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Trials 2: Second Edition

Serious Challenges

Yes, achievements. Not "Games for Windows Live" achievements or Steam achievements, and no cross-game metascore that you can pad out, but still - Trials 2: Second Edition includes a set of 25 achievements that are tracked online along with your high scores and other statistics. Unlike in your average XBox 360 game that doles out gamerscore like candy, achievements in Trials 2 are serious business. There are couple of fairly easy ones, but most of the challenges presented appear to be set between "insane" and "utterly ridiculous". Yet they are all absolutely doable - as proven by numerous replays available for you to watch.

The achievements reflect the whole design idea of Trials 2 - it's almost laughably easy to pick up, but if you give it your little finger, it will bite hard and won't let you go. It's a truly "oldschool" game - always absolutely fair and predictable, yet devilishly difficult to master, rewarding pure skill. While these days most games can be completed with a walkthrough or cheat codes on hand, Trials 2 laughs at such things - it shows you exactly what you need to do in the form of high score replays, complete with the needed key presses displayed on-screen, and then taunts you to dare try pull the same thing off - and the only way to do it is to practice, practice and practice.

Best $20 You Can Spend

Trials 2: Second Edition may look simple, but it demands pure hardcore skill, and is decisively aimed at real "oldschool" gamers. Who cares if the concept is simple and "casual", when it takes hours of practice and dedication to properly master. In fact, at times the game feels insanely difficult and some tracks are outright impossible to complete until you fully understand how the bike needs to be balanced and how to pull off jumps with extra height. But in my books this is a good thing - once you do manage to pull it all off perfectly, it's all the more satisfying and a whole new game is unveiled as you repeatedly try to climb higher and higher on the online scoreboard. In the quest for the top spot, only one thing really matters: Pure skill.

Summary of YouGamers Hardware Testing

The publisher of this game state the following specifications for their minimum and recommended requirements:

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Page 1: IntroductionPage 2: GameplayPage 3: Visuals and PerformancePage 4: Achievements, Summary and Scoring

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