Trials HD Message Board

Well, Caligula is that is indeed John Hurt on narration duties, and not a Hurtalike doing the whole gravel-voiced ‘ooh, I was in Aliens and I, Claudius and The Elephant Man, and most recently I turned up as a possibly evil [REDACTED]‘ thing. I hope so, I quite like the idea of John Merrick intoning out of my monitor. Hurt, or Hurtalike, is applying his sandpapered tones to this footage of the latest in the Trials stunt bike/sado-masochism series, now called Fusion and taking itself to a futuristic city-in-the-sky setting. Apparently falling a couple of dozen feet into a gravel surface at 60MPH wasn’t brutal enough – now we’ll be plummeting about 100 stories.(more…)

Trials HD, the death/patience-defying XBLA motorcycle acrobatics game originally released during 2009's Summer of Arcade, apparently contains a riddle so massively brain-busting that no one has been able to fully divine its true meaning.

Perhaps out of pity for its tireless community, or perhaps out of frustration over waiting three years for its awesome riddle to be solved, developer RedLynx has assisted Trials HD veteran FatShady in bringing resolution to the burning questions posed by various clues scattered about the game.

As the above deconstruction video demonstrates, RedLynx put a lot of effort into this riddle, so much so that we think they might be in the wrong line of work. Don't get us wrong, Trials HD is great, but with talent like this at the helm, maybe LOST wouldn't have turned out the way it did.

Microsoft is taking a set of sharp blades and ravenously cutting prices across the board on Xbox Live Marketplace content, starting right now. Already inexpensive (and wonderful) titles like ilomilo and Outland will cost you a cool 400 MS Points ($5) apiece, while deep multiplayer fare like Monday Night Combat and Section 8: Prejudice are going for 600 MS Points ($7.50) and 800 MS Points ($10), respectively.

Also, hey, if you're not one of the over 2 million people who own and adore Trials HD, here's another chance to grab it on the cheap (600 MS Points/$7.50). It's unclear when the "Extreme Shopping" sale will end, so we've asked Microsoft for more info. For now, enjoy the sweet, sweet savings while you can.

[Image credit: Ronald Wong]

#watchthis Racing—real racing—is all the line, finding the best approach to a turn, the best route through a curve and into a straight away. More »

#excitedbikes Wait for it. Past the graphics and the darkness, at the very end, you'll catch your first glimpse of Trials Evolution (for Xbox Live Arcade), which the developers call "the next dimension" in the series, and which we'll call "shiny bikes about to cause harm". More »

Trials HD, the XBLA version of the "don't try this at home" motorcycle stunt series, has surpassed 2 million units sold. Developer RedLynx says the figure covers the "digital numbers" and clarified to Joystiq that it does not include the recently released XBLA disc bundle.

Trials HD launched 18 months ago and had sold a million units by September last year. RedLynx isn't ready to share what its next HD project is -- though we do know that it currently has "six teams working on six games."

Microsoft is running a one-day sale on some of its best XBLA titles. Today only, you can grab Monday Night Combat, Limbo, Trials HD, Castle Crashers or Shadow Complex for the wallet-friendly price of 600 points ($7.50) each.

There's quite the sale going on over on Xbox Live Arcade at the moment. Six of the very best games around - Limbo, Shadow Complex, Castle Crashers, Trials HD and Monday Night Combat - are going for half price. Normally, they're 1200 MSP. For today, April 15, they're only 600 MSP. More »

The XBLA "Triple Pack" retail bundle, featuring the critically adored trio of Limbo, Trials HD and Splosion Man, will be available in Europe on May 13. The pack's North American release date was previously announced as being April 19.

The North American price had been confirmed at $29.99, but there is currently no official price for Europe and the UK. The European edition will also include a 48-hour Xbox Live Gold trial and 160 MS Points ($2). That's a decent deal, and it reinforces what we're always saying: Who needs the internet?

Three of Xbox Live Arcade's most lauded games are getting bundled together in one retail package, it seems. Twisted Pixel CEO and co-founder, Michael Wilford, revealed this Amazon listing on Twitter today, commenting that a bundle of Limbo, Trials HD and Splosion Man was initially only headed to Japan and now will be available in North America, as well.

The Amazon listing suggests a $29.99 price point, which seems a little low -- Limbo is normally $15, while the other two are $10 -- so we've followed up with Microsoft for confirmation and an expected launch date. We'll let you know what we find out.

Major Nelson has posted his monthly preview of upcoming Xbox Marketplace content, which receives the obligatory winter "wrapping" this time of year. Additionally, Microsoft is offering 400 points back for purchasing a pair of qualifying XBLA titles this month. Complete details are after the break.

In yet another Xbox Live Arcade deal, Microsoft is now offering a free batch of 400 MS Points for purchasing two qualifying XBLA games. Don't run off downloading games just yet though, because you'll need to head over to the Xbox Live Events page and download the Arcade Offer gamer picture to register for the giveaway first (the direct link to the gamer picture is currently broken, but it's the first one listed on the events page).

