Tourist Trophy (video game)

Tourist Trophy: The Real Riding Simulator (ツーリスト・トロフィー, Tsūrisuto Torofī) is a 2006 motorcycle racing video game. It was designed by Polyphony Digital, the same team behind the popular Gran Turismo auto racing series. Tourist Trophy is one of only four titles for the PlayStation 2 that is capable of 1080i output, another being Gran Turismo 4, the game engine of which is heavily used in Tourist Trophy.

Tourist Trophy
European box art
Developer(s)Polyphony Digital
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Director(s)Takamasa Shichisawa
Producer(s)Kazunori Yamauchi
Programmer(s)Daisuke Takeuchi
Artist(s)Hiroki Imanishi
SeriesGran Turismo
EngineModified Gran Turismo 4 engine
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
Release
  • CHN: January 26, 2006
  • JP: February 2, 2006
  • NA: April 4, 2006
  • AU: June 1, 2006
  • EU: June 2, 2006
Genre(s)Sim racing
Mode(s)Single-player, Multiplayer

Tourist Trophy was first released in China on January 26, 2006, then in Japan on February 2, 2006. The NTSC edition was officially released on April 4, 2006 with seven extra motorcycles, new riding gear, seven bonus background music tracks, enhanced visual effects, an exclusive "Semi-Pro Mode" and bike profiles. The PAL edition was launched on June 1, 2006 in Australia, and in Europe the next day. The PAL version offers two additional motorcycles and five new BGM tracks from European artists Infadels, Vitalic and Hystereo.

Gameplay

TT Mode

License School

Tourist Trophy's core "Race Event" mode requires licenses, gained after completing riding lessons on various circuits using various motorcycles. There are four licenses to unlock, and each following license is progressively more difficult to obtain and allows the player to unlock faster motorcycles upon completion.

Challenge Mode

Unlike the Gran Turismo games, Tourist Trophy does not contain a currency system. The player has to obtain licenses in order to complete short races in "Challenge Mode" and win motorcycles to add to their garage. Motorcycles won by the player are used and tuned to compete in championships, and are unlocked for use in Arcade Mode.

The developers have recreated 135 motorcycles with engine displacements from 124 cc to 1670 cc, including both road and race versions from 1961 through 2007. Dedicated racing bikes exist as semi-licensed "RacingModified" versions of street bikes, as well as five official fully licensed 2005 Suzuka 8 Hours endurance bikes. Motorcycles from many major manufacturers, as well as two specialized Japanese tuners, Moriwaki and Yoshimura, are included; bikes from the latter two can only be obtained as prizes in Race Events.

The motorcycle selection covers a broad range of modern motorcycles, including scooters, enduros, motards, sports bikes and naked bikes, as well as any respective "RacingModified" versions. For "RacingModified" bikes, a racing number from 5 through 99 can be selected—numbers 1 through 4 must be won in Race Events.

Race Event

Race Events are championships that consist of multiple races. Winning all races within a championship will award new motorcycles and riding gear, and finishing an entire championship will grant the player's motorcycle a special racing number depending on their overall position.

Beating all Race Events will unlock a bonus 23rd Race Event, extra motorcycles, new tracks, and a classic racing motorcycle, the Honda RC162. Completing the game will unlock the "Ending Movie" and add the "Clover Crown" ending theme to the "Music Theater".

Riding Gear

A feature exclusive to Tourist Trophy is "Riding Gear" (named "Closet" in the Asian editions). The player can unlock and collect 186 different riding accessories for their rider, including different helmets, gloves, boots or shoes, pants, one-piece racing suits, and jackets commercially available from more than a dozen manufacturers (Simpson, Vanson Leathers, Alpinestars, Arai, Shoei, Kushitani, RS Taichi, Dainese, AGV, Lewis Leathers, Bell, SPIDI, and XPD). Up to four different combinations can be saved, including two racing suits and two casual outfits.

