How many?!
I took part in a pre-release multiplayer session, with impressively full grids of 24 cars. Sadly, 24-car multiplayer is absolute carnage and again, different car models unbalance the action. The new League mode looks promising, especially as collisions are switched off in the first tier, but it’ll only be in post-release that we see how that really works.
Naturally, the first thing I did was play on Sim settings, like I normally do. However, the ‘raw’ cars behave very strangely – actually a lot like the motorbikes of MotoGP 15. Yes, that is weird. There is definitely more grip in Forza 6 compared to Forza 5, but that creates some very strange accidents. I somehow managed to roll my car on a straight because it waggled under acceleration, which grew more violent before turning into a spin, which tipped over and barrelled for some 50m. Needless to say, that would never happen in real life. So after a few hours, I grudgingly switched on stability management and things were more manageable.
And so we get to the racing. The problem is simple: The Drivatar system simply doesn’t work. Never mind the fact some cars inexplicably tap the brakes on a straight. It doesn’t matter which Avatar Difficulty you choose: on some tracks you’ll win easily, while on others one or sometimes two cars will simply drive away from everyone else. You’ll sometimes catch a glimpse of a dot on the track map, or a speck on the horizon, but you’ll never catch them. The hardest difficulty is meant to humble you and it does. But everything below that is alarmingly inconsistent.
As a result, actually getting into a closely-fought, cut-and-thrust race (which is what a racing game needs to be exciting), is incredibly rare. It doesn’t help that only special, themed events fill the grid with the same model of car. Most races are uneven in terms of horsepower and grip and it really shows. Fortunately, you only need to get 3rd or higher to progress, but you really should be able to win if you’re good enough.
Forza 6 makes Forza 5 look like a demo in terms of event types and track diversity and the first two hours of the game are beautifully-paced, as you’re introduced to the controls in a warm-up race, then gradually given full control over assists and difficulty, before the new ‘Mods’ feature is unveiled.
I really like the Mods. They are given to you as cards in packs of varying price and rarity, and are split into three types. Some cards can be used as many times as you like and give you stat boots like +12% grip or -5% weight, plus extra boosts on certain tracks. Dare cards offer credit rewards for completing race objectives under set circumstances, such as forced cockpit cam, or no assists. Other cards are single-use, like a two grid position starting boost for one race. They’re fun to use and I hope the series expands on them in the future.
There is a problem, however. While I absolutely welcome the video game elements and special states these challenges introduce (one card turns off collisions for the entire first lap, letting you drive through the packed field at turn 1), they are somewhat negated by the new spinner system. Every time you level up – which happens every couple of races – you get to spin a randomised spinner with nine possible prizes. None of the rewards totally suck, but there are some huge wins to be had. About an hour into the game, I hit level three and won a Lotus F1 car worth 2,000,000 credits. I also won 1,000,000 credits soon after. So when you’re gambling rare cards on the prospect of maybe a 10,000 credit bonus, it feels a bit meaningless. A shame, since the spinner and the Mod cards are both truly great elements. They just don’t work together.
The game’s biggest new feature is probably wet weather driving – and it’s gorgeous. I scoffed at all the hype around the game’s puddles, but I take it all back. These are some seriously sexy puddles. They’re not dynamic (so they’re always in the same place and don’t get bigger or dry up), but they behave exactly like real puddles, making your car hydroplane, or dragging it off-line and onto the wet grass, where you’re heading straight to the scene of the accident.
Project CARS’ weather is better (it’s a fully dynamic weather system with rolling clouds and everything) and Driveclub’s wet conditions look better, but Forza 6 at least maintains a rock solid 60fps. I haven’t seen it drop or tear a single frame anywhere, even when all those hyper-detailed cars are leaving the startline. It’s gorgeous.
And oh boy, the cars are really special. They look absolutely stunning, and it’s impossible to take a bad photo of them in the returning photo mode. They pick up dents and scrapes and occasionally a spoiler will fall off, but otherwise the damage is visually modest. Impacts do significantly affect handling, however. First you’ll find braking is unstable when suspension is bent, but crash hard enough and your vehicle will be seriously crippled. What a shame impacts with other cars lack any kind of violence. In some races, it’s often like bars of dry soap rubbing together.
