The "Retro Game Reviews" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
This thread has been linked to the game 'Urban Trial Freestyle'.
The Playstation audience hasn’t had the pleasure (and plain) of Trials HD but they are a step closer with Urban Trial Freestyle, a game that wants to be Trials HD so much there is even a similarity in the name.
If you are going to copy a game then you might as well make it a good one and Tate Interactive have picked a cracker. Matching the brilliance of Trials HD was always going to be tough and whilst Urban Trial Freestyle (UTF from here on) falls short, it’s not too far off.
UTF challenges you to be an adrenaline hungry rider in an apocalyptic world. We have no indication as to what this apocalyptic event was but the intro sequence shows a devastated landscape that makes for a perfect motorbike track for the adrenaline junkies. The setting is a little more interesting than Trials HD but it does seems like a wasted opportunity as the majority of the tracks look as purposefully setup as the ones in Trials HD and you’d have been none the wiser of the state of the location had there been no intro.
UTF presents 40 tracks and a handful of challenges to compete in. The tracks themselves really wouldn’t look out of place in Trials HD, such is the quality and diversity. The track content includes a good mix of what was seen in Trials HD and its sequel. You’ll be leaping over wide gaps, avoiding explosive barrels, landing on trains, doing loop, and all manner of death defying tricks. The tracks are good fun, interesting and get progressively harder. At times ramps will collapse on you or suspended platforms will sway, other times you’ll have a giant stone ball chasing you and you’ll start whistling the Indiana Jones theme tune. The tracks tend to offer new obstacles often which avoids any sense of repetition or recycling.
The control scheme will be instantly familiar to anyone who has played Trials HD. Accelerate and brake for the bike and lean forward or back for the rider. Mastering these controls is crucial but it does seem to lack a level of depth and fine tuning that was present in Trials HD. For a start, there is no analogue acceleration but I also find I am less likely to topple backwards on steep inclines. Perhaps it is my experience with Trials HD but I couldn’t help but feel that UTF was more forgiving.
There are 2 different types of events; Time Trial and stunt mode. In Time Trial, the goal is to reach the finish line is as quick a time as possible In Stunt Mode you are challenged to complete a variety of stunts at the specified point for points. Bonus points are awarded for the time left as you cross the finish line and points removed for crashing. The stunts involve the speed you are travelling past a set point, the height or distance you can jump off a ramp, flips when in the air and landing on a target. They add a nice layer of individuality to a game that is effectively a clone.
There are various checkpoints within a track and the instant restart at a checkpoint button is present which adds to that ‘just one more’ shot on a tough obstacle. I did find that the location of some checkpoints where questionable. For instance, there is one where you have to loop onto the ramp above but from standstill at the checkpoint I couldn’t make it. In order to succeed I had to reverse back a good distance.
Online leaderboards exist and you are able to select a ghost from a leaderboard prior to starting an event. Your choices are the top of the global leaderboard, PSN friends or your own ghost. It can be quite an eye opener how quickly some people get across the tracks, especially when you realise it is your own ghost you are struggling to keep up with.
In Stunt Mode you will see a picture of the person who has the highest score on the global leaderboard if you are using a global ghost, otherwise you will see your own picture. It seems that some gamers want to put you off with their silly expressions but one young lady went a step further and posed in her bra. After an hour or so looking at the picture I moved on with a smug feeling that it takes more than a picture like that to distract me. At the end of a stunt track you will be able to compare your score on each of the individual challenges to the top of the leaderboards. And then you wonder where you are going to find an extra 10 metres height off that jump.
The competitive people will find this a key part of the game. You can complete all of the tracks without too much trouble but coming back to beat your own times and scores is addictive.
Extra challenges are available in each track. Your performance, be it time or score, will be awarded a star rating out of 5. You’ll need to accumulate those stars in order to unlock all the tracks. There are also money bags to be found and these are going to prove quite tricky. There are a good few that I cannot find and a few I simply cannot work out how to get to.
The challenge section will be familiar to Trials HD players but it could do with more events in UTF. There is an interesting gravity challenge where you will need to change the position of you Vita to change gravity. It’s a clever idea and you’ll need quick reactions to reach the end.
