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Yes, yes, YEEES! No, no, NOOOO! AAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!
Sometimes I wonder why I put myself through the stress of these Trials games and then I will get past that 'impossible' obstacle or beat my previous 'unbeatable' best time and the elation and self satisfaction drag me back in for more punishment.
The Trials series has always finely balanced the frustration with addictive gameplay and Trials Fusion is no different. Red Lynx hasn't tinkered too much with the formula; the frustrating lows still bring out a sense of determination that I seldom see and the highs make me want to announce my achievement to the world... as soon as I recover from the stress I went through.
Some have complained that the Trials games are too hard and I can completely understand where these complaints originate from. Red Lynx has listened but sensibly not reduced the difficulty. The challenge, afterall, is a big part of the rollercoaster of emotions that Trials brings. To help out, Fusion offers tutorial lessons which explain the controls and how to tackle the obstacles you will face. The tutorials help prepare players for what lies ahead but nothing can really prepare you for the real thing.
The aim of Trials Fusion is the same as always, cross the finish line is as quick a time as possible and with as few crashes as you can manage. The tracks themselves are obstacle courses and are littered with ramps, gaps to jump, small platforms to land on and get off, hills, boats, zeppelins, boxes, diving boards, solar panels... well you can probably see that anything can become an obstacle in this game. A checkpoint system ensures you don't have to start from the beginning each time you crash. The speed of spawning at a checkpoint creates an infinite loop of 'one more go' but crashing right before a checkpoint after a troublesome obstacle is one of gaming's most painful momemts.
The control scheme is as simple as it has always been; accelerate, brake and lean the rider back and forward. But don't be fooled by the simplicity, there is quite a level of depth to the control of a bike and mastering the vehicle becomes essential the further you progress. Minor tweaks to how you land from a jump or how you attack a steep incline can have a big impact on your time and can be the difference between success and failure.
So far it is all the same as before but Fusion does have some new additions. For the first time in the series, a 4 wheeled vehicle is available; a quad bike. Naturally the quad bikes comes with a bit of extra weight over the motorbikes but in general it isn't a game changer. The bikes have differenct characteristics and the quad bike just feels like a different class of bike. Surprisingly there is also a bicycle but perhaps it is best you avoid this one if going for a speed run.
The big change comes in the form of tricks. To fill the time while you are in the air (and you can spend a fair bit of time in the air) you can pull off a variety of death defying tricks. The tricks are easy to pull off with a push of the right analogue stick, the direction of the push determining the trick. The positioning of the bike plays a key part in the trick performed and this can easily lead to a different trick than you expected. The trouble with the tricks is that other than the few score based levels, they serve no purpose. Personally, I don't use them unless I have to... I've got plenty to concentrate on as it is.
Each level has a bronze, silver and gold medal to be won. Each medal is based on meeting a minimum time and number of crashed requirement. The joy of getting a gold medal is short lived when you see there is also a platinum medal to be won. And that becomes challenging. The difficulty of the tracks increases as you progress, starting off simple and ending in excruciatingly hard. The expert tracks demand ultimate control over the bike and I've managed to complete a grand total of 1 of the tracks. It took me over 20 minutes and I had a 3 digit figure for the number of crashes but I was delighted in crossing that finish line. Out of interest I took a look at the top of the global leaderboard and found the best had 0 crashes and took 37 seconds. On watching his/her replay, I couldn't help but applaud the performance. It looked so easy and watching was an education on how to attack the track. Of course, replication what I had just witnessed is another thing.
The opportunity to create your own tracks is there along with the ability to download the creations for others, Whilst I have attempted to build my own track as of yet, I have sampled some fine efforts from other people. Needless to say, the variety of tracks is incredibly diverse.
Trying to beat your own times and those of friends is where the real timesink occurs. If you have a few active friends then there can be a lot of swapping of the top rank of the leaderboard. On track, the actions of friends and your own best time are shown by dots with a name. This gives a great indication as to where you can improve when trying to beat a time. One bad landing can change the outlook for a race, first place turns to last in a split second. And you restart. And restart again. And again. It can become rather addictive and the determination to win can take over.