Once that's done, snag two of the games listed after the break (including favorites like Limbo, Lara Croft, Monday Night Combat, Super Meat Boy and more). Within four weeks, the free points will be added to registered Live accounts automatically or sent as redemption code via email. If you're planning to pick up any of the eligible games, you might as well get some free points too, right? The promotion ends December 20, so get to it.

[Thanks, Grand Kerfuffle]

The hottest of hot dealz on the Xbox Live Marketplace (so hot we used a "z") are available now. Navigate to Microsoft's Black Friday deals page to see the full list for yourself, but we'll list the amazing highlights that kicked in today for you right now:

• 'Splosion Man for 160 Microsoft Points ($2)
• Trials HD for 400 Microsoft Points ($5)
• Seriously, 'Splosion Man for two dollars ($2)

Other surprise deals include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled for 160 MSP ($2) and a Starkiller Lightsaber Avatar accessory for only two dollars more than it's worth.

Come December 1, RedLynx will unleash its latest Trials HD DLC, the "Big Thrills" pack, for 400 MS Points ($5). You'll find a trailer highlighting some of the ten user-created tracks selected for the DLC right after the break.

Before Trials HD rocked Xbox Live Arcade, RedLynx was busy rocking the infotron with a series of smaller, free Java-based and paid games called Trials. Today, the Finland-based studio also announced it's making those classic Trials games from the early aughts available to all, free of charge, in one complete PC bundle. All you have to do is hit up RedLynx's Facebook page, give it a "like," then the Trials Legends download link will be revealed to you -- or, if you're too lazy to do all of that, just click this link.

Trials Legends includes 33 different tracks ripped from the classic Trials games, six different rides to whip around in, 15 different attainable ranks, a track creator tool, and a brief overview of the history of the series. RedLynx also set up a dedicated forum space for Trials Legends, in case you want to share tracks with others or simply gab about how you narrowly missed that giant shark with the odd mohawk on level 26. Yeah, he got us a few times too.

Microsoft has put an interesting turn on its weekly rotation of discounted items on Xbox Live -- the Spotlight tab on the console's dashboard currently includes a poll which will let users choose which of a handful of items they'd like to have marked down for an undisclosed week in October. These discounts include 33 percent off DeathSpank, half off Perfect Dark, or similar markdowns on DLC for Dragon Age: Origins, Trials HD and Battlefield: Bad Company 2.

It would be unethical for us to use our considerable internet power to get you to pick the thing that we'd like to pick up at a discounted price, so we'll refrain from doing so. Instead, we'll just have to rely on the same remote mind-control tactics we've been using to puppeteer your every action for the past four years now. That's right, Brandon, we're inside your mind.

RedLynx is going to have to come up with a new name for the Trials franchise, because the trial done been passed. The company announced today that Trials HD has officially stunt jumped past the 1 million mark in sales, which, as RedLynx CEO Tera Virtala notes, is quite an accomplishment for "a company of about thirty-five people." Trials debuted on XBLA just over a year ago.

The next Trials DLC pack, Big Thrills, is slated to be released later this year and will feature forty new maps including ten user-submitted creations.

#dlc Forty more white-knuckle, teeth-gnashing tracks are on the way for Trials HD in an expansion pack, due for release sometime after mid-November, titled "Big Thrills." Ten more user-created tracks, chosen by contest, will be also part of the download. More »

RedLynx has announced a second expansion pack for Trials HD, currently speeding toward a Q4 release. You'll find forty new professional stunt tracks in the "Big Thrills" pack, as well as ten user-created levels. Those lucky enough to have their level featured will be rewarded with "cash or prizes, as well as in-game credit."

Microsoft and RedLynx have set up a page with info on the user-created portion of the DLC. Those who submit the top three tracks will earn $5,000, $3,000 and $1,000, respectively. You see how lucrative games can be, mom? Do you see now?

We spoke with the folks at RedLynx about the DLC, but they could not offer us a definitive launch date or price yet. Instead, we learned that Big Thrills will include "three new achievements with 50 more gamer points available, bringing Trials HD and its two DLCs to a total of 300."

Like a hellbent motorcyclist, Trials HD continues to roar along at terrifying speeds. But rather than rushing towards an untimely death at the hands of a particularly inflexible brick wall, RedLynx's XBLA hit is fast approaching the one million downloads mark. Sure, that kind of breaks the metaphor, but we've come this far, right? Let's forge on together.

The developer plans on hitting the milestone soon, but is hoping its community can help it figure out exactly when with a new contest. Whichever fan manages to guess closest to the exact date and time will win "some super loot" from RedLynx, including a giant Trials flag and an autographed motorcycle helmet.

You can make your guess at the official contest page, but be warned: We've already called dibs on "Pretty soon."

So you've managed to block out the siren song of Trials HD this long, have you? You're stronger than us -- but it might be time to give in. The game has been discounted today by 33 percent to 800 ($10) for a one-day sale. Can you really say "no, thank you" to that? It was voted 2009's best XBLA game, after all (and won the Best Nordic Game award at the 2010 conference just last night).

