An expanded game of Trials Evolution
Trials Evolution: Gold Edition marks the Trials franchise's triumphant return to the PC gaming platform. Trials Evolution: Gold Edition will contain all the content of the original Trials Evolution. In addition, all of the single player tracks and skill games from Trials HD will be found in Trials Evolution – effectively doubling the content offering with two complete games, neither of which have ever before been available on PC.
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I would play Trials HD all the time on the Xbox and have a hell of a time, so I decided to wishlist the rest of the games on Steam as a sort of play it whenever scenario. Last Christmas, I got gifted this (shoutout to @senkaikasa btw) and after about 5 hours I can confidently say that this series wasn't just kid me being bored and was genuinely peak.
Coming back to this series as a fully out trans woman is really funny. I never thought about it, but this game is masculinity turned up to the max. From the rock music to the screechy guy shutting up the nerd in the intro, every aspect of this title should tell you at face value that this is a REAL MAN's game for manly men with beards and muscles that have an XBOX because they're COOL and don't have a Wii for SISSIES.
Yet, I can't help but get the vibe that Trials is a title that has a cult fanbase full of autistic trans women. Putting aside the stimulating setpieces, responsive physics and hilarious failures, the aformentioned themes of masculinity seemed to resonate to me in a way that hits different than when I played Marble it Up. Whereas in that game I was fondly remembering how the marble would control under my fingers, Trials's presentation continuously stuck out to me.
This game is so masculine that it smashes the barrier of parody. Think about what comes to your mind when you think of doing cool manly things. Riding motorcycles. Explosions. Getting dirty. Breaking bones. That game has all that. And completely unintentionally, Trials puts it all together into a comprehensive, fun and arcadey package with one message: masculinity can be goofy.
The game knows it, too. It's named TRIALS, how much more on-the-nose can you get? There's a skill game where you try to break as many bones as possible flying off your bike. The message the game is giving is that if your try to perform too hard to be a man, you're just going to get pummeled. And then the omnipotent being that's controlling fate is going to laugh at you for it. To that end, make sure that you have fun, but also make sure that you have fun tomorrow. The standards of toxic masculinity be DAMNED.
I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with what I'm saying. I'm drawing meaning from a goofy bike game from 2013. If I can shorten my thoughts, it would be that this game represents my naive ideas about what being a man was all about as a kid, and as a trans woman that is now aware of how gender works, I see that's what they were going for!
Now if you'll excuse me I'll be looking for the Trials fandom to see what they're all about ^w^
Coming back to this series as a fully out trans woman is really funny. I never thought about it, but this game is masculinity turned up to the max. From the rock music to the screechy guy shutting up the nerd in the intro, every aspect of this title should tell you at face value that this is a REAL MAN's game for manly men with beards and muscles that have an XBOX because they're COOL and don't have a Wii for SISSIES.
Yet, I can't help but get the vibe that Trials is a title that has a cult fanbase full of autistic trans women. Putting aside the stimulating setpieces, responsive physics and hilarious failures, the aformentioned themes of masculinity seemed to resonate to me in a way that hits different than when I played Marble it Up. Whereas in that game I was fondly remembering how the marble would control under my fingers, Trials's presentation continuously stuck out to me.
This game is so masculine that it smashes the barrier of parody. Think about what comes to your mind when you think of doing cool manly things. Riding motorcycles. Explosions. Getting dirty. Breaking bones. That game has all that. And completely unintentionally, Trials puts it all together into a comprehensive, fun and arcadey package with one message: masculinity can be goofy.
The game knows it, too. It's named TRIALS, how much more on-the-nose can you get? There's a skill game where you try to break as many bones as possible flying off your bike. The message the game is giving is that if your try to perform too hard to be a man, you're just going to get pummeled. And then the omnipotent being that's controlling fate is going to laugh at you for it. To that end, make sure that you have fun, but also make sure that you have fun tomorrow. The standards of toxic masculinity be DAMNED.
I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with what I'm saying. I'm drawing meaning from a goofy bike game from 2013. If I can shorten my thoughts, it would be that this game represents my naive ideas about what being a man was all about as a kid, and as a trans woman that is now aware of how gender works, I see that's what they were going for!
