Review for Le Tour De France 2018. Game for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 28/06/2018
With each new edition of his game, Cyanide tries to improve a product that would not need great improvements, such is the perfection achieved in terms of gameplay. The software house holds the monopoly as regards cycling simulations, thanks to a consolidated experience over time. The more simulated title which is precisely Le Tour De France, is always accompanied by a Pro Cycling Manager management title. If the title of the last edition was the best released on the market, Le Tour De France 2018 reaches a new level of refinement, leaving unchanged the consolidated gameplay that is making the series fortune.
With the pressure of some buttons it is possible to have full control of the cyclist; you go from the backbones to pedal, brake, keep the pace and hit the kidneys close to the finish line, to the buttons to call up the team instructions. At the same time we will have both the role of captain and wingman, and that of sporting director. We will be able to indicate to our companions when to attack, whether to shoot, whether to stay in the group, to use supplies or even to the wingmen to protect the captains during the climbs.
All accompanied by a simple, linear and clean HUB, without too many frills that would distract from the action. An action that, edition after edition, becomes more and more calculated, studied, slow and tactical, especially during the long ascents. Captains will be less inclined to attack in bulk; very often they will try, instead, to place some team mates on the run in order to have support during the most excited phases, they will also fully exploit the lieutenants to try to anticipate and follow the attacks of the opponents. At the same time, the teams preparing the sprints will be much more compact, in order to launch the sprint with the strongest sprinter.
If in terms of gameplay the solid foundations are further redefined, the same cannot be said of the graphics, now slightly obsolete, which would need a leap forward. The physiognomy of the cyclists is quite similar, the faces are almost all the same, were it not for the different uniforms and skills, which can always be modified with the editor, it would be difficult to distinguish the athletes. Cyanide has to be acknowledged for having improved an aspect that was rather lacking: the licenses. In this edition, except for a few teams that still have the original kits, the license pool is almost complete.
Licenses that are also reflected in the greater number of races available, in addition to the Tour de France, the Giro del Dauphiné and other minor races, the real novelties of this season are the Paris-Nice, the Paris-Roubaix, the Eneco Tour and the World Championship. This shows how much Cyanide tries to improve itself edition after edition, and not to sit on its laurels, despite having the monopoly of this genre of video games. Doing the Paris-Roubaix is a totally realistic experience, you can feel the vibrations given by the pavé, the fatigue of cyclists not suited to this terrain who will lose contact with the rest of the group. You can feel the beauty given by the Arenberg Forest, as well as the difficulty of the Carrefour de l'Arbre and the warmth of the fans once they arrive in the Roubaix velodrome. This would be enough to decree Le Tour De France 2018 as the best cycling video game ever made.
Among the modalities, the substantial novelty is the “Pro Leader”, which follows a bit in the footsteps of what Cyanide already proposes in Pro Cycling Manager. We will have the opportunity to create our alter ego and choose a specialization: sprinter, climber, sprinter or versatile. The choice of the specialty is reflected in the skills: a sprinter will not be able to follow the best cyclists in the mountains, as much as a climber will hardly be able to win a sprint if not restricted, thus making the choices of sprinter and versatile the most suitable for having a skilled cyclist on all terrains. By unlocking various objectives we will increase the skills of our alter ego.
We will have to build a team around our cyclist, as already happens in “Pro Team”. Basically the two modes are identical except for the difference that in "Pro Leader" we can have our alter ego in the team. Initially we will be provided with wingmen and we will be able to participate in a few races. Going forward in the seasons and obtaining results, climbing the UCI World Ranking singular and team, we will have the opportunity to grow our budget and to buy more and more performing cyclists, until we can also include captains in our team. The other modes remain essentially unchanged, from the classic Tour de France to timed challenges. Cyanide also makes a further leap forward in the inclusion of new legendary cyclists, more than double the number it had included in the other editions.
With Le Tour De France 2018 Cyanide manages to improve a product that did not need substantial changes. New licenses and consolidated gameplay make it an almost flawless simulation; perhaps now to make that leap towards total perfection an update of the graphics system would be needed, although already in this way the new video game can be said to be promoted with high marks.
► Le Tour De France 2018 is a Simulation-Sport game developed by Cyanide and published by Focus Home Interactive for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 28/06/2018
