{"id":1025,"date":"2014-04-28T14:56:08","date_gmt":"2014-04-28T18:56:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/?p=1025"},"modified":"2014-04-28T15:03:52","modified_gmt":"2014-04-28T19:03:52","slug":"game-review-trials-fusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/game-review-trials-fusion\/","title":{"rendered":"Game Review: Trials Fusion"},"content":{"rendered":"

In recent years, driving games have embraced a jack-of-all-trades attitude.\u00a0 You\u2019ll sell more copies if you can be everything to everyone, or so the thinking goes.\u00a0 Start with an enormous range of vehicles, tracks, and game modes, and add on an array of assists that allow players of any skill level to enjoy the game.\u00a0 The result is a huge amount of content for the money, but this approach also brings a lack of focus.\u00a0 In a genre dominated by titles that do everything reasonably well, it\u2019s nice to see the occasional game that does one thing perfectly.\u00a0 In the case of Trials Fusion<\/i>, that one thing is best described as \u201cdoing crazy stuff with motorcycles.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TrialsSingle\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The latest entry in the acclaimed Trials<\/i> series, Fusion<\/i> remains true to the franchise\u2019s basic formula of guiding motorcycles through increasingly difficult obstacle courses.\u00a0 Through careful application of the throttle and precise control over the rider\u2019s ability to lean forwards and back, players engage in a wonderfully absurd combination of racing and platforming.\u00a0 As in previous installments, the difficulty level progresses gradually from rolling hills and majestic jumps to rage-inducing exercises in mandatory perfection.\u00a0 Few series are as capable of conjuring up profanity from even the most patient gamers, and even fewer can do so while remaining fun and addicting.<\/p>\n

Trials Fusion<\/i> does add a few new elements to the franchise, including a score-based trick mode and a four-wheeled ATV.\u00a0 Controls for the mid-air stunts can be somewhat finicky, but the events offer a nice, occasional change of pace from the rest of the game.\u00a0 The four-wheeler is remarkably entertaining, as its handling differs significantly from that of the bikes.\u00a0 While I\u2019m happy to see it added to the game, it\u2019s a shame that it can\u2019t be used on more of the single-player levels.<\/p>\n

\"TrialsMulti\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The visual spectacle of Trials Fusion<\/i> is a notch above its predecessors, thanks to a combination of improved graphics and a welcome dash of bright colors.\u00a0 Two announcers bring some Portal<\/i>-style humor to the game, but it would be nice not to hear their lines repeated every single time I restart a level in pursuit of a faultless run.\u00a0 User-generated tracks are back thanks to an expanded level editor, and the community hive mind has already put out some genuinely impressive creations.\u00a0 Multiplayer races also make a return, and remain an absurd amount of fun, especially if you can get four players together in the same room.<\/p>\n

Trials Fusion<\/i> does a fine job of carrying on the physics-based gameplay and controller-throwing difficulty that makes this series so special.\u00a0 A multi-platform release opens the franchise up to a wider audience, and newcomers and veterans alike will get plenty of entertainment out of it.\u00a0 When it comes to doing crazy stuff with motorcycles, Trials<\/i> stands alone.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You can buy <\/em>Trials Fusion with a season pass for downloadable content at Amazon<\/a>\"\".<\/em><\/p>\n

Pit Box One is written by Paul Jensen. You can follow his thoughts on video games and motor racing on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>. Check back every other Monday for new articles.<\/address>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In recent years, driving games have embraced a jack-of-all-trades attitude.\u00a0 You\u2019ll sell more copies if you can be everything to everyone, or so the thinking goes.\u00a0 Start with an enormous range of vehicles, tracks, and game modes, and add on an array of assists that allow players of any skill level to enjoy the game.\u00a0 [Read more…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[19,4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1025"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1025"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1029,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1025\/revisions\/1029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}