Tribes: Ascend

 PC
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 596 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 421 out of 596
  2. Mixed: 100 out of 596
  3. Negative: 75 out of 596

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  1. TheMang
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    I was tired of running around on the ground in typical shooters. Everything was just feeling too slow. Weapons all felt the same from game to game with nothing really standing out.

    I've played Tribes: Ascend since early closed beta, and I've been flying high and skiing fast while getting some of the most satisfying kill shots I've ever experienced in a game. The weapons are unique and    I was tired of running around on the ground in typical shooters. Everything was just feeling too slow. Weapons all felt the same from game to game with nothing really standing out.

    I've played Tribes: Ascend since early closed beta, and I've been flying high and skiing fast while getting some of the most satisfying kill shots I've ever experienced in a game. The weapons are unique and make for very fun game play. I enjoy the game now and look forward to where it's going.

    If you "gotta go fast" in a skill-based F2P title, you gotta play Tribes: Ascend.    … Expand
  2. ProNada
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    Tribes Ascend brings me way back to the old days when unreal tournament and quake ruled all FPS gamers and games like Tribes found a niche among great shooters because of the twitchy, skill-based gameplay that found it's balance based more on your individual skill level and time played over equipment and guns used. The games classes are well balanced moving from high flying pathfinders toTribes Ascend brings me way back to the old days when unreal tournament and quake ruled all FPS gamers and games like Tribes found a niche among great shooters because of the twitchy, skill-based gameplay that found it's balance based more on your individual skill level and time played over equipment and guns used. The games classes are well balanced moving from high flying pathfinders to slower & armed to the teeth Brutes... and a several in between. the fact that this gangs is free to play is amazing... and contrary to popular pay to win models, in this Tribes Ascend there is NEVER a point when you hit a ceiling unless you throw down some cash, you can merely speed up the progression process by spending a little. Very very fun game, definitely keeping me occupied in my free time! 10!… Expand
  3. drankthedrank
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    The Tribes Ascend is a good game that makes me feel the fun times. I love to go so so fast, not llama fat E-grab. I also like that game is free and I do not have to pay to learn playing the game!
  4. angelrubio
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    This review is for the beta up 'till april 10th. Good:
    -The game is fast paced, the maps are well designed and it's generally fun and addictive
    -the ski mechanic feels new and cool effectively makes big maps fast to travel on foot -vehicles are cool -good optimization options (except for the mouse in the menu) Bad: -I miss faster weaponry -I also miss more color diversity in some maps -the    This review is for the beta up 'till april 10th. Good:
    -The game is fast paced, the maps are well designed and it's generally fun and addictive
    -the ski mechanic feels new and cool effectively makes big maps fast to travel on foot
    -vehicles are cool
    -good optimization options (except for the mouse in the menu)
    Bad:
    -I miss faster weaponry -I also miss more color diversity in some maps
    -the leveling up system is a little slow for non paying users (but maybe that's the point of it)
    -the paid perks are too expensive right now.    … Expand
  5. Sounest
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    This game is definitely a break from every other shooter out there, requiring a lot of skill, teamwork and speed. Great game, and I hope to see more from this developer in the future.
  6. ottle
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    Awesome game! True to the original and so much fun! Really gorgeous graphics and a fast pace. Love it! And it's free to play. Go play it now, people! :)
  7. OhRly
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    At first I was worried that Hi-Rez Studios would screw the Tribes formula (like what Irrational Games did) but now I want them to make the rest of the Tribes games if they can, The Graphics are great the maps are fun and huge and we still have the good ole' game mechanics of Tribes 2. Plus its Free to Play!
  8. laidlow
    Apr 13, 2012
    10
    LOVE this game. Such a brilliant departure from the stale FPS format!

    I used to play heaps of COD and CS but after years of play I got really bored with it and eventually gave up on playing multiplayer FPS online. As soon as this arrived in closed beta I was all over it and haven't been able to get enough! Highly recommended!
  9. phlebas
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    Not a big fan of FPS games. I tried out the beta on a friend's recommendation. Definitely felt different from the others I'd played, in a good way. I had a lot of fun with it. I don't know how the hard-cores will view it, but if you don't live and breathe COD, you may be pleasantly surprised.
  10. GameCritical
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    Fantastic game, free to play but not pay to win.

