is a 2006

racing In sports, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific g ...

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

developed by

Polyphony Digital Polyphony Digital Inc. is an internal Japanese first-party video game development studio for PlayStation Studios. Originally a development group within Sony Computer Entertainment's Japan Studio known as Polys Entertainment, after the succes ...

and published by

Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American video game and digital entertainment company that is a major subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game co ...

for the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

. It is one of only three PS2 titles capable of

1080i In high-definition television (HDTV) and video display technology, 1080i is a video display format with 1080 lines of vertical resolution and Interlaced video, interlaced scanning method. This format was once a standard in HDTV. It was particular ...

output, another being ''

Gran Turismo 4 ''Gran Turismo 4'' is a 2004 sim racing video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It is the fourth main installment and the sixth overall in the ''Gran Turismo'' series. It was ...

'', the game engine of which is also used by ''Tourist Trophy''. Released in 2006, ''Tourist Trophy'' was first released in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

on January 26, then in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

on February 2. The

North American North America is a continent in the Northern and Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the sou ...

version was released on April 4, with seven extra motorcycles, new riding gear, seven bonus

background music Background music (British English: piped music) is a mode of musical performance in which the music is not intended to be a primary focus of potential listeners, but its content, character, and volume level are deliberately chosen to affect behav ...

tracks, enhanced visual effects, an exclusive "Semi-Pro Mode", and bike profiles. The game was launched in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

on June 1, and in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

the next day. The

PAL Phase Alternating Line (PAL) is a color encoding system for analog television. It was one of three major analogue colour television standards, the others being NTSC and SECAM. In most countries it was broadcast at 625 lines, 50 fields (25 ...

version offered 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, obtained 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 in Challenge Mode upon completion.

Challenge Mode

Unlike the '' Gran Turismo'' games, ''Tourist Trophy'' does not contain a currency system. The player must obtain licenses in order to complete short races in "Challenge Mode", which award 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 the game's Arcade mode. ''Tourist Trophy'' has 135 motorcycles with engine displacements from 124 cc to 1670 cc, including both road and race versions, from years 1961 through 2005. Dedicated racing bikes exist as semi-licensed "RacingModified" versions of street bikes, as well as five official fully licensed 2005 Suzuka 8 Hours

endurance Endurance (also related to sufferance, forbearance, resilience, constitution, fortitude, persistence, tenacity, steadfastness, perseverance, stamina, and hardiness) is the ability of an organism to exert itself and remain active for a ...

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. 37 different track layouts are present in the game, including 22 original courses, the

Tsukuba Circuit is a motorsport race track located in Shimotsuma, Ibaraki, Shimotsuma, a neighboring city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, about north of central Tokyo. It is long, with 32 Pit stop, pit garages and a long back straig ...

motorcycle layout, and two versions of

Fuji Speedway is a motorsport race track standing in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Oyama, Shizuoka, Oyama, Suntō District, Shizuoka, Suntō District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was built in the early 1960s. In the 1980s, Fuji Speedway was used for the ...

as it appeared in the 1980s and 1990s. The motorcycle selection covers a broad range of modern motorcycles, including scooters, enduros, motards, sports bikes and

naked bike In the market, there is a wide variety of types of motorcycles, each with unique characteristics and features. Models vary according to the specific needs of each user, such as ''standard'', ''cruiser'', ''touring'', ''sports'', ''off-road'', '' ...

s, 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 the player with 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. Prize bikes include "RacingModified" variants unavailable in Challenge Mode, and a classic racing motorcycle, the 1961 Honda RC162. Completing all 22 Race Events initially available will unlock a bonus 23rd Race Event. Completing the game will unlock an ending cinematic 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 A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the Human head, head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a Custodian helmet, policeman's helmet in the Unite ...

gloves A glove is a garment covering the hand, with separate sheaths or openings for each finger including the thumb. Gloves protect and comfort hands against cold or heat, damage by friction, abrasion or chemicals, and disease; or in turn to provide a ...

boots A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearl ...

or shoes, pants,

jackets A jacket is a garment for the upper body, usually extending below the hips. A jacket typically has sleeves and fastens in the front or slightly on the side. Jackets without sleeves are vests. A jacket is generally lighter, tighter-fitting, and l ...

