And some other stuff

The PlayStation Plus lineup for June 2018 has been revealed and it actually has some pretty solid stuff for PS4. On the current-gen front, you'll be getting XCOM 2 and Trials Fusion. PS3, on the other hand, gets only a single title and it isn't even good. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier is certainly better than Wildlands, but it is a very restrictive and scripted "stealth" game with overblown action and asinine set-piece??s that throw realism straight out the window. It hardly deserves the "Tom Clancy" moniker a?nd isn't really worth much of a look in 2018.

As for Vita, you'll be getting two games that I don't really know much about. Destructoid gave Atomic Ninjas a 5.5, but I've never even heard of Squares. It seems all right, I suppose. You'll be able to nab these titles next Wednesday when the PlayStation store updates. That means you'll have until June 6 to nab this month's lineup.

• XCOM 2 (PS4)
• Trials Fusion (PS4)
• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (PS3)
• Squares (PS Vita)
• Atomic Ninjas (PS Vita)

PlayStation Plus Free Games Lineup for June 2018 [PlayStation Blog]

The post June’s PS Plus lineup sees XCOM 2 and Trials Fusion headline appeared first on Destructoid.

The Witch Hunt is on

For a couple of months now, the selection of Games with Gold titles hasn't been too hot. Microsoft had continuously outdone Sony's choices on PS Plus for awhile, but then Sony seemed to pick things up and provide something other than obscure indie titles. This month, though, Microsoft is coming guns blazing with Bayonetta on offer. To sweeten the deal, Bayonetta&nbs??p;is backwards compatible on Xbox One, so it opens up the classic to ?a much wider audience.

Along with everyone's favorite witch comes Red Faction: Armageddon on Xbox 360 as well as Slime Rancher and Trials Fusion on Xbox One. You'll be able to nab Slime Rancher all month while Trials Fusion will be available from August 16 to September 15. Bayonetta will be free until August 15, at which point Red Faction will take its place until August 31.

Hopefully all of this extra exposure to Bayonetta ?;with the recent PC release helps Platinum secure funding for a potential third entry. While I've still yet to play the game, I wouldn't want the series to phase out of existence just because Platinum can't afford it.

Xbox Live Games With Gold For August 2017 [Major Nelson]

The post Bayonetta headlines August’s Games with Gold selection appeared first on Destructoid.

You see what I did there?

For the weekend leading up to E3, Ubisoft has decided to discount a bunch of their games on Uplay to get people ready for upcoming games...somehow. I'm not sure how that works, but if you've been holding out to get some Ubisoft titles on PC, first, you have my sympathy. Secondly, your time has co?me.

Ubisoft's "Crazy E3 Sale" runs until June ??18 and features up to 75% off certain games. Obviously newer titles won't be that heavily discounted, but you can get some actu??al classic games from Ubisoft's store for a small chunk of change.

In addition to all the savings, Ubisoft is also holding a free weekend for Trials Fusion, The Division and Steep. Called the UbiE3 Weekend (how did you guys miss UbE3?), you'll need to head over to this website to register your Uplay account for access. You won't be able to try them from Steam, so that migh??t suck for some people.

As for which games I recommen?d in ?the sale, here is a highlight reel of sorts:

• Beyond Good & Evil - $4.99
• Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood - $4.99
• Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 - $4.99
• Far Cry 3 Deluxe Edition - $10.20
• Grow Home - $3.99
• Grow Up - $4.99
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - $4.99
• Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones - $4.99
• Prince of Persia: Warrior Within - $4.99
• Splinter Cell Chaos Theory - $3.40

Ubisoft ?K?icks Off E3 Celebrations With A Weekend Of Free PC Games [Worthplaying]

The post You can’t be divided about this fusion of steep discounts on Ubisoft games appeared first on Destructoid.

Out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One

I didn't stick with Trials Fusion for very long despite generally liking the game. While the user-made tracks are reason enough to check back in, there's also this ridiculous Awesome Level Max DLC ($9.99) with a gun-wielding ca?t riding a unicorn in place of a motorbike. It's out today.

Besides the weird unicorn stuff, which spans eight tracks and some mini-games, the expansion includes RedLynx vs. All-Stars, a collection of "more than 20 all-new tracks." There's? also "a variety of new garage items, achievements, track challenges, and objects for the track editor."

