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Online racers need not apply
 By far the biggest disappointment is the multiplayer - or, lack thereof. There is zero ability to race online, which would be terribly welcome. After awhile it becomes far too annoying to keep battling the AI, and human competition would go a long way in increasing the fun factor of the game. The only way to race against any living, breathing person is to go into the Arcade mode and pick split-screen, two-player multiplayer. This is really only enjoyable on a larger television (preferably with an S-video connection) and serves to do little more than to make the players yearn to take it to the streets against full-screen racers over the internet. I am not sure why Polyphony continues to resist the concept of going online (this is 2006, after all), but with each release it gets less and less excusable.
Another curious area of the game that clearly took a lot of time in development is the Photo mode. I'm not sure how many Tourist Trophy players out there are willing to spend the amount of time that it takes to customize photographs of their virtual selves in action shots aboard their motorcycles, but there is a shockingly wide array of methods to capture, display, store, and print (print!) these pictures. There's a market for this feature, though, and the game has more than enough functionality to keep aspiring photographers busy for a long time.
Overall, Tourist Trophy is a well-oiled machine in many ways that sadly suffers in a few key areas. The attention to detail and realism is in all the most important places – namely, the motorcycles. Each is its own beast and handles differently, requiring different strategies for different challenges. There are over a hundred of them to choose from and obtain, allowing for a deep experience and a significant amount of potential game time.
The difficulty level can be almost insurmountable for those not willing to take the time to master the courses and the bikes, but offers a great reward of satisfaction. Sadly, if you're looking to race against anyone other than the computer, you'll have just one option, and it isn't all that good. For the motorcycle racing junkies and Gran Turismo fans out there, buying Tourist Trophy is a no-brainer – you'll love it. However, if you don't fit into one of those two categories, make sure you look before you leap. Your controller will thank you.
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