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great graphics, sound, and new vehicles, but missing element

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 13 / 14
Date: November 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I started playing tribes with "starseige: tribes". Tribes 2 was an awesome upgrade. However, graphics, sounds, and vehicles aside, I think "tribes: vengeance" is an inferior game to tribes 2.

I have conquered the single player missions and I have played several days worth of multiplayer. Things I like are the new vehicles and the updated graphics and sounds. Things I don't like are the lack of a targetting laser, all of the packs only last a few seconds after activation, and once you activate a pack you can't "unactivate" the pack until it runs out of juice. Furthermore, you can't activate a pack until it reaches full energy.

They changed the plasma rifle into a burner rifle. The burner rifle runs off the armor energy instead of being ammo driven, which is cool except that you can't use the burner while jetting around.

You can't seem to mount turrets on walls or ceiling. There are no pulse sensor packs or motion sensor packs or cameras. There is no health kit you can use anymore. There is a repair pack which passively repairs you over time, but it doesn't really help you recover from an "oops, that was stupid of me" kind of mistake unless you run and hide for a long time. The new repair pack is cool in that it repairs all equipment and players nearby instead of just one object at a time.

Another thing I dislike is the new voice hot key list. I can no longer say I am going to defend the generator. Now, I can only say I am going to defend the base. Less specific and I think that hurts team work. Additionally, you have to hold the shift key while you are keying in the letter to say what you want to say, which takes two fingers. Before, I could key in a message while still moving with two fingers, now I can't move because the shift key has to be held, which disrupts game play and makes me a sitting duck while trying to communicate with my team. As a result, I rarely use the voice keys, which once again detracts from team play.

I don't like the fact that I can only carry three weapons even in heavy armor versus the 5 weapon slots in tribes 2. Also, the new missile launcher now requires you to guide the missiles to your target instead of being able to lock on to a target and then fire and forget. Oh yeah, there are no flare grenades either. In fact, for tribes: vengeance there seems to be only one grenade type.

The end result is that I like tribes 2 better. Tribes: vengeance is less complex than tribes 2 as far as strategy goes. I think it might be a good idea for VU to distribute tribes 2 as a bonus disk along with tribes: vengeance, since they were giving it away anyway. Maybe that will generate more sales, and if people like tribes 2 better they won't feel like they were ripped off as much. Better yet, maybe VU can add the missing components so that tribes: vengeance is actually an upgrade to tribes 2 instead of being, in my opinion, a down grade.

Great vehicles, graphics, and sounds, but in my opinion VU has wrecked the mechanics of this game.

Ok, but disappointing for the strategy minded.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: November 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The game is fun, and I held off writing a review until I had had a few days to play it. However, I am going to wait for a few of the mods to come out and see if they can get back in some of the missing things.

One, is the missing beacons and targeting laser, as well as the indirect fire weapons. This is what made the difference in Tribes, to me, with the other first person shooters. The ability to coordinate as a team and attack with greater accuracy with larger weapons was invaluable when I played.

The second problem is the newbie-factor. In trying to make the game more newbie-friendly they made the feel too much like UT. Or, maybe I should say didn't differentiate it enough. Wearing a heavy armor is only slightly inconvenient, as opposed to the differences in Tribes 2. Ragdoll effects, as mentioned before, do seem somewhat... exaggerated. Also, the ability to get clamp turrets to ceilings, around corners, etc is missing.

On the plus side, I DO like the grappler, and the new additions and variations of the weapons. Also, the inventory system is quicker once you get used to it. Having the turrets come out of pods on the wall for pickup is nice, as well as the new pack system makes things a bit more strategic. The graphics ARE beautiful, and sound is great. I'll continue to play, most likely, but hopefully Vivendi will release an official patch to us "old timers" that enjoyed the strategy of Tribes, not just the "blowing things up" part. And don't get me wrong, I play UT as well - But if I wanted that, I'd just buy UT.

Only buy it if you want the single player.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: March 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

First off, best to warn you, the reader, that Vivendi Universal has no plans to patch the bugs that are apparent in the Multiplayer... They cancelled the patch they had been working on, and no patches or fixes are planned/expected.

Having gotten that out of the way...

Regarding the multiplayer: the game takes the fast, jetpack attack action of the first game, and the vehicle combat of the second game, and manages somehow to make neither aspect appealing. The gameplay is perhaps TOO fast, and can become very one-sided in the first few seconds of gameplay (frustration with the controls/inventory stations/vehicles will taunt you from the very get-go). If you have played any of the previous franchise titles (Tribes 1 or 2) you'll immediately notice that the projectiles move slowly (It is entirely possible to outrun your shots), the accuracy is mediocre at best, and while the new skiing ability is nice, it also feels completely random and therefore wont be used by 90% of the people who play it. The vehicles, a staple of the franchise, have been dumbed down to the point of being either totally overpowered (ie. the tank) or completely useless (ie. the rover). The rover and both air vehicles are fragile, only needing one or two shots before being destroyed. This is "balanced" (if you can call it thus) by the vehicles' ability to rapid-fire missles/bombs/etc at ground targets (this gets downright boring after a while).

