Starsiege Tribes

"Great. Now if only they had rehab centers for this game!"

Intro
You know, I had my doubts on this game. I'm not a very big multi-player person, especially not with shooter games. I'm always the guy who runs out and gets the crap clobbered out of me while everyone else is busting out mad moves that almost seem impossible for any computer. Sure, the same is true for this, however, the ''mad movers'' don't always get the last laugh.

The Game
In Tribes, you play multi-player against literally thousands of other Tribesman (although you only play about 5-30 on each server) in classic shooter combat. However, this game promotes two thing that many others do not (well, not very much, anyway): Team work and leadership.

Oh, the Possibilities!
There is so much to do in this game: Capture the flag (the most common mission played), racing, football, arena, duel, tournament, and many more. In some missions, you'll be put on teams while on others, it's every player for his or herself.

Skins
You can also get creative and create your own skins (character design), assuming you have a good enough program for it such as Adobe Photoshop, etc. You can even set up your own server and set up your own missions as well as modify what types of armor and weaponry to choose from.

Arsenal
Speaking of which, you have a large variety of armor and weapons to choose from! Different armors with different advantages and disadvantages, each to serve its own purpose. The game also has a large range of weapons, from different sniping rifles to mortars or even regular blasting guns.

Practice Makes Perfect... and a Very High Kill Rate!
The game takes lots of practice before you get good enough to kick some tail, but with enough patience and work (and proper patches), you can become superb.

Joining a Tribe
One of the best things about this game is that there are groups of players (called ''Tribes'') that you can join or you can start your own Tribe. Some Tribes seem pretty serious (setting up times for practice and try-outs to join the Tribe) while others are more laid back (no practice or try-outs, mostly just a personal Tribe that's usually people who personally know each other). Such as the Tribe I am currently in, *D*O*D* (Disciples of Duckman). We are a more laid back Tribe, but the thing is all the members in the Tribe are family members.

Graphics
The framerates and animations are a strong point. The only problem I really saw was slight blockiness and pixilation. All in all, though, the game is beautifully displayed.

Sounds
There really isn't a whole lot of music to this at all. You can, however, pop in a music CD while playing this and listen to that as the game's soundtrack. The sound effects and voices are really cool! The explosions have a great sound to them. You can even hear them echoing throughout your base when someone is being attacked. While the voices are nice to have, there is the occasional idiot who loves to just sit there and play the same voice over and over again to annoy people.

Controls
This is probably the only point of the game that really ticked me off at first. The controls are very complex. It does take a little while just to get down the basic use of the jet packs. Then, when you have that down, it's time to move on to to actually using inventory items automatically with hot keys. You have to make sure you remember where your hot keys are. One thing that I found helps with this game is using the arrows as your direction, the mouse as your aiming device (for lack of a better term), and right shift as jump. Others may find easier ways, though.

Don't Be Discouraged
Some nights, you're the man! Some nights, you're the... well, to refrain from using profanity... I guess I'll just say some nights, you just suck! Don't be too discouraged if you're losing a lot. You will have to take your bumps on the head if you wish to get good at this game. I've played for a couple years now, and I'm still not great at it.

FINAL JUDGMENT
Graphics: A bit pixilated, but not too bad. Great animation. 9/10
Sounds: Good sound effects and voices 9/10
Control: Takes a bit of getting used to. Too many toggle buttons and such to try to remember. 7/10
Plot/Storyline: N/A
Gameplay: Very addictive 10/10
All Together: 10/10

Perks
*Addictive
*Nice sound effects
*Good animation
*Somewhat unique
*No monthly fees!

Downers
*Complex controls
*Can be a bit frustrating
*LAG!

Recommendations
This game is currently selling for $10. If you enjoy multi-player shooters, you will love this game!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/11/00, Updated 09/28/01