TT Bike Sim

Some of you have emailed me or made posts on the forum to say that the add replay page on the TT replays site is not working in IE Mac and some other less common browsers. I’ve just thrown together an alternate version of the form which will now work in any browser – if you have any problems just click the ‘Model list not loading?’ link and all your problems will be solved. Well maybe not all, but that one, at least.

Also, there’s just 3 days remaining for people to submit their entries for round one of the TTBikeSim championship so if you want half a chance of beating some of the excellent times that have already been submitted, you better get practicing.

Our forums now feature a new section called ‘The Gallery’. In it you can upload your favourite Tourist Trophy photos for everyone else to see. There’s no need for web space as you can upload the images directly – so what are you waiting for?

On a related note, we’re also looking at having a TTBikeSim championship which will basically involve seperate rounds at various circuits in which everyone will try to put in the fastest time over X laps (not quite decided there yet). As in the world of proper bike racing each position at each round will be worth a certain amount of points and the overall winner will be whoever has the most points after the final round.

It’d be good to know how much interest there is in this, so even if you are in Europe and still waiting to get your hands on TT please drop by the championship topic and let us know if you fancy joining in.

As anyone who has their hands on Tourist Trophy will know, it is possible to save replays to a USB stick which can then be shared with friends, put in the washing machine, or even uploaded to the internet. This is such a cool little feature it seems a shame to let it go to waste, so after quite a bit time spent stringing together 1s and 0s I’ve come up with our Tourist Trophy replays mini-site.

There’s a full introduction to the site on our forums, but basically the site allows you to upload your replays for other TT fans to watch or try and beat. As you can save a ‘best lap replay’ there will also be a lap times area added in the future, which will make it possible to see all of the quickest TT lap times at various tracks as well as with various setup and bike combinations.

To accompany the new site we’ve got a new section on the forum called The Pitlane. Here you can take part in various challenges, such as thrashing my laptimes or start your own. It’s not overflowing with activity yet, but it will be, so I suggest you get in early so you can say ‘I told you so’.

Any feedback on the site would be much appreciated either via the comments or on the boards. Enjoy!

Bytesector.com have posted an interview with the producers of Tourist Trophy, Taku Imasaki and Maya Rogers. Quite a lot of what is discussed will be old news to anyone who already owns the game, but there are a few interesting titbits regarding a possible sequel and even a new bike-specific controller for the game.

On the controller:

“BS: Gran Turismo has a big market for peripheral devices, like the Logitech wheel that does 900 degrees rotation. Is there anything like this in the works for Tourist Trophy?
TI: To be honest, we were working hard on a peripheral, but it didn’t make it schedule-wise to launch with this game, so you’ll probably see it in the future.”

On a possible Tourist Trophy sequel:

“BS: So there will be a sequel?
TI: Well, I can’t say. My PR guy’s going to kick me if I say that. [Chuckle] Hopefully the game will sell well, and the money we make can be put into making a sequel—let’s put it that way.”

It’s an interesting little article so head over to Bytesector and have a read.

Amazingly it hasn’t even been pushed back! Tourist Trophy will be in the shops in Europe in a month and half, on the 26th of May. Read on for the full press release. Read the rest of this entry »

RC45 recorded some great Tourist Trophy videos which he’s kindly shared on our forums. If you’d like to download them (and you should) then we have a mirror online with the full 150ish mb of footage.

• Gamespy have posted their Tourist Trophy review, awarding it 8.5/10.

“Tourist Trophy is a great first-attempt at motorcycle racing from Polyphony. The actual driving mechanic is fantastic, and the way that the game manages to instill the sense of speed, weight, stability and so forth from a bike is phenomenal. The single-player component isn’t set up in an ideal manner, however. It’s a cinch to run out and pick up some of the best bikes, so you never really get as much of a sense of satisfaction or ownership out of a new ride as could be. Still though, Tourist Trophy provides one hell of a racing experience, so if you’re a fan of technical racing at all, you should run out and pick it up immediately.”

• The official US site has been updated in a big way, with loads of screenshots and videos available.

• RC45 has posted a ton of screenshots on our forum which are well worth a look.

That’s all for now. I’ll be posting loads of updates to the site as more people (including me!) get their hands on the game.

A few more reviews for your consumption:

Gamespot (8.2/10)

Tourist Trophy feels very familiar, but at the same time it doesn’t just feel like motorcycles were forced into a Gran Turismo game. The motorcycles all look and handle great, and there are plenty of events, challenges, and courses to keep you coming back for more. If you’re even slightly interested in the world of motorcycles, you’ll find a lot to enjoy in Tourist Trophy.

Gamezone (8.8/10)

Tourist Trophy is an unconventional racing game in a world that’s often too conventional. It’s harder, faster, and more realistic than its true competitors (motorcycle racers), but has what it takes to stand alongside the greatest racing games.

Gaming Target (8.5/10)

Tourist Trophy won’t be given the same accolades Gran Turismo received 8 years ago when it hit PlayStation, but Polyphony Digital should be lauded for taking a chance on this game even if they realized it wouldn’t have that same impact.

If there are any more reviews about that I’ve not posted then let me know.

As many of you will be getting your hands on TT in the next couple of days, it’d be good to hear some feedback on the game from someone other than the bog-standard wet-behind-the-ears never-sat-on-a-real-bike gaming journo.

You can post your comments on our Tourist Trophy forum and if you register you’ll be able to upload your in-game screenshots to the site. Keep it rubber-side down, guys!

The site’s been a little quiet lately, but with TT’s release in the US just a day away things should pick up a bit. In the meantime, here are a few reviews to keep you ticking over:

• Gaming Horizon Review (8.2/10)
• 1up Review (8.0/10)
• The Toronto Star

Apparently the UK magazine ‘Edge’ has also reviewed Tourist Trophy this month, giving it just 6/10 and saying:

“Tourist Trophy is never anything more than you, a motorcycle, and the quest for the racing line. It’s more than accomplished enough to fulfil fanatics of bikes and simulations, but too dry for anyone else.” (source)

And given that Gran Turismo could be described similarly that doesn’t sound such a disaster, to me.