If You Like Gran Turismo, You'll Feel Right At Home With Tourist Trophy As Well.
User Rating: 9 | Tourist Trophy PS2
I've been playing this game since March 2007, and this was also the very first motorcycle racer i've ever played and it is a thrill ride all the way. Rather than utilizing credits to purchase bikes from winning races, you get a challenge mode where you play through a series of races ranging from overtaking your opponent(s) within a certain number of laps and holding the lead for at least 10 seconds or crossing the finish line at the end first to 1 lap time trials. If you succeed, you will win that certain bike or bikes that you may have been eyeing for a while. You can also use your bikes to compete in various race events as the Two-Stroke series, Heavyweights, etc. Most of the race events are championship races and if you win races within them, you will win certain bikes, speciallized racing numbers for your racing modified bikes other than the normal 5-99 to choose from when you unlock a racing modified bike from the challenge mode, and riding gear. There are two types of bikes: Street bikes and Racing bikes. Most of the race events call for the use of racing modified bikes, and the cool thing about the racing modified bikes are the ability to change the number on your bike (Street bikes do not get race numbers). There are even speciallized license tests (one of the things here that pay homage to the Gran Turismo games) ranging from the stopping your bike before crossing a line, to basic and complex cornering, to 1 lap time trials. These are necessary, not only because they will help you out for your riding skills, but these licenses are required to unlock the challenge modes and faster bikes to unlock within.
You can also adjust your suspension, brakes, exhaust (excluding racing modified bikes), etc. to suityour racing needs. You also get information and tips on how to customize your bike so you won't spin your bike out from oversteer or lose too much speed when you shift one gear higher. You can also adjust your riding style to where you have more lean on your body or bike or even motard (where your rider sticks his leg out when tackling a corner). You can even manually adjust the head roll angle,body, etc. if you want to go the extra mile for your riding style.
There's also some fun relaxing modes, as photo travel, free runs, and even free races where you get to choose your own rival and take him on on the course of your choosing. Speaking of courses, most of the tracks in the game are recycled from the Gran Turismo games (i.e: Suzuka Circuit) with the exception of one new circuit: Valencia Speedway in Spain (used widely in the time trials of the challenge mode, so get used to it).
Overall, Tourist Trophy may feel like Gran Turismo 4 in a way, but the rewarding challenges and races and customizations, rider and bike, make you feel right at home with motorcycle racing.
