Starsiege: Tribes - PC Game - Retro FPS

Game Review - by Jeremiah Pratt
I have seen the future of gaming--and it is called Starsiege: Tribes. No one can argue Dynamix's claim that Starsiege: Tribes is truly "The Ultimate in 1st-Person Squad Warfare." In fact, that's a pretty safe bet because from what I've seen, it's really the only title featuring 1st-person squad warfare. Oh, some might argue that Quake's "capture-the-flag" add-on is squad warfare, but they certainly won't be waving that clan's banner after experiencing the innovative features of Tribes.

You see, regardless of what critics might argue Quake's capture-the-flag is essentially every man for himself. You might be wearing the same color as other gun-toting goons--and they might not be shooting at you--but that's just about where the friendship ends. The communication and strategy-planning tools simply aren't in place to give you any true feeling of squad unison or control. There's no way to issue specific waypoint objectives or to follow-up on a soldier's remote success. There's no way to coordinate shelling attacks. There's no way to request (or receive) repairs for your damaged armor from a fellow Tribesman.

Tribes takes the tired 1st-person shooter genre, yells at it a bit for being so damn complacent, whips it into shape, shows it some deadly new moves, and then sends it marching back onto the battlefield stronger than ever. If you're already familiar with the Starsiege universe, all you really need to know is that there are no "HERCs" in Tribes (HERCs are the giant robot "mechs" that one might normally associate with the Starsiege brand, assuming I can say "mechs" without being sued by someone). Instead, you assume the role of an infantry soldier (or commander, if your comrades will have you) in one of four main armies: Children of the Phoenix, Starwolf, Diamond Sword, or Blood Eagles.

Features:
One of the truly neat features of Battlezone was the ability to leave your tank, set out on foot, and snipe unsuspecting vehicles using your long-range scope. Tribes kept the huge outdoor environments (but improved them). They did away with the emphasis on vehicle combat (but included a few for good measure), added personal jetpacks (how else are you going to navigate around these huge worlds!). And focused on the thrill of being a single soldier in a densely populated world of organized conflict (but a single soldier who is still able to make a difference). As you might expect from a game that relies solely on multi-player combat (there are a few single-player training missions, but that's it), getting hooked up with other Tribesmen has never been easier. All you need is an ample Internet connection--no additional software or game service is required. Simply click on any of the dozens of live games that instantly pop up on your screen, or choose to host your own carnage. Up to 32 players can join in the action! Another great new feature includes the ability to "filter" the rather lengthy list of game servers to meet specific criteria that you designate. Perhaps you simply won't accept a ping over 150. Or perhaps you crave "Defend & Destroy" missions. Or maybe you still prefer games supporting only 16 soldiers. Tribes allow you to customize all of the displayed information, making it very easy to find the game scenarios that appeal to you the most. It even allows you to your favorite servers for the next time around!

Graphics:
In a year when licensing the Quake II or Unreal engine was the rule rather than the exception, Dynamix took a risk (what a gloriously wonderful risk it was) by building their own engine to create the Tribes experience (3D accelerator card recommended, but not required). In doing so, Dynamix was able to seamlessly combine the awesome outdoor alien landscapes of Battlezone with the indoor corridor combat we recognize from so many other shooters. And while the indoor graphics might not quite be up to par with the likes of Half-Life or Unreal, the outdoor vistas are breathtaking. In fact, never before have the great outdoors been so great (oh, I suppose except in real life--but not by much!). This game renders for miles. Other games now feel utterly claustrophobic by comparison sometimes you'd just like to sit and watch the sunset, but really can't for fear of being sniped. Such is life in a territorial Tribe. Don't expect load time when you move from your bunker tunnels to the expansive battlefield, either. The Tribes engine includes the ability to instantly advance from Quake-like interiors to full-horizon landscapes. There are no levels or load times to speak of--just territory to conquer. Tribes are also the only game of its kind to feature various weather conditions, as well as day and night scenarios. Of course, in the next release, I'd like to see more environmental/terrain features such as trees and water. They also need to get the jittery elevators working smoothly, but you can probably expect that problem to be fixed in a patch.

Windows 95/98/NT, Pentium 166 MHz or equivalent, 32 MB RAM 3D accelerator video card, 4x CD-ROM, DirectX compatible sound card, mouse and keyboard