Trials Evolution

Last updated
Trials Evolution
TrialsEvolutionBox.jpg
Developer(s) Ubisoft RedLynx
Ubisoft Shanghai
Publisher(s) Microsoft Studios
Ubisoft (PC)
Composer(s) Mike Reagan
Series Trials
Engine Bullet Physics Library [1]
Platform(s) Xbox 360 (XBLA)
Microsoft Windows [2]
ReleaseXbox 360
April 18, 2012
Origin of Pain
October 5, 2012
The Riders of Doom
December 19, 2012
Windows
  • NA: March 21, 2013
  • AU: March 21, 2013
  • EU: March 22, 2013 [2]
Genre(s) Platform, racing
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Trials Evolution is a racing video game for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows in which each player controls a motorcycle trials rider who traverses an obstacle course. The game was developed by Ubisoft RedLynx and published by Microsoft Studios. It is a follow-up to Trials HD of 2009 and successor to several preceding Trials games by the same developers.

Contents

The Xbox 360 version was released via Xbox Live Arcade on April 18, 2012. In 2013 it was released as Trials Evolution: Gold Edition, including a bundled copy of Trials HD. On all game platforms Trials Evolution includes a course editor to allow users to create their own scenarios.

Gameplay

In Trials Evolution the player controls a rider trying to traverse an obstacle course on a bike heavily influenced by physics. Trials-evolution-e3.jpg
In Trials Evolution the player controls a rider trying to traverse an obstacle course on a bike heavily influenced by physics.

In Trials Evolution, the player controls a rider on a physics-based motorcycle from the start of the level to the end while navigating a number of obstacles. 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 on the ground or while in the air. The simple control scheme offers an "Easy to learn, hard to master" concept of gameplay. High level players can be seen relying heavily on very particular micro-adjustment techniques in order to complete tracks of extreme difficulty.

Evolution allows up to four players to compete simultaneously on the same console or over Xbox LIVE. Specialized tracks allow for four players to ride alongside one another, similar to Nintendo's Excitebike , while in others players complete in-line, with a player's friends appearing as ghost bikes on the course. [3] As players progress through the single player portion of the game they will earn money that can be used to customize their rider and motorcycle's appearance. [4] Another new addition to the gameplay is the line of movement can now curve, the controls will remain the same but the map and driving line can swerve to make for more creative and challenging maps. 50 single player tracks are included with the game. Players are able to track several statistics such as medals earned, money earned, and other stats. These can then be compared with their Xbox Live friends. Leaderboards are also included.[ citation needed ]

Editor

Players can also design and share their own maps utilizing the in-game editor. As with its predecessor, Trials HD, players are given the same editor that the developer used to create the game's levels. This time players are given two variants of the editor. The Lite Editor is similar to Trials HD's in that players can create courses in a user-friendly manner. The game's Pro Editor provides full access to content creation; players can use not only the features of the Lite Editor, but can also use the game's visual programming language to create entirely different scenarios. Demonstrations of the Pro Editor showcased scenarios similar to popular games such as Angry Birds , 'Splosion Man , Marble Blast Ultra , Xevious and others. Additionally a first-person shooter and top-down perspective racing game were demonstrated. [5] Weather and lighting conditions can be changed to allow for nighttime, dusk, foggy and other atmospheric settings.[ citation needed ]

Tracks can now be shared via an in-game interface. With Evolution's predecessor tracks could only be shared via those on a player's friends list, however players will now be able to browse through multiple categories such as Most Popular tracks and can also create a custom search. [5] Over 1,500 objects are available to players to create their custom scenarios.[ citation needed ] Leaderboards will also be tracked for user-created environments. In Trials HD gameplay was restricted to a warehouse setting. In Evolution the setting is a two-by-four kilometer outdoor environment. While the game is set outdoors, players will be able to re-create warehouse-based courses if they desire. Jason Bates, Director of Marketing and PR at RedLynx stated that "we (RedLynx) expect people to recreate some of the classic levels". [3]

Development and marketing

The huge success of Trials HD made it possible for us to finally create the game of our dreams.