Game/weapon/vehicle balance issues aside, the game interface is clunky at best, requiring "modding" to make it even remotely functional to the average gamer (or even the Tribes veteran). The ability to switch armors and weapons has been "streamlined" (again a misnomer) to require you to set up several "loadouts" which can be accessed through a complicated "hold" pattern as you step onto an inventory station.

Included maps are an insult to the franchise, often feeling very "cramped". Tribes has historically emphasised an "open air" feel, which is TOTALLY lacking in this iteration.

The choice of the Unreal engine as the foundation for the game has proven to be disastrous, as the game basically had a built in cheater base. Sadly though there will always be those who deny it, aimbots and other hacks are rampant in game.

There is plenty more wrong with this title, and it makes for a very unenjoyable multiplayer experience, but continuing in this vein would only be flailing the proverbial dead horse.

The only saving grace of the game is that the Single Player campaign has its moments, and that despite the somewhat wooden facial expressions, the characters and writing ARE better than your standard crop of FPS games. If you choose to get this game, understand that the campaign is somewhat short, but I DID enjoy the story and it was nice to have a glimpse into the Tribes Universe (even if it doesnt synch with the canon of the game world). I give the SP campaign 3 stars...

But with VU games pulling any support, I cannot recommend ANYONE buy this game save for the brief SP enjoyment.

Don't overlook this great game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 13
Date: March 09, 2005
Author: Amazon User

"Tribes: Vengeance" had the misfortune of being a great shooter that came out in the middle of a flood of great shooters. This quality title was lost amongst UT2K4, Half-Life 2, Painkiller, Doom 3, and Far Cry. If you overlooked this game, then go back and check it out, because this is one that you don't want to miss. "Vengeance" has huge open environments, fast-paced combat, excellent physics, nice graphics, and some very unique combat mechanics. The single-player campaign provides a decent story and a quality experience that is better than most other games of the genre. Games like "Tribes: Vengeance" are the reason why we own a PC.

Tribes: Vengeance can be a very hard game to get into at first. Truly playing games in all three dimensions at such a fast pace and with such powerful weapons takes a lot of learning. With most games, you are stuck on a certain plane, and most weapons just launch bullets. This typically encourages you to use cover and move slowly. With Tribes: Vengeance, you have the entire level at your disposal, from top to bottom, and most of the weapons do some kind of splash damage. As a result, you can never stand still, or you'll be killed. It's very difficult to nail somebody with a shot in midair, so you frequently need to land one where they land and knock them out with splash damage. Jumping and skiing mechanics add an element of speed and skill to the series that distinguishes it from its brethren. Firefights have a unique feel to them that no other first person shooter has. Timing a blast that connects with a guy's feet perfectly as he lands is immensely satisfying.

The physics engine for Tribes: Vengeance is underappreciated and is superb in its own way. Rag doll effects are amplified by all of the explosive weapons in the game. The first time that you blow somebody away and you watch his body fly and roll 100 feet down a hill, it's a very satisfying experience. The physics for flying and skiing are very well-refined, and this is why the jet pack is such an excellent tool. Gravity and momentum feel very realistic once you get used to them.

The game's numerous massive outdoor levels are truly the highlight of the game. They are delightfully spacious and open-ended. Usually, you are given a few objectives, like "destroy three generators", and you are free to approach them however you want. The levels often showcase the jet packs by placing your objectives hundreds of feet in the air. Your jet pack has enough power to leap over mountains, if you want to avoid the roads. Sometimes you get a vehicle to use, although the vehicles aren't as big of a factor as they could have been. Given how much space there is, and how deep combat tactics can be, the game's AI is remarkably good at responding to you once they see you. The game's bosses are very good at leading you with shots, and they will provide you with a stiff challenge. The game's indoor areas aren't as unforgettable as the outdoor areas, but there are still some good ones. The indoor areas feature lots of platforms and big cavernous spaces, which seems to be built for your jet pack.

Tribes:Vengeance is a nice-looking game, although it doesn't quite match up with Half-Life 2 or Painkiller. The weapon models and characters look great, although the environments are a little sparse. Also, the indoor areas tend to repeat a lot of the same patterns and objects, and their look is mostly forgettable.

The audio for "Vengeance" is good, but not great. The tecno soundtrack has a couple of good tracks, but most of it is pretty generic. The weapons sound kind of underpowered for what they can do. The voice acting is decent, although it's a little bit melodramatic at times.

The single-player campaign for Tribes: Vengeance has a decent story, and it is told in an interesting way. The ending is too predictable though. After all is said and done though, the campaign is very good when compared to the rest of the first person shooter genre. There are a handful of levels in the game which feel a bit contrived, like they are a training session for the multiplayer component, but that doesn't affect how much fun they are. I finished the campaign in about 12 hours. The length isn't bad, but given the shortage of good single-player campaigns out there right now, it would have been nice to have more.

