The Grand Tour Game is an episodic racing video game developed and published by Amazon Game Studios with additional support being provided by Heavy Iron Studios. The title was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It is based on the reality television series The Grand Tour. It covers the first episode of its first two series, and released a new episode of the game simultaneously with each episode of the third series. It is Amazon's first video game for PS4 and Xbox One.[2]
| The Grand Tour Game | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Amazon Game Studios Seattle[a] |
| Publisher(s) | Amazon Game Studios |
| Engine | Amazon Lumberyard |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Racing game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, Multiplayer |
The game was first announced on 21 August 2018 by Amazon and later on DriveTribe, and over the coming months, several trailers were released. The game was launched on 15 January 2019, three days before the third series was due to start on Amazon Prime.
In June 2020, the game was delisted from the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store and Amazon. The reason stated by Amazon was so the developers could 'focus our efforts and resources on other projects.'[3] It was also announced that all bonus content such as the Pre-order and Twitch Prime vehicles would expire on 31 July 2020.[4]
Gameplay
editThe game allows the player to experience an episode of The Grand Tour,[5] but some sections of the program are replaced with 'Scenes', challenges which the player completes. The aim of the game is to collect medals from the Scenes, awarded based on the performance of the player. These rewards, from best to worst, are the Gold Medal, Silver Medal, Bronze Medal[6] and The 'Toilet Flush', if the game deems the performance particularly poor.[7] Scenes usually involve driving the cars which appear in The Grand Tour's episodes, in doing various challenges (like racing or top speed targets). However, some challenges involve taking a photo, completing a puzzle, or in the episode 'Pick Up Put Downs' the player can control a certain gun.[8] Most episodes have between 14 and 15 Scenes,[9] although this varies dramatically for some episodes.
Most Scenes are similar to what happens in their respective episodes, although some Scenes have been altered or omitted due to licensing restrictions.[10] For example, the segments from Series 3, Episode 10, where James May drives the Toyota Yaris GRMN, or when Jeremy Clarkson drives the McLaren Senna are not available in the game. The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 from Series 4 Episode 6 was replaced by 'The Popmobile', which was supposed to be a Project 8, but wrapped in bubble wrap. This was also due to licensing issues. The game features voice-overs from the presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, as well as from professional driver Abbie Eaton. Alongside the single-player mode, the game also has a local multiplayer split-screen mode where 1-4 people can race with cars of their choice on the various tracks in the game.[7]
Episodes
editSeries 1
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Vehicles Featured | Scenes | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Holy Trinity" | Galpin Rocket, Roush Stage 3, Shelby GT350R, McLaren P1, Porsche 918 Spyder, LaFerrari, BMW M2, Ferrari 488 GTB | 15 | 15 January 2019 |
Series 2
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Vehicles Featured | Scenes | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | "Past, Present, or Future" | Honda NSX, Rimac Concept One, Lamborghini Aventador S | 11 | 15 January 2019 |
Series 3
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Vehicles Featured | Scenes | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | "Motown Funk" | Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, Hennessey Exorcist, RTR Spec 3, McLaren 720S Coupe[note 1] | 16 | 18 January 2019 |
| 4–5 | 2–3 | "Colombia Special Parts 1 & 2" | Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Fiat Panda, Jeep Wrangler Sahara | 26 | 26 January 2019 |
| 6 | 4 | "Pick Up Put Downs" | Mercedes X-Class, Ford Ranger, Volkswagen Amarok, 'Popmobile'[note 2] | 14 | 1 February 2019 |
| 7 | 5 | "An Itchy Urus" | Alpine A110[note 3]Lamborghini Urus, Porsche 911 Turbo S, Ford Cortina Lotus, Lotus Type 38, Lotus Type 25 | 12 | 8 February 2019 |
| 8 | 6 | "Chinese Food For Thought" | NIO EP9, BMW 750iL, Cadillac Seville STS, Mercedes-Benz W140 600L, Fulu A7 | 10 | 15 February 2019 |
| 9 | 7 | "Well Aged Scotch" | Alfa Romeo GTV6, Fiat X1/9, Lancia Gamma Coupe, BMW M5, BMW Alpina B5 Birturbo | 14 | 22 February 2019 |
