Le Tour De France is the official Tour de France game, which lets gamers get to grips with all the strategies, terminologies, and various controls which with the tutorial helps the newcomers learn how to peddle and bike for the first time and understand when and where to burst with energy.
Once you have completed the tutorial you are now ready to race. You can pick from any of the official teams represented in this years Tour de France. However, the names aren’t official so for instance Chris Froome, is called Chris Froost, you can also change the names of all riders so you can have the correct team.
You can pick which stages you want to race, or you can do the entire Tour. This is what impressed me most about Tour de France 2014. The stages are huge, you can easily cycle for hours through the open roads admiring the stunning scenery along your way. The graphics of all the riders and bikes are fantastic, even down to the crowd everything looks wheelie good!
Now to the race, the lack of collision detection is a drawback, you can’t even lose control of your bike or head off track which makes racing far too easy. The first few minutes of each race is elbow to elbow action, each rider is waiting for you to attack and follow suit. The right trigger is your accelerator, coupled with gear change rations, rider’s fitness and adopting an aerodynamic position. This is where Tour De France becomes a tactical game. Using your comms you are able to issue orders to your team mates. Selecting ‘protect’, ‘attack’ or ‘go lead the peloton’, gives more of a chance of gaining that famous yellow Jersey.
Each of the 21 stages provides a staggering long ride and because of the sheer length, the entertainment can get very lifeless. The game does offer a fast forward option however, which is very helpful. Different gradients, long sweeping downhill sections and vertical hill climbs make life interesting and really test your fitness levels. It’s mid race where the action is slightly off pace. Here it’s more about conserving energy by tucking up to a leading pack or easing off the pedal power. Going into aerodynamic mode as you sail down a hillside will always brings a smile to your wind filled cheeks. Avoiding a blow up (overexertion) and having enough stamina to keep up and win a stage is no easy ride. Yes, the race can be slow on action in places, but the feel Cyanide Games have created along each stage is a breath of fresh mountain air.
Tour De France is aimed at a very niche audience of cyclists which seems to be growing by the second. Fans of the prestigious race as slow paces 150Km-plus races require concentration and a huge amount of patience. IA bit more polish in some area’s are required but overall you have a good solid cycling game that will keep you entertained for hours on 2 wheels.