Now if you'll excuse me I'll be looking for the Trials fandom to see what they're all about ^w^
Quelle plaisir de retrouver un jeu qui oppose de la si bonne difficulté dans un level design au petit ognon.
Graphiquement le jeu est simple mais pas si daté .
La bande son est bien sympathique pour pouvoir joué dans de bonne condition
Tous est si bien dosé, quelle plaisir encore aujourd'hui.
L'un des grands defaults a était vite palie sur les opus suivant la création de map n'es pas aussi pousse et aussi accessible que les deux opus suivant.
Voici deux trois petits default la physique qui peut nous troll par moment, des map sur l'entrepôt un peut trop mouais bof, et pour finir la personnalisation de notre moto un peut trop limité.
En conclusion le jeu est un petit plaisir a découvrir ou a redécouvrir le temp de 4 à 5 heures de jeu pour un joueur qui viens de découvrir ou bien 2 à 3 heure pour un joueur aguerris, Ne rager pas trop pendant ce laps de temp prévue.
Graphiquement le jeu est simple mais pas si daté .
La bande son est bien sympathique pour pouvoir joué dans de bonne condition
Tous est si bien dosé, quelle plaisir encore aujourd'hui.
L'un des grands defaults a était vite palie sur les opus suivant la création de map n'es pas aussi pousse et aussi accessible que les deux opus suivant.
Voici deux trois petits default la physique qui peut nous troll par moment, des map sur l'entrepôt un peut trop mouais bof, et pour finir la personnalisation de notre moto un peut trop limité.
En conclusion le jeu est un petit plaisir a découvrir ou a redécouvrir le temp de 4 à 5 heures de jeu pour un joueur qui viens de découvrir ou bien 2 à 3 heure pour un joueur aguerris, Ne rager pas trop pendant ce laps de temp prévue.
Trials HD was such an iconic title of the early Xbox live arcade era that when I saw it was bundled with Evolution it was a must purchase for me.
Trials is obviously just a tilty bike game, but its the level of detail in the tracks, the overall bike feel and the curated nature of the levels that bring the whole game together as a good arcade experience that we are sadly lacking a lot of in the modern era.
It even goes one step further and includes mini skill games and an organic tutorial system in the form of licenses alongside a few customisation options that aren't ground breaking but are good additions.
It is obviously an old game, the online is due to be taken away in Jan 2024 and it is too expensive at its £20 price point which overall is why the game is losing a star.
Having said the above, the modern trials games lost the flavour, passion and excellent level design that these older games had. Maybe this is a nostalgia bias review, but this era of games (particularly HD) was some of the best gameplay the series had.
If it was <£7 I would be leaving this at 4 1/2 stars but since it is £20 normally, I can't justify that rating.
Trials is obviously just a tilty bike game, but its the level of detail in the tracks, the overall bike feel and the curated nature of the levels that bring the whole game together as a good arcade experience that we are sadly lacking a lot of in the modern era.
It even goes one step further and includes mini skill games and an organic tutorial system in the form of licenses alongside a few customisation options that aren't ground breaking but are good additions.
It is obviously an old game, the online is due to be taken away in Jan 2024 and it is too expensive at its £20 price point which overall is why the game is losing a star.
Having said the above, the modern trials games lost the flavour, passion and excellent level design that these older games had. Maybe this is a nostalgia bias review, but this era of games (particularly HD) was some of the best gameplay the series had.
If it was <£7 I would be leaving this at 4 1/2 stars but since it is £20 normally, I can't justify that rating.
I don't think a lot of console guys are aware of this. This is Trials HD and Trials Evolution in one big Steam package. Not separate options on a boot-up menu either. Medals won in either HD or Evolution levels contribute towards your total and unlock further events.
I've got a great deal of fondness for Trials, and Evolution in particular. It feels like the end, and the pinnacle, of a hastefully forgotten era. Physics-heavy European PC games from the 2000s. It seemed back then, you had millions of modest wee games about rolling around a marble or stacking up some boxes or something. Trials was a really engaging way to get in on that shit. Your interactions with this wibbly wobbly world are very simple - You only have control over your angle and speed - but through analogue input, you're got a tremendous range of control over any given situation. I think some people ignore Trials because they don't care about dirtbikes, but I think anyone who likes platformers ought to be gobbling this stuff up.
