If you are unfamiliar with the concept behind Tourist Trophy, think Gran Turismo, but with an extra large helping of road rash.
There aren’t many developers with the track record of Polyphony Digital when it comes to making great racing games. With the debut of the first Gran Turismo game eight years ago, they have been making what many would claim as the best racing games on any platform. The thing that sets the Gran Turismo franchise apart from all others is Polyphony Digital’s meticulous attention to detail. For all intents and purposes we can consider this a spiritual add-on to the Gran Turismo franchise.
Tourist Trophy, named after the legendary motorcycle races of the same name (think Isle of Man TT, etc.), includes a huge number of bike, track, helmet and riding gear combinations for your riding pleasure. In many ways Tourist Trophy is Gran Turismo on two wheels. The graphics and physics engine has been lifted from Gran Turismo 4 including all User Interface and track layouts. Some may complain that this limits the appeal somewhat but from our experiences with the game, any familiarity is an advantage.
This game is hard. Let me say it again, this game is harder then any other driving simulation that you have previously played. As you would expect, losing two wheels makes your vehicle a lot more unstable then the cars you are used to driving around Gran Turismo 4’s tracks. You simply can’t drive these bikes into the corners, hammering on the brakes, and expect to remain on your bike. I can’t count the number of times that I ran slightly off the track and attempted to muscle my bike back on the blacktop only to have it slip out from under me, or even worse, careen back onto the asphalt and into a deadly highside. Fortunately you only lose a couple of seconds as the game resets you back onto the track, but it does hurt the ego a bit to have your significant other look at the TV and say something like "fell over again?". This is where the previous comment about familiarity with the tracks being an advantage. You will not be able to put down acceptable (in you own mind at least) times until you learn
how the bikes react in corners and under breaking. If you were attempting to learn a totally new driving style and new tracks, you would be in for a great deal of frustration and/or repetition. I for one was glad to only have to contend with the bikes.
Speaking of bikes, there are 132 available for you to unlock and learn. They are differentiated from one another by manufacturer, type, and CC ratings. They range from low powered scooters all the way up to 1600cc monsters. All of the big name bikes have been licensed, so if you actually have a Ducati in the garage, you can race it in the game. In addition to the bikes, there are 176 pieces of “Riding Gear” available. These again represent real world items like helmets and riding suits from many of the industries top gear manufacturers. You are able to mix a helmet from Arai and a Suit from Vanson Leathers to create your own look. The gear doesn’t make any difference to your riding but it does make you look good on the track.
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Keeping with the Gran Turismo model, Tourist Trophy offers both arcade and career modes for you to play. The arcade mode is fairly straight forward. You pick a bike, a track, and start riding. The real meat of the game is in the Tourist trophy mode. Here you have to go through licensing school in order to be able to enter races and unlock bikes and riding gear. There are four levels of licensing to work you way through and they cover everything from basic braking to advanced cornering techniques and time trials. The early licensing schools are fairly easy but they do ramp up in difficulty as you work your way through them. Once you make it though the basic License School you can head into the Challenge Mode where you can acquire bikes after you win the challenges. This is pretty standard fair if you have played any of the Gran Turismo titles.
The graphics in Tourist Trophy are top notch, not that you would expect anything else from Polyphony Digital. The tracks, bikes, and riding gear are all highly detailed, and your rider leans into corners and pops up out of a crouch for breaking maneuvers in a very realistic manner. The animation and framerate are very smooth and while there is a decent soundtrack, it is often drowned out by loud engine noises. Unfortunately there is still no online multiplayer in Tourist Trophy. I guess we will have to wait for Gran Turismo 5 on the PS3 before we get it.
Overall Tourist Trophy feels very much like playing Gran Turismo 4 but with motorcycles. This isn’t to say that there is anything wrong with that considering the quality of Gran Turismo 4, just that it feels a little like you have played this game before. I will say again that if you are easily frustrated or only want an arcade racer, you may wish to give this a rent before handing over your hard earned cash. That being said, if you like motorcycles, the Gran Turismo franchise, slick graphics, or great gameplay, then you will like Tourist Trophy.
WHAM! Rating: |
8.5 out of 10 |
ESRB Rating: |
E (Everyone) |
Official Web Site: |
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