If quantity and quality do not always go hand in hand, the ideal is all the same to combine the two and Polyphony Digital does it very well. The proof, each edition of the series Gran Turismo surprised us with its comprehensive content. And even if the technical demo of Gran Turismo HD did not really convince at E3, the appearance of two-wheelers in the favorite game of many fans had enough to make them smile from ear to ear. The developers no doubt wanted to learn about this kind of exercise with a first project and we can admit that the “Real Driving Simulator” (in reference to you know what) is therefore only a simple transition stage.
Grand Tourism To
Indeed, we have more than the unpleasant feeling of an air of déjà vu. How could it be otherwise, the interfaces are pretty much the same. Ditto for the game modes where we find "Tourist Trophy" and "Arcade". Let's start with the latter where we find the eternal Time Trial and Course Simple. You can access from the start a very wide choice of motorcycles and these are also classified by category of displacement (125cm3, 250 cm3, 500 cm3, 650 cm3, 750 cm3, 1000 cm3 and more than 1000 cm3) for a better comfort. And there, the disappointment is felt again since apart from a single exception, the panel of circuits has absolutely not been renewed or even retouched. It is true that it is difficult to do better, however, but in the long run, we start by knowing by heart the wakes of Autumn Mini, Laguna Seca and others.
Get your license first!
Let's continue our adventures now with the "Tourist Trophy" mode. Here again, no surprise, we remain on familiar ground. "License", "Garage", "Races" and "Photo" mode - which allows you to save photos of the races on your USB key and print them - or even manufacturers. However, the licenses increase to four in number and seem a little less elitist than before, even if the novices will certainly suffer a few hours on the last tests. Of course, to facilitate the learning of these, we obviously find the famous markers on the ground. Small inconvenience: the passage to the higher stage is not done automatically after winning a stage and you must therefore go through the main menu. Nothing too bad though. As for the rest, the small subtlety is that any notion of money has disappeared. No more need to go after a donkey in the same championships to be able to afford the racing car of your dreams or even equip it. Equip it? Oh no, that's no longer possible here, and the settings before the race are really minimal. Here is a whole section of the game system of Gran Turismo 4 which is amputated here when it was one of the greatest riches of the title. So how do you unlock the famous motorcycles? Simply by merit. On paper, it looks great, but in practice, how does it work? As we could also expect, we start a little on the road with a simple scooter that a pizza delivery man probably wouldn't want. The 10 most prestigious manufacturers (Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Aprilia, BMW, etc.) then met to present a selection from their catalogue, i.e. between 2 and around twenty racing vehicles for each (this which gives us 125 motorcycles to unlock in total). So, if a motorcycle catches your eye, then you can win it by winning a challenge. It goes without saying of course that there are as many challenges as motorcycles in play, but we regret that they lack a bit of variety. Indeed, it is mainly about overtaking and standing up to your opponent for about ten seconds or winning the race.
The tourist trophy?
On the gameplay side, Tourist Trophy: The Real Riding Simulator does not have the stature of Gran Turismo 4 either. Indeed, only three views are available. The external view does not offer very good visibility because of the pilot who bursts the screen and does not really reflect the dynamism of the races. As for the other two interior views, even if the handlebar view stands out a bit, they are both literally unplayable. And if we were expecting big fights worthy of the Moto GP championship, it's a waste of time because the number of competitors in the race can even be reduced to three (!). Worse, the start of the race is never done from a standing start and you start in last place with no possibility of improving your position on the starting grid. Despite all its poor performances, everything is not to be thrown away in Tourist Trophy, far from it. Already, we will readily recognize a small improvement in the level of artificial intelligence since his opponents are a little more aggressive than in the past and are not content to follow the rhythm like simple sheep. Then, the developers have worked hard so that, like Gran Turismo 4, driving differs from one model to another. Moreover, the sensations of speed are there and the laws of physics are well respected. For example, braking too hard will lift the rear wheel and unbalance the bike and it is of course impossible to accelerate in the turns without falling. A new key (L2) allows among other things to lean forward for better aerodynamics. Finally, it is of course unthinkable to discuss the work of Polyphony Digital without acknowledging their extreme involvement in the graphic part. The game is thus initiated by an introductory video that will break your retinas and the modeling of the motorcycles is truly remarkable. And what of these fantastic replays of which the studio has the secret? Small flat however: the aliasing present on the various circuits stings the eyes and we cannot be as indulgent this time as we had been for Gran Turismo 4.