, and one-piece racing suits commercially available from more than a dozen manufacturers (

Simpson Simpson may refer to: * Simpson (name), a British surname Organizations Schools *Simpson College, in Indianola, Iowa *Simpson University, in Redding, California Businesses *Simpson (appliance manufacturer), former manufacturer and brand of w ...

, Vanson Leathers, Alpinestars, Arai, Shoei, Kushitani, RS Taichi, Dainese, AGV,

Lewis Leathers Lewis Leathers is a brand name of the oldest British motorcycle Motorcycle clothing, clothing company. D. Lewis Ltd,L for Lewis, L for Leathers, Steve Myatt, Classic Bike Guide magazine, July 2005. p. 14 to 19 manufacturer of leather jackets wh ...

Bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...

, SPIDI, and XPD). Up to four different combinations can be saved, including two racing suits and two street riding outfits. 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 Enduro is a form of motorcycle sport run on extended cross-country, off-road courses. Enduro consists of many different obstacles and challenges. The main type of enduro event, and the format to which the World Enduro Championship is run, is ...

and

riding, but 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: * "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 raises cornering speed at the cost of stability and responsiveness (as a result of the change in

center of mass In physics, the center of mass of a distribution of mass in space (sometimes referred to as the barycenter or balance point) is the unique point at any given time where the weight function, weighted relative position (vector), position of the d ...

). * "Vertical Slide" dictates how much the rider tucks their body in towards the bike in corners. * "Body Lean (Full Bank)" dictates the extent to which the rider leans into corners. * "Torso Roll Angle" determines how far the rider's torso leans into corners. Decreasing this value results in increased responsiveness at the cost of stability. * "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 elbows are positioned. Decreasing this value results in increased cornering speed (due to lower drag) 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; a high value offers increased responsiveness while sacrificing cornering speed. * "Body Lean (Upright)" dictates the extent to which the rider tucks on straights. An increased value results in lower drag, and thus 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 stoppies on powerful-enough bikes. These possibilities are disabled with the "Professional" setting. Enabling "Professional" over the arcade-oriented "Normal" will enhance the simulation aspect and difficulty level of the game. The "Professional" setting is intended to allow a more realistic experience, with manual

tucking Tucking is a technique whereby an individual hides the crotch bulge of their penis and scrotum so that they are not conspicuous through clothing. The practice is most commonly employed by men, transgender women, as well as non-binary people wh ...

and separate front and rear brake controls instead of the default double-brake system. The in-between "Semi-Pro Mode" is an exclusive feature of the North American edition. Other options augmenting difficulty are "Strict Judgment"—a 10-second slowdown penalty for shortcuts as seen in ''

''—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 A memory card is an electronic data storage device used for storing digital information, typically using flash memory. These are commonly used in digital portable electronic devices, such as digital cameras as well as in many early games conso ...

or a connected

USB flash drive A flash drive (also thumb drive, memory stick, and pen drive/pendrive) is a data storage device that includes flash memory with an integrated USB interface. A typical USB drive is removable, rewritable, and smaller than an optical disc, and u ...

, like in ''Gran Turismo 4''. This function is known in the game as "Best Shot". Using various replay angles from different parts of the course as a digital camera, the game is able to produce a selection of screenshots with variable

compression Compression may refer to: Physical science *Compression (physics), size reduction due to forces *Compression member, a structural element such as a column *Compressibility, susceptibility to compression * Gas compression *Compression ratio, of a ...

(Normal, Fine, or Super Fine) and size (up to 1280 x 960 px @ 72 dpi). Outside of Best Shot, the game's Photo Mode allows the player to take a photo at a particular moment in a replay; its parameters are almost fully adjustable, giving the player the opportunity to compose their own photographs. The user can choose to save the photo to the PS2

or a

, print it with a

USB Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard, developed by USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), for digital data transmission and power delivery between many types of electronics. It specifies the architecture, in particular the physical ...

