The most obvious difference between Tourist Trophy and GT4 (other than the type of transport, of course) is the slightly different game structure in the career/Tourist Trophy mode. There’s still an excessive number of the mind-numbing license tests (it’s time these were re-worked) and a load of races to enter (although races only ever have up to 4 racers – a real disappointment). However, you can’t purchase vehicles anymore. Instead, in addition to acquiring bikes for progressing through the many races the game has to offer, bikes are won in a race against the CPU – generally, you just have to stay in the lead for 10 seconds to win. This is probably a better system for the average player – no longer do they have to win race after race to gain enough credits to buy that special vehicle, instead they merely need to win just the one race.
207kmp/h? More like 20.7 kmp/h.
There are plenty of bikes to choose from – over 120, in fact, although most people won’t find one particularly different from another. As you’d expect, there’s a heavy Japanese bias here, with manufacturers like Suzuki, Kawasaki and Honda getting much more representation than European brands such as Ducati and Aprillia. As well as licensed bikes, there is also licensed riding gear. As the rider is always in view, it’s only natural that there would be loads of licensed riding helmets, leathers, gloves and boots to choose from – even if they all are pretty much the same with slightly different colours. More and more riding gear is unlocked as you progress through the game. What FUN!
Unlike the GT series, TT doesn’t have an array of aftermarket go-fast bits to add onto your bike. Most bikes come with an optional exhaust upgrade, and that’s about it. There are still an endless number of tweaks that you can perform on your bike – gear ratios, brake settings, etc – so those who like to spend time setting up their ride won’t be disappointed. If you know what you’re doing, the settings changes do generally make the bike feel different, too. Oh, there’s even an option to completely customize the sitting position of the rider, right down to options like the ‘head roll angle’. Deep enough for you?
The bike physics in Tourist Trophy don’t quite feel right. Everything is just a little bit too floaty, with bikes not being quite as responsive as they should be. Collision detection is also woeful – it’s like the bikes are surrounded by a big cardboard box which absorbs any serious impact, be it with fences or opposing rider. When things go wrong and the bike gets out of shape, the physics simply become completely unconvincing, tending to slide a bit before floating over in an unrealistic crash. Of course, crashing in races isn’t punished as much as it could be. While during license tests and challenges, crashing means you automatically fail, in races you are automatically placed back on the bike just moments after falling off. It’s not really a severe penalty, which makes beating the AI even easier.
A dirtbike. Pity there aren't any actual dirt tracks in the game.
As usual, Polyphony hasn’t paid any real attention to the suspect artificial intelligence in the game. Opposition riders will continue on their merry way, completely oblivious to your existence, even if you are TOUCHING them. The challenge in beating the computer opponents lies in the fact that most races come by the way of rolling starts, where the CPU riders have a significant advantage over you. Very slack, Polyphony.
One of the age-old criticisms with Gran Turismo was that there was little sense of speed. GT4 went some way to rectify this, but Tourist Trophy doesn’t build on its success. Bikes just do not feel as fast as they should be – the speedometer might be saying 250kmp/h, but it might as well be 70kmp/h for all the difference it makes. This shortcoming puts a big dent in the actual fun factor of the game.
There’s no shortage of things to do in Tourist Trophy. Despite the lack of an online option, there are countless races and challenges, with plenty of bikes and riding gear to unlock. Arcade mode is also available, should you be in to that sort of thing. There is also an option for two player racing – but really, this won’t be particularly interesting unless both participants are big fans of the game.
Being a motorbike game, the chances are that most people won’t love the audio. Engine notes are replicated extremely well – but the fact is, small motorbike engines get really annoying really quickly. You can hide this behind the usual plethora of songs in the games indie/rock soundtrack, full of bands that you’ve probably never heard of. Unfortunately, you still can’t choose a particularly track mid-race, though.
Three riders? On the screen? At once? LEGODS!
Unsurprisingly, Polyphony has seriously polished this game from a presentation standpoint, with slick menus, videos and the return the photo and replay modes. Loading screens are a bit too frequent, though. Graphically, the game is, of course, pushing the PS2 to the limit – fantastic detail everywhere, and all at a silky-smooth 60 frames per second. Of course, it’s a fair bet that this is because there are is a maximum of 4 riders on the track at any one time, but anyway. The only real complaint that can be leveled at the visuals are the riders. When riders come off the bike, there isn’t any real animation accompanying it – riders just sort of lay there in an uncomfortable position, completely still. Not a major problem, though.
Tourist Trophy is everything that GT4 was – literally. The problems are the same. The tracks are, inexcusably, the same. The pluses are the same. The only real difference is that cars have been taken out, and motorbikes have been shoe-horned into their place. Why Polyphony still hasn’t taken steps to fix the problems that have plagued the GT series since its inception here – lack of sense of speed, horrible AI, endless license tests, etc – is simply beyond reason. Aside from not even trying to be different game from GT4, the biggest problem with Tourist Trophy is simply that, for the majority of players, it just won’t be a whole lot of fun. It can be the prettiest thing in the world – but wants the point if it has no soul? If you’re an avid motorbike fan, you will find a solid game with plenty of things to do – but you’re better off checking out a MotoGP game first (preferably on the Xbox). For everyone else, avoid.
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