and do the intros for every championship. The witty banter and history lessons set the tone and makes you excited each time you hear them. Sadly this is all they do. It would of been nice to take a leaf out of Forza Horizon’s book and do some showcase events. Being in a Nissan Skyline whilst racing a plane or something would of been very “Top Gear” and a better use of the cast.
Forza Horizon 2 added night time racing and rain (finally!). It’s been on my most wanted list since Forza 2 and I’m so glad they have done it and done it well. Driving at night or in the rain (or even both!) demands a different approach to the way you drive and is a different experience to driving in dry sunny conditions. As an added bonus it looks amazing and again shows off the consoles graphical capabilities. It does make me hope for a Le Mans style endurance with a full day and night cycle. I would surprised if the people at Turn 10 haven’t thought about this too. Another thing I liked about Horizon was the sense of ownership I got with each car. Every one I owned felt unique and wholeheartedly mine instead of just buying a Class B car I didn’t care about just for one championship. I’m not too sure how you could do this in Forza 6 unless you have a levelling system for each car (like The Crew).
In short I would like to see more tracks, better use of the Top Gear cast (if they return), night time racing (possible Le Mans racing), weather and a sense of car ownership of some kind. Heck, worst case scenario I was given a better looking Forza 5 with more cars and tracks, I’d be happy. I very much doubt Turn 10 would be that lazy and judging by the first two Forza titles on Xbox One, I don’t see that happening.
//
