For those who took the time to read our recent write up on Pro Cycling Manager 2017, we’d first like to say thank you and we appreciate it. Pro Cycling Manager 2017 is a lot like the training routine before the big event, and that big event is none other than Tour de France 2017. Fans around the world travel to the beautiful countryside of France to take part in the largest cycling event of the year, with teams from every nation participating to see who takes home the illustrious trophy. Not everyone can dish out the euros to fly all the way to France to be there in the flesh, but not to worry because Cyanide Studio has you covered with the console version of the event for you to be a part of. It’s great because now you can watch the event live on your PC and then turn on your PlayStation 4 and replay the event all over again in whatever way you desire. As we’ve stated in the previous article, Tour de France 2017 is strictly about cycling and so if you’re passionate about the sport then this is absolutely a worthy purchase. If you’re curious about the sport after watching the exciting live event, then certainly grab a copy as well.

With any sports related title, there comes the thrill of being able to dive into the campaign mode and taking on the competition, creating your own team and taking that said team to victory. In Pro Team mode in Tour de France 2017, all of that is possible along with being able to do versus mode and local co-op. If you’re looking to test your skills even further then there’s the Challenge mode that will push you to your limits, and put the petal to the metal. Much like Pro Cycling Manager 2017, Tour de France 2017 takes you all across the very lush and beautiful landscapes of France in glorious HD, with a lot of action taking place over 21 stages. You don’t need to know the names of the best riders in the world to really enjoy this one either, all you need to do is focus on the road ahead and ensure that your team can sprint their way to victory.

The gameplay in Tour de France 2017 shares a close resemblance to its manager simulation brethren, but where they differ is that Tour de France 2017 is all about the application more than the technicalities. In Pro Cycling Manager 2017 your main focus was to lead your team to victory across various events across France, and build enough of a reputation to ensure that your contract gets extended and money can be generated. While some of that still lingers in Tour de France 2017’s Pro Team mode, it’s not the primary focus and much of your attention is geared towards controlling your team in real time and crossing that finish line. Everything feels fluid in animation as you dodge and weave between other riders to guarantee a breakaway, while learning to adapt to the conditions around you builds mental stamina. Tour de France 2017 takes everything you love from the actual event itself and allows you to pretty much go at your own pace with everything.

The jargon used within the game still remains as it should, and so if you’ve already dabbled with Pro Cycling Manager 2017, then all of the technical terms should already resonate in your mind. Playing on your own gives you a good idea of how things work as you play, but to be honest when you bring a friend over and play the local co-op mode, everything feels a lot better. The whole premise of the game is based upon teamwork so having your friend around to share strategies is always a fun experience. If you don’t have any friends who are into the sport then the single player experience is still worth it, with some minor issues here and there pertaining to framerate drops and so forth. These issues don’t really take away from whole experience but from time to time they do stand in the way, such as rigid controls. We did mention that the animation itself feels fluid but when trying to tackle a corner, at times it feels a little wonky. Be that as it may the overall appeal and fast paced thrills you receive from Tour de France 2017 makeup for all of that and you’ll probably overlook those things the longer you play.

Speaking of play, there’s a lot of modes to choose from as we stated earlier, with one mode actually allowing you to play last year’s Tour de France which we thought was cool. Choosing who to play with is also very good because there are a plethora of notable teams to choose from, and of course, if you follow the sport you may likely come across one you favor. For those who don’t know about the sport choosing a team is merely just another tap of the button and you move on, but it’s good to point out that the game does a great job of sticking to realism and making sure that the players and teams within the game are accurate. There are stat ratings available as well so for the casual player, so picking a team based off of that is also available. Once you’ve decided on the team you can then do pretty much whatever you want with them, one of which is taking said team into editor mode and changing the names of the riders to your liking. One major plus about Tour de France 2017, much like Pro Cycling Manager, is that it keeps the UI very simple as you race through each course, making things very easy but also very beautiful to look at as you ride through the lush mountainous areas.

Tour de France 2017 plays out a lot like its simulated brethren which is a good thing and a bad thing. It’s good because you can take a lot of what you’ve learned from Pro Cycling Manager and apply all of it into Tour de France 2017. The bad side is that because they share similar functions like for example being able to simulate races, you don’t really need to go out and buy both. It’s either one or the other if you’re a casual player, but we’d assume that if you’re truly devoted to the sport then buying both is appropriate. The time trial mode is a very relaxing way to get to know the courses a little better, shout out commands to team mates, among a plethora of other options. Sadly you can’t speed up the process like you could in the campaign mode but that should come as an obvious cue seeing that a time trial is all about beating a certain time, not cheating it. Tour de France 2017 is just another addition to the already enormous sports genre, but it’s totally worth the cash if you’re already a fan of the sport or perhaps you’re interested and want to perhaps dive deeper into it all. Regardless of what background you come from, Tour de France 2017 is an enjoyable ride and one you can come back to at anytime.

Tour de France 2017 is a very fun and interactive experience that will appease fans for sure. We weren’t heavy followers of the sport but to be honest after dabbling with this game for awhile, it made us want to dive deeper into it all and actually tune in to actual event, which is still underway as we write this. Thanks again for taking the time to read our review and be sure to share it on social media to get more people to take interest. Of course follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest gaming news as well as anime and manga related topics as well. If you want to see us live with all of the games we’ve reviewed recently, be sure to also follow us on Twitch!

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