Tribes: Vengeance Preview

Take between 2 and 32 players, throw in a combination of standard and futuristic weaponry, plop them into a variety of new environments and what do you have?

Tribes: Vengeance is the next evolution in the franchise, published by Vivendi Universal and Irrational Games for the PC. Not only does this game feature the robust multiplayer shooter action that Tribes players are accustomed to, but this title offers the first single-player experience in the game’s history.

“One of the goals we had was to make sure the environments were fun,” stated producer Chris Mahnken. But clearly another goal was “to come up with tools  and let the community see what they can do with them.”

Tribes: Vengeance offers some new vehicles, weapons and armor. There is a fighter, assault ship, a two-person vehicle and three-person vehicle. The grappling hook is a new weapon in the game. While not a weapon, per se, you can use that hook to snag people and pull them off the ledges. The buckler offers damage absorption and a knock back feature. There is also a burner, and a rocket pod.

There are six different characters that can be played, at least 10 multiplayer maps, and 15 missions with about twice that number of levels. The environments are incredibly lush and interactive. Using the Havoc physics engine, Tribes: Vengeance offers an immersive experience.

The glimpse at Tribes: Vengeance at the VUG Pre-E3 Editors’ Day was all too brief, but from what was seen, this is an incredible treat for the eyes, as well as being a terrific shooter action. From ground assaults to aerial-based combat, Tribes offers a complete shooter experience, and one that PC gamers will be looking forward to playing.

For all the E3 2004 Previews