Trials HD is a 2D racer with a lot of depth, the main object of the game is to play through each of the difficulty levels from Beginner to Extreme completing the various courses along the way and trying not to crash, which is a lot easier said than done. Overall the game offers 50+ tracks to challenge you and challenge you they will.

 

 

The controls thankfully are very simple, pressing RT will see your rider accelerate while LT is the brake, everything else is up to you and how you handle the physics of riding up hills, completing large jumps and falling from great heights. To help you along you can use the left stick to lean left and right, allowing you adjust your balance at the right time.

 

Getting to the end of the track is very simple at first, however that’s the beginners level I’m talking about, as once you get to even the Medium tracks things start to take a steep climb towards the insane. Thankfully you can get a bronze medal just by completing the track, which is achieved by restarting from the last checkpoint you reached before you crashed. Silver and Gold medals have stricter criteria, therefore you may want to crash less or not at all if you want to get your hands on a shiner medal.

 

Of course the game isn’t just about medals it’s about pride, therefore the fact that most of your friends have better times than you will be the thing that keeps you going the most, inspiring you to keep playing until you are nothing but a whimpering wreck.

 

Each gold medal that you manage to unlock has the bonus of unlocking new items such as tournaments for you to take part in and also the mini challenge games, therefore along with the incentive of beating your friends score and winning medals there is certainly plenty of replay-ability in the races alone to keep you coming back for a very long time, however there is more.

 

Perhaps one of the most addictive parts of Trials HD is the challenge levels, these range from a game which has you driving along while inside a large hamster-like ball while trying not to crash, with the aim of getting as far as you can to the ski jump which sees you bail from your bike and flying through the air, again with the aim of getting the best distance you can. There are at least twelve of these challenge games, each more addictive than the last and all of them include the chance to best the people on your friends list and therefore hold the boasting rights until someone eventually manages to best your score.

 

Finally Trials HD also boasts a track editor, which is actually the same one that the devs use to build the levels. This is a great addition as not only can you let your imagination run wild but you can also share tracks allowing you to download others tracks and also upload your own.

 

 

Graphically the game is very crisp, it really does look fantastic for an Xbox Live Arcade game and has plenty of excellent effects while playing with explosions littering your path and the levels falling beneath you as you pass through them. The sound is also excellent, with huge explosions adding to the already tense atmosphere as you hurtle along trying to become the king or queen of the leaderboards.

 

Be warned, once you start playing Trials HD you may not be able to stop, this title is without doubt one of the most addictive, frustrating and enjoyable titles on Xbox LIVE Arcade yet. Just remember to put the controller down occasionally and go outside for a walk.