My first gaming machine was an old PC of my parents’. As soon as I figured out how to work it, I was glued to that PC. I started out playing games like Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds and Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside. As I got older and my reflexes evolved beyond floundering incompetence, I played games that asked a little more of players. One game dominated my free time time, essentially until support for it ceased: Tribes 2. It’s the only game I was ever part of a Clan for and one of the few games I’ve ever been decent at. More than just another multiplayer game, Tribes 2’s mechanical innovations are worth remembering and maybe even imitating.

This box tells you literally everything you need to know about this game; there's jetpacks, CTR, and other sci-fi nonsense.

Tribes 2 is the sequel to Starsiege: Tribes and hits many of the same beats, but with more pizazz and intensity. You and up to 63 other players/bots could play through a variety of modes like Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and Rabbit (basically like tag). There were a total of five tribes to choose from, each visually distinct but mechanically exactly the same. When you start a match you choose an armor class (that you can change at any equipment station), Light, Medium, or Heavy. Each class has its own equitable weapons/packs and useable vehicles. Each team has a base where you spawn and where you can change out your equipment, spawn vehicles, etc. Each base has generators which can be destroyed to temporary disable all of the above stations, making them a common target. Once all that’s ironed out, you’re off to capture the flag, or what have you.

I'm not sure what happened, but jetpacks fell out of vogue as of these last few years. Shame, really.

One of the most impressive aspects of Tribes 2 was its movement system. One of the shining examples of physics use in a game, Tribes 2’s movement is all about momentum. Each player has a jetpack which they can use to ascend vertically and the ability to “ski” using energy blades on the bottom of their shoes. Players in Tribes 2 didn’t walk anywhere; they flew and skied. Every map was designed with plenty of inclines and declines for building up the speed required to play at the higher skill levels. Skiing became even more important in more objective based modes like CTF because a skilled scout could ski at such high speeds that they could flash right through the middle of a base, picking up the flag as they went, and be gone before you had time to even fire off a shot.

This is not a game for those worried about making the wrong choice. You've just got to pick what looks good and get out there, soldier.

The weapons and armor in Tribes 2 allowed for a huge degree of strategic play. The Spinfusor, for instance, fired a fairly slow moving explosive disc. On the surface, it’s a good weapon because of its high damage and splash radius, but the more experienced player also recognized that it can be fired at one’s own feet in order to generate a quick boost of movement in a particular direction. A skilled player could use the spinfusor while skiing to catch up to a flag carrier, or to escape a dangerous situation. Each class of armor had things it could and couldn’t do, which added a huge amount of weight to your choices. Scouts were the fastest and could use the Laser Sniper Rifle, but could only carry up to three weapons. Heavies could use the mortar (an extremely powerful explosive weapon with lock-on capabilities), carry the most weapons, but they were also the slowest and couldn’t drive any vehicles. Each player also gets a pack of their choice (besides the ubiquitous jetpack), which adds unique benefits. The energy pack recharges your jetpack energy faster and allows the use of the Laser Sniper rifle, for instance. Each pack had serious gameplay implications and factored heavily in your choice of playstyle.

The maps of Tribes 2 are varied and feature terrain going anywhere from lush rainy plains to snowy mountains. Each map had its own set of strategies and common routes, but the inventive player could figure out something new to surprise their opponents. As you played the game more and more, you got a better idea of the best places to ski to get into your opponents base or the best place to catch a flag carrier unawares. The different vehicles suited themselves to different maps as well. Using the Wildcat light cycle in a mountainous map was not the smartest choice, but it beats trying to use the Havoc Transport Gunship in a very open map. The amount of tactical choice available to players dwarfs most modern games, to say nothing of the high skill ceiling.

Clever teamwork and use of vehicles could change the course of any match.

The bases in Tribes 2 are a huge part of what makes the game so dynamic and interesting. As mentioned above, all of your resources are there (save if somebody uses the Jericho Mobile Base vehicle to establish a bulkhead somewhere) as well as your flag if you’re playing CTF. On every balanced team, you have somebody who has to defend the base and its generators and even in that role, there’s a huge amount of strategy. Do you lay down turrets, or an explosive satchel? Are you using heavy armor for the added firepower, or scout armor so you can move through the base more quickly? Tribes 2 asked a lot of players, but it rewarded your time and skill with amazing matches time after time.

Generator runs were not to be undertaken lightly. If you weren't in and out of there in 30 seconds, you'd have the whole opposing team up your butt before you can say, "I totally didn't destroy your generators."

Worth Playing?

Maybe.

The maybe above might surprise you given I’ve just spend a bit over 900 words tell you how this game is the best thing ever. Thing is, there aren’t a lot of people that play it anymore, and the ones that do are very good. Entering a match in Tribes 2 these days is like getting jumped into a gang; you’re going to have a bunch of people beating the crap out of you for a few minutes. It was a great game, but the extremely high skill of current players makes it very hard to get into. If you’re brave and don’t mind a few scuffs, give it a shot, but don’t expect to pick this one up and be the best.

Tribes 2 is now free for download. Just head to Google and you’ll find it.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this Let’s Look At. Please let me know if there are other games you’d like me to look at.

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