It's too bad that this game came out when it did, and not 10 months earlier. Tribes: Vengeance was buried by a flood of excellent games. If you played and enjoyed all of those games, then now is a good time to check it out.

Great job Irrational!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: October 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

After having played the full version of this game for a few days(After having the beta and demo for a number of months), I can say that I am very happy with Irrational games final product of T:V. They have a great history of quality games like System Shock and Freedom Force. T:V takes the awesome gameplay of the first Tribes games, and adds a great singleplayer campaign and the multiplayer is fast-paced and a lot of fun. I highly recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of FPSs. The freedom of movement and the amazing gameplay is something that every gamer should have. I highly recommend this game.

Lack of suppert is driving this game in to the ground

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: March 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I pre ordered this game and have enjoyed it on and off since getting it(playing the single player). The problem is there are a lot of bugs that need to be worked out and Tournament mode not working removes a big part of the game.

The fact that Vivendi Universal is choosing not to support this game any more makes it nothing more than a coaster on my desk. As soon as the announcement came out any one who was working on maps or mods for it left it for a more worth while project. The servers are slowly emptying and its now very hard to find a good server to play on where the match isn't entirly one sided.

I highly reccomend not purchasing this product and saving your money for something better down the road. Even burning your money would be a better way of using it then buying this game.

Dissapointed...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: May 24, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I am very dissapointed in this game... It has great graphics on it, but it strayes from what Tribes was originally created for. I'm what players on the game call an "Old School Player" so i have all 3 games in the Tribes Series. I started playing the original tribes back around 1998, before Tribes 2 came out. The original tribes was extremely customizable on your equipement setups and allowed for easy server side modifications to the game. Tribes vengeance you cant... You have 4 slots of equipment to choose from and thats it. You cannot add equipment or special features to make your games unique. You can however make different game rules. The only part of the game i enjoyed was the grapple, being able to act like spiderman and sling shot around was fun for me and I enjoyed it. If i where to choose between the original Tribes, and Tribes: Vengeance, i would choose the original Tribes any day.

It's only good... so far

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: September 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Having played the Beta for quite some time, I can say that Tribes: Vengeance is a very fun FPS. It is not quite like other FPS's though, in the sense that you just start and kill others. There is some degree of strategy here. You can switch between 3 different "armors", Light, Medium, and Heavy, to put it in easy terms. Each one has their own characteristic and pros and cons. You can also purchase packs, which are basically items that you can use to increase your shield, energy, make you faster, etc.

Tribes: Vengeance is the third game in the Tribes series, mainly multiplayer only games. The big focus and shift in this one is the Single Player portion, though. T:V is the first game in the series to include a single player campaign. It is supposed to be long, and have a good story, although not much else is known.

Concerning the technical aspect now, T:V has good graphics. Not awesome like Doom 3 or Far Cry, but just pretty good. It runs on the Unreal Tournament 2004 engine, so the visuals are similar. This game does use 2.0 Shaders, for nice water effects and shiny metal walls. Everything overall looks detailed and seems right. My only complaint are the particle effects (explosions, muzzle flashes, etc.)... they look like they were ripped straight from Quake 3 (which is an old game by now). Also, the ragdoll effects (when you die) are a bit exagerated. You're wearing 200 pound armor and you still flop around like a bag of jell-o?

Sounds are pretty good. No complaints there.

Biggest drawback in the game, judging from the Beta, are the vehicles. They are useless. I played a lot of Capture the Flag games and nobody ever uses them. They are weak, extremely hard to control, and there is no point in using them. Only the Rover, which is a mobile spawn point can actually be considered useful.

Well, overall, at this stage Tribes: Vengeance is shaping up to become a good game. I hope they can fix some of the issues I mentioned above. I am also looking forward to the single player campaign.

As the title suggests, this game has enormous potential. Let's just hope they use that wisely.

Wow

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: October 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Just an awesome game. Similar physics as tribes 2 and tribes. Skiing, jetpacks, some of the same weapons, the laser rifle, spinfusor, and mortar then you have your new weapons like the grappler, rocket pod, and blaster (which is like a shotgun now). It's a great FPS and like was said before the learning curve is steeper than most FPS. You actually have to strategize for this game. Using different modes of communication and the command console (a map of the battlegrounds showing enemy installments and the enemy) make teamwork essetial for this game. Not to mention the ability to fully mod the game!
On the bad side:
The base gameplay is slow, the inventory organization screen is just a mess and very ineffecient unlike the one in tribes 2 which I must say kicked some major BUTT! The the weapons are dorky. The mods will mostlikely change all of this! Can't wait for the full version of the game to be released!
The game play is slow

Compared to Tribes 1

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Compared to Tribes 1. This game absolutely is horrible. This should have stayed in beta and never released. It was a waste of the 25 dollars i spent on it. Sickening. Horrifying on how bad this game was turned upside down from the original. Little server modding capabilities. Only some of the things good about this game are the Ski Mode, Vehicles, Packs duel capabilities, that were implemented.

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