Polyphony has engineered a highly technical racing game which takes into account rider posture as well as the positioning of a bike as it races through a curved track to determine if wipeout is imminent. Unlike other motorcycle racing games where one may jump in and zoom off without practicing first, Tourist Trophy requires a bit of patience, a fair amount of learning, and subtle tweaking of the ride as one shoots through hairpin turns. The rudimentary control scheme works well where the L-Analog controls side to side movement of the rider and the R-Analog accelerates and decelerates the bike. When playing with manual transmission, the R1 and L1 triggers shift up and down while the L2 trigger tucks the body. No other controls are required although the SELECT button changes camera views from visor view to a behind-the-rider perspective.
Region Lock-out
Please note Japanese Playstation 2 games will not boot on USA or European PS2 consoles due to the inherent region-lockout on Playstation 2 game discs.
NCS Game Notes
» In the intro to the game, a red blur gives way to the shiny red armor of a motorbike which soon glides across asphalt with a throaty rumble as competitors muscle for rank, hang on, and move realistically through the track. Venues change from courses to glimpses of city racing, and back to the regulated confines of the track. An omnipresent world camera keeps track of the racers and the perspective changes for world view to rider view and back to world view.
» On the title screen, a view of the road ahead winds in whipsaw fashion. Leave it alone and footage of riders racing on tracks eventually spool off from the DVD and show off their speed and deft handing of their motorcycles.
» The default controls are as follows but each button may be mapped to one's preference:
L-Analog / Shift weight and move the rider (not the bike)
R-Analog / Accelerate by pushing up, Decelerate by pulling down.
X Button / Accelerate
SQUARE / Brake (Front and back)
TRIANGLE / Reverse
O Button / Toggle camera view (front/back)
R1 Trigger / Shift up
L1 Trigger / Shift down
R2 Trigger / Rear brake
L2 Trigger / Tuck body
SELECT / Change camera
» In addition to a normal joypad control configuration, there is also a professional configuration which distinguishes between the front and rear brakes on the motorcycle. In Normal configuration, only the SQUARE button is used to brake. In professional mode, the SQUARE button activates the front brake while the R2 trigger engages the rear brake.
» The riding posture of your onscreen racer may be adjusted for head lean, chin position, upper body slant, underarm posture, riding position, hip movement, and knee placement which all affect the movement as well as the center of gravity of your bike/rider as you motor through the tracks.
» Upon pressing START the following options appear:
* Arcade Mode
\ 1 on 1
\ Race
\ Time Trial
\ 2 Player Battle
The Arcade Mode is meant to allow a quick racing time which doesn't require a lot of time investment. All of the tracks and bikes featured in the game are available in Arcade Mode. The uniform of your racing hero may also be chosen along with a natty helmet.
* Tourist Trophy Mode
\ TT Challenge
Start from the low rungs of the racing world and work your way to the top. The bikes that are available to a new racer are meager but successful completion of missions opens up a world of possibilities.
\ License School
Learn the basic operations of the motorcycle and pass tests to win helmets, racing suits, and other needful gear. License School is staggered into four levels which brim with a large number of lessons which test all aspects of motorcycle handling. As more tests are conquered, the number of bikes that become available in TT Challenge expand.
\ Riding Form Editor
Create a unique riding profile for your racing champion whether it be conventional or aggressive. The riding posture affects the performance of a motorcycle and gamers may adjust the position of a rider's head, the twist of the torso, the position of the knees, lowering the forward profile, and changing the center of the rider's gravity.
\ Photo Mode
Snap a shot while you're hurtling along at over 200km/h.
\ Closet
Every serious racer keeps his collection of helmets, racing suits, and assorted gear in a closet which stores everything safely within its confines.
* In the Tourist Trophy World, players enter a name and create a save game file on the memory card. After taking the requisite License driving tests such as braking and bike handling, a Challenge Mode ensues where racing tasks are completed to earn motorbikes. As more races are won, sponsors hand over nifty gear such as jackets and helmets.
* Replay Theater - View 15 racing demos and replays. The camera in the racing demos may be switched from Normal Replay mode, Dive Replay, or Display (which is normal replay mode with the map, meters, and position indicators on screen). To focus in on the action, press the TRIANGLE button and to silence the BGM, hit the O button so the roar of the bicycles are played without musical accompaniment. The X button toggles between external camera view of the action and rider view.
