Gran Turismo cut in half.... only better...

User Rating: 9.7 | Tourist Trophy PS2
Yes, its true, Tourist Trophy (TT) has little graphical and design improvements on Gran Turismo 4 (GT4), but unlike its four wheeled counterpart its a lot better. For instance, no more will we have to put up with that stupid meter at the bottom telling us that our wheel balance is off, I say screw that, I can take a 20 degree turn at 60 with no problem so don't say my car is off balance. Anyway, to get back to the game at hand, TT offers up a stack of bikes for it's first run out on the track. By a stack of bikes though I mean a stack of Japanese bikes, yes Japanese bikes exist in TT but for any other non-Japanese bike to make it in the game it has to be a pretty good bike (Ducati).

To sum the game up I will break each part into a category depicted by the Gamespot Scoring Scale.

Gameplay:

Out of all the things I could say about Tourist Trophy the best would have to be the Gameplay. Stunning controls, and the sense that your really flying at 150-200 in certain maps makes this the best and most redeeming quality of the game. Not to mention the fact that if you fall you know it was your fault and not the poor design of the game. Needless, to say that the license system has improved and while tedious, it will unlock some great bonus bikes and will allow you to become a better driver over time, trust me i've only done up to the Junior license since the time of the review and I have become a far better driver then I was when I first bought the game.

Graphics:

While graphics have not changed from the Gran Turismo 4 game, it is in no question that they did an excellent job on the bikes. Obviously, they had to create the bikes and as far as I can see (or care) the bikes are very well done. The best thing I could say about the graphics is when you change to the cockpit view, when you actually get a sense that you are the driver. This is obviously taken from Project Gotham Racing 3 with its in the car view, but for a technically inferior system it does a good job in re-doing the feel of a cockpit view on the ps2, which GT4 neglected to do.

Sound:

The sound of the bikes could not have been portrayed any better, and while some have a screeching sound, others have a huge bass that are put forth by them. The best thing about the sound is the differences in camera's, for someone who hasn't played the game yet I understand that the concept of different camera's emitting different sounds is confusing but let me explain. When you are viewing the Third-Person Camera you get a softer engine and wind sound. When in cockpit view you get a louder engine, the wind becomes more intense, you can hear your wheels rolling against the cement (or grass, depending on how good of a driver you are) and you get the real sense of speed. When your in the low to the ground Camera view, natural to the Gran Turismo Series, you get more wind and engine then before, but in a little different style then the cockpit view.

Value:

Plain and simple... Much better then GT4 and even better as a stand-alone simulation motorcycle game.

Last Thought's:

Buy the game if your a bike fan, buy the game if your a simulation riding fan, buy the game if you like the GT Series, buy the game if you like racing and last but not least, buy the game because its amazing and a sense it to be one of those underappreciated games of 2006.