| 10 | 8 | "International Buffoons Vacation" | Alumi Craft Class 10 ('Spaniel Jumper'), Jake's Fabworks JF5U ('Jeremy's Jumper'), 'Plastic Pickup', Winnebago Chieftain, National RV Tropical ('May's RV'), Fleetwood Pace Arrow ('Clarkson's RV'), International Harvester S-Series ('International Trucks') | 13 | 1 March 2019 |
| 11 | 9 | "Aston, Astronauts and Angelina's Children" | Aston Martin Vantage, Bentley Bentayga, 1962 Chevrolet Corvette, 1967 Chevrolet Corvette, Citroën C3 Aircross, De Tomaso Pantera GTS | 15 | 8 March 2019 |
| 12 | 10 | "The Youth Vote" | Ferrari Testarossa, Lamborghini Countach, Ford Fiesta ST, Volkswagen Polo GTI[note 4] | 14 | 15 March 2019 |
| 13 | 11 | "Sea to Unsalty Sea" | Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, Bentley Continental GT, BMW M850i, Renault 9 | 15 | 22 March 2019 |
| 14 | 12 | "Legends and Luggage" | Lancia Delta Futurista, Porsche 911 GT2 RS, Porsche 917K-Chassis 015, electric suitcase | 12 | 29 March 2019 |
| 15 | 13 | "Survival of the Fattest" | Flat Pack car/John[note 5] | 17 | 5 April 2019 |
| 16 | 14 | "Funeral for a Ford" | Ford Cortina Mk I, Ford Cortina Mk II, Ford Cortina Mk III, Ford Mondeo ST Estate, Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500, Ford Lotus Cortina Rally | 14 | 12 April 2019 |
- ^ The McLaren Senna was replaced with the McLaren 720S Coupe from Series 2, Episode 4
- ^ The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 was replaced with a car covered in bubble wrap and packing tape, titled the 'Popmobile'
- ^ The Alpine A110, reviewed by James May, was not present upon release of the episode, but was released on 8 March 2019
- ^ The Toyota Yaris GRMN, driven by James May, is not available in the game.
- ^ In this episode, Clarkson, Hammond and May assemble a car from flat packed parts parachuted from a helicopter,[11] hence the name Flat Pack car.
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | PS4: 52/100[12] XONE: 52/100[13] |
On the review website Metacritic, the game was awarded a score of 52/100 for the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[12][13]
The game received praise for the diverse list of vehicles featured, many of which were exclusive to The Grand Tour Game, the track locations, appeal to fans of the show, gadgets available to use and the transitions between the episodes and gameplay. However, the controls and dated graphical appearance were criticised. Despite this, fans of the show gave the game mostly positive reviews.[14]
Martyn Stanley of DriveTribe, which was founded by The Grand Tour presenters Clarkson, May, and Hammond, gave the game four stars out of five, commenting that "merged media is a really interesting idea."
Notes
edit- ^ Additional work by Heavy Iron Studios
References
edit- ^ "The Grand Tour Game release date and how it links to season 3". metro.co.uk. 9 January 2019. Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
- ^ Lumb, David (21 August 2018). "Amazon turned its 'The Grand Tour' TV series into a racing game". Engadget. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
- ^ "Contact Us". Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
- ^ "Contact Us". Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
- ^ Nick Summers (23 August 2018). "'The Grand Tour Game' is a near-perfect mirror of the show". Engadget. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
- ^ Alex Simmons (23 August 2018). "THE GRAND TOUR GAME'S AMBITION IS GREATER THAN ITS EXECUTION - GAMESCOM 2018". IGN. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
- ^ a b Oli Welsh (17 January 2019). "The Grand Tour Game is a bad game, but an interesting vision for interactive TV". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
- ^ Rob Gordon (21 January 2019). "The Grand Tour Game Review: Not Quite Worth The Visit". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
- ^ Vincent, Brittany (8 January 2019). "'The Grand Tour Game' Puts Emphasis On Fun, 'Playing the Show'". variety.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
- ^ Price, Ronan. "The Grand Tour Game review: Hybrid lacks horsepower". Independent.ie. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
- ^ McKellar, Sean (2 April 2019). "'Survival of the fattest' – The Grand Tour Series 3 Episode 13 Preview". MotoringBox. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- ^ a b "The Grand Tour Game for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- ^ a b "The Grand Tour Game for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- ^ "The Grand Tour Game review (updates)". driving.co.uk. 27 January 2019. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2019.