Whilst UTF isn’t as good as the game it wants to be, it is more forgiving and still the closest you will get to Trials HD on the move. A worthy addition to the Vita catalogue.
7
If you are going to copy a game then you might as well make it a good one and Tate Interactive have picked a cracker. Matching the brilliance of Trials HD was always going to be tough and whilst Urban Trial Freestyle (UTF from here on) falls short, it’s not too far off.
UTF challenges you to be an adrenaline hungry rider in an apocalyptic world. We have no indication as to what this apocalyptic event was but the intro sequence shows a devastated landscape that makes for a perfect motorbike track for the adrenaline junkies. The setting is a little more interesting than Trials HD but it does seems like a wasted opportunity as the majority of the tracks look as purposefully setup as the ones in Trials HD and you’d have been none the wiser of the state of the location had there been no intro.
UTF presents 40 tracks and a handful of challenges to compete in. The tracks themselves really wouldn’t look out of place in Trials HD, such is the quality and diversity. The track content includes a good mix of what was seen in Trials HD and its sequel. You’ll be leaping over wide gaps, avoiding explosive barrels, landing on trains, doing loop, and all manner of death defying tricks. The tracks are good fun, interesting and get progressively harder. At times ramps will collapse on you or suspended platforms will sway, other times you’ll have a giant stone ball chasing you and you’ll start whistling the Indiana Jones theme tune. The tracks tend to offer new obstacles often which avoids any sense of repetition or recycling.
The control scheme will be instantly familiar to anyone who has played Trials HD. Accelerate and brake for the bike and lean forward or back for the rider. Mastering these controls is crucial but it does seem to lack a level of depth and fine tuning that was present in Trials HD. For a start, there is no analogue acceleration but I also find I am less likely to topple backwards on steep inclines. Perhaps it is my experience with Trials HD but I couldn’t help but feel that UTF was more forgiving.
There are 2 different types of events; Time Trial and stunt mode. In Time Trial, the goal is to reach the finish line is as quick a time as possible In Stunt Mode you are challenged to complete a variety of stunts at the specified point for points. Bonus points are awarded for the time left as you cross the finish line and points removed for crashing. The stunts involve the speed you are travelling past a set point, the height or distance you can jump off a ramp, flips when in the air and landing on a target. They add a nice layer of individuality to a game that is effectively a clone.
There are various checkpoints within a track and the instant restart at a checkpoint button is present which adds to that ‘just one more’ shot on a tough obstacle. I did find that the location of some checkpoints where questionable. For instance, there is one where you have to loop onto the ramp above but from standstill at the checkpoint I couldn’t make it. In order to succeed I had to reverse back a good distance.
Online leaderboards exist and you are able to select a ghost from a leaderboard prior to starting an event. Your choices are the top of the global leaderboard, PSN friends or your own ghost. It can be quite an eye opener how quickly some people get across the tracks, especially when you realise it is your own ghost you are struggling to keep up with.
In Stunt Mode you will see a picture of the person who has the highest score on the global leaderboard if you are using a global ghost, otherwise you will see your own picture. It seems that some gamers want to put you off with their silly expressions but one young lady went a step further and posed in her bra. After an hour or so looking at the picture I moved on with a smug feeling that it takes more than a picture like that to distract me. At the end of a stunt track you will be able to compare your score on each of the individual challenges to the top of the leaderboards. And then you wonder where you are going to find an extra 10 metres height off that jump.
The competitive people will find this a key part of the game. You can complete all of the tracks without too much trouble but coming back to beat your own times and scores is addictive.
Extra challenges are available in each track. Your performance, be it time or score, will be awarded a star rating out of 5. You’ll need to accumulate those stars in order to unlock all the tracks. There are also money bags to be found and these are going to prove quite tricky. There are a good few that I cannot find and a few I simply cannot work out how to get to.
The challenge section will be familiar to Trials HD players but it could do with more events in UTF. There is an interesting gravity challenge where you will need to change the position of you Vita to change gravity. It’s a clever idea and you’ll need quick reactions to reach the end.
Whilst UTF isn’t as good as the game it wants to be, it is more forgiving and still the closest you will get to Trials HD on the move. A worthy addition to the Vita catalogue.
