Forza Motorsport 6: Apex

I bet there are a few of you wondering just what the heck Forza Motorsport 6: Apex is. Well, this is the free-to-play version of the game that was one of the first big releases from Microsoft as they tried to show that Windows 10 could be great for gaming and let you play all of your favorite Xbox games. Does this free-to-play version come close to matching its big brother? No, of course, no! Yet, there is still some fun to be had here and you can even have fun without getting dragged into the microtransactions!

A Handful Of Challenge

The full game has a very robust career mode and in Forza Motorsport 6: Apex, you get to experience a little bit of it. There are around 12 races and each one is introduced by some kind of motor racing TV presenter which is pretty cool. The mode is fine, but you are probably going to be able to blow through it in a few hours or so, still while it lasts it is pretty fun.

As well as this, you also have the Spotlight Mode. This was pretty cool as every couple of weeks new challenges would be added which would let you try out some pretty cool new cars.

A Taste Of The Action

Forza Motorsport 6: Apex is a sim-style racing game; it is Horizon you want if you want the more arcade-style of Forza racing. I think the driving here is great, just as good as it is on the Xbox One and I never had any issues at all. I like how the driving is skill-based and they do a good job in giving you just a little bit of a taste of what the full experience offers.

There are hundreds of cars in the full game, but here we have just over 60. 60 cars is still a lot and the way you unlock them is fine. You can “pay” to unlock them faster, but I felt the natural progression of unlocking stuff just by racing was fine. If anything, it will be getting bored of racing on the same handful of tracks over and over again that gets to you.

Looking Over The Horizon

One of the main things that this franchise is well known for is the visuals and Forza Motorsport 6: Apex does not disappoint in that regard. Now, you will need a fairly powerful PC to get the best out of this, but if you do you will be impressed with the visuals. I did notice a few frame stutters here and there, but that was probably down to my PC.

As good as the game looks, I have always felt that the Motorsport series has always been eclipsed by the Horizon series when it comes to the environments and that is true for this game as well.

Pros:

• You can play this without spending any money
• The game looks great
• The driving is fun and skill-based
• I thought the campaign was fun while it lasted

Cons:

• There is no multiplayer here at all!
• You can blow through all the game has to offer in one afternoon

Forza Motorsport is one of the biggest names when it comes to car race games, even though it's exclusive to Microsoft, meaning only on PC and Xbox. Not only is one of the best looking car game series out there, but also a fan favorite, and it's even a reason many people go for Xbox instead of PlayStation. But we'll be talking about Forza Motorsport 6: Apex this time, and it's actually a PC exclusive title for the series released in 2016. Pretty much with the release of the main Forza Motorsport 6, and near the release of the reboot of the Need For Speed series. So, let's talk about this PC exclusive.

What's the apex about it?

By now you've noticed that there's a subtitle along with the Forza Motorsport 6 title here, and that of course means it's not the same game as the main one. There are plenty of differences between this one and the average Forza Motorsport 6 release, and this goes beyond it being a PC exclusive. Forza Motorsport 6: Apex is actually a free-to-play game, and that by itself is an immense thing actually. But what's different about it, and what's cut down to make it free?

Some changes

Sure, getting a paid game to be free so quickly wouldn't be fair at all for the people that did buy the full game, so some changes were made. First of all, the car selection list has been cut down to the favorites, and the same goes for the tracks and rallies. But most of the game and pretty much all the mechanics are still present there. Don't worry, you get the same gameplay experience here too- And if that wasn't good enough, there are some upgrades and some big ones at that.

A visual boost

It's no secret that PC gaming always looks better than console gaming, both in terms of visuals and performance. So instead of just getting the game to look as amazing as it does on the Xbox One. Forza Motorsport 6: Apex features compatibility with DirectX 12, and it even allows you to play at 4K, and the game really takes advantage of this. The detailing on the cars, the tracks, the lights, and even the effects are incredible.

Forza Motorsport 6: Apex is an incredible free to play version of an already incredible game. It looks even better than the paid, console version of the game. While they had to make some cuts to the content of the game to make it free, the most popular cars and tracks are still available. Sure, there are some hidden charges, you can pay real money to unlock some content too. But you can download the game from the MicWindows Store absolutely for free and start playing an incredible car game.

Pros

• Incredible visuals
• Great controls
• Realistic
• Fun to play
• A lot of content
• Great game modes
• Free to play

Cons

• Microtransactions