Tourist Trophy review

It initially seemed like a great prospect, the creator of Gran Turismo trying its hand at two wheel racing. The result is somewhat mixed and I can't help but feel that the developer is on a downward slide. After all you'd have expected Polyphony to have a working version of GT5 up and running at E3 not some rehashed GT4 running in HD on a PC. While the GT series re-invented the racing game there seem to be many developers who've taken the baton and run on ahead of PD.

So I was looking at Tourist Trophy for signs of innovation, perhaps a spark that showed Kazunori Yamauchi had realised the failings of the GT series and was giving us a taster of his new ideas albeit on two wheels. Alas that's not the case, but there are plenty of things to enjoy about Tourist Trophy.

Comfortable Shoes

Gran Turismo veterans will be right at home in the game from the off. Many of the menus and options are lifted right out of GT4. The replay and photo mode controls are very easy to use and if you've got GT4 then you know what to do already. I'm sure you won't be surprised to learn that the game is split into Arcade and Tourist Trophy modes.

The former is a chance to pick some of the high-end bikes and blast around the tracks without worrying about anything other than having some fun. Tourist Trophy mode is more involved but slightly different from what you'd expect from the developer of GT.

Show Me The Money

For one thing there's no money, instead you win bikes by completing various challenges and races. You start with a modest scooter that can just about manage 80 MPH downhill. So the best thing to do is get stuck into the challenges and races. Unfortunately those license tests rear their ugly head and you'll to gain a few licenses before getting on with the races. At least the tests are pretty easy, the limits for earning a bronze medal are very generous.

So onto the challenges and events then. They are grouped into bike manufacturer and class so if there are particular bikes, such as a Ducati you fancy owning, you can concentrate on those events. Thankfully getting a few decent bikes early on isn't too much of a chore and an hour or so on some of the quicker/easier events will see you with some pretty fast rides.

Piece of Cake

Tourist Trophy isn't particularly difficult but it isn't very involving either. While a deliberately bad crash sees you receive a ten second penalty, your average spill puts you back on the track so quickly you'll often find yourself in a better position in a race than if you hadn't crashed.

The races aren't very exciting anyway. You'll only ever be racing three AI bikes, yes just three, which makes Gran Turismo seem positively generous in comparison. The old GT failure where AI is concerned is mirrored here with brainless automatons to compete against. Races just feel like time trials with a few mobile chicanes on the track.

Skill isn't much of a factor in success as you'll find the fastest bike will win. With a slower bike you don't stand a chance against the AI no matter how well you ride. With a real rocket you can win even if you make plenty of mistakes – again a similar issue to GT.

Customization

You can't buy parts for your bikes in Tourist Trophy, so there's no chance of adding some bling to your street race. On the other hand the actual customization and setup choices really do make a difference. If you know what you're doing you can make dramatic leaps in your lap times by setting a bike up correctly for your riding style.

There are around 120 motorcycles for you to mess around with from the big names in bikes. There is plenty of variety but there are plenty of all-too-similar models by some manufacturers where you'll be struggling to spot the difference. The physics are pretty forgiving but I did find that I could tell the difference between the various major model groupings.

Final Thoughts

The number of tracks featured in Tourist Trophy is good – all your favourites from Gran Turismo 4 essentially. And one could argue that the price of the game is worth it for the opportunity to take a high-powered bike around the 13 miles of The Nurburgring. I agree, if time trials are your thing, especially on this epic course, then there's plenty to enjoy in Tourist Trophy.

For anyone who likes bike racing though you'd be better off with Namco's MotoGP on PS2 or MotoGP 06 on Xbox 360. Much of Tourist Trophy feels like a duller version of Gran Turismo 4 and that game wasn't exactly packed with thrilling racing. Polyphony really does need to rework its racing games to include some racing. There's fun to be had in TT but not nearly as much as there should be.