7
There have been no replies to this thread yet.
The Playstation audience hasn’t had the pleasure (and plain) of Trials HD but they are a step closer with Urban Trial Freestyle, a game that wants to be Trials HD so much there is even a similarity in the name.
If you are going to copy a game then you might as well make it a good one and Tate Interactive have picked a cracker. Matching the brilliance of Trials HD was always going to be tough and whilst Urban Trial Freestyle (UTF from here on) falls short, it’s not too far off.
UTF challenges you to be an adrenaline hungry rider in an apocalyptic world. We have no indication as to what this apocalyptic event was but the intro sequence shows a devastated landscape that makes for a perfect motorbike track for the adrenaline junkies. The setting is a little more interesting than Trials HD but it does seems like a wasted opportunity as the majority of the tracks look as purposefully setup as the ones in Trials HD and you’d have been none the wiser of the state of the location had there been no intro.
UTF presents 40 tracks and a handful of challenges to compete in. The tracks themselves really wouldn’t look out of place in Trials HD, such is the quality and diversity. The track content includes a good mix of what was seen in Trials HD and its sequel. You’ll be leaping over wide gaps, avoiding explosive barrels, landing on trains, doing loop, and all manner of death defying tricks. The tracks are good fun, interesting and get progressively harder. At times ramps will collapse on you or suspended platforms will sway, other times you’ll have a giant stone ball chasing you and you’ll start whistling the Indiana Jones theme tune. The tracks tend to offer new obstacles often which avoids any sense of repetition or recycling.
The control scheme will be instantly familiar to anyone who has played Trials HD. Accelerate and brake for the bike and lean forward or back for the rider. Mastering these controls is crucial but it does seem to lack a level of depth and fine tuning that was present in Trials HD. For a start, there is no analogue acceleration but I also find I am less likely to topple backwards on steep inclines. Perhaps it is my experience with Trials HD but I couldn’t help but feel that UTF was more forgiving.
There are 2 different types of events; Time Trial and stunt mode. In Time Trial, the goal is to reach the finish line is as quick a time as possible In Stunt Mode you are challenged to complete a variety of stunts at the specified point for points. Bonus points are awarded for the time left as you cross the finish line and points removed for crashing. The stunts involve the speed you are travelling past a set point, the height or distance you can jump off a ramp, flips when in the air and landing on a target. They add a nice layer of individuality to a game that is effectively a clone.
There are various checkpoints within a track and the instant restart at a checkpoint button is present which adds to that ‘just one more’ shot on a tough obstacle. I did find that the location of some checkpoints where questionable. For instance, there is one where you have to loop onto the ramp above but from standstill at the checkpoint I couldn’t make it. In order to succeed I had to reverse back a good distance.
Online leaderboards exist and you are able to select a ghost from a leaderboard prior to starting an event. Your choices are the top of the global leaderboard, PSN friends or your own ghost. It can be quite an eye opener how quickly some people get across the tracks, especially when you realise it is your own ghost you are struggling to keep up with.
In Stunt Mode you will see a picture of the person who has the highest score on the global leaderboard if you are using a global ghost, otherwise you will see your own picture. It seems that some gamers want to put you off with their silly expressions but one young lady went a step further and posed in her bra. After an hour or so looking at the picture I moved on with a smug feeling that it takes more than a picture like that to distract me. At the end of a stunt track you will be able to compare your score on each of the individual challenges to the top of the leaderboards. And then you wonder where you are going to find an extra 10 metres height off that jump.
The competitive people will find this a key part of the game. You can complete all of the tracks without too much trouble but coming back to beat your own times and scores is addictive.
Extra challenges are available in each track. Your performance, be it time or score, will be awarded a star rating out of 5. You’ll need to accumulate those stars in order to unlock all the tracks. There are also money bags to be found and these are going to prove quite tricky. There are a good few that I cannot find and a few I simply cannot work out how to get to.
The challenge section will be familiar to Trials HD players but it could do with more events in UTF. There is an interesting gravity challenge where you will need to change the position of you Vita to change gravity. It’s a clever idea and you’ll need quick reactions to reach the end.
