1. #1

    Where's the fun, charm and imagination gone?

    First off, I do like Rising and I know Fusion wasn't everyone's cup of tea but, Fusion was my first Trials game.

    Fusion for me was like the first time I played Mirror's Edge, It felt fresh with all it's whacky challenges and themes showing some real imagination and setting it apart from standard racers. Whilst I do find Rising's tracks more engaging to play, I really miss the fun and imagination found in Fusion. Even the now souless shiny collectible Squirrels had funny animations which made it worth the effort. Above all else, Fusion could be played for fun or taken seriously, if I simply wanted to race in different parts of the world with grinding involved, I'd go play a million one other racing games I could choose from.

    Rising's tracks do have a more gradual learning curve than Fusion's little else is done to help/encourage new players though. The end of race screen simply rubs salt in the wound and contracts, expect flips and other criteria etc. But, if a new player is struggling with a track, how does asking them to meet more difficult criteria make any logical sense?

    On the subject of contracts. After all those real cool challenges in Fusion are flip this and that contracts really the best thing that can be mustered? Additionally, contracts like Fusions challenges become irrelevant once a player has opened all the tracks; Fusions challenges were at least fun to find and do though. There really needs to a better way of weaving these things in other than levelling and cosmetic rewards which don't effect the gameplay.

    One of the biggest design decisions, I really don't get is walling off tutorials behind Xp levels? Don't get me wrong, I understand staggered learning but if people want to learn from the off, let them.

    In context, anyone can complete the very first track, watch a replay of a good rider doing a bunny hop, back wheel bounce, fast flip and so on, on the Rhino; cue youtube video on how to do it way ahead of it being accessible in the game. It completely undermines the effort FatShady has obviously put in. The whole game's design/structure makes an assumption that every player, having spent hours doing their best on a track, wants to go back and do it all again.


    Rising wants a player to do flips left, right and centre, and yet there's no tutorial on the finer points of it? Additionally, there's no tutorials for the more advanced techniques needed on the extreme tracks; how to do overhangs etc. cue more youtube videos....

    Granted Rising's tracks do have a more gradual learning curve than Fusion's little else is done to help/encourage new players. Contracts, expect flips and times etc. If a new player is struggling with a track, how does asking them to meet more difficult criteria make any logical sense?


    Will there be an option to ghost the other competitors on stadium finals and is the 3 race final really necessary?

    The amount of times I've messed up because of a flipping rider coming into view in the background and momentarily diverting my attention is ridiculous. As is, expecting a player to continually repeat races they've already beaten simply because of something silly. I don't mind failing if I mess it up myself, but failing on the third race due to being stuck on scenery or ramp I've done a hundred times suddenly stopping me dead etc. Only to then have to repeat prior races which can also end because of silly stuff stops being fun and gets very tedious, very fast. By the time I get back to the third race, I've forgotten the layout of the course
    Share this post

  2. #2
    Ignore paragraph 7, sorry.. didn't realise I'd pasted it twice, cheers
    Share this post

  3. #3
    I’ve been playing for a decade, and I too miss the goofier, less stressful entertainment from fusion. I had my issues with its setting, and broken and missing features, but the challenges were awesome.
    Share this post

  4. #4
    Ive been saying this everwhere that i can as well! Things like hanging from a tree like a pinecone, racing a penguin, playing a tennis minigame, etc. was a lot of fun. But the more technical challenges like riding on one wheel on steel plates, or endo-ing down a particular ramp, those were also fun. Risings tracks have an immense amount of potential for amazing challenges and contracts! But sadly this was overlooked to a sad degree. I too am enjoying the game, but only to a point. Im still logging 2 to 3 hours a day on fusion, replaying all its tracks challenges to remind myself of the silliness that brought me into this series. Hoping future DLC brings these types of challenges back!
    Share this post

  5. #5
    I feel like you’re looking at Fusions through rose tinted glasses since it was your first Trials game, I felt the same way about Evolutions and HD when I was playing Fusions. Imo Rising has the potential of being the best game in the series if they just fix all the bugs and scrap the grind system all together
    Share this post

  6. #6
    D2Dahaka's Avatar Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    5,914
    It can stay in Fusion and hopefully rot there forever muahahaha

    That being said, I agree that the Rising contracts are tedious.
    Share this post

  7. #7
    I'll answer to everyone in one go... save all the quotes.

    Reading through all the different threads, it's obvious, that what Trials is/should be as a game, means a lot of different things to different people. Which is cool, lots of people get something different from the game; great for opinion diversity Rising is a great game with some really awesome tracks, even if, some feel like jumbled up re-skins from Fusion's dlc's.

    With Fusion being my first Trials experience and being late to the party; picked it up on Nova Dark Storm's recommendation about 6 months ago. The thing that still stands out to me with Fusion is it's fun factor and variety. I date back to the Zx Spectrum and playing Fusion with it's sense of fun amidst a recent slew of serious titles and simulators gave Fusion that rare feel of originality and identity. Obviously, with there being 2 games prior to Fusion, which I haven't played, that identity is going to vary to people. Personally, here was a racing game at heart but also one hadn't forgotten that games are also meant to be fun.

    Of course after that, my expectations for Rising were massive. It's not that Rising is a bad game, it's not and I don't mind the contracts in small doses.

    Personally, it's just jumping on the bandwagon and taking itself far too seriously by simply trying to fit in with other stuff. And, despite the tracks being Trials to a t with a few cool settings, the rest feels like a myriad of other titles outthere. The skill games are skinned akin to The Crew or a Fast and Furious film set with no imagination in their skinning and little variety that I haven't seen before. I know, hill climbing is a Trials staple but why not be a descent instead.. at least mix things up a bit. Going back to Cubicle Space, Labrinyth Zone, Freefall, Crank, Warp zones and so on, and so on. They're bright colourful and varied even Rising's Grand Finale track is a let down.. especially after the opening.

    Perhaps, it is because I'm an old fart, that I now prefer games to take that step away from reality......You know, instead of asking me to repeatedly flip, let me go pop a wheelie off the top of the Eiffel Tower or endo down the Pyramids.. give me something that stands out from the crowd and makes me smile as Fusion did.... no hugging or kissing the trees...
    Share this post