I have been playing Tribes Ascend a lot lately, or more accurately: a lot pre-Mass Effect 3 (forgot to publish this entry :P). Admittedly, for whatever reason, this game is my first real descent into the Tribes series. The game itself is a free-to-play class based science fiction themed multiplayer FPS. It is currently in open beta with a slated release date for early/mid April (the 12th I think).

Tribes’ unique movement system is what sets it apart from the standard fair of copypaste shooters currently available on the market. The game experience has a whole is literally almost constant high speed movement. If you are new to the series, it isn’t a bad idea to run through the movement tutorial to review skiing and jetpacking basics before jumping online. It’s not difficult or anything, but the game doesn’t make a whole lot of sense if you do not have a grasp on the movement concept. If there is a downside, I guess it is that almost every other online shooter will seem like a slow speed camp fest in comparison.

I had the beta sitting on my computer for quite some time, but started playing quite a bit after the big update in early February which more-or-less overhauled most of the interface and added an assortment of interesting new things (classes, weapons, and the like). The skill trees were nixed in favor of a more straightforward linear upgrade system and the interface looks just way way way less of a clusterfuck. As a whole it feels like a much more polished game.

Vehicles at the moment, unless this has changed, are purely call-in perks. As such, they really aren’t utilized all that much. Basically, it’s pretty rare to see anyone use a vehicle which is a kind of a shame because they are cool. Learning to lead shots takes some time to get used to. It’s fun, it’s (mostly) free, it’s fast paced and a breath of fresh air. Random video footage below: