Tourist Trophy [PS2]

We all love the Gran Turismo series, so nothing more needs to be said about it. Besides, four wheels are, like, so passe. Polyphony has moved onto the balancing act that is motorcycle racing, and is attacking it in much the same vigor and meticulous design it did in Gran Turismo -- as if there was any doubt.

To set the record straight, this plays nothing like the GT series. The reason? Bikes handle nothing like cars. When you're doing breakneck speeds on two wheels, a wrong move doesn't just mean some paint chipped off your side panel or the occasional spinout; it means picking grassy divots out of your helmet while counting your teeth.

Tourist Trophy admirably conveys this graceful yet precarious pastime in all its glory. The key is using your speed and braking in moderation -- too much of one or the other, and it's curtains. It's not like car racing, where you can get daring and risky to catch up. Cautious and deliberate actions win the day, which may turn off some who feel the need for speed.

Instead of using the normal brakes as a crutch, you'll find the rear brake (R2) to be your best friend. It slows you down around turns, provided you hit it soon enough. Conversely, L2 allows you to lean into turns and regain some precious speed. The game's controls work extremely well, and can be customized to your specifications. At times, you'll find the right analog throttle is best; other times hitting X for gas is good to go. It's amazing the amount of instinctual tap-dancing your fingers will go through once you have the mapping memorized -- leading to plenty of video gaming Zen.

The main mode is predictably career-centric: Earn licenses, compete in racing circuits on the 30+ tracks, and tweak your ride. The licenses act as tutorials to ease you into things -- a welcome handholding since this will be a big shock to the system of anyone used to rolling four wheels. Bikes may not be as fun to tinker with in the garage, but being able to customize your rider's gear and lean compensate well.