— Sebastian Aaltonen, Lead Programmer at Ubisoft RedLynx, Eurogamer interview [1]

With the game's predecessor, Trials HD, players expressed concerns with the rate at which the difficulty curve climbed. Developer Ubisoft RedLynx addressed this concern in Trials Evolution by placing tutorial levels in each of the game's difficulty tiers. Players are required to earn a certain number of medals before they can progress forward, ensuring that they will have the necessary skills to meet the challenge of future levels.[ citation needed ] The game engine was upgraded from the version used in Trials HD. Draw distance was increased, allowing for roughly 500 meters of visible area at any time. The game runs at a locked 60 frames per second.[ citation needed ] In Trials HD all in-game assets were loaded into system RAM at startup, but in Evolution designers chose to stream all content. This allowed for a much larger gameplay world, higher resolution textures, and more objects to be used in-game. [1] A new visual scripting system was also implemented. This allowed both Ubisoft RedLynx and community to create entirely new skill games; in Trials HD the skill game code was part of the game's core. As with its predecessor, Trials Evolution uses an optimized version of the Bullet Physics Library to handle the game's physics. [1] Ubisoft RedLynx's Sebastian Aaltonen stated that feedback from players and Trials HD's high sales allowed RedLynx to make the game they had aimed to create. [1] The soundtrack was penned by Mike Reagan, who had previously worked on the God of War series. [6] The voice work for the game was done by three Pennsylvanian voice actors: Art Webb, Rake Yohn and Brandon DiCamillo of Jackass fame. [7]

Trials Evolution was announced at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2011. [8] It was shown to the press and public at Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) Prime 2011 and Gamescom 2011. [9] It was also shown at Game Developer's Conference (GDC) 2012 as well as to public at PAX East 2012. [10] In March 2012, Microsoft announced that Xbox Live Arcade titles would soon have double the gamerscore, a new total of 400 points. Microsoft created a promotion known as Arcade Next to further publicize this change which would run from April 18, 2012 to May 9, 2012. Trials Evolution was selected to be the first release with a date of April 18, 2012 and was joined by Bloodforge , Fable Heroes and Minecraft in the promotion. [11] [12]

Reception

Trials Evolution received universal acclaim from critics. [15] It holds an aggregate score of 91.58% at GameRankings, [13] and fellow aggregate website Metacritic reports a score of 90/100. [15] The game received five perfect scores: Joystiq's Ben Gilbert, [22] Digital Spy's Liam Martin, [25] Brad Shoemaker of Giant Bomb, [20] Gameblog.fr's reviewer as well as Gamereactor Sweden's Jonas Elfving. [26] [27] The lowest score of an 80% approval rating came from three reviewers: Neil Davey of Guardian.co.uk, [28] Ryan Rigney of Wired magazine, [29] and a staff member from Official Xbox Magazine UK . [23] The game sold an estimated 100,000 units in its first day. [30] It was the highest selling day-one release on Xbox Live Arcade until the release of Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition three weeks later. [31] [32] The game had sold over 1 million units by the end of 2012. [33] [34]

During the 16th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Trails Evolution for "Racing Game of the Year". [35]

Ryan McCaffrey of Official Xbox Magazine praised the game's overall appeal. He cited the game's visuals, core gameplay, multiplayer, track editor and replay factor all as high points. He stated that "Trials Evolution is as close to a perfect download as we’re ever likely to get." [24] He did note, however that the game's soundtrack may not appeal to all players, a statement to which Game Informer 's Dan Ryckert and IGN's Daemon Hatfield agreed. [19] [21] Tom Bramwell of Eurogamer cited the fact that all the game's levels were created using the same editor currently in the game, a point to which he gave high marks. [17]

The reviewer from Official Xbox Magazine UK praised the inclusion of multiplayer, improved visuals and a better sense of progression. The reviewer cited the fact that license tests must be passed to unlock additional tracks helped player progression. [23] The critic from Edge magazine called Trials Evolution "the deepest online experience in XBLA history." [36] The reviewer stated that it built upon the footing of its predecessor, Trials HD, citing the evolution in gameplay similar to Dark Souls 's evolution of Demon's Souls . The critic felt that the new skill games weren't imaginative enough, but conceded that the editing tools are powerful enough to create more robust games.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xbox Live Arcade</span> Digital video game download service

Xbox Live Arcade was a video game digital distribution service that was available for the Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles. It focused on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers. Titles on the service ranged from previously released arcade and console games to brand new games designed for the service, and were priced from a range of 5 to 20 US dollars. While originally requiring a disc to gain access to the service on the original Xbox, the Arcade was integrated into the Xbox 360 along with the rest of the Xbox Live Marketplace with the launch of the new console.

<i>Hydrophobia</i> (video game) Action adventure video game with dynamic water

Hydrophobia is an action adventure video game developed and published by Dark Energy Digital for Microsoft Windows, the PlayStation 3 and by Microsoft Studios for Xbox Live Arcade. The game was released for Xbox Live Arcade on September 29, 2010, as part of Xbox Live's Games Feast promotion, marking the first of three episodes. The PC version was released in 2011.

