Platform: PlayStation Vita (also on PS3) via PSN

Developer: Tate Interactive/Strangelands

Publisher: Tate Multimedia

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)

Price: $9.99 (Vita), $14.99 (PS3)

Official Site

Score: A-

While it could use a level editor, some Excitebike-style multiplayer and a few more rider types to choose from (where’s the cool biker chick?), everything else is near flawless in Tate Interactive’s superb stunt-based moto romp. If you’re a PS3 and/or Vita-only owner, Urban Trial Freestyle is going to be your go-to brag about how cool it all is game in the vein of Red Lynx’s mega-hits Trials HD and Trials Evolution games on the Xbox 360. Fantastic visuals, excellent physics and a ton of replay value are all packed into this download-only release that’s well worth the price (and will be an even better value as the dev team adds more content over time).

Of course, some first time players looking for a quick casual fix (not EVERY gamer owns a 360 or may have heard of or played a Trials game) may be put off by the unforgiving gameplay that requires precision timing, perfect handling and actually paying VERY close attention to the environment in order to gain rewards (along with some decent airtime for stunts). On the other hand, everyone else will find that learning each map through trial and error is what makes this such a blast to play. The first two maps are quick tutorials that show you the controls and let you try a quick stunt or two before the main series of maps test your skills. You’re not going to nail everything on the first go, but the game lets you have at it as many times as you wish, tracking your wrecks, stunts and other stats, many of which are used for assorted Trophies and Leaderboard stats.

You’ll also find bags of cash throughout each new map you attack (some in plain sight, some well hidden in secret routes or only reachable through crazy stunts) which is used to upgrade your bike and rider’s gear. While the outfit selection has no impact on the game at all, buying and upgrading your bike is very important. There aren’t a lot of parts to buy, but fr most players, the only way to succeed as the game progresses is to mix and match the parts you buy. Some courses require a faster bike with looser handling, some require slower acceleration or better grip or a mix of parts. It’s up to you to figure out what works best, and the game doesn’t drop much in the way of hints. But it DOES drop a lot of assorted debris on your poor rider when you least expect it. Some of that stuff falling down, exploding or otherwise interrupting your progress is actually helpful, but again – trial and error will be your best friend.

Even if you’re not connected online, you can eventually hop onto PSN and see where you stand against other players and I have the feeling records will rise and fall quickly, as the game is addictive and it’s quite cool to bust a record you’d set earlier and meet some of the tight target times for the trickier maps. Controls are dirt simple – X accelerates, Square is for braking and reverse and you use the left stick to lean forward or back and pull off flips in midair. The key here is how fast or slow you’re going and how much you tip that left stick (sticking the landings after a stunt helps, too). Popping a wheelie results in more speed (if you can hold that position), but you’ll also need to know how to stop on a dime and/or deftly shift between acceleration, braking and stick movements in order to get past some of the harder courses. Later on, tilting the Vita left and right becomes a necessary skill in a set of funky gravity-defying bonus maps, but I’ll let you discover and unlock those on your own.

Not including the two tutorials, the main mode is set across five different areas with eight maps each (some of which repeat), and you’ll need to get through the bulk of them and earn a set amount of stars in order to unlock every map in the game as well as Challenge Mode, a series of twenty cool maps that test everything you’ve learned up to that point in a few wild ways. The great thing is the main game is so good that most good players will be getting to Challenge Mode probably within the first day or so of play. That’s not a bad sign that the game is “short” at all, but that it’s so well designed to hook you in and keep you playing longer than you’d have thought. Multiplayer isn’t on board here in terms of playing directly against others, but you can compete against ghosts of your avatar’s best times offline or other players when connected. I’m sure quite a number of potential UTF players will want more in the way of actual multiplayer, but we’ll see how well (and how much) the dev team listens to the fans once the game is out for a bit.

One subtly, yet truly cool thing about the game is the involvement of actual trials biker Julien DuPont, whose name isn’t plastered all over the game, but he had a hand in helping the dev team out in creating the game. Whereas certain other extreme sports games have fallen on their faces hard once they tie a name to the project (Johnny Moseley Mad Trix, anyone?), DuPont and Tate/Strangelands get to sleep very soundly indeed thanks to a tight, fun and always amusing product that’s built to be played over and over. In a way, it’s almost too bad this isn’t a retail game packed with more content (and that level editor), as I can see more people who can’t access PSN wanting to play something this solid and challenging if the price were right. I’d even recommend this to those Trials fans out there just to see how the game stacks up to their favorite XBLA hit (minus the edit function, of course).

As you can see, UTF looks incredible across the board (the developer even has an awesome-looking 3DS version on the way!) and with all the eye candy from dust and debris, flocks of birds, weather effects and plenty of interactive course and background elements that bring maps to life, it’s impossible not to get caught up in all the chaos in some of the busier levels. I have the suspicion that the reason there’s no level editor here is because of all the activity outside the courses and a few other elements. Perhaps Tate and Strangelands didn’t have their code done as something that could be fiddled with by novices or (surprisingly) didn’t think there would be interest in an editor, but I’m hoping that we get some sort of update that adds both a map and character creator, as the game’s big social functionality begs for as much customization as possible.

If I had to lodge two tiny gripes, one would be that some maps repeat in each group of eight. However, the first time through is usually where you’ll be pulling off stunts and jumps for points, while the second time through is going to be a countdown speed run where making better times gives you better rewards. Run out of time and you’ll need to try again. Fortunately, checkpoints are placed throughout each map, but some put you in weird spots (like right before a tough jump or hazard section) where you’ll need to get a great boost or nail the move you crashed on that set you at the checkpoint in the first place. You get used to this after a bit, but it’s best to try and do your best on each map without making any (or too many) mistakes. My other complaint is the game is one more that doesn’t take advantage of Cross Platform play – a missed opportunity, yes indeed… but the game ends up being so much fun that I can see a few players buying a download for their PS3 as well.

Overall, UTF is one more excellent game for the Vita and PS3 that needs to get a big user base if only so Tate and Strangelands can beef it up even more with content as the year moves forward. It’s definitely up there in Trials territory in terms of quality and gameplay, but going the extra mile and adding content that makes it an equal to what Red Lynx has done with their game is what’s going to keep players coming back for more and then some. Memo to Tate and co. get those updates (free or otherwise) out ASAP and if the game does well, absolutely figure out how to get non-PSN using Vita and PS3 owners to play this one. They’re missing a total winner, I say…