Reviews / previews
The impact of Tribes on the
massively multiplayer action-game
dream may not be realized for several
months-as long as it takes gamers to
get the teamplay mind-set going. It's
one thing to play co-op in an RTS or
RPG. It's another thing entirely to
play a first-person shooter (where
players are accustomed to shooting
everything that moves) as a member of a team.
This was completely obvious in 90 percent of the
Tribes matches I played. Individuals flailing about,
shooting teammates in the back, blowing up their own
base, ignoring pleas for organized combat. But the
other 10 percent gave me a sliver of hope for the future
of team action games: When a vehicle pilot would
drop me off at the front door of an enemy base so I
could tear through their hovel with heavy armor and
mortar. When a squad flanked the enemy forces
undetected because one of their members held the
sensor-jamming pack. When a forward observer
painted a target for laser-guided fire. Tribes at its best
is very good indeed.
The only single-player options are a few simple
training missions (a good way to get your bearings
quickly), and the rest is teamplay. From traditional
CTF and DM to other similar games such as Capture
and Hold, Defend and Destroy (very, very fun), and
Find and Retrieve. Like Half-Life, Tribes has a built-in
server locator and ping tool. It was extremely easy to
find different low-ping games-even on a dial-up Internet
connection.
The game's got most of the tools in place. The battles
are fought in huge outdoor settings, with diverse
terrain and atmosphere (melee in the rain is a blast).
The landscape graphics are very sharp-at first, I'd
often catch myself just wandering around, enjoying the scenery (of course, a
couple blasts to the head and happy fun time was over). To traverse these
vast environments, players are equipped with jetpacks or they can fly vehicles,
from a single-person scout to a heavy personnel carrier that holds passengers
who can ride and fire.
Items are well balanced. Players can
carry packs that increase ammo,
protection, and energy recharge rate, or
that allow you to repair yourself, other
players, and equipment. Mines, remote
turrets, motion sensors, and cameras
can easily be carried and deployed
around your base for security.
Weapons, on the other hand, aren't as
balanced. The default weapon is an
exploding disc thrower (basically a
rocket launcher). Great indoors, but
outside at longer range, forget it. It's
nearly impossible to hit someone more
than a hundred yards away if they see it
coming. Ditto with the grenade launcher,
plasma gun, mortar, and so on. The only
instant-gratification weapon is the laser
rifle, and not only does it take some
practice to aim (though the up-to-20x zoom helps), but each time you do, you
telegraph your position to every watching enemy.
The armor, too, has its issues. Heavy armor that slows you down to a crawl
should be able to withstand more than a couple of disc explosions.
But I raise these criticisms because I
really love playing this game. I'm willing
to use inadequate weapons and armor,
and to stay out of the heavy action to
defend my base for the good of the team.
And I'm willing to work with the morons
who shoot friendlies to help fulfill the
massively multiplayer dream-at least
until Team Fortress 2 rears its head.-- Joel Strauch / GamePro
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