Trials Fusion is one of my favorite games of all time, and I think it being rated as only "mixed" on here is a CRIME. If you're even remotely interested in the game- pick it up the next time a sale comes around. I managed to catch Awesome MAX while it was 7.99, which is the version including every DLC expansion in the game. It's seriously worth the money.
The replayability of this game is one of it's greatest aspects. I originally played the base version on the game way back in like 2019/2020, and going through those same tracks again still felt incredibly fresh. The challenges that come with each track help significantly with this, as well as the online leaderboards still being up over a decade later- and being pretty "clean" in terms of cheated scores and such, which you can NOT say about many other games from the earlier part of the 8th gen of consoles. On top of that, it doesn't feel like you *must* use a specific bike at all times, which is great too. Every bike has it's place in not only the progression of the game, but in general, really. If you wanna be a mega try-hard and use the pit viper on every track, if you want an easier to control/more casual experience and use the Roach (or even Baggie), or if you wanna troll and use the Rabbit, YOU CAN!!! There's multiple different ways to experience and enjoy the game, and I do believe there's something for most people in here.
And I haven't even MENTIONED Track Central.
The track creator functionality takes an already great game, and magnifies it 10x. Similar to how games like Geometry Dash or Osu! function, players can create their own custom experiences and upload them online, and WOW. I must say, these online tracks are phenomenal! Training maps, ultra hardcore Extreme tracks, casual tracks focusing more on aesthetic/atmosphere; there are so many different tracks on the servers at this point and the quality cannot be overstated, some of these tracks feel like they match or even exceed some of the tracks made by RedLynx. You can go through endless tracks and still not be bored, and what's more is that there's a distinct xp level specifically for the online tracks which gives even the user-generated levels a sense of progression. It's not some crazy in-depth system with dedicated rewards and whatnot, but it's a nice touch. Oh, and on the topic of multiplayer... yeah the game is basically dead in terms of PvP stuff, unfortunately. I've seen one (1) person in the Tournaments mode since I've bought the game, so *maybeee* you can find something, but I wouldn't count on it.
Now, the game isn't perfect, and it has it's flaws. For one, I think the UI is generally pretty... clunky? Outdated? Things take a while to load, even with the game installed on an m.2 NVME Ssd. It's generally not intuitive to navigate. The replay and ghost systems also leaves much to be desired. The replay functionality is somewhat limited; if you want to rewatch a specific section of gameplay- for example, how the WR time executes a certain technical movement to clear an obstacle- you'll have to completely restart the replay and get back to that section again. No rewind or fast-forward for you! As for the ghosts, it's quite literally just a floating icon that goes alongside you, and if the ghost faults/retries, it just stands still where it faulted until the ghost manages to pass it again. Definitely a nitpick, but it can genuinely be annoying when you're playing and want to know what a ghost did only for it to be a LITERAL png. And, of course, the microtransactions. I think there's still an okay customization experience without spending money, and you DO get 400 paid currency when you buy Awesome MAX, but a lot of the really cool ♥♥♥♥ *is* paywalled at the end of the day. I guess it's to be expected given this is a Ubisoft title, but oh well. It's not crazy invasive or anything, so how much it matters is up to you to decide.
Oh and also, I see many complaints about the Ubi launcher. I really do not feel its THAT big of a deal. Yeah, you have to login to Ubisoft when the game launches, but like... if you've already played Ubisoft games before it shouldn't interfere with your experience that much. After log-in, you don't really have to use it at all. If that's something that you feel will upset you or get in the way of finding enjoyment in this game, then that's fair, and you should probably skip this one. I, for one, however, find it to be a non-issue and a vastly overblown critique. (but i also have 1300 hours in a Ubisoft title so perhaps my bias is showing...)
As for other minute stuff I probably didnt mention: The OST is great, the graphics still hold up very well 12 years on, the mechanics/physics feel smooth, and it runs well i.e. no frame drops, graphical bugs, hitching, etc. (ymmv check recommended specs before buying).
TL;DR: Great platformer / racing game with hours of fun to be had progressing and learning the mechanics, if you can buy Awesome MAX Edition on sale it is well worth the money, and the Ubisoft launcher thing is NOT that big of a deal imo.
