Trials HD
Encyclopedia
Trials HD is an Xbox Live Arcade
game developed by RedLynx
and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released on August 12, 2009 as part of the second annual Xbox Live Summer of Arcade
and was later re-released in a retail pack alongside Limbo
and 'Splosion Man
in April 2011. It is a 2.5D
puzzle/racing game. The player must guide a motorcycle with exaggerated physics through various obstacles to reach each stage's finish line.
The game was well received by critics, averaging 86.1% at GameRankings and 86/100 at Metacritic
, two video game aggregate sites. In 2009 it received the Best Overall Arcade Game and Best Innovation awards, voted on by the Xbox 360 community. In September 2010 IGN
listed Trials HD sixteenth in their top twenty-five Xbox Live Arcade titles of all time. The game was a commercial success, and sales have exceeded two million units with collective downloadable content
sales factored in.
. The objective is to complete the course as fast as possible and with as few crashes, known in the game as faults, as possible. The game uses 3D graphics
, but is played on a 2D
plane, so the rider can only move forwards and backwards. Players can also control the bike's pitch at slow speeds or while in the air.
The game has a variety of courses in a range of difficulties from beginner to extreme. There are a total of thirty-five courses in the game, and players can replay completed courses to attempt a faster time. Tournament mode sees the player attempt to complete a number of courses in sequence, trying to achieve a fast overall time with minimal faults. Twelve skill games can also be unlocked which place the player in different challenges. These include things such as riding inside or on top of a large spherical cage, achieving as many flips as possible within a set time limit, or towing a trailer with two large bombs as far as possible while keeping them from explosion by impact. Players earn medals based on their completion time, number of faults, and in the case of skill games, other specialized criteria.
When connected to Xbox Live
, the player can view their performance in relation to players in their friends list. This is done by an in-game meter which displays the closest friend to the player's time which adjusts based on whether the player is leading or trailing the friend's course time. Trials HD includes a level editor that allows players to construct their own courses and share them with players in their friends list. Every course in the game was created using the level editor, which allows users to create professional-quality levels. It also features leaderboards
for each of the game's courses and modes. For each course the fastest five thousand times are able to be viewed as replays. During the replay the viewer can view that recorded player's controller presses, allowing them to learn patterns and skills from it.
game in the Trials series, following Trials 2: Second Edition
. The game is based on the popular flash games
from the same series. It was released on August 12, 2009 as part of the second annual Xbox Live Summer of Arcade
. RedLynx developed Trials HD using an in-house engine coupled with a modified version of Bullet Physics Library
which was optimized to utilize the Xbox 360's CPU and vector units. RedLynx applied the physics system to give a realistic feel, but to maintain the enjoyment of a video game, they tweaked the physics to "bend the reality in just the proper way." RedLynx saw this as a "crucial thing in making Trials such a fun and addictive game" Previous Trials games used a much simpler in-house physics engine, however for Trials HD developers opted to use the Bullet library and devote one of the 360's cpu cores entirely to physics. Developers also improved on the Trials 2 engine by adding more advanced lighting and real time soft shadows.
Levels created for Trials HD were designed using the same in-game level editor that allows players to make user-based content. All of the tools and abilities the developers had at their disposal can be used by the community. In an interview with Eurogamer
, RedLynx's Lead Programmer Sebastian Aaltonen stated that there were no plans to port the game to other platforms, adding "Trials HD technology has been specially designed for the Xbox 360 feature-set." The voice work for the game was done by three Pennsylvania
n voice actors, Rake Yohn
, Brandon DiCamillo
, and Art Webb.
