Tourist Trophy

Anyone expecting a purely frenetic racing game should pass, but this should provide sim racing fans with a satisfying game. There’s a lot to tinker with here, and gaming gearheads will be in heaven.

Bottom line here is that the polish and attention to detail has transferred well to make the gameplay solid and something to keep coming back to.

We get all the same great physics and real-world handling that we’ve come to expect from Polyphony Digital combined with the challenging nuances of racing on two wheel instead of four.

It’s harder, faster, and more realistic than its true competitors (motorcycle racers), but has what it takes to stand alongside the greatest racing games.

The bike is relatively easy to learn how to operate but it does respond very realistically which is where the sim factor comes in.

Immensely deep.

The game definitely has been slimmed down from the massive bulk of Gran Turismo 4, making sure to not drown this new audience in confusion, but at the same time it's deep enough that those who've come to expect a seemingly never-ending game should be satisfied even though it definitely lacks the depth Polyphony is known for.

If Tourist Trophy uncovers the fourth dimension of racing, then the fifth dimension needs to be turning Polyphony's obvious passion for mechanical engineering into a passion that everyone can relate too. [May 2006, p.100]

A beautiful and realistic motorcycle simulation. Not as deep as its parent game Gran Tourismo 4, though. With four drivers at most, the races can get a little bland, especially if you have a superior (or inferior) bike. [June 2006]

The actual driving mechanic is fantastic, and the way that the game manages to instill the sense of speed, weight, stability and so forth from a bike is phenomenal.

The lack of online play really hurts Tourist Trophy and the limitation of only four other racers on screen kicks it in the shins a little more.

The sound effects do a great job of selling the experience. You’ll hear the wind moving past your bike as you hit top speeds.

Lovely, well-executed, and extremely polished motorcycles, racing through rather familiar territory.

There is plenty of fun to be had here, but there is also plenty of room for improvement.

The game maintains the compulsive drive for authenticity that the Gran Turismo series is known for, but with a much narrower focus. So while it may just be Gran Turismo with motorcycles, it's still a great racing game in its own right.

Tourist Trophy probably won’t have the universal appeal of "GT4," but it is a competent racer in its own right. If you’re a fan of motorcycles, you’re sure to enjoy it.

It just takes a little dedication, a little perseverance, and a deep love of bikes to discover it. But if that's you, then this could be time well spent indeed. [July 2006, p.62]

Tourist Trophy is highly customizable, and provides a chillingly realistic riding experience. While it may lack a few obvious features, this is still a strong start for the first real extension of the Gran Turismo franchise, and one that can only get better with time.

The control is tight and responsive, making any fatal face plants entirely your own fault, while the tutorial/licensing helps quickly acclimate you to competitive racing. All in all, the difficulty might turn as many casual gamers away as it will attract hardcore racing fans, which isn't always a bad thing if you're looking for racing authenticity.

You'll cry for training wheels at first, but the elation of mastering the game's techniques is its own reward. This is a great start to a Gran Turismo off-shoot.

A well-made game, especially when you consider that it was put together in an almost unfathomable 10 months.

The handling is downright beautiful and innovated over a series of bikes, and the presentation rocks. However, the game's incredible difficulty curve, somewhat average career mode, and complete lack of online play may leave some less than satisfied with the ride.

There's enough core racing here to entertain for a while, but unlike Gran Turismo, there's not enough universal appeal to make it a buy to anyone but serious riders.

The highly acclaimed developer works their magic on the bike racing scene with this extremely addictive sim. Not quite a Gran Turismo for bikes, but close enough.

Although Tourist Trophy has some real substance behind it with a wide range of bikes, licensed accessories and the particularly neat "Rider Form" feature, motorbike fans would be advised to wait for THQs "MotoGP 06" which promises to offer a more conclusive experience on the actual track.

TT isn't so much a racing game as a fantastic driving experience and one that deserves better than the reduced copy and paste options and tracks that have been bolted onto it.

TT has been three years in the making and you can't fault its beautiful looks and attention to accuracy.

It's just that - a racing sim. Which for the most part means it's lonely and dull as you fight corners. [Issue#139, p.98]

Tourist Trophy delivers to motorcycle fans the same sort of thrill that Gran Turismo delivers to auto aficionados. The only downside is that there’s far fewer bike makers involved in Tourist Trophy than there were auto makers involved in even the first Gran Turismo.

The best way to describe Tourist Trophy would be to say that it’s the motorcycle expansion pack taken to the extreme.