Certain motorcycles (specifically, the Suzuka 8 Hours racing motorcycles) have their own respective racing suits, which can only be used with said bikes selected. The player cannot use any other riding gear with these motorcycles.

Riding Form

The "Riding Form" option is available in both Arcade Mode and TT Mode.

Before an Arcade Mode race, the user can choose among four Riding Form presets: "Lean Body", "Neutral", "Lean Bike" and "Motard/Dirt". Lean Body focuses on quick cornering, Neutral focuses on handling, and Lean Bike prioritizes slow cornering. The Motard/Dirt form with one leg out in turns is dedicated to enduro and naked bike riding; however, the user is free to use it on all bikes. This mode is named after the mode in Gran Turismo games.

In TT Mode, the user can enter the Garage Riding Form settings with up to four fully customizable forms to save. They are saved as "Form A", "Form B", "Form C" and "Motard/Dirt". Each one has eleven unique parameters and four presets: "Neutral", "Lean Body", "Lean Bike" and "Motard/Dirt" from which to choose. The adjustable parameters are as follows:[1]

  • "Head Roll Angle" dictates how far to the side the rider's head turns in corners.
  • "Head Pitch Angle" dictates how far up or down the rider's head is positioned.
  • "Lateral Slide" determines how far the rider's hips slide towards the inside of a turn. Increasing this value will raise cornering speed at the cost of stability.
  • "Vertical Slide" dictates how much the rider tucks their body into the bike in corners.
  • "Body Lean (Full Bank)" dictates the extent to which the rider leans into corners.
  • "Torso Roll Angle" determines the rider's torso roll in corners. This setting has a significant impact on stability in turns.
  • "Torso Yaw Angle" determines how far the rider's torso twists toward corners. Decreasing this value results in increased responsiveness.
  • "Arm Angle" determines how far in or out the rider's arms are positioned. Decreasing this value results in increased cornering speed at the cost of responsiveness.
  • "Seat Position (Forward/Back)" determines how far forward or back the rider sits, influencing their posture and the extent to which they tuck.
  • "Leg Angle" works much the same as the "Arm Angle" setting, offering increased responsiveness while sacrificing cornering speed.
  • "Body Lean (Upright)" dictates the extent to which the rider tucks on straights. An increased value results in higher acceleration and top speed.

Gameplay settings

Tourist Trophy's default setting is "Normal". Using the Normal setting, the player can perform maneuvers such as wheelies and the stoppies on powerful-enough bikes. These possibilities are disabled with the "Professional" setting. Enabling "Professional" will enhance the simulation aspect as well as the difficulty level, over the arcade-oriented Normal. The "Professional" setting is supposed to allow a more realistic experience with autonomous upper body control (as the "Tuck" manual function is enabled), and separate front and rear brake controls replace the double-brake default system. "Semi-Pro Mode" is an exclusive feature of the North American edition. Other options enhancing difficulty are "Strict Judgment"—a 10-second slow down penalty as seen in Gran Turismo 4—and a "Best Line" display.

Other features

Photo mode and "Best Shot"

Pre-generated photos can be taken from a race replay and saved on a PS2 memory card or a connected USB flash drive, like in Gran Turismo 4. This function is known in the game as "Best Shot". Using various replay angles as a digital camera, the game is able to produce a selection of screenshots with variable compression rate (Normal, Fine, or Super Fine) and size (up to 1280x960/72 dpi). The user can choose to save the photo, print it with an Epson-compatible USB printer, or display it on TV using the "Musical Diaporama" feature. Saved game screenshots can be exchanged with friends or made public on the Internet. Unlike Best Shot, Photo Mode's parameters are fully adjustable and it gives the user the opportunity to compose their own photographs. The user can tune various parameters such as camera angle or course section. Formatting the USB device in Photo Mode or Best Shot will create the "DCIM/100PDITT" folder, allowing Tourist Trophy to store, upload and download game picture files generated under the form "IMG_00X.JPG". Standard USB 2.0 flash drives (including MP3 players and mobile phones) can be used to manage game JPEG files instead of the official I-O Data model.

