Watching the pros navigate through treacherous obstacle courses on dirt and enduro bikes are always a treat to see. But what if you could simulate this experience in a video game? Just how entertaining would it be? As it turns out, it can be a lot of fun and very addicting. Enter game developer RedLynx and their “3D agility racing game,” Trials 2.
The idea behind T2 isn’t really about “racing” at all. What it is about is how to ride your bike through courses that are built with death defying obstacles, jumps, ramps, and a host of other interesting terrain. Your goal is to finish each course as quickly and with as little errors as possible. The gameplay is simple to learn but challenging and will keep you glued to each course until you either master it or pass out from trying.
I am not kidding. Some courses make you ponder your sanity as you try for the umpteenth time to finish successfully. But this isn’t bad. The game is one of those types of games that will make you an instant devotee.
It’s all about speed and balance. You can shift your weight forward or backwards in order to maintain control while either landing your bike from a previous jump or steady yourself from going over the edge as you climb or descend a series of obstacles or dastardly comprised maneuvers that will make you cry. Gas your bike a little too much and over the top you go. Land with your weight shifted the wrong way and you’ll crash headlong into the ground. Lean your weight incorrectly and you’ll find yourself doing a 360 unintentionally. So much can go wrong, but if you plan your leaps and landings properly, there’s no better feeling than doing it right.
You can play from the keyboard or use a game pad. I tried both ways and prefer the handheld controller. But the keyboard isn’t too difficult to get the hang of and some PC guys will like using this way to control the bike instead.
You don’t actually “race” against others but you do compete for the fastest times in completing the courses. There are numerous countries that you can pledge your allegiance to and once affiliated with a country, you duke it out for bragging rights for lowest times, which are posted on worldwide leaderboard rankings. Trials 2 has courses that progressively get harder so I wouldn’t recommend going to the expert courses until you get your basics down first. The physics are first rate and you’ll have to practice a lot in order to finish the harder courses.
As with all great games, it’s simple to learn but hard to master. I spent a good deal of time understanding the mechanics of the game by experimenting with my throttle speed and learning how to pull back on the bike to navigate big jumps. The hours will fly by as you try to beat a course, and that is going to happen often.
Graphics are good and if you have a high powered PC, you can play the game in HD resolutions. There’s some nice tunes going on during your trials and the music adds a nice touch to the game.
If you are looking for a game that is outside the ordinary and is fun to play, you need not go further than Trials 2.
