Urban Trial Freestyle

Urban Trial Freestyle is a rather enjoyable game. It frustrated me, and some things felt unfair, but that never stopped me from restarting the track for another shot at beating that ghost. The presentation and customization options are not too exciting, but they get the job done. If you’re into Trials-type games, this is one you may want to try.

Urban Trial Freestyle is a very good stunt game that has the potential to provide hours of entertainment, especially if you like trying to break records, be they your own or others.

Urban Trial Freestyle is an awesome experience but it just doesn’t last that long.

It's easy to get sucked into Urban Trial Freestyle for hours trying to perfect a run, and the difficulty ramps up that there will almost always be a new challenge for you. A nice "harder-core" compliment to Joe Danger.

Happily addictive. [May 2013, p.81]

In other words, it won't win Game of the Year, but it will keep you playing for awhile — and really, what more can a game do?

A good effort, an entertaining ride, a clone that’s different, but in none of the ways that it needs to be different. As an option for a system that doesn’t get the blissful torture of Trials HD or it’s sequel, it’s worth the money if you have that itch, but when put up against the best, it shows itself to be nothing more then a quality knock-off.

Excitebike meets Wipeout in this challenging arcade racing game. Great for those short line-ups when five minutes need to be burned but lacks any deep reserve of nitro to keep the engines burning at full speed into first place glory.

Urban Trial Freestyle has nothing new to offer other than Trials Evolution, but is filled with an addictive gameplay and a good longevity. The PS Vita version has some technical issues, but it's worth the price.

A shameless imitation that nevertheless does a convincing job while trying to bring something new to the table. Bravo, you cheeky sods.

I wouldn't classify this as a must-play title, but if you're starved for a Trials HD experience on a non-Microsoft platform, Urban Trial Freestyle does just enough to do the trick.

You may think this is beginning to sound like a gimped versions of our beloved Trials, and you’d be right. Feeling flat and uninspired, it seems like the folks at Tate Interactive were simply trying to bring a whiff of the Trials gameplay to PlayStation owners. Sadly, what they received was a gutted version that lacks the fundamentals, and fails to add anything new. While it is playable and even enjoyable at times, you will still find yourself asking ‘Why am I not playing Trials?’ But if you don’t own an Xbox, sadly this may be your best bet.

Many set pieces simply do not work smoothly, and sacrifice fun for punishing perfection. Even replaying the tracks to memorise when to open the throttle or the best way to land can’t counteract this, and Urban Trial Freestyle ends up being not just unforgiving, but also plain unfair. [May 2013, p77]

Flaws like these show that, while Urban Trial Freestyle is a decent addition to the PlayStation games library, the game struggles to match who they're trying to imitate in pretty much every department.

It gets so difficult, and the progression is so odd, that I couldn’t even finish the game. You can only try to maneuver a dirt bike through pneumatic platforms that launch you from one to another, up a shaft, so many times before admitting defeat.

There’s biker and vehicle customization in the game, and a fair amount of it. With outfits, accessories, and bike upgrades to attain, enough reason exists to go out of your way to nab cash in-game and increase your star count.

Urban Trial Freestyle may throw in the occasional little tweak, but they aren’t enough to elevate the game past the level of a flattering wannabe. If you're into the idea of a platforming-heavy motorbike game, stick with the tried and true Trials series.

Controls are not as superb as in Trials Evolution, physics engine not as perfectly precise and the challenges not as insanely over the top. That’s why Urban Trial Freestyle is a rival for Joe Danger rather than Trials Evolution. [CD-Action 06/2013, p.75]

Urban Trial Freestyle may have taken a lot of inspiration from Trials Evolution, but it only emulates the bare minimum. Yes, there is a bike, and, yes, there are obstacles to navigate, but any soul or innovation is left at the starting line. This is a cold, sterile replication of a successful franchise, and a testament to the fact that fun cannot be imitated in such an uninspired way.

Urban Trial Freestyle is, at its very best, a poor man’s Trials Evolution. It feels very much the same, but it lacks the personality and host of features that its source material possesses.