It's a decent fill-in for the PS3/Vita owners that won't be getting either of the Trials games, but there are a few bumps in the ride.
Trials HD and Trials Evolution are easily two of the better stand-out titles in the Xbox Live Arcade library, games that require you to ride – and ride damn near perfectly – in order to work your way up its ladder to the success of leaderboard victory and unlocking ultimate tracks. Evolution outperformed HD with bigger tracks and more multiplayer shenanigans, though either game will give you a run for your money, especially on the harder stages.
PlayStation owners, sadly, won't get a chance to take a ride with either Trials game, as they remain Xbox Live Arcade exclusives for the time being. However, Tate Interactive has a decent alternative for both PS3 and Vita owners this week with Urban Trial Freestyle, a game that plays damn near just like the Trials games, but with a somewhat less strenuous difficulty level, and with a few minor changes to the design. It can't quite overcome RedLynx's work in the past (some quibbles get in the way), but it's a decent enough ride, provided you've got some friends that come along.
The game is set up so closely to Trials' system, it's almost an imitation. You ride through a course for the fastest time possible, while occasionally watching out for objects that can cause your motorcycle to crash, whether it's landing wrong on a platform or dealing with a rather unnatural disaster, like a huge Raiders of the Lost Ark-like boulder that's out to crush you flat or a flaming car that could easily stop you dead in your tracks. Some of these conditions are rather cool, like a train that just happens to speed by as you go landing – with enough perfection – on top.
