Tribes Ascend

[tofu]

Currently in closed beta, you can obtain a beta key simply by liking their FB page: http://www.facebook.com/tribesascend

I went about installing it yesterday and became rather hooked. It is F2P so you have some typical complaints from users about other players having advantages etc, but straight out of the digital box, it's pretty damn fun.

Fast paced action but with limited classes and weapon scope to begin with. It reminds me of Killzone 2 MP actually and that's not a bad thing. You can unlock any class at any time with a few $'s, or via XP points over time - insuring that you learn the ropes before you jump into some of the more involved classes.

The learning curve is quite small if you start off with Team DM (which has a nice twist from the typical TDM modes: there's one flag, whatever team is carrying it gets 2x the kill count on the opposing team). I haven't dabbled much in CTF yet, I feel it supports a wider range of classes to begin with. There's also "Rabbit" which I haven't checked out.

Anyway, it's free and feels like a complete game already - so if you want some fast paced action, check it out

It also has some of my favourite HUD Damage indicators of any game - gels so well with narrative and beats the hell out of the boring ass "BLOOD IN MY EYES " You see everywhere.

[Thrik]

I absolutely loved Tribes 2 so I definitely plan on giving this a go, although I'm waiting until the final product is released as I'm past my days of dealing with alphas/betas.

It does look very much in the Tribes vein though from what I've seen in videos, and when in motion is does look quite lovely. Are there still turrets and stuff like that?

[tofu]

although I'm waiting until the final product is released as I'm past my days of dealing with alphas/betas.

Can't hurt to try it out It's free and does feel quite complete already.

Are there still turrets and stuff like that?

Yep, turrets/vehicles/generators/target strikes etc. Turrets don't seem too effective to me, especially investing in their upgrades. I'd like to see a bit of homing technology coming along with the upgrades - but then again, I have died to them a few times also.

I played quite a bit of CTF today and have to say, it's pretty damn cool skiing straight towards the enemies flag and snatching it at 180km/h then fleeing back to your base under pursuit One of the more enjoyable experiences an FPS has delivered in a long time.

[Thrik]

Oh yeah, CTF was always my mode of choice. The thrill of grabbing a well-defended flag and perfecting your route home was more exhilarating than I've encountered in any game ever.

As for turrets, in T2 it was more about quantity than anything. You'd basically plant a 'turret farm' around the flag in as strategic a way as possible to ensure that by the time a capper has come in and out they're dead. Hopefully T:A has generous limits on turrets like T2!

[tofu]

Hopefully T:A has generous limits on turrets like T2!

Ahh those turrets, yeah they're still in also. I thought you were talking about the stationary base ones, which I find more effective on some maps than others.

The game is playing very similar to KZ2 in that the more you level up/unlock, the more you begin to play with players who have different combinations. I'm seeing all kinds of groovy grenades, force fields and lock-on missiles lately.

[-HP-]

So many games to play...

Might give this a shot, love shooters! This looks like the shit.

[Thrik]

A final release date is upon us. April 12th. They've also put out this Dead Island parody, even includes a bit of dub lol:

Although this is the one that really shows what Tribes is all about (Projectiles!):

Can't wait! Might delve into the open beta before then seeing as it's now going to be in a reasonably final state, we'll see.

[cincinnati]

that second trailer is one of the best fps trailers i've seen in a while,

not really in the visual sense, but simply because it demonstrates pretty succinctly how tactics actually figure in to the manic pace, rather than just selling manic pace.

[Rick_D]

The gif edits and memes are better than the game itself.

[Thrik]

lol

Here's a pretty accurate representation of how I'll be playing:

[Puddy]

Just started playing this and well, skiing and jetpacks is still fun as hell!

I don't quite like the class system though. I preferred Tribes 2 when it comes to that (you were free to create your own class, you just selected armour type etc).

Anyone else playing?

[AlexM]

bought the starter pack at the steam sale. I love the skiing stuff, that's really addictive.

I havent played a whole lot yet. I thought some of the outdoor maps were a little barren, but hey it's Tribes