Tribes Ascend Review
Tribes Ascend is a free to play MMOFPS from Hi-Rez Studios based on the critically acclaimed Tribes franchise. Coming from the same developers behind the popular MOBA title Smite, Tribes Ascend provides players with a unique action packed MMOFPS experience utilizing features and mechanics unique to Tribes.
Two of the main features that stand out in Tribes Ascend are the skiing and jet-pack features. If you’re not familiar with the franchise, these features may seem a little daunting at first but they are what makes Tribes Ascend so unique. Skiing is a way to gather and keep momentum, using the terrain to your advantage you’re able to use your space key to ski down the side of hills and edges. Increasing your speed has many advantages, you’re much harder to hit and you can hit slower enemies much easier, being able to predict their slow path while you’re at fast speeds. The jetpack is pretty much self explanatory, you use it to fly around the map, although the energy of the jetpack is limited. Skilled players will use the jetpack to travel over sloping terrain, removing the risk of losing their ski speed. They’ll then ski down the other side of the hill, gaining even more momentum. These are easily the most important aspects of playing, if you’re able to master skiing, you’ll be among the few elite players in Tribes Ascend.
There are two main game modes in Tribes Ascend, Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag. TDM follows typical FPS rule-sets, the team with the most kills at the end wins. But it does have a unique twist including a flag. The flag spawns at the first players death location, and the team that holds the flag earns double the points per kills, in effect having to reach only half the kills of the opposing team in order to win. This is where skilled skiers on your team can be enough to lead you to victory, grabbing the flag and maintaining high speeds in order to reduce the chances of being shot. The other game mode, Capture the Flag is far more strategic and tactical. Both teams have a base, a number of turrets and a generator that powers everything. Using a mix of tactics and strategies players must infiltrate the enemy base, capturing the flag and returning it to their own. Players earn money for stealing the flag, defeating enemies and other in-game achievements, they can then use this money during the match to call down airstrikes, ammo supports or even vehicles.
Overall, Tribes Ascend is a breath of fresh air to the otherwise stale MMOFPS genre. Removing the typically mundane infantry based mechanics, Tribes Ascends offers players a unique approach to MMOFPS game play, focusing on action packed, skilled-based combat.
Pros
– Highly skill-based shooting mechanics
– Ultra fast game play
– Good variety of classes, modes and maps
– Highly competitive community featuring competitions and events
Cons
– Steep learning curve for those unfamiliar with MMOFPS titles
– Spawning system could do with some attention
Editors Comment
Tribes Ascend redefines the MMOFPS genre in true Tribes fashion, outstanding.
Rating: 9.0
by Blaine Smith
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