Trials HD was announced June 1, 2009 at a Microsoft luncheon during E3 2009. It was released August 12, 2009 as part of the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade. On December 23, 2009 the first downloadable content
, known as the Trials HD Big Pack, was released. The content features twenty three new courses, new objects for the game's built-in level creator and new achievements. A second downloadable content pack was announced for the game in July 2010. The Trials HD Big Thrills Pack features forty new courses made by RedLynx, but unlike the Trials HD Big Pack it also features ten user created courses. These ten courses are to be decided from entries to the Big Thrills Track Creation Competition. The top three contestants were awarded prizes of $5,000, $3,000, and $1,000, respectively. Winners were announced on November 15, 2010. The Big Thrills Pack was released December 1, 2010.
report average scores of 86.1% and 86/100, respectively. In its first month, the title sold over 300 thousand units. On September 14, 2010 RedLynx announced that Trials HD had surpassed 1.3 million units in sales. Sales of the first downloadable content pack have also exceeded 360 thousand, with the second pack selling over 90 thousand units. On May 27, 2011 RedLynx announced that sales have exceeded two million units. In 2009, Trials HD received two awards voted on by the Xbox 360 community, Best Overall Arcade Game and Best Innovation. In a September 2010 ranking, IGN
listed Trials HD sixteenth in their top twenty-five Xbox Live Arcade titles of all time. It was also awarded a perfect score by Xbox World 360
magazine.
Reviewers generally praised the game's replay value. IGN
's Daemon Hatfield remarked that Trials HD had "truckloads of content" adding that the game's features "really take advantage of what can be done with Xbox Live." GameTrailers
staff also praised the amount of content in the game stating that it was an excellent value for the price. Eurogamer
stated that "it's a game built for endless replay and community expansion beyond that." The game's leaderboards, especially the ability to have a view of where other players were at a certain time during a run, were widely praised by Brad Shoemaker of Giant Bomb
.
One of the primary criticisms given by critics was Trials HDs steep difficulty curve. Brad Shoemaker of Giant Bomb stated that he wished the difficulty curve was "a little smoother." Daemon Hatfield of IGN further commented on the game's difficulty, stating "It's when you get stuck trying to get over some small hill and you see that fault counter in the top left corner counting up [...] that the game starts being more frustrating than fun." GameSpy
's Anthony Gallegos added that the "limited number of tries per track feels arbitrary." He was also critical of the game's file sharing system, noting that instead of a repository from which to download tracks that sharing is limited to those in the player's friends list. Tom Mc Shea of GameSpot
also agreed that the difficulty on the latter tracks was "ridiculously hard" and shared disappointment in the file sharing system.
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
game developed by RedLynx
RedLynx
RedLynx Ltd. is a multi-platform Finnish video game developer and publisher based in Helsinki, Finland and founded in 2000. Since its founding in 2000, it has developed and published more than 100 games on many platforms, including Xbox LIVE Arcade, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Sony PSP, Apple...
and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released on August 12, 2009 as part of the second annual Xbox Live Summer of Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
and was later re-released in a retail pack alongside Limbo
Limbo (video game)
Limbo is a puzzle-platform video game and the premiere title of independent Danish game developer Playdead. The game was released in July 2010 as a platform exclusive title on Xbox Live Arcade, and was later re-released as part of a retail game pack along with Trials HD and Splosion Man in April...
and 'Splosion Man
'Splosion Man
'Splosion Man is a 2.5D action platform video game developed by Twisted Pixel Games for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade digital download service. It was released on July 22, 2009 as part of the 2009 Xbox Live Summer of Arcade...
in April 2011. It is a 2.5D
2.5D
2.5D , 3/4 perspective and pseudo-3D are terms used to describe either:* 2D graphical projections and techniques which cause a series of images or scenes to fake or appear to be three-dimensional when in fact they are not, or* gameplay in an otherwise three-dimensional video game that is...
puzzle/racing game. The player must guide a motorcycle with exaggerated physics through various obstacles to reach each stage's finish line.
The game was well received by critics, averaging 86.1% at GameRankings and 86/100 at Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, two video game aggregate sites. In 2009 it received the Best Overall Arcade Game and Best Innovation awards, voted on by the Xbox 360 community. In September 2010 IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
listed Trials HD sixteenth in their top twenty-five Xbox Live Arcade titles of all time. The game was a commercial success, and sales have exceeded two million units with collective downloadable content
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
sales factored in.