Multiplayer action is restricted to local multiplayer at the moment and with a few tracks going by the grumbles. Online multiplayer is on its way and that could be quite entertaining among friends. It is peculiar that it wasn't available from the start though.
The are some niggles though. The are various humours commentary quips but if the happen to take place between the last checkpoint and a troublesome obstacle then the appeal can quickly wear off and you will find yourself reaching for the mute button. Strangely there are some loading speed issues. The time taken to display the image of the bike to go along with the name and description is lengthy enough that most of the time you can have picked your bike without having seen what it looks like. On track there can be a delay of the texture loading which is rather noticeable. These are not issues I'd expect on the PS4.
Despite the niggles and it being more of the same, Trials Fusion is as addictive as any of the previous games. And as frustrating. Be warned though, the PS4 analogue stick has not been designed to survive this game.
9
Sometimes I wonder why I put myself through the stress of these Trials games and then I will get past that 'impossible' obstacle or beat my previous 'unbeatable' best time and the elation and self satisfaction drag me back in for more punishment.
The Trials series has always finely balanced the frustration with addictive gameplay and Trials Fusion is no different. Red Lynx hasn't tinkered too much with the formula; the frustrating lows still bring out a sense of determination that I seldom see and the highs make me want to announce my achievement to the world... as soon as I recover from the stress I went through.
Some have complained that the Trials games are too hard and I can completely understand where these complaints originate from. Red Lynx has listened but sensibly not reduced the difficulty. The challenge, afterall, is a big part of the rollercoaster of emotions that Trials brings. To help out, Fusion offers tutorial lessons which explain the controls and how to tackle the obstacles you will face. The tutorials help prepare players for what lies ahead but nothing can really prepare you for the real thing.
The aim of Trials Fusion is the same as always, cross the finish line is as quick a time as possible and with as few crashes as you can manage. The tracks themselves are obstacle courses and are littered with ramps, gaps to jump, small platforms to land on and get off, hills, boats, zeppelins, boxes, diving boards, solar panels... well you can probably see that anything can become an obstacle in this game. A checkpoint system ensures you don't have to start from the beginning each time you crash. The speed of spawning at a checkpoint creates an infinite loop of 'one more go' but crashing right before a checkpoint after a troublesome obstacle is one of gaming's most painful momemts.
The control scheme is as simple as it has always been; accelerate, brake and lean the rider back and forward. But don't be fooled by the simplicity, there is quite a level of depth to the control of a bike and mastering the vehicle becomes essential the further you progress. Minor tweaks to how you land from a jump or how you attack a steep incline can have a big impact on your time and can be the difference between success and failure.
So far it is all the same as before but Fusion does have some new additions. For the first time in the series, a 4 wheeled vehicle is available; a quad bike. Naturally the quad bikes comes with a bit of extra weight over the motorbikes but in general it isn't a game changer. The bikes have differenct characteristics and the quad bike just feels like a different class of bike. Surprisingly there is also a bicycle but perhaps it is best you avoid this one if going for a speed run.
The big change comes in the form of tricks. To fill the time while you are in the air (and you can spend a fair bit of time in the air) you can pull off a variety of death defying tricks. The tricks are easy to pull off with a push of the right analogue stick, the direction of the push determining the trick. The positioning of the bike plays a key part in the trick performed and this can easily lead to a different trick than you expected. The trouble with the tricks is that other than the few score based levels, they serve no purpose. Personally, I don't use them unless I have to... I've got plenty to concentrate on as it is.