<i>Vigilante 8 Arcade</i> 2008 video game

Vigilante 8: Arcade is a vehicular combat video game developed by Isopod Labs and published by Activision. It was released on November 5, 2008, for Xbox 360 through Xbox Live Arcade. Isopod Labs was formed by three former members of Luxoflux, developer of the original Vigilante 8 series. A remake of Vigilante 8 with some elements of Vigilante 8: Second Offense included, Vigilante 8: Arcade features online play for up to eight players.

Xbox Live Indie Games were video games created by individual developers or small teams of developers released on Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace for the Xbox 360. The games were developed using Microsoft XNA, and developed by one or more independent developers that are registered with App Hub. Unlike Xbox Live Arcade titles, these were generally only tested within the local creator community, had much lower costs of production, and generally were less expensive to purchase. The service was released to widespread use alongside the New Xbox Experience, and as of November 2014, over 3,300 games had been released on the service, many receiving media attention. All Indie Games currently require the user to be logged into their Xbox Live account to initiate the start-up of each game. Indie Games were not available in Australia, due to the requirement for all games to be rated by the Australian Classification Board, and the prohibitive expenses involved. The Xbox Live Indie Games program did not continue with the release of the Xbox One, and the marketplace for these games was shuttered on October 7, 2017.

<i>OutRun Online Arcade</i> 2009 video game

OutRun Online Arcade is a racing video game and the most recent release in the OutRun series. It was developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sega. The game was released on April 15, 2009 on Xbox Live Arcade and released exclusively in Europe for the PlayStation 3 a day later via the PlayStation Network. Gameplay involves players racing their choice of Ferrari through a selection of fifteen stages in the shortest time possible.

<i>Raskulls</i> 2010 video game

Raskulls is a 2010 action platformer video game developed by Halfbrick Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade. It was released on December 29, 2010. In Raskulls, players must navigate through platform-based levels filled with blocks of varying shape and size. The characters must use their brick-breaking wands to create the fastest route to the end of the level.

<i>Ion Assault</i> 2009 multidirectional shooter video game

Ion Assault is a multidirectional shooter video game developed by Coreplay and published by Black Inc. for the Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and Microsoft Windows. It was released in North America and Europe on September 23, 2009. Its gameplay is similar to that of the classic arcade shooter Asteroids. Ion Assault was the first Xbox Live Arcade game to be developed in Germany.

<i>Trials HD</i> 2009 video game developed by RedLynx

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 trial motorcycle with exaggerated physics through various obstacles to reach each stage's finish line. On September 6, 2012 it was announced that a Microsoft Windows version of Trials HD would be bundled inside a special version of Trials Evolution, dubbed Trials Evolution: Gold Edition—although this version changes the physics of the game. It is the third game in the series. On February 11, 2016, Microsoft added Trials HD as part of its backwards compatibility program for Xbox One.

<i>Snoopy Flying Ace</i> 2010 video game

Snoopy Flying Ace is a dogfighting video game based on Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts franchise and developed by Smart Bomb Interactive for the Xbox Live Arcade service on the Xbox 360. It was announced on November 10, 2008 and released on June 2, 2010. An unofficial sequel to the 2006 video game Snoopy vs. the Red Baron, it features a similar World War I setting. Snoopy is tasked with defeating several members of the Flying Circus, a special flight squadron in the Luftstreitkräfte, and its commander, Manfred von Richthofen, also known as the Red Baron.

<i>Toy Soldiers</i> (video game) 2010 video game

Toy Soldiers is an action and strategy video game developed by Signal Studios released on Xbox Live Arcade on March 3, 2010. It is featured in the Windows 8 Consumer Preview Store. It has been available since February 29, 2012, debuting alongside the Windows 8 Consumer Preview beta release. The game was officially released for Microsoft Windows on April 27, 2012. A high-definition port, published by Accelerate Games, was released on October 21, 2021, for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows.

<i>Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light</i> 2010 video game

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is an action-adventure game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square Enix's European branch for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Android and iOS. It is part of the Tomb Raider series, but unlike previous games, the game does not carry the Tomb Raider brand and has a heavy emphasis on cooperative gameplay. In multiplayer, players take the role as either Lara Croft or a 2,000-year-old Mayan warrior named Totec. They must work together in order to stop the evil spirit Xolotl and retrieve the Mirror of Smoke. A single-player campaign mode is available that does not include the non-playable character AI following or helping Lara.