    Nine unique classes, lots of maps and a bunch of game modes including the the classic capture the flag.

    Great community support and developers who care

    Got to go fast....
  11. Jumpmanjordan
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    Awesome game! Best free to player shooter I have ever played. Graphics are beautiful, and the gameplay is mind bendingly fast, furious and fun. Just remember: You gotta go fast!!
  12. kotay
    May 22, 2012
    0
    A great fun game, but you will soon realise that overpowered weapons are released every month, meaning that if you do not get them straight away you will be at a severe disadvantage. Then one month later, a nerf to the old and overpower the new. Really is a shame as they had a great product at the start. So a month has passed since I wrote the paragraph above, guess what, nerfed the old OPA great fun game, but you will soon realise that overpowered weapons are released every month, meaning that if you do not get them straight away you will be at a severe disadvantage. Then one month later, a nerf to the old and overpower the new. Really is a shame as they had a great product at the start. So a month has passed since I wrote the paragraph above, guess what, nerfed the old OP weapons, released an attempt at a balanced OP weapon. Automatics dominate the game to the point that it is just another shooter, no point in going fast because you will be gunned down, no point in using any other weapon other than the smgs because if you are not using them, you will constantly die to them, this really drags the gameplay down, from a fast paced shooter to another spray and pray title.

    Loads of issues with the mechanics, badly optimised, every patch lowers framerates and they do not fix any problems instead they focus on releasing more content to get a quick dollar. I very much doubt this game will last longer than another couple of months unless drastic changes take place, even then it will probably be too late as the playerbase is already dropping fast. It is getting harder and harder to get a full game.

    They really have shot themselves in the foot by focussing on money grabs instead of proper balance and fixing core issues.

    Don't let me put you off, try the game out for yourself, it is free after all. Just do not rush into buying gold, you will probably not spend it. Adios Tribes Ascend, you could've/should've been so great.    … Expand
  13. rocko1900
    Apr 16, 2012
    4
    Decent game at first, but once you gain experience you really start to see a lot of glaring issues.

    For starters, the menu structure is horrible and feels like something designed for consoles. Attempting to change a weapon or perk in the middle of a game is frustrating and time consuming. It takes a bunch of mouse clicks and key presses just to change 1 item. Weapons lack balance! The    Decent game at first, but once you gain experience you really start to see a lot of glaring issues.

    For starters, the menu structure is horrible and feels like something designed for consoles. Attempting to change a weapon or perk in the middle of a game is frustrating and time consuming. It takes a bunch of mouse clicks and key presses just to change 1 item.

    Weapons lack balance! The most superior weapons in the game are machine guns and sniper rifles, while the iconic weapons like the spinfusor fail to keep pace in outdoor fights. If you come across a midfield battle against a machine gun and don't have one equipped yourself, chances are you're going to die in that fight 95% of the time. Especially with the terrible design decision to make your screen compulsively shake every time a bullet hits you. Then you have the snipers that can cover an entire map single handely. It's pathetic when one sniper can shut down a whole team of cappers.

    Shrike lacks balance! Again, another weapon in the game that can single handely dictate the pace of almost any game. A decent shrike pilot can run over countless cappers with absolutely no drawbacks. The shrike is also literally impossible to hit with any weapon weapon unless it's near the ground. The only real threat to a shrike pilot is the saberlauncher and everyone knows what a joke that weapon is. It's more of an annoyance to a pilot than a threat. Then you have people who will just buy a shrike and go technician and use cheap glitches like mid-air repairing, where the person hops out of his airplane mid-air, lands on the shrike and fixes it while it floats in the air. It esentially makes the shrike invicible and impossible to kill and nullifying any damage you do to it.

    Netcode is awful. If anything is above 80ms ping, the gameplay is pretty bad. Everything becomes extremely jumpy and hard to hit. Have fun trying to catch some guy that takes the flag and is lagging. He will be telporting and jumping all over the place making it impossible to land a hit. Then there is also the horrible hit detection, even with normal pings. When you're involved in a chase after someone at a fast speed and shooting at them, you will at times see an explosion land directly on your opponent or very close to his character model, but it won't deal any damage.