Replay/ghost files

A USB flash drive can host Tourist Trophy replay/ghost files downloaded from either the official game website or elsewhere online. It can also be used to exchange files with another USB device. Once the files are in the flash drive, the user can upload them from within the game in order to compete with a ghost ("Time Attack") or to watch a replay ("Replay Theater"). Each file can be used as Replay or as Ghost. The first such files released on the Japanese site featured Japanese pro rider and Tourist Trophy test rider Satoshi Tsujimoto and Tourist Trophy producer Kazunori Yamauchi. Formatting the USB device from Theater Mode will create the "PDI" folder, allowing Tourist Trophy to store, upload and download files generated under the name "replay.dat". Standard third-party USB devices are also compatible with such files.

Development

Polyphony Digital reused the physics engine, graphical user interface design, and all but one circuit from Gran Turismo 4. However, the number of AI racers (computer-controlled opponents) has been reduced from five in the Gran Turismo series to only three. Tourist Trophy also uses the License School feature that was popularized by the Gran Turismo series, as well as the Photo Mode introduced in Gran Turismo 4. The B-spec mode, which appeared in Gran Turismo 4, was removed from Tourist Trophy.

While wet, dirt and reverse classic GT4 racing conditions, and tracks such as Circuit de la Sarthe have been removed (as the game doesn't have any motorcycles eligible for snow and dirt conditions); a unique course was specially recreated for Tourist Trophy. The Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo is an official track appearing in the Superbike World Championship and MotoGP. It is also used extensively as a test circuit during the off season. It reappeared in Gran Turismo (PSP) (due to its presence in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters and World Touring Car Championship) but was removed from Gran Turismo 5. Polyphony Digital ostensibly planned to add this track to Gran Turismo 5 (as it remains unused within the game's files[2]), but it was left out for unknown reasons.

Original soundtrack

The Tourist Trophy original game soundtrack was released on March 15, 2006 by For Life Music Entertainment.[3]

Track listing
  • Composed by: Sun Paulo and Makoto
  • Performed by: Sun Paulo, Quadra, Makoto, KASAI and Mitsuo Okada
  1. "I against a speed" (Short Mix) – 3:14
  2. "Discommunication" (Short Mix) – 3:32
  3. "Who I am?" (Short Mix) – 3:46
  4. "Forest" (Short Mix) – 8:00
  5. "Fiber Optics" (Sun Paulo Remix) – 11:10
  6. "Five Silver Rings" – 2:36
  7. "Mystery" – 2:20
  8. "Low Sky" – 2:30
  9. "Mind Visions" – 2:31
  10. "Introduction" – 2:34
  11. "Far West" – 2:45
  12. "Blue on Black" – 2:52
  13. "Your Soul" – 2:23
  14. "Take Your Soul" – 2:04
  15. "Inside My Love" – 2:07
  16. "Peaces of Mind" – 2:32
  17. "OKINAWA WIND" – 3:00
  18. "BRAZILIAN WIND" – 3:02
  19. "CALIFORNIA WIND" – 3:32
  20. "Digital Mononoke Beat PT.1" – 3:09
  21. "Digital Mononoke Beat PT.2" – 2:49

Reception
Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic74/100[4]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Edge6/10[5]
EGM7.17/10[6]
Eurogamer6/10[7]
Famitsu32/40[8]
Game Informer8.5/10[9]
GamePro[10]
GameRevolutionB−[11]
GameSpot8.2/10[12]
GameSpy[13]
GameTrailers8.2/10[14]
GameZone8.8/10[15]
IGN8.4/10[16]
OPM (US)[17]
The A.V. ClubB+[18]
The Times[19]

In October 2003, Sony Computer Entertainment's announcement of a Polyphony Digital motorcycle racing game generated excitement among Gran Turismo fans, and the debut of Tourist Trophy at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show was met with good reviews.[20][21][22][23]

