Comments on: The 12 Games Of Christmas: Trials 2

By: Radiant

Radiant — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 16:06:15 +0000

You’re welcome.

By: Radiant

Radiant — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 16:05:50 +0000

If you can’t beat the easy levels in under a minute you’re all sisys.

By: SightseeMC

SightseeMC — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:36:13 +0000

A wonderful metaphor, and exactly why I may never play this game. Also, why most MMOs suddenly became anathema to me a few years ago.

Once I realized that I was creating my own Sysiphean tasks in my spare time, I realized that I had reversed my true life trajectory. Endless repetitious drudgery should require a substantial paycheck, and my happy time shall not be squandered on such tasks.

Of course, if I choose exactly how far I care to roll the ball up the hill before deciding to let it roll down again, I am actually in control of my own destiny. From existentialist to optimist to pseudo-objectivist. :D

By: Iain

Iain — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:09:38 +0000

Trials 2 is the reason I will never buy a motorbike. Because I seem to be worryingly good at killing the rider.

It is a terrific game, though. Great for just dipping in and out of when you’ve got a spare 15 minutes. I can’t claim to be any good at it (I’ve only completed about half of the tracks) but it keeps drawing me back into it, and I’ve clocked up over 18 hours on it so far this year – which is 18 times more than Far Cry 2 has managed… though I don’t know if that says more about me and the amount of time I have to sit down and play games than the quality of the games themselves.

By: TelefonHonda

TelefonHonda — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:20:37 +0000

I prefer X-Moto, basically Elastomania with internet high score boards. I didn’t buy Trials 2 because it was too similar to those games. But still adding in ragdoll physics and a “broken bone counter” was enough to keep me playing the demo, trying to kill my driver with such original ways as driving to a wall at full speed.

By: houseinrlyeh

houseinrlyeh — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:16:47 +0000

Not being Sysiphus, I despaired after I was unable to complete the last two tutorial levels. I’m not enough of a masochist to recognize class, it seems.

Really, it would have helped to have “easy” levels that are actually easy instead of mindnumbingly hard.

By: Ginger Yellow

Ginger Yellow — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 09:30:56 +0000

Karthik: They’re porting Elastomania to DS. Eurogamer wrote about it a week or so ago.

By: Caiman

Caiman — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 07:08:00 +0000

Trials 2 never got its hooks in, and the “why” is encapsulated in your description of Sisyphus laughing like a drain at breaking his neck several dozen times on the very first level. You see, I didn’t laugh like a drain, I said “great hairy bollocks to this” and uninstalled it.

By: Solar

Solar — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:35:48 +0000

@Rei
what is different is that he has absolute certainty that that will be all he will ever experience. Therefore he has no hope.

You can also look into his experience. Although he will always have to push the rock up, he is also released from his burden on the walk down. It is in this walk that he can be said to be truly ‘happy’, contemplating his rock rolling achievement or anything he likes while he walks down, soaks up the view etc. In that sense he can have hope, hope for the next trip down the mountain, but then he may also suffer despair toward the end of that walk, knowing the work will continue after his brief respite.

We are all limited to certain experiences in our lives but hope is not destroyed by knowing this is true, in fact hope thrives in situations of being told, ‘this is all you can ever experience/do/achieve’. Sisyphus has plenty of hope in my book. Furthermore, he cheated death several times before he got punished this way. I’m sure he’s planning his escape even now. At least I hope so.

From existentialist to optimist :P

By: DigitalSignalX

DigitalSignalX — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:12:10 +0000

So.. on the third day of Christmas, dear RPS gave to me,

3 persistent trials,
2 types of Shepherd,
And an arcade racer disguised for PC!

By: karthik

karthik — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:27:35 +0000

Also, since it’s escaped notice until now:
Elastomania
Did everything that Trials 2 does about ten years ago. (Motorbike simulator, platforming, instant restarts)

The trailers back in April/May seemed to suggest Trials was a total ripoff (everything up to and including the handling is similar), but, um, not.

By: Kieron Gillen

Kieron Gillen — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:10:47 +0000

One is Noom, clearly. Ask him! He scares me with his talent.