If you're totally new to Trials Fusion, Ubisoft has packaged the core game, the six DLC packs from the season pass, and this new Awesome Level Max content into one package.

The post That wacky unicorn DLC for Trials Fusion is here appeared first on Destructoid.

Trials Fusion Awesome Level Max

That was strange. Ubisoft showed a cat riding a fire-breathing unicorn during its E3 2015 press conference and somehow it's DLC for Trials Fusion. I just like how the motorbikes handle, guys.

"In total, this new DLC pack features 30 all-new tracks plus 10 Supercross tracks, 30 unexpec??ted and various challenges to complete, unicorn bike & cat rider, 5 new garage items and more t??han 130 fresh new Editor objects," says Ubisoft. It's releasing July 14 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

If you're totally new to Trials Fusion, you'll be able to download this stuff bundled with the core game and the si?x DLC packs from the season pass.

The post You’re a unicorn-riding cat in the new Trials Fusion DLC appeared first on Destructoid.

Looks like Tetanus City

RedLynx's Trials Fusion gets an injection of Borderlands flavor today, as the game's first add-on takes players to the outskirts of society where rogues reside in the wastelands. Titled Riders of the Rustlands, the DLC eschews Fusion's cityscapes in favor of something more dangerous. Trials has always been about danger, right?

Riders of the Rustlands comes equipped with six standard tracks, two Supercross tracks, a skill game, and an FMX track. The price tag on this add-on (and the?? remaining five) is $4.99, but there's a season pass on sale to pick all six up for $19.99. If you want to know exactly what you're getting into, the this trailer should show you what the DLC's all about.

The post Ride ?hard and crash harder in the new Trials Fusion DLC appeared first on Destructoid.

The editor now supports Supercross tracks

I liked Trials Fusion quite a bit, but I didn't stick with it for long. Been meaning to get back in there to see what the community of track creators has been up to -- impressiv?e things, I'm sure.

RedLynx released an update this week that enables ??players to make their own Supercross tracks for local multiplayer, with unspecified "improvements" to Tournaments, Track Central, and the Track Editor thrown in for good measur?e.

Ubisoft also announced that Trials Fusion has passed one million sales worldwide since its release in mid-April. The game is about to get its first DLC, Riders of the Rustlands, on July 29. That can be downloaded for $4.99 individually, or as part of ??the six-DLC season pass that costs $19.99.

The post Trials Fusion passes one million sales appeared first on Destructoid.

Losing speed

There's nothing quite like Trials and, after se?veral games in the popular racing/platforming series, fans know what to expect from developer RedLynx: more of the same.

Yes, there will be a stupid, amazing theme song you'll hate yourself for letting get stuck in your ?head. There will?? also be moments of immense frustration made bearable by the eventual satisfaction of clearing that one particularly devious obstacle. And there will be bitter leaderboard rivalries as you fight to shave milliseconds off your best times.

Trials Fusion represents all of these things, an?d more -- occasionally to it??s detriment.

Trials Fusion (PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 [reviewed], Xbox One)
Developer: RedLynx, Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
Released: April 15, 2014 / April 24, 2014 (PC)
MSRP: $19.99 / $39.99 physical release with Season Pass (Xbox One, PS4)

To be clear, more of the same in Trials' case is by no means a bad thing. In fact, it's mostly what we want. The mot??orcycles you'll drive and hop across crazy puzzle-like environments feel as tight as ever, but if you hope to best the hellish post-credits Extreme levels, you'll need a mastery of the game's precision controls. And patience. That hasn't changed one bit.

Getting up to that point -- the point at which Trials is at its absolute best, becoming less of a straightforward motorbike racing game and more of a methodical, notoriously difficult platformer -- will be a smooth ride for long-time players who have maintained mos??t of their muscle memory from prior installments. As for newbies: godspeed.

The difficulty and complexity of levels ramps up a bit slower than I would have liked as a returning player, but the bigger issue for me was that they feel less varied, less interesting than those featured in Trials Evolution. There's a lot of stuff going on in the background, some of it eye-catching, but the visual design this time around is a downgrade. It?? seems less inspired.