Trials HD's big hook on the 360 was how well it incorporated leaderboards and friends' ghosts. Seeing someone you know off a forum cut two seconds off an obstacle course you slaved over for an hour can curdle the blood, and make for intense rivalries as you repeatedly best each other. There's a modesty to Trials HD, all taking place in big warehouses. It feels like a game your uncle came up with, and you're not really sure if it's possible to complete it.
Trials Evolution is a natural follow-up, but a gloriously ambitious one. There's terrific variety in the levels, from woodmills and canyons to underground government facilities and crumbling castle ruins. Importantly, it all retains that sense of tangibility. They didn't put in a wacky cartoon level where you bounce around on clouds. It's all locations you could see some dipshit take their bike in a YouTube video. It's muddy and sweaty and covered in big purple bruises.
That's all on the side of Evolution's most ridiculous feature - A gigantic open world that's made entirely for the level editor. You can place start and stop points along any piece of this giant slice of rural Americana, littering it with ramps, explosives and pitfalls. It's a great thing to tinker about with, allowing you to drop in wherever you like, attempt to ride your "course" and then maybe work on it further if you're so inclined. The editing tools are so robust that the developers added a 3D ball-rolling game in the minigames just to show off how much it can do.
Another reason this feels like the end of an era is that RedLynx were snapped up by Ubisoft during its production. Another earnest, unique, hardworking little European studio fed to the wolves. Unfortunately, this means the Steam release is a victim of Ubisoft's dogshit DRM system, and you'll have to go through the humiliation of looking up your Uplay password again just to boot it up. Thankfully, Evolution's track making community is so talented that you might never have to buy Trials Rising or Fusion or whatever soulless, abusive shit's further along the Ubisoft production line. This is all you need. Sadly, that also requires registering as a Ubisoft fan.
I've got a great deal of fondness for Trials, and Evolution in particular. It feels like the end, and the pinnacle, of a hastefully forgotten era. Physics-heavy European PC games from the 2000s. It seemed back then, you had millions of modest wee games about rolling around a marble or stacking up some boxes or something. Trials was a really engaging way to get in on that shit. Your interactions with this wibbly wobbly world are very simple - You only have control over your angle and speed - but through analogue input, you're got a tremendous range of control over any given situation. I think some people ignore Trials because they don't care about dirtbikes, but I think anyone who likes platformers ought to be gobbling this stuff up.
Trials HD's big hook on the 360 was how well it incorporated leaderboards and friends' ghosts. Seeing someone you know off a forum cut two seconds off an obstacle course you slaved over for an hour can curdle the blood, and make for intense rivalries as you repeatedly best each other. There's a modesty to Trials HD, all taking place in big warehouses. It feels like a game your uncle came up with, and you're not really sure if it's possible to complete it.
Trials Evolution is a natural follow-up, but a gloriously ambitious one. There's terrific variety in the levels, from woodmills and canyons to underground government facilities and crumbling castle ruins. Importantly, it all retains that sense of tangibility. They didn't put in a wacky cartoon level where you bounce around on clouds. It's all locations you could see some dipshit take their bike in a YouTube video. It's muddy and sweaty and covered in big purple bruises.
That's all on the side of Evolution's most ridiculous feature - A gigantic open world that's made entirely for the level editor. You can place start and stop points along any piece of this giant slice of rural Americana, littering it with ramps, explosives and pitfalls. It's a great thing to tinker about with, allowing you to drop in wherever you like, attempt to ride your "course" and then maybe work on it further if you're so inclined. The editing tools are so robust that the developers added a 3D ball-rolling game in the minigames just to show off how much it can do.
Another reason this feels like the end of an era is that RedLynx were snapped up by Ubisoft during its production. Another earnest, unique, hardworking little European studio fed to the wolves. Unfortunately, this means the Steam release is a victim of Ubisoft's dogshit DRM system, and you'll have to go through the humiliation of looking up your Uplay password again just to boot it up. Thankfully, Evolution's track making community is so talented that you might never have to buy Trials Rising or Fusion or whatever soulless, abusive shit's further along the Ubisoft production line. This is all you need. Sadly, that also requires registering as a Ubisoft fan.