Each level has a bronze, silver and gold medal to be won. Each medal is based on meeting a minimum time and number of crashed requirement. The joy of getting a gold medal is short lived when you see there is also a platinum medal to be won. And that becomes challenging. The difficulty of the tracks increases as you progress, starting off simple and ending in excruciatingly hard. The expert tracks demand ultimate control over the bike and I've managed to complete a grand total of 1 of the tracks. It took me over 20 minutes and I had a 3 digit figure for the number of crashes but I was delighted in crossing that finish line. Out of interest I took a look at the top of the global leaderboard and found the best had 0 crashes and took 37 seconds. On watching his/her replay, I couldn't help but applaud the performance. It looked so easy and watching was an education on how to attack the track. Of course, replication what I had just witnessed is another thing.
The opportunity to create your own tracks is there along with the ability to download the creations for others, Whilst I have attempted to build my own track as of yet, I have sampled some fine efforts from other people. Needless to say, the variety of tracks is incredibly diverse.
Trying to beat your own times and those of friends is where the real timesink occurs. If you have a few active friends then there can be a lot of swapping of the top rank of the leaderboard. On track, the actions of friends and your own best time are shown by dots with a name. This gives a great indication as to where you can improve when trying to beat a time. One bad landing can change the outlook for a race, first place turns to last in a split second. And you restart. And restart again. And again. It can become rather addictive and the determination to win can take over.
Multiplayer action is restricted to local multiplayer at the moment and with a few tracks going by the grumbles. Online multiplayer is on its way and that could be quite entertaining among friends. It is peculiar that it wasn't available from the start though.
The are some niggles though. The are various humours commentary quips but if the happen to take place between the last checkpoint and a troublesome obstacle then the appeal can quickly wear off and you will find yourself reaching for the mute button. Strangely there are some loading speed issues. The time taken to display the image of the bike to go along with the name and description is lengthy enough that most of the time you can have picked your bike without having seen what it looks like. On track there can be a delay of the texture loading which is rather noticeable. These are not issues I'd expect on the PS4.
Despite the niggles and it being more of the same, Trials Fusion is as addictive as any of the previous games. And as frustrating. Be warned though, the PS4 analogue stick has not been designed to survive this game.
9
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Yes, yes, YEEES! No, no, NOOOO! AAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!
Sometimes I wonder why I put myself through the stress of these Trials games and then I will get past that 'impossible' obstacle or beat my previous 'unbeatable' best time and the elation and self satisfaction drag me back in for more punishment.
The Trials series has always finely balanced the frustration with addictive gameplay and Trials Fusion is no different. Red Lynx hasn't tinkered too much with the formula; the frustrating lows still bring out a sense of determination that I seldom see and the highs make me want to announce my achievement to the world... as soon as I recover from the stress I went through.
Some have complained that the Trials games are too hard and I can completely understand where these complaints originate from. Red Lynx has listened but sensibly not reduced the difficulty. The challenge, afterall, is a big part of the rollercoaster of emotions that Trials brings. To help out, Fusion offers tutorial lessons which explain the controls and how to tackle the obstacles you will face. The tutorials help prepare players for what lies ahead but nothing can really prepare you for the real thing.
The aim of Trials Fusion is the same as always, cross the finish line is as quick a time as possible and with as few crashes as you can manage. The tracks themselves are obstacle courses and are littered with ramps, gaps to jump, small platforms to land on and get off, hills, boats, zeppelins, boxes, diving boards, solar panels... well you can probably see that anything can become an obstacle in this game. A checkpoint system ensures you don't have to start from the beginning each time you crash. The speed of spawning at a checkpoint creates an infinite loop of 'one more go' but crashing right before a checkpoint after a troublesome obstacle is one of gaming's most painful momemts.
The control scheme is as simple as it has always been; accelerate, brake and lean the rider back and forward. But don't be fooled by the simplicity, there is quite a level of depth to the control of a bike and mastering the vehicle becomes essential the further you progress. Minor tweaks to how you land from a jump or how you attack a steep incline can have a big impact on your time and can be the difference between success and failure.