Gameplay
In Trials HD the player controls a rider on a physics-based motorcycle from the start of the level to the end while navigating a number of obstaclesObstacle course
An obstacle course is a series of challenging physical obstacles an individual or team must navigate usually while being timed. Obstacle courses can include running, climbing, jumping, crawling, swimming, and balancing elements with the aim of testing speed and endurance. Sometimes a course...
. The objective is to complete the course as fast as possible and with as few crashes, known in the game as faults, as possible. The game uses 3D graphics
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
, but is played on a 2D
2.5D
2.5D , 3/4 perspective and pseudo-3D are terms used to describe either:* 2D graphical projections and techniques which cause a series of images or scenes to fake or appear to be three-dimensional when in fact they are not, or* gameplay in an otherwise three-dimensional video game that is...
plane, so the rider can only move forwards and backwards. Players can also control the bike's pitch at slow speeds or while in the air.
The game has a variety of courses in a range of difficulties from beginner to extreme. There are a total of thirty-five courses in the game, and players can replay completed courses to attempt a faster time. Tournament mode sees the player attempt to complete a number of courses in sequence, trying to achieve a fast overall time with minimal faults. Twelve skill games can also be unlocked which place the player in different challenges. These include things such as riding inside or on top of a large spherical cage, achieving as many flips as possible within a set time limit, or towing a trailer with two large bombs as far as possible while keeping them from explosion by impact. Players earn medals based on their completion time, number of faults, and in the case of skill games, other specialized criteria.
When connected to Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
, the player can view their performance in relation to players in their friends list. This is done by an in-game meter which displays the closest friend to the player's time which adjusts based on whether the player is leading or trailing the friend's course time. Trials HD includes a level editor that allows players to construct their own courses and share them with players in their friends list. Every course in the game was created using the level editor, which allows users to create professional-quality levels. It also features leaderboards
Game ladder
A ladder tournament is a form of tournament for games and sports. It is an extended tournament, which can potentially go on indefinitely. In a ladder tournament, players are listed as if on the rungs of a ladder. The objective for a player is to reach the highest rung of the ladder...
for each of the game's courses and modes. For each course the fastest five thousand times are able to be viewed as replays. During the replay the viewer can view that recorded player's controller presses, allowing them to learn patterns and skills from it.
Development and marketing
Trials HD is the second 2.5D2.5D
2.5D , 3/4 perspective and pseudo-3D are terms used to describe either:* 2D graphical projections and techniques which cause a series of images or scenes to fake or appear to be three-dimensional when in fact they are not, or* gameplay in an otherwise three-dimensional video game that is...
game in the Trials series, following Trials 2: Second Edition
Trials 2: Second Edition
Trials 2: Second Edition is a racing video game by RedLynx. It is available for the Windows operating system through the developer's online store, and through Valve's Steam system...
. The game is based on the popular flash games
Browser game
A browser game is a computer game that is played over the Internet using a web browser. Browser games can be created and run using standard web technologies or browser plug-ins. Browser games include all video game genres and can be single-player or multiplayer...
from the same series. It was released on August 12, 2009 as part of the second annual Xbox Live Summer of Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
. RedLynx developed Trials HD using an in-house engine coupled with a modified version of Bullet Physics Library
Bullet (software)
Bullet is an open source physics engine featuring 3D collision detection, soft body dynamics, and rigid body dynamics. It is used in games, and in visual effects in movies. The Bullet physics library is published under the zlib license. Erwin Coumans, its main author, worked for Sony Computer...
which was optimized to utilize the Xbox 360's CPU and vector units. RedLynx applied the physics system to give a realistic feel, but to maintain the enjoyment of a video game, they tweaked the physics to "bend the reality in just the proper way." RedLynx saw this as a "crucial thing in making Trials such a fun and addictive game" Previous Trials games used a much simpler in-house physics engine, however for Trials HD developers opted to use the Bullet library and devote one of the 360's cpu cores entirely to physics. Developers also improved on the Trials 2 engine by adding more advanced lighting and real time soft shadows.