<i>Hydro Thunder Hurricane</i> 2010 video game

Hydro Thunder Hurricane is a boat racing video game developed by Vector Unit and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade. The game was released on July 28, 2010 as part of Microsoft's Xbox Live Summer of Arcade promotion. It is the sequel to Hydro Thunder, originally an arcade game, and part of the Thunder series, developed by Midway Games and under license of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. It was also released onto the Windows Store. The game was added to the list of Xbox 360 backward compatible games on Xbox One on December 17, 2015.

Days of Thunder is a stock car racing video game produced by Paramount Digital Entertainment and developed by Piranha Games for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was released in February 2011 and is a spin-off of the 1990 film Days of Thunder in which the player is a rookie driver coached by Rowdy Burns, the antagonist from the film. The game received very little critical feedback; those that did review the game had generally negative commentary. Reviewers felt that the cars handled unrealistically, but one reviewer noted that some issues could be fixed with a patch.

<i>Perfect Dark</i> (2010 video game) 2010 video game

Perfect Dark is a 2010 first-person shooter developed by 4J Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 through its Xbox Live Arcade download service. The game is a remaster of the original Perfect Dark, which was released for the Nintendo 64 in 2000. Although the gameplay remains largely unchanged, the remaster features significant technical improvements over the original, including new higher-resolution textures and character models, a higher frame rate, and a multiplayer mode that supports the Xbox Live online service. The story of the game follows Joanna Dark, an agent of the Carrington Institute organization, as she attempts to stop a conspiracy by rival corporation dataDyne.

<i>Pinball FX 2</i> 2010 video game

Pinball FX 2 is a pinball video game for Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows and is the sequel to Pinball FX. It was developed by Zen Studios and published by Microsoft Studios. It was released on October 27, 2010, via the Xbox Live Arcade service. The game includes several new features, such as local multiplayer and the ability to tweak table settings. Players can also import all of the tables from Pinball FX they had previously purchased. The Windows 8 version of Pinball FX 2 was released on the Windows Store on October 27, 2012, two years after the original XBLA release. The game was subsequently released for other Windows platforms via Steam on May 10, 2013. Pinball FX 2 was announced for Windows Phone in February 2012. A sequel, Pinball FX 3 was released in September 2017.

<i>The Adventures of Shuggy</i> 2011 video game

The Adventures of Shuggy is a puzzle-platform game developed by British studio Smudged Cat Games and published by Valcon Games. It was released June 15, 2011 for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade, for Microsoft Windows on June 13, 2012, and for Linux and OS X on October 30, 2015. It follows the vampire Shuggy as he seeks to rid his newly inherited mansion of its undesirable inhabitants.

<i>Joy Ride Turbo</i> 2012 video game

Joy Ride Turbo is a kart racing game developed by BigPark and published by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360. The sequel to Kinect Joy Ride, the player controls their avatar as they drive vehicles in a combat racing tournament. Unlike its predecessor, Joy Ride Turbo does not use the Kinect peripheral. Originally outed via a rating on the Australian Classification Board on April 11, 2012, it was unveiled by Microsoft Studios on April 27 and released on May 23, 2012. It was later added as one of the first 100 titles on the Xbox One backwards compatibility list on November 9, 2015.

<i>Trials Fusion</i> 2014 video game

Trials Fusion is a platform racing video game developed by Ubisoft RedLynx in collaboration with Ubisoft Shanghai and Ubisoft Kyiv. A follow-up to Trials Evolution, it is the fifth game in the Trials series and is the first one to be released on a PlayStation platform. The game was released on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One in April 2014. A companion game, Trials Frontier, was released on iOS and Android devices and designed to accompany the console and PC title. Ubisoft released six paid DLC packs, as well as several free content updates. Online multiplayer was added in an update on January 24, 2015.

Trials is a racing game series developed by Ubisoft RedLynx and published by Ubisoft, loosely based on the real-life sport of motorcycle trials. It involves a motorcycle rider in a 2.5D world, traversing obstacles under the influence of simulated physics.