Now, it's worth stressing that levels can be made significantly harder by going after new optional challenges. There are three per level and they range from "Always hold the gas pedal down and don't use the breaks" to "Don't lean, ever" to "Perform 10 flips without faulting." These objectives are tough even on the earliest of tracks and should help extend Fusion's replay value beyond the monstrous amount of time it will take to rack up Go?ld and eventual?ly Platinum medals.

Unfortunately, challenges are one of the few welcome additions to the tried-and-true Trials formula. Fusion places a heavy emphasis on a new futuristic setting which, in theory, could have wo??rked okay. In reality, it just ends up feeling boring and, again, uninspired.

While there are themed stages -- arctic, urban sprawl, and rainforest, to name a few -- even then you're still beaten over the head with the future theme. An attempt was made to weave a light story in by way of AI narration (again, "?future!") but this dialogue adds little of value to the experience. Franky, I'd recommend turning it off -- lines annoyingly repeat if you restart at a checkpoint.

Another seemingly big feature is the ability to perform tricks using the right analog stick. Once again, this concept really could have worked for Trials. Could have. There are specific levels built around the new F?MX system in which you pull off ins??ane moves while trying to keep a combo going for maximum high-score potential. Sadly, they're not challenging, rewarding, or even much fun.

I can't quite put my finger on why, but performing tricks feels off, somehow -- especially compared to the precision found elsewhere in Trials. Thankfully, there are very ??few of these FMX levels so you'll burn through them quickly. I appreciate that RedLynx was trying something new here, but the effort falls short. Maybe next time around.

Similarly, there's a new quad bike in certain levels that might sound like a potentially solid addition to Trials. It's all right. While it does have a different weight and feel compared to the other vehicles, it's not that different -- ?and the courses you'll use it on are more of the same.

At this point, I'm starting to worry that it sounds like I dislike Fusion, when that's truly not the case -- it's just that most of what's brand new to this installment adds little to the terrific core gameplay foundation. But let me be clear: the core of the game is still terrific.

The wacky Skill Games return, now one per each stage, and thos??e serve as enjoyable distractions. There are tons of bizarre secrets to uncover, like a tennis minigame. (Seriously.) A new leveling system ties experience points to medals and challenges, allowing you to feel a further sense of progression and unlock new c?osmetic items for your rider and bikes. Multiplayer also returns, albeit in a four-player, local-only capacity.

And there's the hugely important level creator, which I've never been able to properly wrap my head around -- it's back, and since the Trials community has proven itself capable of making high-quality, even ingenious levels, it's fair to expect more of that in the coming months. I'd also? expect RedLynx to be great about curating levels as it has been in the past.

Trials Fusion is a good game -- and I can only see it getting better over time as user-made levels excel and DLC is released -- but what's there now, at launch, is a step down from Trials Evolution. It's disheartening, then, to see the game come in at a higher price p??oint than its pred??ecessor and also try to sell users on a $19.99 Season Pass in-game right out of the gate.

Trials fans will want to play Fusion, that's a given -- but everyone else sho??uld wait.

The post Review: Trials Fusion appeared first on Destructoid.

Check out the new trailer

Trials Fusion is just around the corner for the PC, Xbox One, 360, and PS4 platforms, and this new trailer shows off what multiplayer is made of. Basically, like any Trials ??game it has tons of side-by-side crashing -- gloriou?s crashing.

There's also full leaderboard support as always, and the maps looks mu??ch more interesting and detailed than ever before. Expect our review in the near future.

The post Trials Fusion’s multiplayer looks pretty wild appeared first on Destructoid.

Yeah, you knuckleheads

No matter what life path Erik Estrada chooses to walk, they all lead back to one place -- the ol' beat. From CHiPS to his semi-job as a reserve police officer, upholding the law is in Officer Estrada's blood. That's why he's here to tell you that he does not approve of Trials Fusion.

If there's one rule I live by, it's to follow the Estrada Code. Whatever he says goes, and he says that Trials Fusion&??nbsp;is no bueno. Stay away, kids; this one's dangerous.

The post Erik Estrada calls you a ‘clownshow disaster’ in this Trials Fusion ad appeared first on Destructoid.