One of the highlights of the Xbox Event was seeing the new Ford GT being lowered from the ceiling during the Forza Motorsport 6 segment. Seeing that, along with game footage, definitely got the crowd roaring. Luckily for me, I had an appointment to go hands-on with this bad boy. I’m not the biggest fan of driving simulation games but I was thoroughly impressed by what I experienced.
I got to try out four different courses which had varying tracks, cars, and weather effects at this years E3. The Ford GT was the best handling car out of the lot but the others handled well themselves. The courses took place during the day and night, and one even took place in the rain. Since this was just a short demo, the tracks only took place in three different locations but they were all well detailed. I also enjoyed the design of the tracks themselves and how they provided different challenges that kept you on your toes (or wheels in this case).
I played the game on the new Elite Xbox One controller. I’ll tell you right now, this is hands down one of the best controllers I have ever played on. I’m not into the asymmetrical design of Xbox controllers but man, this thing felt just right. The controller was perfectly suited for being played with a racing title and it responded perfectly whenever I pressed a command into it. Next to a racing wheel, this is probably the best way to play Forza 6 since the controller is so precise.
The Xbox One controller’s vibration feature is unique in that it vibrates in different parts of the controller and in varying degrees. This was enhanced further by the Elite controller, but Forza 6‘s tracks showed off how great and immersive this controller feature is. Driving on a smooth road didn’t make the controller vibrate much but if there were any cracks on that road or any bit of dirt, the controller would vibrate accordingly. Going off road provided a lot of different types of vibrations, as did driving over puddles in the rain. It may seem small, but having the controller react to the environment really put me into the game even more.
Now, in racing games I usually play in third person view. First person looks cool, with the steering wheel and all that, but it is always hard to see since the field of view is so small. This was not the case with Forza 6. I kept it in first person the entire time and never once felt like I couldn’t see what was around me. While seeing your slick looking car in third person is nice and all, I would recommend this game be played in first person as it really is the best way of experiencing it.
We have to talk about the graphics since this is one of the prettiest games I have ever seen. Yes, it is a racing game and is therefore easier to be visually impressive since there isn’t much to render outside of the race track and cars, but I won’t knock it for that. Microsoft has boasted about the game’s 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second frame rate and they certainly make the presentation look that much more impressive. However, what did it for me was just how meticulously detailed the cars were and how photorealistic the backgrounds looked. Maybe the 1080p/60fps contributes to this (it most likely does) but all of that pixel counting doesn’t matter to me. It looked fantastic and that’s all I cared about.
If you own an Xbox One and have an itch to play a bad-ass racing sim, then this is the game for you. While it is pretty fucking sweet, I don’t know if I would shell out $150 for an Elite controller to play this. With that said, if you DO play it with the Elite, you are in for a more immersive experience for sure. Forza Motorsport 6 is a game to keep an eye out for.