-compatible

Epson Seiko Epson Corporation, commonly known as Epson, is a Japanese multinational electronics company and one of the world's largest manufacturers of printers and information- and imaging-related equipment. Headquartered in Suwa, Nagano, Japan, t ...

printer, or display it in-game using the "Musical Diaporama" feature. Saved game screenshots can be exchanged with friends or published to the Internet. 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 memory card or USB flash drive can store ''Tourist Trophy'' replay/

ghost In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

files downloaded from either the official game website or elsewhere online, and can 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 (in "Time Attack" mode) or to watch a replay (in the "Replay Theater"). Each file can be used as a Replay or as a Ghost. 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 A physics engine is computer software that provides an approximate simulation of certain physical systems, typically classical dynamics, including rigid body dynamics (including collision detection), soft body dynamics, and fluid dynamics. I ...

graphical user interface A graphical user interface, or GUI, is a form of user interface that allows user (computing), users to human–computer interaction, interact with electronic devices through Graphics, graphical icon (computing), icons and visual indicators such ...

design, and all but one road circuit from ''

'', but the number of NPC opponents was reduced from five in existing '' Gran Turismo'' games 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'', is absent in ''Tourist Trophy''. While wet, dirt, and reverse racing conditions and tracks such as the

Circuit de la Sarthe The Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans, also known as Circuit de la Sarthe (after the 1906 French Grand Prix triangle circuit) located in Le Mans, Sarthe, France, is a semi-permanent motorsport race course, chiefly known as the venue for the 24 H ...

were removed, a unique course was recreated specifically for ''Tourist Trophy''. The Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo is an official track appearing in the

Superbike World Championship Superbike World Championship (also known as WorldSBK, SBK, World Superbike, WSB, or WSBK) is a silhouette road racing series based on heavily modified production sports motorcycles. The championship was founded in . The Superbike World Champion ...

and

MotoGP Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on Road racing, road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held sin ...

, which sees extensive use as a test circuit during the off season. It reappeared in ''Gran Turismo'' (PSP) due to its presence in

Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, commonly abbreviated as the DTM, is a sports car racing series sanctioned by ADAC. The series is based in Germany, with rounds elsewhere in Europe. The series currently races a modified version of Group GT3 gra ...

and the

World Touring Car Championship The FIA World Touring Car Championship was an international touring car championship promoted by Eurosport Events and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It has had several different incarnations, including a sing ...

, but did not appear in ''

Gran Turismo 5 is a 2010 sim racing video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the fifth main installment and the tenth overall in the '' Gran Turismo'' series. It was released on Novemb ...

''. Polyphony ostensibly planned to add this track to ''Gran Turismo 5'' (as it remains unused within the game's files), but 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.

Track listing

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

Reception

In October 2003,

's announcement of a Polyphony-developed motorcycle racing game generated excitement among '' Gran Turismo'' fans, and the debut of ''Tourist Trophy'' at the 2005

Tokyo Game Show , commonly known as TGS, is a video game trade fair and convention held annually in September in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) and Nikkei Business Publication ...

was met with good reviews. The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

. In Japan, ''

Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...

'' gave it a score of all four eights for a total of 32 out of 40. The game won ''

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

''s award for Best

PS2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 November, in Australia on 30 November, ...

Simulation of 2006. The

Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) is a non-profit organization of video game industry professionals. It organizes the annual Design Innovate Communicate Entertain Summit, better known as D.I.C.E., which includes the presentation ...

nominated ''Tourist Trophy'' for " Simulation Game of the Year" at the

10th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards The ''10th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards'' was the 10th edition of the Interactive Achievement Awards, an annual awards event that honored the best games in the video game industry during 2006. The awards were arranged by the Academy of ...

Possible sequel

In 2015, when asked about the possibility of a sequel to ''Tourist Trophy'',

Kazunori Yamauchi , nicknamed "Kaz", is a Japanese game designer and racing driver. He is the CEO of Polyphony Digital and producer of the ''Gran Turismo (series), Gran Turismo'' video game series. Polyphony Digital He became the president of Polyphony Digital a ...

said: "I am aware that the game is expected by many fans, so I can't deny a ''Tourist Trophy 2''". While such a sequel has not yet come to fruition, Yamauchi later admitted in an interview in 2018 that it was "still nthe back of his mind".

Notes

References

External links

*
''Tourist Trophy'' official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tourist Trophy (Video Game) 2006 video games Gran Turismo (series) games Motorcycle video games PlayStation 2 games PlayStation 2-only games Sony Interactive Entertainment games Racing video games Multiplayer and single-player video games Video games developed in Japan Video games set in California Sports video games set in Germany Video games set in Hong Kong Sports video games set in Italy Sports video games set in Japan Video games set in Monaco Video games set in New York City Video games set in Seattle Video games set in Seoul Video games set in Spain