So far it is all the same as before but Fusion does have some new additions. For the first time in the series, a 4 wheeled vehicle is available; a quad bike. Naturally the quad bikes comes with a bit of extra weight over the motorbikes but in general it isn't a game changer. The bikes have differenct characteristics and the quad bike just feels like a different class of bike. Surprisingly there is also a bicycle but perhaps it is best you avoid this one if going for a speed run.
The big change comes in the form of tricks. To fill the time while you are in the air (and you can spend a fair bit of time in the air) you can pull off a variety of death defying tricks. The tricks are easy to pull off with a push of the right analogue stick, the direction of the push determining the trick. The positioning of the bike plays a key part in the trick performed and this can easily lead to a different trick than you expected. The trouble with the tricks is that other than the few score based levels, they serve no purpose. Personally, I don't use them unless I have to... I've got plenty to concentrate on as it is.
Each level has a bronze, silver and gold medal to be won. Each medal is based on meeting a minimum time and number of crashed requirement. The joy of getting a gold medal is short lived when you see there is also a platinum medal to be won. And that becomes challenging. The difficulty of the tracks increases as you progress, starting off simple and ending in excruciatingly hard. The expert tracks demand ultimate control over the bike and I've managed to complete a grand total of 1 of the tracks. It took me over 20 minutes and I had a 3 digit figure for the number of crashes but I was delighted in crossing that finish line. Out of interest I took a look at the top of the global leaderboard and found the best had 0 crashes and took 37 seconds. On watching his/her replay, I couldn't help but applaud the performance. It looked so easy and watching was an education on how to attack the track. Of course, replication what I had just witnessed is another thing.
The opportunity to create your own tracks is there along with the ability to download the creations for others, Whilst I have attempted to build my own track as of yet, I have sampled some fine efforts from other people. Needless to say, the variety of tracks is incredibly diverse.
Trying to beat your own times and those of friends is where the real timesink occurs. If you have a few active friends then there can be a lot of swapping of the top rank of the leaderboard. On track, the actions of friends and your own best time are shown by dots with a name. This gives a great indication as to where you can improve when trying to beat a time. One bad landing can change the outlook for a race, first place turns to last in a split second. And you restart. And restart again. And again. It can become rather addictive and the determination to win can take over.
Multiplayer action is restricted to local multiplayer at the moment and with a few tracks going by the grumbles. Online multiplayer is on its way and that could be quite entertaining among friends. It is peculiar that it wasn't available from the start though.
The are some niggles though. The are various humours commentary quips but if the happen to take place between the last checkpoint and a troublesome obstacle then the appeal can quickly wear off and you will find yourself reaching for the mute button. Strangely there are some loading speed issues. The time taken to display the image of the bike to go along with the name and description is lengthy enough that most of the time you can have picked your bike without having seen what it looks like. On track there can be a delay of the texture loading which is rather noticeable. These are not issues I'd expect on the PS4.
Despite the niggles and it being more of the same, Trials Fusion is as addictive as any of the previous games. And as frustrating. Be warned though, the PS4 analogue stick has not been designed to survive this game.
9
Sometimes I wonder why I put myself through the stress of these Trials games and then I will get past that 'impossible' obstacle or beat my previous 'unbeatable' best time and the elation and self satisfaction drag me back in for more punishment.
The Trials series has always finely balanced the frustration with addictive gameplay and Trials Fusion is no different. Red Lynx hasn't tinkered too much with the formula; the frustrating lows still bring out a sense of determination that I seldom see and the highs make me want to announce my achievement to the world... as soon as I recover from the stress I went through.
Some have complained that the Trials games are too hard and I can completely understand where these complaints originate from. Red Lynx has listened but sensibly not reduced the difficulty. The challenge, afterall, is a big part of the rollercoaster of emotions that Trials brings. To help out, Fusion offers tutorial lessons which explain the controls and how to tackle the obstacles you will face. The tutorials help prepare players for what lies ahead but nothing can really prepare you for the real thing.