Levels created for Trials HD were designed using the same in-game level editor that allows players to make user-based content. All of the tools and abilities the developers had at their disposal can be used by the community. In an interview with Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
, RedLynx's Lead Programmer Sebastian Aaltonen stated that there were no plans to port the game to other platforms, adding "Trials HD technology has been specially designed for the Xbox 360 feature-set." The voice work for the game was done by three Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
n voice actors, Rake Yohn
Rake Yohn
Rake Yohn is a member of the CKY Crew and a regular in the CKY Videos, MTV's Viva La Bam and Jackass.-Life and career:Yohn was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania...
, Brandon DiCamillo
Brandon DiCamillo
Brandon Ralph DiCamillo is an American actor, stuntman and screenwriter. He was a founding member of the CKY Crew and rose to fame through appearances in the CKY video series and MTV's Jackass, Viva La Bam and Bam's Unholy Union.-Personal life:He previously worked for Neiman-Marcus, and is the...
, and Art Webb.
Trials HD was announced June 1, 2009 at a Microsoft luncheon during E3 2009. It was released August 12, 2009 as part of the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade. On December 23, 2009 the first downloadable content
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
, known as the Trials HD Big Pack, was released. The content features twenty three new courses, new objects for the game's built-in level creator and new achievements. A second downloadable content pack was announced for the game in July 2010. The Trials HD Big Thrills Pack features forty new courses made by RedLynx, but unlike the Trials HD Big Pack it also features ten user created courses. These ten courses are to be decided from entries to the Big Thrills Track Creation Competition. The top three contestants were awarded prizes of $5,000, $3,000, and $1,000, respectively. Winners were announced on November 15, 2010. The Big Thrills Pack was released December 1, 2010.
Reception and sales
Trials HD was generally well received by game critics. Aggregate websites GameRankings and MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
report average scores of 86.1% and 86/100, respectively. In its first month, the title sold over 300 thousand units. On September 14, 2010 RedLynx announced that Trials HD had surpassed 1.3 million units in sales. Sales of the first downloadable content pack have also exceeded 360 thousand, with the second pack selling over 90 thousand units. On May 27, 2011 RedLynx announced that sales have exceeded two million units. In 2009, Trials HD received two awards voted on by the Xbox 360 community, Best Overall Arcade Game and Best Innovation. In a September 2010 ranking, IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
listed Trials HD sixteenth in their top twenty-five Xbox Live Arcade titles of all time. It was also awarded a perfect score by Xbox World 360
Xbox World 360
Xbox World 360 is a British Xbox and Xbox 360 magazine published by Future Publishing.- History :Xbox World 360 began life as Xbox World, with issue one released in early 2003, over a year after the Xbox's release...
magazine.
Reviewers generally praised the game's replay value. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Daemon Hatfield remarked that Trials HD had "truckloads of content" adding that the game's features "really take advantage of what can be done with Xbox Live." GameTrailers
GameTrailers
GameTrailers is a media website that specializes in video game related content. It provides free access to original programming , game trailers and recorded game play. Along with standard definition , many of the video clips are offered in a higher resolution .Users can upload videos, create...
staff also praised the amount of content in the game stating that it was an excellent value for the price. Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
stated that "it's a game built for endless replay and community expansion beyond that." The game's leaderboards, especially the ability to have a view of where other players were at a certain time during a run, were widely praised by Brad Shoemaker of Giant Bomb
Giant Bomb
Giant Bomb is an American video game website and wiki that includes gaming news, reviews, commentary, and video, created by former GameSpot editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis in collaboration with Whiskey Media...
.
One of the primary criticisms given by critics was Trials HDs steep difficulty curve. Brad Shoemaker of Giant Bomb stated that he wished the difficulty curve was "a little smoother." Daemon Hatfield of IGN further commented on the game's difficulty, stating "It's when you get stuck trying to get over some small hill and you see that fault counter in the top left corner counting up [...] that the game starts being more frustrating than fun." GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
's Anthony Gallegos added that the "limited number of tries per track feels arbitrary." He was also critical of the game's file sharing system, noting that instead of a repository from which to download tracks that sharing is limited to those in the player's friends list. Tom Mc Shea of GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
also agreed that the difficulty on the latter tracks was "ridiculously hard" and shared disappointment in the file sharing system.