Game Review: Trials HD

If you have an Xbox 360 and a love of motorcycles, there's a very cool game that should be at the top of your list, and it's called Trials HD. It costs about $20 to download from the Xbox Live network and will keep on giving for months.

I've been playing it for about three weeks now and I still can't beat some of the "extreme" levels.

It's a deceptively simple game at its core with just four controls – accelerate, brake, lean forward, and lean backward – and is played in a 2D plane. In essence, you're always riding towards the right of the screen.

As the name suggests, you are a trials rider and must navigate the game's numerous levels, and depending on your course time (and how many 'restarts' you used) you'll be awarded with bronze, silver or gold medals.

The more medals you receive, the more powerful bikes you can unlock.

First seen on the PC in the form of Trials and Trials 2, this is ostensibly the third game in the series, and it's awesome. And very addictive.

The game seems easy to begin with, literally anyone can play, even your grandma. The tracks start off simple and the first dozen or so levels are designed to get gamers accustomed to the controls.

But towards the middle of the game the difficulty curve gets very steep and towards the final 20 per cent of the game you'll be scratching your head (and possibly throwing and/or biting the game pad in frustration).

Indeed, for the first hour or so you'll just cruise along, popping monos and doing stoppies and trying to reach the chequered flag without any injuries, perhaps enjoying the odd loop-de-loop. Much of the first part of the game is seen blitzing through levels at high speed, performing wild aerials and getting your balance right (while explosions light up the backgrounds just for good measure).

But about halfway through the game things get tough. Real tough...

There are logs and giant tyres you have to overcome, plus almost vertical inclines to climb, often with no room to manoeuvre. There are several stage that involve dynamic level elements too, such as moving mine carts, see-saw planks and even office building lifts, and often you'll need to employ the trial-and-error routine to simply figure out some of the puzzling aspects of the game.

It becomes apparent that ultra-subtle throttle control is very useful, and advanced moves must also be learned -- bunny hops and suspension compression launches, etc.

What makes the game so satisfying are the realistic physics. There's an authentic sense of gravity and weight to the game world; the way the bikes behave and how they respond to throttle inputs is incredibly impressive and it's this realism that kept me coming back for more. Check out the video at the bottom of the page to get a better idea.

There are several bikes on offer (most of which you have to unlock) that have various engine types and weights, all of which are suited to different scenarios. The peaky two-strokers have a strong top-end, while the big-bore four-strokes have more mid-range torque, and some bikes naturally work better than others on some levels.

While you can spend hours getting through the meat of the game, there are also some 'skill' games that are good for a laugh.

There's the famous sphere of death and a curious bone-breaking mode, where you must crash your bike into a barrier and send your rider crashing through cleverly placed panes of glass, wooden cupboards, steel piping and the like. You also have slight control over your rider as he flies limply through the air, like a unfortunate ragdoll tumbling his way through a journey of pain.

Another skill game guaranteed to elicit a few laughs involves carting around a couple of very large explosive devices on a trailer behind an AG bike, and having to ride as smoothly as possible to avoid bumping them out of the trailer (which detonates them).

There's even a level editor, so you can create your very own custom tracks which is a nice addition. You can share them online with your mates or just invite them round and show them. It's a very powerful level designer, but it does take a fair bit of time to make really stunning levels.

The high definition 3D graphics look great on a wiz-bang LCD television, with excellent attention to detail. From the way the suspension actuates as the bikes land 20 foot drops, to the way the riders shift around and tug at the bars, the game is mesmerising to watch.

The sounds effects are also spot on, with the two-stroke trials bike giving off a perfect mix of rattle and revs. The rider also grunts when he hits the deck after a big stack.

Trials HD is simple, it's addictive and it looks great and you can download the demo for free, to see whether you like it. Which is what I did – love the old 'try before you buy'.

If we had a scoring system, Trials HD from Xbox Live would get 9/10. Brilliant stuff.

Go to Xbox.com for more details.