<i>Motocross Madness</i> (2013 video game) 2013 video game

Motocross Madness is a motocross racing video game that was developed by Austrian studio Bongfish and published by Microsoft Studios. It was released on April 10, 2013 on Xbox Live Arcade. It is a sequel to two Microsoft Windows games, 1998's Motocross Madness and 2000's Motocross Madness 2, which were developed by Rainbow Studios, who have since moved on to making the MX vs. ATV series.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Ledbetter, Richard (April 28, 2012). "Tech Interview: Trials Evolution". Eurogamer . Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  2. 1 2 Phillips, Tom (September 6, 2012). "Trials Evolution DLC Origin of Pain announced for Xbox 360". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  3. 1 2 TrialsGames (January 19, 2012). "Inside Xbox featuring Trials Evolution". YouTube . Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  4. ↑ Winegarner, Tyler (August 17, 2011). "Gamescom 2011: Trials Evolution Interview". GameSpot . CBS Interactive . Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  5. 1 2 "User Generated Content Demo". GameSpot. March 5, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  6. ↑ Hiller, Brenna (April 17, 2012). "Trials Evolution soundtrack penned by God of War composer". VG247 . Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  7. ↑ RedLynx (April 18, 2012). Trials Evolution. Microsoft Studios.
  8. ↑ Haas, Pete (June 7, 2011). "E3 2011: Trials Evolution Announced, Teaser Trailer Released". Cinema Blend. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  9. ↑ Grown, Andrew (August 15, 2011). "Trials Evolution Playable at PAX Prime, GamesCom". VG247 . Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  10. ↑ Hinkle, David (March 30, 2012). "Microsoft reveals Xbox 360 lineup for PAX East 2012". Joystiq. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  11. ↑ Gilbert, Ben (February 2, 2012). "Trials Evolution now on track for spring 2012 launch". Joystiq . Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  12. ↑ Devore, Jordan (March 22, 2012). "Trials Evolution, Minecraft XBLA given prices and dates". Destructoid . Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  13. 1 2 "Trials Evolution for Xbox 360". GameRankings . Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Video Game Reviews, Articles, Trailers and more - Metacritic".
  15. 1 2 3 "Trials Evolution Critic Reviews for Xbox 360". Metacritic . Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Trials Evolution: Gold Edition". Metacritic .
  17. 1 2 Bramwell, Tom (April 17, 2012). "Trials Evolution Review". Eurogamer. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  18. ↑ Rubens, Alex (2012-04-26). "Trials Evolution Review for Xbox 360". G4 . Retrieved 2012-04-26.
  19. 1 2 Ryckert, Dan (April 18, 2012). "Trials Evolution". Game Informer . Archived from the original on April 22, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  20. 1 2 Shoemaker, Brad (April 19, 2012). "Trials Evolution Reviews". Giant Bomb . Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  21. 1 2 Hatfield, Daemon (April 17, 2012). "Trials Evolution Review". IGN . Archived from the original on April 18, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  22. 1 2 Gilbert, Ben (April 20, 2012). "Trials Evolution review: Try, try again". Joystiq . Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  23. 1 2 3 OXM Staff (April 17, 2012). "Trials Evolution Review". Official Xbox Magazine UK . Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  24. 1 2 McCaffrey, Ryan (April 17, 2012). "Trials Evolution review". Official Xbox Magazine . Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  25. ↑ Martin, Liam (April 20, 2012). "Trials Evolution review (Xbox LIVE): Everything a Sequel Should Be". Digital Spy . Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  26. ↑ "Test: Trials Evolution Xbox Live Arcade". Gameblog.fr. April 18, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  27. ↑ Elfving, Jonas (April 17, 2012). "Recension: Trials Evolution". Gamereactor Sweden. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  28. ↑ Davey, Neil (April 18, 2012). "Trials Evolution — review". Guardian.co.uk . Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  29. ↑ Rigney, Ryan (April 20, 2012). "Review: Trials Evolution Flips, Explodes, Sticks the Landing". Wired . Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  30. ↑ Narcisse, Evan (April 19, 2012). "Trials Evolution Leaderboards Crash Under the Weight of 100,000 Rabid Fans". Kotaku . Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  31. ↑ "Trials Evolution Breaks XBLA Record!". Microsoft Studios via PlayXBLA.com. April 20, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  32. ↑ "Minecraft smashes every XBLA sales record we can find!". Microsoft Studios via PlayXBLA.com. May 10, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  33. ↑ "Xbox Live Arcade Sees Incredible Growth in 2012, Thanks to Minecraft and More Releases". Forecasting & Analyzing Digital Entertainment, LLC. January 31, 2013. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  34. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (December 6, 2012). "Trials Evolution sells 1 million". GameSpot . Archived from the original on October 11, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  35. ↑ "2013 Awards Category Details Racing Game of the Year". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  36. ↑ "Trials Evolution review". Edge magazine. April 17, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.