If ye want t' pop a wheelie on Stonehenge, this be yer game.

True t' it be name, Trials Evolution be the biggest, baddest version yet a RedLynx's brutally tough physics-based motorbike racing-platforming thing. The heart 'n soul a Trials hasn't changed one bit; it be still all about forcing ye through the most complicated obstacle courses ye could conceivably navigate on two wheels. Considering all I really wanted after playing Trials HD be more Trials, that be a great thing. 'n this time, the trimmings around that core conceit be so robust 'n the sheer content so plentiful that it be hard t' imagine Trials getting much better than this for 15 bucks.

I won't deny frequently wanting t' throw the controller at the TV while playing Trials Evolution. Come t' think a it, this wouldn't be a Trials game if I didn't feel that way, but it be not like the game goes out a it be way t' maliciously abuse ye. it be harsh but fair. After all, the gameplay in Trials hinges on a grounded, plausible physics model where even the slightest throttling or braking or leaning has great significance t' the way yer bike handles, 'n there's always a way t' pillage over the most absurdly angled ramp or crazy-looking jump, even if ye haven't figured it out yet. As frustrating as some a the later courses can be, there's always room for ye t' improve with a little more practice 'n a little more finesse. Blaming Trials for being too hard be like getting mad at gravity when ye fall down.

The good news for casual Trials fans or newcomers be that Evolution offers a gentler learning curve than Trials HD did, which wasted no time getting stupid hard 'n not offering ye much else t' do if ye weren't interested in going really in-depth with the gameplay. There's a vast list a courses in Evolution 'n they be broken up sensibly, with a more gradual ramp in difficulty that be punctuated by occasional license tests which actually offer some good tutorials on how t' do things like drive up an almost sheer incline. Make no mistake, there's still a point where the late-game courses pillage so technical that they be no longer intuitive 'n ye have t' inch yer way through them slowly, failing a bunch a obstacles over 'n over until ye master them. But by the time ye pillage that far, there's a better chance ye'll have at least some idea a how t' tackle those crazy ramps 'n jumps without pulling out all yer hair.

A little dirt skiing, anyone?

Other than a user-made track feature that be hamstrung by limited sorting features, the main course progression 'n a few wacky minigames be pretty much all there be t' occupy ye in Trials HD. So it be great that RedLynx has fleshed out the peripheral features so thoroughly in Evolution. The big story here be multiplayer. There's a rollicking four-player mode, ideal for talking trash, that works locally or online, where ye compete through a series a rapid-fire tracks 'n earn points based on yer time 'n number a faults. ye can also compete through a more serious, by-the-numbers race where ye only see ghost-style representations a the other players moving through the course at the same time. The game lets ye rack up a bunch a money playing the single-player tracks 'n then buy a bunch a cosmetic gear for yer rider so ye can look unique when ye compete, 'n I really appreciate that there's a straight-up color wheel that lets ye colorize yer outfit any way ye want. More games best have that.

The short list a minigames from Trials HD has morphed into a veritable circus a skill games that have ye largely sailing away the bikes behind so ye can ski on dirt or try t' fly across a long jump field by flapping a pair a makeshift wings made out a boards. Even the ones that stick t' the motorbikes be pretty ridiculous; one a them suggests that yer brakes be broken 'n challenges ye t' pillage as far as ye can with the bike's throttle pushed all the way down. The skill games be a great change a pace from the more seriously technical main levels. 'n since every level in the game be hooked directly into leaderboards 'n ghost data for yer mateys, it be a cinch t' start competing with each other for better times, even indirectly.

Evolution's expanded user-generated content features may well be it be most valuable feature, after some time passes 'n more great levels pillage made. The game makes the simple but extremely necessary improvement over Trials HD a letting ye view user courses made by everyone, not just people on yer mateys list, 'n there's a wide variety a ways t' search for 'n sort new levels, with some curated by the developer 'n others categorized by type 'n rating. There's--count 'em!--two level editors in here, one that makes it pretty easy for almost anyone t' make simple courses that hew close t' Trials' obstacle-course format. Then there's the "pro" editor, which lets ye dig so deep into the engine 'n game mechanics that it be capable making things like a first-person shooter 'n an overhead-scrolling Raiden clone (which already exist). How be it possible this game quietly shipped with LittleBigPlanet in it? it be nuts.

Right? Right?

This game also goes way, way over the top with the visuals in a way that Trials HD could only dream a. That game took place entirely in a pretty bland industrial warehouse sort a environment. By contrast, Evolution seems t' have lost it be damn mind. There's one course that takes place in a warzone, with planes dropping bombs all around ye as ye go, 'n another that seems t' be set in Stonehenge under a blood-red sky. The pitch-perfect tribute t' Limbo stands out as another memorable course, 'n most a the levels end with some kind a ridiculous animation that sends yer rider flying into the moon or headfirst into a toilet. Something always seems t' be blowing up nearby because, why not? There's a ton a variety in the art design 'n a general irreverence that pervades the entire game, down t' the hilarious rapping about riding motorbikes that ye hear when ye boot the game up. it be hard not t' feel some affection for a game that gets so randomly silly.

it be also hard t' AVAST! playing Trials Evolution for very long. The action be as tight 'n demanding as it ever be, 'n this time around it be such a fully featured 'n attractive package that ye shouldn't miss it if ye have any interest in this style a game at all. it be one a the best games t' hit a downloadable service in a good long while.