The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[4] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of all four eights for a total of 32 out of 40.[8]

The game won IGN's award for Best PS2 Simulation of 2006.[24]

Possible sequel

In 2015, when asked about the possibility of a sequel to Tourist Trophy, Kazunori Yamauchi said: "I am aware that the game is expected by many fans, so I can't deny a Tourist Trophy 2".[25] While such a sequel has not yet come to fruition, Yamauchi later admitted in an interview in 2018[26] that it was "still [in] the back of his mind".[27]

gollark: If I just manually vote repeatedly (I did initially) does that count?
gollark: Well, that's pretty arbitrary.
gollark: Indirectly, I mean.
gollark: These votes were all cast by humans.
gollark: Ones saying `no`?

References
  1. "Tourist Trophy Riding Form FAQ for PlayStation 2 by aj_the_one - GameFAQs". gamefaqs.gamespot.com. Retrieved 2018-10-14.
  2. Gran Turismo 5 (PS3) Valencia Circuit Ricardo Tormo AI Race, retrieved 2019-12-02
  3. "Tourist Trophy Original Game Soundtrack". VGMdb.
  4. "Tourist Trophy for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic.
  5. Edge staff (April 2006). "Tourist Trophy". Edge (161): 86.
  6. EGM staff (June 2006). "Tourist Trophy". Electronic Gaming Monthly (204): 114.
  7. Bramwell, Tom (July 13, 2006). "Tourist Trophy". Eurogamer. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  8. Gantayat, Anoop (February 6, 2006). "Now Playing in Japan". IGN. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  9. "Tourist Trophy: The Real Riding Simulator". Game Informer (157): 100. May 2006.
  10. Bones (April 4, 2006). "Tourist Trophy Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on May 9, 2006. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  11. Gee, Brian (April 5, 2006). "Tourist Trophy Review". Game Revolution. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  12. Mueller, Greg (April 3, 2006). "Tourist Trophy Review". GameSpot. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  13. Speer, Justin (April 7, 2006). "GameSpy: Tourist Trophy". GameSpy. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  14. "Tourist Trophy: The Real Riding Simulator Review". GameTrailers. April 7, 2006. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  15. Bedigian, Louis (April 3, 2006). "Tourist Trophy - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  16. Roper, Chris (April 3, 2006). "Tourist Trophy: The Real Riding Simulator". IGN. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  17. "Tourist Trophy". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: 96. June 2006.
  18. Krewson, John (April 26, 2006). "Tourist Trophy". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on May 2, 2006. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  19. Wapshott, Tim (June 24, 2006). "Tourist Trophy". The Times. Archived from the original on September 29, 2006. Retrieved June 17, 2016.(subscription required)
  20. Spong staff (October 20, 2003). "World Exclusive: Polyphony working on all-new stand-alone motorbike game". Spong. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  21. Niizumi, Hirohiko (September 19, 2005). "TGS 2005: Tourist Trophy detailed". GameSpot. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  22. Gantayat, Anoop (October 18, 2005). "Hands On: Tourist Trophy". IGN. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  23. Berghammer, Billy (December 9, 2005). "Tourist Trophy Preview". Game Informer. Archived from the original on December 12, 2005. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  24. "Best of 2006: Best Simulation (PlayStation 2)". IGN. Archived from the original on January 10, 2007. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  25. Malgieri, Fabrizia (June 9, 2015). "A new Tourist Trophy on PS4 is possible". Gamereactor.
  26. 株式会社インプレス (2018-01-28). "「GT SPORT」プロデューサー山内一典氏インタビュー ついに「GT7」に言及。FIAライセンス取得計画は「一歩ずつ前に進んでいる」". GAME Watch (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  27. "Tourist Trophy Sequel on Yamauchi's Mind, Bikes Could End Up in GT Game". GTPlanet. 2018-01-28. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
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