Hands On: Tribes: Vengeance
Hands on with the 3rd game in the Tribe’s saga, and the best one yet.
Tags: Tribes: Vengeance Categories: PC Previews, Previews
Posted by Thomas on May 13th, 2004
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The StarSiege: Tribes series is the definition of a niche series. It started off as a spin-off… the bastard child of what was to be Sierra’s last big Sci-Fi saga of the decade, and the next big thing in the Mech universes. However, nobody expected StarSiege: Tribes to be so well received by the gaming community that everyone would forget about StarSiege. Dynamix created a game that not only set a bar, but brought a whole new idea to the table: who cares about single player?
Ironic then that the saving grace of the Tribes universe is turning the tide, going against its very core. Irrational Games’ Tribes: Vengeance –the 3rd game in the Tribes saga– features a fully fleshed out single player storyline to compliment the already robust selection of multiplayer options that the Tribes series is known for.
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In the eyes of many, Tribes 2 was a stumble for the series. However let me settle any doubts any of you have now: Vengeance is, for lack of a better word… awesome. Many changes have been made to the game’s core ideas and they all seem to reflect a level of planning and polish unseen in the first two installments.
Let’s take skiing for example. Originally a bug in the physics coding of Tribes, skiing allows players to gain excessive momentum by sliding down slopes and rocketing off the tops of hills as if they were traveling in a plasma powered toboggan. It became such a pivotal game play aspect; Dynamix coded it into Tribes 2. In the first two games skiing was accomplished by rapid jumping, however Vengeance presents it in such a way that it actually fits into the universe. By holding the space bar players assume a hunched over position and activate a pair of plasma skis, one on each foot. As long as the space bar is held the skis remain active and the player acts as if suddenly standing on a sheet of ice. It utilizes the onboard physics, and it works wonderfully. As soon as you get the hang of it, there is immense pleasure to be had simply from skiing the various environments (indoor areas are designed with skiing in mind). Players weight shifts as they fly and they now leave exaggerated light trails behind them, to go with the massive rocket plumes emitting from their jet-packs.
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Of course if you would rather not touch the ground at all, you can always equip the freshly announced grappling hook. Arguably one of the biggest changes in the movement of the game, the Grappling hook allows players to latch onto almost any object in the world and swing around like spider man. Well, I take that back. Spider-man would be jealous because he doesn’t get a jet pack. As awkward as it may sound, it fits into the game perfectly. It’s easy to use, and brings with it a whole new twist that will radically effect the way players think and act in the game. It is sure to be welcomed by all as soon as they get to USE it.
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So… what about the single player? My talks with Art Director of Irrational Games, Ben Lee revealed that the single player will most certainly feel like a worthy addition to the Tribes universe and not just a scripted tutorial. Players will assume the role of a large variety of characters ranging from a young woman, her 5 year old self, and her boyfriend and her rivals. The story line is sure to impress–its being written by Ken Levine of System Shock two fame.
The AI is being coded specifically for single player to create a more immersive experience- multiplayer bots are not planned at the moment. AI will range from scouts to a ‘deployer’ all the way up to heavy defenders in order to keep the player on their toes.
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The game is not without its faults. Many dedicated tribes players feel the new game is going to be too newbie friendly, thereby eliminating the intricacies for themselves. Mr. Lee assured me there would be a noticeable skill difference in experienced and non-experienced players and that there is more than enough to keep the old war dogs busy. The AI wasn’t quite up to snuff in the indoor areas. It kept getting stuck on walls and doorways, but Outdoors they were extremely deadly, often catching me by surprise and killing me before I realized I was under attack. When all is said and done, the Unreal Engine is near perfect for the game. It illustrates the vibrant colors of the areas wonderfully and the Havok Physics work with tribes on a level unseen in anything on shelves today. Vengance will be entering Alpha stages soon, and is expected to release in Q4 this year.
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Tags: Tribes: Vengeance
Posted by Thomas on May 13th, 2004 and is filed under PC Previews, Previews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