Look at it this way: Your Microsoft Points could very well go to helping out the workers behind the scenes. That's right -- we're talking about the guys who sneak into the factory at night and set up these wicked elaborate stunt tracks. They have an extremely dangerous job, you know.


Xbox.com: Add Trials HD to your Xbox 360 download queue ($10)

For the third year in a row, Microsoft hosted a community poll on Xbox Live to determine the best Xbox Live Arcade games as judged by the players. And like last year, when Joystiq favorite Braid was overthrown by those persistent party castle crashers, 2009's "Best Overall Arcade Game" goes to Trials HD over Joystiq Best of 2009 winners Shadow Complex and 'Splosion Man (which both did manage to win lesser awards in the Xbox Live poll).

We've posted the complete list of awards and winners, which also include Battlefield 1943, Hasbro Family Game Night and Banjo-Tooie, after the break. What, no love for Watchmen: The End is Nigh? We demand a recount!

Rather than play that silly old full-motion video arcade game with motorbikes -- you know, that one that only exists in the trailer above? -- the latest video from developer RedLynx encourages you to pick up Trials HD instead and hop right in to the level creation tools. Beyond the initially jarring brutal crashes and eviscerations, the latter half of the clip displays the subtle elegance at players' disposal should they master the physics-based controls to the pixel-perfect precision the game asks of its users (we're especially impressed by the double front flip). And though we haven't seen any DLC for Trials HD since the last one in late December, it's good to see the developer supporting its game so long after release. But let's be honest here -- we'd could always use some more DLC.

While the big fellas struggle to figure out how to make digitally distributed content profitable, smaller dev houses like RedLynx are handily succeeding. The Trials HD developer claims to have moved 1.5 million digital units worldwide (of all of its games) in 2009, though, as RedLynx itself points out, "most RedLynx games have also free promotional web versions available, bringing the company's key titles to an even wider audience."

Aside from putting out the Summer of Arcade XBLA release Trials HD last year, the Finnish company also made Monster Trucks Nitro on PC and a couple of iPhone games, assuredly assisting that 1.5 million statistic. CEO Tero Virtala looks forward to the coming year, saying things look "even better," and adding that RedLynx is "bringing 8-10 new games to market." We really, really hope the company brings more copies than that if it wants to move past 2009's sales. Come on, guys -- simple math!

Although the Xbox may have had a great December at retail, it's a little difficult finding a big success story in GamerBytes' recap of Xbox Live sales for the month. Trials HD is probably the closest, with more that 91,000 people picking up the game's "Big Pack" DLC. Sadly, new games fared much worse with Team 17's costly Alien Breed Evolution selling to only 9,001 players all month. 0 Day Attack on Earth moved just 3,336 units in its first two weeks on sale. It's not a pretty picture, but we're heartened by the fact that somewhere out there on this big blue ball, exactly 700 people are really into Polar Panic. That's nice, isn't it?

Now that the new year is in full swing, Microsoft has decided to take a look back at the top games of 2009. Specifically, Major Nelson has released a breakdown of the most popular games on Xbox Live during 2009. The overall top twenty list seems pretty standard with Halo 3 at the top, followed by Call of Duty 4. What's amazing, though, is that after releasing in November, Modern Warfare 2 managed to snag third place for the entire year. So, pretty popular game, then. On the downloadable front, Battlefield 1943 takes top XBLA honors, followed by Castle Crashers and Trials HD. Indie Games are topped by I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1N IT!!!1 (it is just a dollar), followed by Avatar Drop and RC-AirSim. Unsurprisingly, the top original Xbox game is still Halo 2, while Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and the original Fable take second and third place, respectively. Head over to Major Nelson for the full list.

Earlier this week, we got a brief sampler of the explosive additions coming to Trials HD in the "BIG Pack" DLC ... pack. Today, a RedLynx press release has shared a few specifics with us regarding the downloadable content's ... contents. These specifics include how to unlock the pack's three new achievements, a list of some of the new physics objects (car, rocket turbine, gravity field, wind and motor, to name a few), and some of the additions that will come in the simultaneously released title update. You can find these details posted after the jump. RedLynx also sent along a new trailer, which we've posted above. You're going to feel awfully silly when you realize that you've read all this when you could have been watching a dude ride a motorbike in a space station. The BIG Pack is due out next Wednesday, December 23. According to the presser, it will cost 400 -- which is half the price we heard earlier this week. Typo? Or Christmas miracle? We've contacted RedLynx to find out.

After teasing the upcoming "Big Pack" DLC for Trials HD, developer RedLynx has revealed some actual details. According to a new trailer hosted by Eurogamer, the DLC will contain 35 new maps, 50 new objects for the level editor and 5 new tournaments. The DLC will also pack three more Achievements, which should please all the trick jumping masters out there. Head over to Eurogamer for the trailer, and keep an eye out for the Big Pack, which hits XBLM on December 24 for 800 ($10).

The fun continues with new Downloadable content for this groundbreaking game.