Oh, man, this game is fun! Trials 2 Second Edition is a physics-based motorbike game that’s reminiscent of the classic Elasto Mania. The series began with two Flash games, Trial Bike (and variants) and Trials 2. Trials 2 SE, however, is a downloadable commercial title with really nice 3d graphics and many more options (although the 2d gameplay remains more or less unchanged).
The goal of each track is to make your way from one end to the other. In between, you’ll be jumping gaps, popping wheelies, doing loop-de-loops… and probably smashing your poor rider into every surface along the way. Have you ever fallen face-first into a tire fire? I’ll bet even Travis Pastrana hasn’t.
Thankfully, this is another game where losing can be as entertaining as winning (hurray for 3d ragdoll physics!). Also, checkpoints are placed liberally, and restarting is as easy as hitting a button. Trials 2 Second Edition is surprisingly frustration free.
The full version of the game is $19.90 USD, and gives you 40 tracks, 3 game modes, 25 achievements, and the ability to maintain a profile and compete with other players for online ranking. One of the coolest features of T2SE is that, when comparing scores, you can click an icon next to a player’s name to either watch a replay of their best run (complete with key presses), or to race with their “ghost.” You can also create and join teams and compete as or within a group. (Which reminds me, team “TigerSauce” is looking for members! The password is herebeowls.)
On the Cryptic Sea blog, programmer Alex Austin explains that the physics for our favorite ball of tar have changed quite a bit in Gish 2. Gish is now composed of 128 independently moving particles, as opposed to being a single, deformable object. The possibilities for this, of course, are tremendous!
Just got around to trying the Facewound alpha, which was released by Garry Newman (of Garry’s Mod fame) a couple weeks ago. The game, which was a few years in the making and a few more years abandoned, is very much incomplete… and is a bit dull if you play it straight (that is, without enabling the various debug features). But try pressing a few keys and all of a sudden you can fly through buildings (“V”) and wield everything from chainsaws to crossbows (“N” for credits, “B” for the buy menu)! Now we’re talkin’!
It also comes with a level editor and a slew of unfinished maps to play with. Facepunch forum members have already started modding the game, with some interesting results. To play custom maps, simply copy and edit one of the two “JumpTo” batch files in the main directory of the game.
Definitely nice to have a violent, technically-advanced side-scroller to tide one over until the release of Berserker/Link Dead (both of which are currently being retooled)!
Walaber, the developer behind Jello Car and numerous other physics-ey games, has released Gymnast for the PC (the Xbox version will appear on Xbox Live Community Games). Playing the game requires a joystick with twin analog sticks, as well as Microsoft’s .NET 2.0 Framework. The analog sticks are used to separately control the arms and legs of your gymnast.
It takes quite a bit of time to get used to moving your character with the sticks, but thankfully, even failing is quite entertaining! The awkward spills and deadpan expressions of the characters definitely gave me a few chuckles. After some perseverance the controls start to feel pretty natural.
The game comes with two modes (Challenge and Gymnast), a replay feature, and a level editor. Hit the jump for a fun video of someone playing a custom level they made.
This came out a while ago, but it’d be a shame if anyone missed out on it… Phun is an incredible 2d physics sandbox developed by Emil Ernerfeldt for his Master’s of Science Degree at Umeå University, Sweden. The game lets you create objects of any size or shape and then hook them up to springs, chains, and other objects (all the while tweaking variables like density, bounciness, and friction). But what really makes Phun so “phun” is how intuitive the interface is – it’s super easy to use and even lets you undo and redo. No need to worry about making “mistakes.”
I remember spending a lot of time as a kid playing with stuff like Kid Pix on the computers at my school. Not to knock Kid Pix, because it was pretty awesome, but if Phun had been around back then, I probably never would have gone home.
(Note: To make water, just right-click any object and “liquify” it. This isn’t explained in the in-game help, so it took me a little while to figure it out.)
Walaber, the creator of the squishy physics-based game JelloCar, has released a trailer for his next game, titled Gymnast. The game, which is controlled by twin analog sticks, will be released for free on the PC and Xbox 360.
It looks really ace, I must say! For more information on the game, hit up Walaber’s Gymnast thread on Fun-Motion.
Here is the final trailer for N+, which is out now on Xbox LIVE Arcade (as Raigan would not let us forget). In the words of Jon Mak, “If you don’t buy N+... you’re not indie.”
But indie cred aside, it looks to be great and chock full of wonderful content. Check it out at the very least!
Posted by Lorne Whiting
Tue, 19 Feb 2008 19:57:00 GMT
Courtesy of thewreck’s (of Oxeye Games fame) past comes this classic: Bilen Som Hoppar (The car that jumps!)
And woo-ee, is it a gooden. It’s pretty much Sexy Automobiling only sexier. That is, it contains small pictures of fellatio and dominatrices throughout the levels, hand-pixelled by 14 year old thewreck!
The other reason you should play it though, and the cause for the sexy hiking comparison, is the frustratingly bugged out physics engine, which is what causes the car to jump in the first place. Delicious!
