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Easier than I was led to believe

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: May 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I love motorcycle racing and wanted a good bike game for my PS2. All the professional reviews I had read said that Tourist Trophy (TT) was good, but way too hard, so I never tried it. I'm not a particularly skilled PS2 player, so the "hard" label put me off.

After reading a few reviews here that said it wasn't so difficult, for a racing game, I decided to give it a try and am I ever glad I did! The controls aren't nearly as hard as implied. If you have even a little speed you can lean way over without falling and braking in turns isn't always going to cause you to crash. Like any other racing game, the key is to be smooth, which comes with experience.

Unlike Gran Tourismo 4 (GT4), where I lack a majority of the upper level licenses, I've cruised through three of the four license levels in short order and am winning bikes by racing and by Challenge.

Those familiar with GT4 will recognize the same basic menu design and the same high quality of bike presentation and race tracks. Many of the tracks are the same as on GT4, which helps veterans of that game.

There are over 90 bikes, ranging from Scooters to 1100cc Cruisers to 125cc 2-stroke racers to the custom Superbike racers. The oldest bikes are from the 70s and there are some noticable holes in the catalog, but it is only 90 bikes. I'd like to see the next version expand to include more historic bikes, like how GT4 improved over GT3.

Like GT4 you must complete license tests, which are like interactive tutorials. The first two license classes will show the best line on the track, with blue where you should accelerate, red where you should brake, and white where you should idle. It is a great way of learning how to negotiate the various turns and learning what to look for in the best racing lines.

Ironically, the most difficult of the license tests is the third one in the novice class, where you must ride a scooter around a perfect circle within a specific time, without straying outside and hitting any of the cones. I couldn't have passed this one without the advice given in the Prima Strategy guide, which for those few license tips alone is worth the price.

The strategy guide also shows all the bikes you win for various races or licenses, as well as gives the basic bike stats and serves as a nice guide to see what your opposition is capable of when lining up for a race.

For the third and fourth license levels, you are on your own as far as figuring the best lines. The fourth license level is a timed lap on various tracks with various bikes, so you'll get used to some of the basic tracks by completing this level.

Like GT4, you earn bikes by winning races or race series. If you get gold in a license test, you will also win a bike. The other way to get bikes is in Challenges. With these, you look in the catalog for a bike you want and select it.

To win the bike you must race it against another bike, which is in the lead. You must pass it and lead for 10 seconds or must cross the finish line first. This is easier on some bikes than others even within the same class, because the opponent varies from bike to bike.

For example, to win a street racer in the 1000cc class you have 4 major bikes worth getting, the Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki. To win the Honda, Kawasaki or Yamaha, you must race one of these four bikes. But to win the Suzuki, you go up against the Ducati, which is 20+ hp less and about 10 kg more, and thus is easier to beat.

Unlike GT4. there is no money and the "add-ons" are limited to exhaust upgrades, which come with the bike. You can make a few mods to the suspension, gearing and braking, but the options are much more limited than in GT4. This is a good thing though, as it is way too easy to get lost in GT4 and not so here in TT.

This is another area where the Prima guide comes in handy, as it has 7 pages of sound advice on the various tuning options, which you should mess with and how, and which you should leave alone. Another selling point for the guide are the track maps, which show typical slowest speeds on selected corners. The Prima Guide is a "must have" for this game, IMO.

Like GT4, there are a number of different race classes, which allow you to use a majority of the bikes you will collect from racing wins. There are classes based on engine size, engine type, the year the bike was released, and for specific models. There are a total of 23 racing series/classes, with 3-7 races each.

TT supports replays and "photos" similar to how GT4 handles them. The game supports the use of a USB flash drive plugged into one of the PS2's USB ports and can store the jpgs output by the photo session, as well as the replays, which can be quite large. The game also supports printing of "photos" directly to USB photo printer.

Photos can be generated automatically from the replay menu. The game scans the replay and makes a series of photos as it finds things worth keeping. Some are good, some are not so good. You can save individual ones to the memory card or a USB flash drive. When saved to a flash drive, they are saved as jpgs, which can be read by your PC (not tested yet as I lack a flash drive).

Overall, I find the game easier to approach and play than GT4, which was easy enough to become a best seller. It looks and feels real enough, without being impossibly hard. Once you learn the basics and get used to it, you will find yourself winning bikes and races and getting faster and faster as you learn the tracks.

My wish is that Polyphony Digital will do for dirt bike racing what they've done for auto racing and now for motorcycle road racing.

If you are at all into motorcycle road racing and have a PS2, get this game and the Prima Strategy guide. You won't be sorry!

