57th Squadron

Get the scoop on jetpacking and skiing, and get your ticket into the Tribes beta.

Hi-Rez Studios launched the closed beta for Tribes: Ascend in early November, and after jetpacking their way through countless Blood Eagle versus Diamond Sword multiplayer matches, GameSpy's Mike Nelson and Mike Sharkey are ready to share their impressions on this rebooted PC classic. Does it still play fast and furious? How is the free-to-play business model implemented? And, most importantly, how does it feel to go skiing again? We answer all these questions and more below.

Mike Sharkey, Editor: I'm dead. That about sums up my experience in the Tribes: Ascend beta. I'm an FPS fan that not only has experience with the original Tribes and its sequel, I'm skilled in the arts of online war in just about every game where you're pointing a gun. Point is, Tribes: Ascend not only features a challenging level of speed and verticality, the beta appears to be packed with experienced players. Either that, or beta testers are far more willing to shell out for game-changing armor, weapons, and buffs than I was.

I took advantage of the occasional noob that had never skied before, but I found myself the victim of Tribes veterans and/or decked out newcomers more often than not. Despite my teeth-grinding level of frustration, I think this could be a good thing. Hi-Rez's Tribes reboot feels like the original in every way, and it could be that the franchise's loyal fanbase has responded by participating in the beta with gusto. On the flip side, it could also mean that Tribes: Ascend is falling into the free-to-play, pay-to-win trap. How did you fare in the online battleground?

Mike Nelson, Editor: I too faced my fair share of getting my ass kicked. Like many shooters where you have to a pick a class -- in this case there are your heavy, soldier, engineer, and scout general classes -- once I settled in as an engineer, repairing turrets and lending support, I started to find my groove. A few times I broke out of my shell and skied through an enemy base at like 100mph, nabbing their flag in the process, but for the most part I spent my time in a support role.

There was indeed a brief period of time where I could take advantage of someone's ignorance of how the game works -- the jetpack is designed to build your momentum, more-so than using it as a generic jetpack -- but lately it has been brutally difficult, and as I continue to level up my character, I can imagine it's going to become even harder to keep up the pace. Still, as I fall victim to a Disc Launcher time and time again, I'm still having a ton of fun playing through the game's beta. Was anything striking you as a major concern for the game?

Mike Sharkey: You make a good point that makes me want to clarify: I'm dying a ton, but I'm still having fun. The blazing speed of the game and the frequent cat-and-mouse firefights that shift from the ground to the air (and back again) in a blink are unlike anything else in the crowded FPS genre. Yes, it's a reboot that plays true to a game that launched 10 years ago (Tribes 2), but it still feels like a breath of fresh air. Hi-Rez also deserves credit for crafting a rock-solid shooter. I never experienced a moment of lag, fell through a hole in any of the maps, or watched in dismay as my system crashed. Granted, numbers are limited at this point, but you would never know this was a beta. And for those issues that have cropped up, the studio has already launched a number of patches.

My chief concern for the game has to do with its free-to-play business model. Tribes: Ascend allows you to play for free as the Ranger and Soldier classes, but the remaining 10 classes and the majority of the character upgrades (buffs for health, ammo, reload speed, etc.) remain firmly locked behind closed paid doors. My experience with the beta indicates that players who begin with the barebones loadouts will quickly become bullet magnets and face a Mt. Everest-like uphill battle in accumulating enough experience to unlock items without paying for them. Playing as mainly a support character off of the frontlines, what was your experience in earning unlocks? Do you think Tribes: Ascend might favor paid players too much?

Mike Nelson: I'm always at odds with any game -- including Tribes: Ascend -- that calls itself free-to-play. Let's be clear: Nothing is ever free in this world as there is a price for everything, like you need to spend money on a system that can run the game. The business model for Tribes does seem rough, but that's because I don't think anyone has nailed a good price vs. experience metric for "free-to-play" shooters. They're fairly rare in this multiplayer space right now but Hi-Rez's model does seem skewed more towards having someone spend money, rather than offering a lot for free.

Honestly, I'd pay for it. The game is in a very solid state right now and is fully worth supporting in my opinion. This isn't a hashed together game slapped with a Tribes logo, but as we've touched on, is a very good (if not difficult) game. I know the business model is a little suspect, but they have to recoup costs at some point. This is after all, a business.

Back to the game: In regards to the level design, I was really impressed by the placement of hills and ridges that can emphasize the speed of the game and can also cripple you if you decide to execute a jump far too soon. The size of the maps vary as well, with a sufficient amount of space between enemy bases to encourage some wide-open battles. Anything else impress you about the game or any other concerns?

Zim031... also known as Sharkey.

Mike Sharkey: I agree that Tribes: Ascend is a free-to-play game that's worth paying for. I just think Hi-Rez needs to balance what you pay for as carefully as it has balanced the power of its Spinfusors, because as it stands -- admittedly in beta form that will likely change signifcantly before launch -- paid players are set up to have a huge advantage.

My only other concerns are minor: the main menu for character selection and customization looks like it was designed in the 1990s, and Training mode could use some additional features. As it stands, you can currently select any of the game's 12 classes (even the 10 locked ones) and take them for a spin on any of the maps. It's great for players that want to explore battlegrounds and check out how each class handles before plunking down a credit card for unlocks, but Training mode is noticeably missing a key ingredient: enemies. You'll not so much train as walk around in an empty map in Training mode. Hi-Rez would be wise to at least throw some bots in the mix.

Again, this is still a beta, and I'm being critical of a title that will likely see some major changes between now and launch. Tribes: Ascend is a terrific rebirth for the franchise, and fans of the first two games will undoubtedly be satisfied. That's my final verdict. Any other impressions you'd like to share before weighing in with yours?

Mike Nelson: I'm just glad that we're talking about Tribes again. It was one of my favorite games to play "back in the day" and to see it having a revival alongside the PC platform is great news for gamers today. Yes, there are some tweaks that need to be made and the match-making could use some work. But this game is still in development for the time being so it's hard to be overly critical of things that will be changing every week. For now, it's a blast to play and I recommend anyone who can get their hands on a Tribes: Ascend beta key to give it a spin… or in this case, a ski.

Speaking of Tribes: Ascend beta keys... Our friends at IGN Prime have your ticket into the Tribes closed beta. Simply sign up for a free trial IGN Prime membership, and the beta key is yours. Note: promo limited to 5,000 keys, so be sure to get yours before they're all gone!

Spy Guy says: How are you faring in the Tribes: Ascend beta? You've likely racked up a solid number of kills thanks to Sharkey. Any tweaks or changes you'd like to see before the game's launch?