Tourist Trophy takes a successful franchise into the two-wheel world and, for the most part, is successful in doing so.
The gameplay is basically set up the same way as all Gran Turismos, with a few variations. You have Arcade Mode and you have a simulation mode, or Tourist Trophy Mode as it is called in the game. In Tourist Trophy Mode, you start out by obtaining your licenses. There are only four licenses in this game that needs to be obtained, Novice, Junior, Expert and Super. Each license requires you to complete ten tests. Each test contains three ranks, gold, silver, and bronze, with a certain time to limit to achieve each rank. Tests range from short accelerate-and-brake tests all the way up to full lap time trials. The most significant difference in Tourist Trophy is that there is no money system, there are no days, and to get more motorcycles you just have to win races and, where you will get the most of your motorcycles from, completing the challenges. With the challenges, you have to complete a task, which is either passing an opponent in a certain amount of laps or doing a time trial. For completing the challenge, you win the motorcycle you rode to complete that challenge. Even with all of this Tourist Trophy is on short side with the amount of time it takes to achieve 100%. One major factor is that most of the races are not too long. There are no endurance races and the longest races in the game are only ten laps. The photo mode also makes an appearance in Tourist Trophy and set up the same way as it was in Gran Turismo 4. The only difference is that after a race, you can select the Best Shot option and the game will automatically come up with what it thinks to be the best 16 shots in the entire race.
Since the entire environment of Tourist Trophy is based on Gran Turismo 4, the graphics are just as stellar. The tracks and the motorcycles, all 130+ of them, are shown in fine detail. The riders are even animated to tuck down, stay sitting up, and look back. With races involving the maximum number of opponents, only three, it can be noticed that you rider’s movements do tend to be slower than with races with only one opponent and individual runs. Although this is much of an issue, it just shows how much the PlayStation 2 is being used with this game. The courses, over 35 of them, are also shown in fine detail. Although the tracks are recycled from Gran Turismo 4, with Circuit de Valencia being an exception, a few of the tracks are setup with alternate configurations not available in Gran Turismo 4, which can provide for a slightly different experience at these tracks.
The sound coming from Tourist Trophy is just as good as its four-wheel counterpart. The people in the grandstands all over the track can be heard as a cheering crowd every time you pass by. The wind can be heard rushing by once a decent speed is obtained and the driver is not tucking down on the motorcycle. In addition, the rush of going over 200 miles an hour can be heard as the wind whips by the motorcycle at these speeds. The motorcycles are also given their own distinctive sound as they rev up to engine speeds of 16,000 revolutions per minute with some models.
While Tourist Trophy provides all of this in a great game, what you have to pay for this seems a little high for what you get. The game retails for $39.99 and has not seen a price drop through the means of being added to the Greatest Hits collection or just normal price drop. A price tag of $19.99 or even $29.99 would be a bit more reasonable.
Overall, Tourist Trophy is a great game to play and enjoy, even with its blemishes that bring it down some. It brings that Gran Turismo touch to the motorcycle world and provides an excellent way to experience motorcycle racing. Whether it is a small 125cc or a full-blown racing modified motorcycle, you can enjoy a nice lap around a variety of tracks, ranging from the very short Beginner Course all the way up the monstrous Nürburgring. If you want an excellent motorcycle simulator or even if you just have a slight interest in motorcycle racing and just want to experience it, then you should give this game a shot, you will be glad you did.