* Music Theater - Listen to 13 music tracks from the game including "I against speed" by Sun Paulo where he mutters, "I against speed-beed-beed-beed..." in relentless monotone, "Rock & Tonic" and"The chase is better than race" by Bio-Tonic, "Wind Jammer" by Wrecked Machines, and three selections by Kasai - two of which are mispelled as follows, "Bragilian Wind" and "Califolnia Wind." There's also a Slide Show where six songs with photographic slide accompaniment may be enjoyed.
* Option menu for setting AT/MT transmission, camera mode, screen aspect ratio, progressive mode (480P, 1080i), sound volume, metric system or US miles, controller configuration, and many more options.
* In the Credits screen, three pages of copyright information in small typeface may be perused.
» If the penalty feature is toggled, every time you skid off your bike and crash into the railings, the game penalizes you for a few seconds where you're able to throttle up to 50km/h but no more above that until the penalty expires.
» The game's handling and control responsiveness is accurate and our otaku questions from last year appear to have been addressed with each bike feeling and handling uniquely and speed serving as the balancer for center of gravity - for example, as the rider speeds up, stability increases but as speed drops, chaos ensues.
» Upon starting an Arcade Mode game, the full array of tracks may be selected as follows:
Tsukuba Circuit
Fuji Speedway 2005
Fuji Speedway 90's
Fuji Speedway 80's
Twin Ring Motegi West Short Course
Twin Ring Motegi East Short Course
Twin Ring Motegi Road Course
Twin Ring Motegi Super Speedway
Suzuka Circuit East Course
Suzuka Circuit West Course
Suzuka Circuit
Laguna Seca Raceway
Infineon Raceway
Circuit de la Comunitat Valencia Ricardo Tormo
Beginner Course
Motorland
High Speed Ring
Midfield Raceway
Apricot Hill Raceway
Autumn Ring Mini
Autumn Ring
Trial Mountain Circuit
Deep Forest Raceway
Grand Valley East Section
Grand Valley Speedway
Tokyo R246
Clubman Stage Route 5
Special Stage Route 5
Seoul Central
Hong Kong
New York
» Over 80 available motorbikes range from the 250cc to 1000cc class with the following highlights in each class:
223cc Honda FTR '95
249cc Yamaha TZR250 '85
249cc Yamaha Grand Majesty 250 '05
398cc Suzuki DR-Z400SM '05
399cc Honda VFR400R '99
499cc Yamaha TMAX '05
636cc Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R '05
748cc Honda C8750F '81
996.3cc MV Agusta F4-1000S '05
999cc Suzuki GSX-R 1000 '05
999cc Ducati 999R '05
1157cc BMW Motorrad K1200S '05
1198cc Yamaha Vmax '05
1284cc Honda CB1300 Super BOLD'OR '05
1299cc Suzuku GSX 1300R Hayabusa '05
» Enter the class of bike categories and a large assortment of bikes that fit under the cc umbrella may be viewed. The bike rotates slowly as its stats are listed on the bottom and the manufacturer logo and model are displayed on the upper right corner of the screen. The amount of detail and modeling in each bike is lovingly recreated and upon selecting a bike that suits your fancy, its color may be chosen from available hues. The rider may also be outfitted in official gear from equipment manufacturers such as Shoei, Arai Helmet, Fushitani, and other manufacturers.
» The engines of the various bikes have distinct sounds - some bikes emit insect-like whines while others rumble with deep and sonorous growls.
Update: Dec 13, 2005
©NCSX▪ Tourist Trophy refers to the motorcycle races which take place on the Isle of Man. In Polyphony Digital's latest racing game, players ride on two wheels instead of four where pedals and air are all that separates rider from asphalt floor. The mechanics and maneuverability of a motorbike are radically different from that of a car. For example, when turning left on a bike, the lean to the left starts by turning the front wheel to the right which is known as countersteering. Given the stark differences between driving a car and handling a motorbike, we'd ask Polyphony the following questions if we were motorcycle riding fanboy fiends:
1) Does the Tourist Trophy game engine accurately portray the stabilization effect of steering geometry as the motorcycle speeds ever faster?
2) There are nearly 100 motorbikes featured in the game from Yamaha, Honda, and other manufacturers. Has the center of gravity for each vehicle been factored into the how each bike handles in the game? If so, how does the addition of a rider affect the center of gravity of the motorcycle?
3) At high speeds, does the game engine accurately account for and calculate the centrifugal force on a bike when navigating a hairpin turn?
Or something like that.
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