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Tourist Trophy

Racing fans get ready and gear up for a great new racing experience. From the developers of the Gran Turismo franchise, Polyphony Digital releases a one of a kind motorcycle racing game with Tourist Trophy.

This sim carries more than 100 fully licensed motorcycles from your favorite companies such as BMW, Ducati, Kawasaki and Honda. The actual motorcycles range from incredibly fast racing bikes to tuned bikes to your normal bikes such as the Suzuki Skywave.

The racing courses are decent, but Polyphony Digital could have done better. Gamers get to choose from 35 international courses, most of which are featured in past Gran Turismo titles. Even with internationally known tracks such as Nurburgring, Suzuka and Laguna Seca, I still feel newer, more exclusive motorcycle tracks could have been used. Only one new track has been added to Tourist Trophy.

Tourist Trophy features an arcade mode and a tourist trophy mode. Arcade mode is designed for quick races, while tourist trophy mode is comprised of all licenses, challenges and events.

Unlike Gran Turismo, customization is slightly different. Modifying your bike is not as advanced as Gran Turismo. Customizing your rider is a really cool feature because you can decide body lean and riding style. Your rider can also be equipped with officially licensed riding gear from manufacturers Alpine Star, Shoei and Arai, to name a few. Another difference between Gran Turismo and Tourist Trophy is how you earn new bikes. Tourist Trophy does not have the same money system as Gran Turismo. You unlock new bikes by winning challenges and race events.

Polyphony Digital brings all the smooth visuals to Tourist Trophy with extremely crisp graphics. All bikes look accurately detailed, especially the brakes, throttle and body design.

The controls are easy, but the style of motorcycle racing will not be easy for certain gamers. It's not easy to just pick up the controller and win. This is a whole new style of racing. For example, you have to take the turns slower than you normally would with a car. Essentially, it's a whole new way of racing. It could be enjoyable to some and annoying to others.

Tourist Trophy is a really fun motorcycle sim, but it takes a lot of relearning for your average racers. For example, bumping into corners or other racers causes you to fall off the bike, which can become frustrating.

GT fans can actually enjoy this one. The game physics are dead on. Polyphony transports all the realism from the Gran Turismo series to Tourist Trophy. Other cool GT features are also available such as the music theater and the ability to take still shots of your favorite bikes.

Tourist Trophy is a great game for all motorcycle lovers while those who also crave a decent motorcycle sim will find it a must buy. For racing fans in general, it may seem like a Gran Turismo copy in some areas, but the races and challenges will keep you busy for a while.

Tourist Trophy is rated "E" for Everyone (content suitable for ages 6 or older) and is available exclusively on the PlayStation 2 game console.

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