Tourist Trophy - "The real deal"

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: April 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I can't believe I'm the first person to write a review for this game! Let me first start out by saying that this is by far the best sport bike riding video game on the market. Nothing comes close. The MotoGP series is good... but Tourist Trophy is even better!

Now on to the review! The visuals within the "cockpit" view are fantastic, and this (for me) was the sole reason to purchase this game. I myself own a Yamaha YZF600 which is similar to the cockpit of the Yamaha R6. I haven't been able to ride due to the winter season, so I've been searching for a game that gives me that realistic riding experience. Tourist Trophy gives you that feeling, and you get that because you're looking at an actual snapshot of the cockpit to whichever bike you choose. It's dead on! So, to keep myself from going insane from not being able to ride right now, I just pop in Tourist Trophy, select the R6, choose the cockpit view, and I just ride! It's fantastic!

The graphics are stunning. If you've ever played Gran Turismo 4 then the graphics will be no surprise to you. If you're new to the whole Gran Turismo and Tourist Trophy games, you'll be pleasantly surprised. The scenery, the tracks, the bikes... everything just looks great! I find myself watching the replays a lot, which I usually hate, but the game just looks so good... it's hard not to watch the replays!

The sound from the bikes... way cool! They all sound like the real thing, so if you're ever curious to what a GSXR sounds like at a 150 miles per hour, get the game and found out for yourself. The music is descent, however when playing in the arcade mode, I have found the music to repeat certain tracks too frequently. There's a huge play-list of songs that you can access through the menu, but I haven't heard a good 90% of the songs. What gives? In any case the music is good.

There are a few modes to choose from. One on one, Arcade, Campaign, and head to head. I can't write much about the campaign (Tourist Trophy Mode), as I have just received my novice license in the game, which allows you to enter some of the rookie races. If it's anything like Gran Turismo 4, then its safe to say that the campaign mode in Tourist Trophy is solid. Arcade mode is fun, although I can't get the R1 in Arcade mode. Do I have to unlock this? Head to Head is fun, and time trial is of course racing against yourself... which is what racing is all about.

No online play, which would have been nice. Arcade mode doesn't have a difficulty select option, (easy, normal, hard). Besides that, this is a great game. There is a learning curve with this game so prepare yourself. Practice, practice, practice... There is nothing worse than playing a racing game, and not being able to keep your vehicle on the track. Go through the training courses and read all the briefings before you ride. They will help you to stay off the grass, and moreover... from crashing!

Tourist Trophy is a great game. Going in and out of shadows and whipping past trees at 200 miles per hour is a pretty cool feeling, and Tourist Trophy does a great job of capturing the "speed rush" you get from riding a crotch rocket in real life. Take it from a fellow rider, Tourist Trophy is a great riding simulator and is pretty darn close to the real thing.

Well done

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: May 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Looking for an arcade motorcycle racing experience? Well, you'd better look elsewhere, because Tourist Trophy is for racing simulation fans only. For starters, Tourist Trophy is from the makers of Gran Turismo, so that should tell you what you're in for here. The learning curve is very steep as you have a plethora of bikes and tracks to choose from, all of which are difficult to get a hold of to say the least. The physics are the most realistic you'll see in a motorcycle racing game, and you'll be crashing plenty until you get the hand of it. For a PS2 game the graphics are surprisingly sharp, some of the best to be seen in a racing game on the platform. That said, Tourist Trophy is not a game for racing novices. For fans of Gran Turismo, Tourist Trophy should prove to be a worthy distraction, but if you're speed in racing games is limited to Need for Speed games, then this is definitely not for you.

Not that "real" to be the Real Riding Simulator

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: June 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Considering the Gran Turismo pedigree, I have to say I'm a little disappointed by this, what should and could have been the definitive motorcycle game. Instead I'm left feeling the game's lacking major incentives to play it, the physics engine lacked development, and the game generally feels unfinished and in serious need of a polish.

For starters, the lack of the currency system that make the GT games so playable is completely non-existent. Considering this code already exists in GT (and so much is obviously lifted straight from it), why was it not included? I want to win money and spend it on my dream bikes, not race my guts out to be awarded a dog of a 1980's 250cc or something like that! And what would I want or even care to change my helmet and leathers? It says something about what's otherwise lacking that they have to make a point of telling you that for completing a race you've unlocked yet another set of near identical riding wear.

The graphics are of course pretty spectacular, apart that is from the on-board cockpit views. (Which is *the* only way to play in my opinion.) The cockpits are blocky, blurry lacking in colour, definition and contrast, like bad photos added at the last minute. I like the way the bike shifts under you properly, rather than the rider's view being like a fixed camera on the tank as in so many other bike games, but the graphics here are usually pretty awful. Take a look at the mirros on the MV Agusta and it looks like the graphics are made of Lego. It just looks unfinished in my opinion.