Whilst UTF isn’t as good as the game it wants to be, it is more forgiving and still the closest you will get to Trials HD on the move. A worthy addition to the Vita catalogue.
7
If you are going to copy a game then you might as well make it a good one and Tate Interactive have picked a cracker. Matching the brilliance of Trials HD was always going to be tough and whilst Urban Trial Freestyle (UTF from here on) falls short, it’s not too far off.
UTF challenges you to be an adrenaline hungry rider in an apocalyptic world. We have no indication as to what this apocalyptic event was but the intro sequence shows a devastated landscape that makes for a perfect motorbike track for the adrenaline junkies. The setting is a little more interesting than Trials HD but it does seems like a wasted opportunity as the majority of the tracks look as purposefully setup as the ones in Trials HD and you’d have been none the wiser of the state of the location had there been no intro.
UTF presents 40 tracks and a handful of challenges to compete in. The tracks themselves really wouldn’t look out of place in Trials HD, such is the quality and diversity. The track content includes a good mix of what was seen in Trials HD and its sequel. You’ll be leaping over wide gaps, avoiding explosive barrels, landing on trains, doing loop, and all manner of death defying tricks. The tracks are good fun, interesting and get progressively harder. At times ramps will collapse on you or suspended platforms will sway, other times you’ll have a giant stone ball chasing you and you’ll start whistling the Indiana Jones theme tune. The tracks tend to offer new obstacles often which avoids any sense of repetition or recycling.
The control scheme will be instantly familiar to anyone who has played Trials HD. Accelerate and brake for the bike and lean forward or back for the rider. Mastering these controls is crucial but it does seem to lack a level of depth and fine tuning that was present in Trials HD. For a start, there is no analogue acceleration but I also find I am less likely to topple backwards on steep inclines. Perhaps it is my experience with Trials HD but I couldn’t help but feel that UTF was more forgiving.
There are 2 different types of events; Time Trial and stunt mode. In Time Trial, the goal is to reach the finish line is as quick a time as possible In Stunt Mode you are challenged to complete a variety of stunts at the specified point for points. Bonus points are awarded for the time left as you cross the finish line and points removed for crashing. The stunts involve the speed you are travelling past a set point, the height or distance you can jump off a ramp, flips when in the air and landing on a target. They add a nice layer of individuality to a game that is effectively a clone.
There are various checkpoints within a track and the instant restart at a checkpoint button is present which adds to that ‘just one more’ shot on a tough obstacle. I did find that the location of some checkpoints where questionable. For instance, there is one where you have to loop onto the ramp above but from standstill at the checkpoint I couldn’t make it. In order to succeed I had to reverse back a good distance.
Online leaderboards exist and you are able to select a ghost from a leaderboard prior to starting an event. Your choices are the top of the global leaderboard, PSN friends or your own ghost. It can be quite an eye opener how quickly some people get across the tracks, especially when you realise it is your own ghost you are struggling to keep up with.
In Stunt Mode you will see a picture of the person who has the highest score on the global leaderboard if you are using a global ghost, otherwise you will see your own picture. It seems that some gamers want to put you off with their silly expressions but one young lady went a step further and posed in her bra. After an hour or so looking at the picture I moved on with a smug feeling that it takes more than a picture like that to distract me. At the end of a stunt track you will be able to compare your score on each of the individual challenges to the top of the leaderboards. And then you wonder where you are going to find an extra 10 metres height off that jump.
The competitive people will find this a key part of the game. You can complete all of the tracks without too much trouble but coming back to beat your own times and scores is addictive.
Extra challenges are available in each track. Your performance, be it time or score, will be awarded a star rating out of 5. You’ll need to accumulate those stars in order to unlock all the tracks. There are also money bags to be found and these are going to prove quite tricky. There are a good few that I cannot find and a few I simply cannot work out how to get to.
The challenge section will be familiar to Trials HD players but it could do with more events in UTF. There is an interesting gravity challenge where you will need to change the position of you Vita to change gravity. It’s a clever idea and you’ll need quick reactions to reach the end.
Whilst UTF isn’t as good as the game it wants to be, it is more forgiving and still the closest you will get to Trials HD on the move. A worthy addition to the Vita catalogue.
7