Thoughts On The Grand Tour Game

In the words of Jeremy Clarkson, "you can’t be a true petrolhead until you’ve owned an Alfa Romeo."

If you don't know who Jeremy Clarkson is (pictured far right, beside Richard Hammond, middle and James May, left), that's okay. 

The original Top Gear was a rather dry and factual based motoring show that first ran from 1977 to cancellation in 2001. An automotive journalist named Jeremy Clarkson came onboard the programme in 1988 and brought a bit of British sarcastic humor to his segments, which made him stand out from the other presents on the show at the time.

12 years later, with slipping rating and presenters leaving for other shows on different networks, the BBC decided to pull the plug on the show. However, Jeremy Clarkson and producer Andy Wilman pitched a revamped Top Gear concept to the BBC and the network took a chance on the idea.

In 2002, the BBC relaunched Top Gear and much to the surprise of everyone, a world wide phenomenon was born, estimated to have been watch by 350 million globally. The short lived spin offs (Top Gear Australia, Top Gear USA and more), the merchandising (just Google "The Stig") and exposure of vehicles rarely seen outside of video games was unprecedented. For thirteen years, Top Gear was a motoring powerhouse both on and off the air.

Then, in 2015, a controversial incident (later settled) between Jeremy Clarkson and one of the show's producing resulted in Clarkson's contract to be terminated, eventually leading to Andy Wilman, James May and Richard Hammond to leave the show and the BBC.

Before the dust would settle, a deal was signed with Amazon and The Grand Tour was created. One could see this new show as "more of the same" from the old, but both shows owe their success to the presenters, Richard Hammond, James May and or course, Jeremy Clarkson.

As of 2020, The Grand Tour is still going strong, but the recent change in format and staggered release of episodes will show if this decision was the right or wrong thing to do. Meanwhile, Top Gear has yet to find a stable cast of presenters, since they are changing out on a yearly basis. After watching a recent episode, the show still has this "lost" feeling for me....

 
Now, let's be done with the history lecture and move on to The Grand Tour Game.

My lovely wife got this title for me this past Christmas, helping to spurn on my switch from playing tank games and returning back onto virtual roads and tracks. This version is for the Xbox One.

In essence, The Grand Tour Game is a condensed version of the show, where the player gets to do the "driving bits." The performance success or failure during the interactive motoring segments have no influence on the outcome of the episode itself. In other words, getting a Gold Medal or the Toilet changes nothing to how the rest of the experience plays out.

Off the bat, I must say I am a bit disappointed, since I can only play one full season of the show. I find it odd the previous seasons aren't available as options and can't help but wonder why....

   

The controls are simple enough for causal gamers and the default setup should be familiar enough to those with more experience playing in the genre.

For me, the graphics are a nostalgic throwback to my old Playstation 2 gaming days.

Not this is a bad thing, but if you are coming to this particular title looking for a Gran Turismo or Forza quality visual experience, be ready for some lower resolution disappointment, but it does offer a split-screen, local multiplayer mode, just like the other two titles.

So, here's a quick look at the game and trying my skills at being a petrolhead in an Alfa Romeo GTV6, from "Well Aged Scotch," Season 3 Episode 7....