They might be your friends, they might be complete strangers -you can't tell - but you can riddle them with bullets, shoot them with rockets or simply take off their head with one clean shot. So far, the first-person shooter genre has proven to be the most popular multiplayer game online and it's not difficult to see why - you get to kill people without really hurting them. The first Tribes never enjoyed the success here that it did in the States, but hopefully cheap and free Internet access, mixed with Al-controlled bots, should make the difference for the sequel. The ability to communicate without stopping and typing should render the team-based missions unmissable.

Voice support is going to be present and correct, which should add the final piece of the online jigsaw. There are also new weather effects, such as clouds and random lightning bolts that can strike you in the air and on the ground, and new vehicles including a ground version of the scout vehicle and a turreted assault vehicle. Tribes 2 is also going to look stunning, with an enhanced engine that promises new tactical obstacles such as water and dense foliage. Thankfully, most of the work is going to be transferred to the full-on sequel, Tribes 2. At $9.99, it’s a steal.ĭo you want the good news or the bad news first? On a dark note, Dynamix have cancelled Tribes Extreme, which promised to add single-player training campaigns to the world of Starsiege. Tribes II doesn’t make it to the class above but remains a class apart. Although bots play with a certain determination, the game was never intended to be played solo and multiplayer remains the better experience. Additions of note include an integrated browser and mail client, making the organisation of clan matches a breeze, as well as single-player missions. Maps the size of Nebraska bring buckets of atmosphere to the proceedings, as do those famously vast fortresses sulking behind a haze on the horizon. Tribes II retains the features that made the first so good, including lag-free gameplay, manned vehicles, 64-player maps, three classes of armour. If you’ve yet to make the jump from Tribes to Tribes II, the latter’s recent move into budget territory means you get an additional alien species, highly detailed landscapes, a slick new interface, massively improved visuals and decent shooters for under a tenner. Tribes II and its predecessor entertain 400,000 players every month, and although outgunned by perennial favourite Half-Life in the popularity league, it still provides team gamers with perhaps the most undiluted experience on offer. One of the biggest titles in online gaming now has one of the smallest prices.

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