The physics engine is something of a mixed bag. Setting the controller to Pro mode in the options gives separate front and back brake control, and while you can drift the rear, it seems impossible to lock the front. Instead you can grab full front brake while over on it's side mid-corner and you'll be fine, no chance of locking and washing the front out. Similarly, it seems equally hard to made the rear loose grip on acceleration, especially when banked hard over. Completely unrealistic for the larger capacity sports bikes. The best and most complete motorcycle physics model I've ever seen was Superbike 2000 on the PC. It's a shame that Polyphony couldn't at least replicate the fidelity of that.

It seems there's some glaring omissions and odd choices in the bikes included too. Where's the iconic '94 Ducati 916? The original '91 Fireblade, or classic GSX-R1100? Instead we've got about 100 bikes, half of which you'll never, ever be tempted to try. Maybe some of the omissions are down to licensing difficulties (perhaps the 916 is already soley licensed to Ducati's bike game of a year or two ago, for example?) To be fair, it could be some of my most longed-for bikes are locked until later stages, though I don't see them in any of the various selection menus.

And what's with the racing? All the races I've tried so far in TT mode I've been racing against a sole competitor, with no practice or qualifying stages, and he gets to start about 1/2 mile ahead! What kind of fun is that?!

To sum up, it's ok, but falls a long way short of what I was hoping for. After the greatness of GT4, Polyphony have stumbled a little on this one.

Finally some competition for MotoGP

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: April 14, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Since the release of the PS2 the only superbike simulation worth getting was MotoGP, and what a great superbike simulation series that was, and still is. It was hard to imagine any other bike simulator could compete, or would even want to try and compete with what seemed like the greatest bike simulation series ever made. Yet the makers of Gran Turismo have gone and done just that. First of all there is no need to wait for a PC port of the console game to have things like a driving test and camera angle changes and more settings. Tourist Trophy does it all and then some more. You can change your colors, your gear, go to the garage, tune up, buy parts and compete just like the Gran Turismo series does. In terms of graphics I would say that it is currently on par with the MotoGP series, with the MotoGP series possibly slightly ahead in having a more realistic replay, but that is not to say that TT can't pull a few tricks out of its sleeve, and it does, in aces, because this is Gran Turismo, with bikes, producing some street racing modes like its big brother car version - Gran Turismo 4. It would be better if you could actually race with cars on the roads! I would highly recommend that all MotoGP lovers get this. It is a real surprise deal and as we all know, the superbike simulators are some the best racing sims around.

The creators did their research

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: April 13, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I just bought this game a few days ago but I have been playing nonstop. I will start off & say that this is one of those games that has great replay value. Having own & ridden several bikes in this game & being a seasoned sport rider, I can honestly say that the creators did their homework on each motorcycle. I believe they actually recorded the sounds of the real motorcycles & synchronized them with the online RPM gauges. They even went through the trouble to add the sound of the rev-limiters on the engines. This is the sound that you hear when you over rev the engines to prevent blowing up the engines. The cockpits are consistent with the real motorcycles. What I think is really cool is how accurate this game captures the power & handling ability of each motorcycle in comparison to the real bikes. Example, the tendency that the GSXR 1000 has a tendency to power wheelie through third gear. The superior handling that the CBR1000 has while in the twisties. The sluggishness of the Hayabusa in tight corners. Also just like the real world of sport bike riding just because you have a bike with greater power you will still get beaten by better riders on less powerful machines. It's all there. Also, I don't know if many of you understand the importance of this function but you can even customize your rider's riding style. Considering I ride this way myself to attack tight high speed corners, you can make your rider hang off of the bike & lean his body as opposed to keeping the rider on the bike & lean the bike more while attacking tight corners. Try this & you will see that your cornering ability will be much more efficient. Also what is really neat is the riding school that you can attend in the campaign mode is very accurate as far as the exercises that you have to use in the real world of sport bike riding, such as high speed braking before entering tight corners. I only hope that the creators re release this game in a few years with the new motorcycles that will be produced. I honestly think that this can be a tool to actually test ride the bike before you buy it. :)

Happy motorcyclists have bugs in their teeth

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: February 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Tourist Trophy review
Polyphony's entry into the world of two-wheeled racing. The game is made by arguably THE experts in simulation race gaming. No flash or Hollywood, just hard core, technically accurate racing.
I'm certainly not the master of racing games. But I was irresistibly drawn to this game for the love of motorcycles (in which I can say I`ve got quite some experience). I have enjoyed the look and feel of the game, but am struggling because of the unforgiving precision required by the game. --- I'm not used to driving with my thumbs :-)

The Look
The graphics are stellar - You can race and watch from a third person point of view, like you were floating behind the bike, or just a track view, or as though you were on the bike. In the `cockpit' view, some complain about the tracks being in perfect view, and the instrument panels being blurry. Well, that's how the eye works, you can watch the gauges or the track, the other will be out of focus. I actually find this a comfortable view. Like real motorcycles, you'll never look at the speedometer, but will watch the tachometer in the corner of your eye for when to expect the power curve and to help guide your shifts. There is a great variety of tracks including city and dedicated racetracks. All of the races are visually great, but if you're racing, you won't have much time to watch the scenery.