The aim of Trials Fusion is the same as always, cross the finish line is as quick a time as possible and with as few crashes as you can manage. The tracks themselves are obstacle courses and are littered with ramps, gaps to jump, small platforms to land on and get off, hills, boats, zeppelins, boxes, diving boards, solar panels... well you can probably see that anything can become an obstacle in this game. A checkpoint system ensures you don't have to start from the beginning each time you crash. The speed of spawning at a checkpoint creates an infinite loop of 'one more go' but crashing right before a checkpoint after a troublesome obstacle is one of gaming's most painful momemts.
The control scheme is as simple as it has always been; accelerate, brake and lean the rider back and forward. But don't be fooled by the simplicity, there is quite a level of depth to the control of a bike and mastering the vehicle becomes essential the further you progress. Minor tweaks to how you land from a jump or how you attack a steep incline can have a big impact on your time and can be the difference between success and failure.
So far it is all the same as before but Fusion does have some new additions. For the first time in the series, a 4 wheeled vehicle is available; a quad bike. Naturally the quad bikes comes with a bit of extra weight over the motorbikes but in general it isn't a game changer. The bikes have differenct characteristics and the quad bike just feels like a different class of bike. Surprisingly there is also a bicycle but perhaps it is best you avoid this one if going for a speed run.
The big change comes in the form of tricks. To fill the time while you are in the air (and you can spend a fair bit of time in the air) you can pull off a variety of death defying tricks. The tricks are easy to pull off with a push of the right analogue stick, the direction of the push determining the trick. The positioning of the bike plays a key part in the trick performed and this can easily lead to a different trick than you expected. The trouble with the tricks is that other than the few score based levels, they serve no purpose. Personally, I don't use them unless I have to... I've got plenty to concentrate on as it is.
Each level has a bronze, silver and gold medal to be won. Each medal is based on meeting a minimum time and number of crashed requirement. The joy of getting a gold medal is short lived when you see there is also a platinum medal to be won. And that becomes challenging. The difficulty of the tracks increases as you progress, starting off simple and ending in excruciatingly hard. The expert tracks demand ultimate control over the bike and I've managed to complete a grand total of 1 of the tracks. It took me over 20 minutes and I had a 3 digit figure for the number of crashes but I was delighted in crossing that finish line. Out of interest I took a look at the top of the global leaderboard and found the best had 0 crashes and took 37 seconds. On watching his/her replay, I couldn't help but applaud the performance. It looked so easy and watching was an education on how to attack the track. Of course, replication what I had just witnessed is another thing.
The opportunity to create your own tracks is there along with the ability to download the creations for others, Whilst I have attempted to build my own track as of yet, I have sampled some fine efforts from other people. Needless to say, the variety of tracks is incredibly diverse.
Trying to beat your own times and those of friends is where the real timesink occurs. If you have a few active friends then there can be a lot of swapping of the top rank of the leaderboard. On track, the actions of friends and your own best time are shown by dots with a name. This gives a great indication as to where you can improve when trying to beat a time. One bad landing can change the outlook for a race, first place turns to last in a split second. And you restart. And restart again. And again. It can become rather addictive and the determination to win can take over.
Multiplayer action is restricted to local multiplayer at the moment and with a few tracks going by the grumbles. Online multiplayer is on its way and that could be quite entertaining among friends. It is peculiar that it wasn't available from the start though.
The are some niggles though. The are various humours commentary quips but if the happen to take place between the last checkpoint and a troublesome obstacle then the appeal can quickly wear off and you will find yourself reaching for the mute button. Strangely there are some loading speed issues. The time taken to display the image of the bike to go along with the name and description is lengthy enough that most of the time you can have picked your bike without having seen what it looks like. On track there can be a delay of the texture loading which is rather noticeable. These are not issues I'd expect on the PS4.
Despite the niggles and it being more of the same, Trials Fusion is as addictive as any of the previous games. And as frustrating. Be warned though, the PS4 analogue stick has not been designed to survive this game.
9