Tribes Aerial Assault is not your typical first person shooter. Its huge
outdoor maps and the ability to take off and fly across them alone would make it
stand out. Add to this a large array of weapon loadouts and the ability to
pilot vehicles from a high-speed Grav Cycle to a slow and powerful bomber, and
the argument could be made that Tribes Aerial Assault is in a league of its own.
However, what really sets it apart is that it is a console game that is designed
primarily for multiplayer, online play. However, this last point brings
with it a mixed blessing - Tribes Aerial Assault can provide some great
multiplayer action, but falls short as a single player experience.
Before
taking a look at the differences between the single and multiplayer experience,
let's take a look at Tribes' gameplay. The game is set in the 40th Century
at the fringe of human space. As new worlds are discovered, their control
is contested by "tribes" of high-tech, armored warriors. You are one of
these warriors, and you must work closely with your other tribe members to
achieve victory.
In games of Tribes, you begin with three weapons - a laser blaster, a chaingun,
and an explosive-firing spinfusor - your jetpack-equipped body armor, and an
energy cell. The energy cell might be one of your most important assets as
it powers your jetpack and a number of weapons and items.
Additional weapons can be procured by visiting your base's inventory station.
You can select heavier armor which will give you more protection and the ability
to carry progressively heavier weapons at the cost of speed and mobility. In addition to
selecting different armor and weapon configurations, you can also pick up
special packs. Some of these packs provide bonuses to you such as shields
or an improved energy recharge rate. Others are special deployable items
such as remote inventory stations and turrets. There is a certain amount
of satisfaction in watching your newly placed remote turret take out an
unsuspecting enemy who blunders across it.
It is often the case in games with a large number of weapons and special items
that control can be a complicated affair; this is not the with Tribes Aerial Assault.
The game's
designers have done a good job of making control easy and responsive. It
does take a little time to figure things out, but with a little practice you'll
quickly become proficient at it. You'll rarely find yourself getting
killed because you couldn't find the right button combination that you needed to
press. The movement controls are very responsive, perhaps too responsive
at times. It is easy to build up a lot of momentum, especially when using
the jetpack, so you'll find yourself overshooting the location you are trying to
reach. This can create some trouble for you when you need to enter a
window in a tower to capture the enemy flag as the enemy will have time to close
in on you as you are bouncing around the opening like a fly trying to get out of
a window.
Similar to the inventory stations, Tribes Aerial Assault features vehicle
stations where you can pick up a Grav Cycle, fighter, bomber, or transport.
The Grav Cycle is a high-speed ground vehicle that will get you into and out of
trouble in a flash and is a blast to drive. The fighter and bomber are
single-person aerial vehicles that you can use to provide support for your
teammates as they assault the enemy base. Control of these vehicles feels
slow and sluggish compared to the Grav Cycle and flying around with your
jetpack. The transport can ferry several players around the map, but it is
rarely used in multiplayer games primarily because it requires a degree of
cooperation distinctly lacking in most of these games - but more on that later.
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