Trials HD is a masterclass in twitch-balancing(tm).
You either like that kind of core style of gameplay or you don't. Those that do are in for a real treat.
A no-nonsense bare-bones mechanic dressed with lovely lighting effects and explosions, the physics element compliments the game very well. The initially seeming simple controls (lean forward, lean back + analogue accelerate and brake) have a surprising amount of depth when combined with tricky landing angles and steep slopes. Some of the obstacles are puzzle like and take a while to work out, similar to Trackmania.
After cutting your teeth on the 'medium' tracks, switching to 'hard' is like a slap in the face despite the warning of "the real game starts here". One thing that helps the maniac-like addictiveness is the frequent checkpoints. The first very difficult bit I encountered was leaping from one large ball to the other on the second hard track. But I seemed to have no problem pressing the reset button every 5 seconds 300 times taking 20 minutes to get passed the same obstacle!
Like any twitch game, practise makes perfect. Things seem a lot easier returning to easy/medium and much faster times can be made. Talking of which, all your friends times are automatically listed next to yours on every screen (not sure why every game does not do this) which promotes competitive play with your online buddies.
The mini games are top drawer too. Each one seems unique and not just a derived slightly changed mode. The pinball and broken bones are two of the strongest.
One of the best games to hit XBLA and the best 'twitch' game I've played for ages.