Game Progression
I'd recommend starting with the Licensing stage. In this, you pass some basic steps coached all the way, which opens up more bikes, tracks, and gives you enough of a tutorial to step up to Challenge mode. In Challenge mode, you can pick a bike from a selection of bikes, then attempt to beat the computer on a given track. If you take the lead and stay in front, bingo - bike's yours (remember to exit - and it saves automatically though). As you'd expect, if you challenge bigger bikes or higher level, the bikes available range from novice to expert, you'll face respectively better opponents. With your bikes, you enter races. Through game play, you'll race at night or in the day, but weather and light never play a big part in this game. Quite unlike motorcycling where the first thing you're exposed to is the elements.

Gear-heads.
Not much tweaking is available for the bike, you can adjust gears, sometimes suspension and exhaust, but the garage is there to get you on the track and not waste time buying and building a super bike. You can customize riding style (lean, body position, leg and arm angles, etc.) for each bike and I like this feature because you can make the game mirror reality. You can earn a bunch of leathers, helmets and gloves, but I guess that's for people that save replays and print them out on the computer (which you can do in this game).

Races
Great competition, so great I'm still getting beat on a regular basis. The drawback is you'll never face a track full of other bikes. Not a huge flaw, but you'll miss that if you're got real riding experience. I guess the game makers had to draw the line somewhere without overloading the graphics AI engine. Again, technical expertise is the trademark and feature here. You _will_ crash, or high-side, or tailspin, or nosee, if physics says so -- not to mention you'll get disqualified for leaving the track hard-top. The most important lesson here is to pick your cornering lines carefully, watch your lean, and know exactly when to brake and gas out of a corner. I know that's three most important things, but they all work together.

If you want technical, great looking, two wheeled racing, this is the best. It's a lot cheaper than the Ducati I have my eye on. If you have a low frustration tolerance and prefer to bounce off walls - well - get a different game like Burnout.

Must Try

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 12, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Ok this game is basicly GT4 with bikes. If you loved GT4 you'll love this game. but be prepared its less forgiving and takes a little bit to get use too. You do not earn money in this game. You must win your bikes. Either by challenges or winning races. Which adds to the overall challenge of the game. You can't just buy a bike and overpower it and win any race you want.(like GT4). PD also added a new course and changed some of the old ones. Found myself running into walls that shouldn't have been there. If you haven't tried this game yet do so. Rent, buy, borrow. What ever. Warning you'll want to own it.

STICK WITH MOTOGP.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 13
Date: August 14, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Lots of great bikes. Even Buells. A lot of the license tests are just like real tests you would take in a State certified class. But, that's where the simulation ends.

The game is hard to play. And the physics are so far off it's pathetic. Not even close. The physics are almost backwards. As anyone who rides a bike can tell you, hard braking while in a turn is going to put you on the pavement. Not here. Once I was on a downhill straightaway heading into a turn. I brake hard before reaching the turn and end up in a highside flip. What the...? Bogus!! That might happen if I lock the rear wheel and then release the back brake. At this point, I put the game down. As far as I got in the game: you're not racing in a pack, but trying to catch one guy. Deplorable.

After putting this game away, I popped in MOTOGP 2 just to get my GP fix. That game is awesome!! 21 to 25 lap races with 21 riders in the pack that can last 45 minutes. By the time you're into the last 5 laps you're NOT battling the bike, you're battling the leaders for 1st or second place. And you're exhausted. Just like real bike racing. If you're looking for a great sportbike game, play the MOTOGP series instead. It shreds on this. To the reviewer below who said MOTOGP isn't realistic. The physics are spot on!! Especially traction physics. And if you want simulation in that series there is a simulation setting that makes the bikes handle with more realism. It's a no-brainer when compared to TOURIST TROPHY. I get the feeling some of these reviewers have never ridden bikes.

This one gets 2 stars for the bikes and the tracks. WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT.

Tough motorcycle Game to Play

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: May 09, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game has realistic graphics and sound and I had heard that it was a fun game however I discovered that the controls were too sensitive and spent most of my time crashing. It has a very difficult learning curve and the slightest push one way or the other on your joystick will have you eating the pavement (especially in the curves). If you're still thinking about buying this game, rent it first.

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