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Trials HD

Gaming's Defining Moments - Trials HD

Through gritted teeth we remember one of the most addictive titles of the last generation: Trials HD.

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"Why are you playing that game? You clearly hate it," my wife said to me one evening a couple of years ago. To be fair, I'd been swearing a like a drunk sailor, yelling foul-mouthed expletives at the television, sometimes throwing the controller into a nearby beanbag, and even occasionally rage quitting when near-perfect runs went wrong at the final hurdle.

"I don't hate it, I love it," was all I could reply. Despite the swearing, the red-faced fury, the chipped controller, I meant it wholeheartedly. It was love of the most brutal kind. Trials HD is a wonderful game, but at the same time, it's a cruel mistress.

Trials HD

Its beauty lies in its simplicity. Motorbike riders traverse eye-popping 2.5D tracks in search of high scores and fast times. Balance and poise are just as important as speed and accuracy. It's simple to pick up, but near impossible to master. Later levels are fiendishly hard, and perfect runs get rarer as you progress further through the game. Just as soon as you start thinking you've got it nailed, Trials throws another curve ball at you, and just as quickly as your confidence rose, it crashes back down to earth with an all-too-familiar thud.

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Evolution betters the Trials formula in almost every way, by taking everything great about the first game and then rubbing additional funk into the mix. The multiplayer and the new environments were a welcome addition and made for a better overall game, but all the improvements in the world aren't enough to steal away glorious memories from the series' first console outing.

Trials HD

It was addictive, moreish stuff. And whilst it might have driven me to distraction on several occasions, I kept coming back for more. I couldn't help myself. The fluidity of the action made it a joy to play, seeing the high scores of my friends made me want to get back on the bike and go again after every failed attempt. There was always a new target to beat, and a fresh challenge to overcome.

As much as Trials hurt (oh how it hurt) and made me hate and shout and despair, I absolutely loved it. I poured in hour after hour after hour, chasing high scores, collecting gold medals, and always coming back for just one more try. It's the perfect example of a game you pick up for a quick blast before bed, and when you're done with it you realise it's 2 am and you've been playing for three hours solid. Evolution might be the superior game, but its illustrious predecessor stands as one of the highlights of this generation, and one of the best digital releases of all time.

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Trials HD

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