    Chasing a flag carrier is impossible at high speeds. Trying to catch up to someone who just took your flag at 250+ speed from a standstil flat land is extremely hard. Especially with the vast majority of back to front routes that let you cap the flag in a few seconds flat, or someone that is on a. Extremely frustrating game mechanic in CTF and probably why barely anyone ever chases in pub games. The only time you will see anyone go chasing the flag is when it's a very slow guy taking it and walking off with it.

    No proper team balance. Countless pub games are team stacked and end in 5-0 scores very frequently.

    A good majrority of people agree that most of the maps are awful, and the only good ones are the ones that are ported from earlier tribes games.

    Wonky physics that makes you feel like you're floating instead of actually flying. Feels like a hover pack instead of a jetpack.    … Expand
  14. CupMcCakers
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    A competitive multilayer shooter that doesn't feel like it was developed for thumb sticks, or the people that use them.

    -Unique
    -Solid Graphics
    -Great Gameplay
    -Strong Community
    -Fantastic Developer

    I can find no issue with this shooter, either you'll like it or you wont. I'm in the former camp.
  15. Thespis
    Apr 12, 2012
    9
    I am new to the Tribes franchise and enjoyed the challenge of skiing and trying to aim. I really enjoyed the beta and I'm excited that it's finally out!
  16. nja
    Apr 13, 2012
    9
    Is the Free 2 Play (F2P) model friend or foe? In my opinion, it is friendly. Compared to another F2P shooter I loved, Crimecraft, you are not â
  17. Cogzwell
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    Words cannot describe how happy I am to have fun competitive games again. Shazbot 4 life! Fast, great gunplay, and tons of customization for your class (if you're into that).
  18. Pat_K
    Apr 17, 2012
    10
    I was very surprised to be able to play this for free. Tribes 2 was my favorite game for a long time and now its predecessor was FTP??? Life was great. Then I spent a lot of money on gold. Life is still great. Download it and continue to build this community. It's a great game with so many options. Don't miss out!
  19. digglor
    Apr 15, 2012
    10
    Stunning contribution to the Tribes series. The best FPS series of all times continues with a real gem. I'm non-stop playing this game and don't need any other shooter for the next 3 years.
  20. Nightmaresiege3
    Apr 15, 2012
    10
    Tribes: Ascend is a high-speed shooter in the vein of UT or Quake. T:A is a game that rewards player skill and teamwork. From the get-go it will be clear that the game does have a learning curve, and people further along it will experience more success in matches. From a technical standpoint, the game is well-optimized and has servers available on various regions including the oft-left outTribes: Ascend is a high-speed shooter in the vein of UT or Quake. T:A is a game that rewards player skill and teamwork. From the get-go it will be clear that the game does have a learning curve, and people further along it will experience more success in matches. From a technical standpoint, the game is well-optimized and has servers available on various regions including the oft-left out Oceanic region. Most of the maps are well designed and fun to play. There are tons of viable strategies for each. For me, the best maps are Crossfire, a small very fast map with two ships hovering above the landscape; Katabatic, a snowy map with giant peaks and Raindance, a remake of a classic map from the original Tribes. One rarely discussed characteristic of the game is its community. Tribes: Ascend has a healthy competitive scene and heaps of helpful players within its community. It is not uncommon for veteran players to put out tutorial content for newer players. Some of the more well-known players, like Blinks from Egocentric will often answer questions on his live streams. All fans of the first-person shooter genre owe it to themselves to give this a try. The game is free, and all content is unlockable through EXP with the exception of cosmetic skins. What there is to unlock can be considered sidegrades and unnecessary for player success.… Expand
  21. CaptainAlphonze
    Apr 16, 2012
    10
    It's free-to-play, the model is pretty fair too, you can get anything with experience, but you would just get it faster if you pay, and the prices are very fair. This game is amazing though. I played it in all my free time this past weekend. It's the first true throwback to fast paced shooters of old in a loooong time. Everything from learning how to ski properly to timing your shots isIt's free-to-play, the model is pretty fair too, you can get anything with experience, but you would just get it faster if you pay, and the prices are very fair. This game is amazing though. I played it in all my free time this past weekend. It's the first true throwback to fast paced shooters of old in a loooong time. Everything from learning how to ski properly to timing your shots is immensely satisfying. I really think everyone should try it.… Expand
  22. Meremoth
    Apr 16, 2012
    10
    This is the best FPS available. Learning curve/skill ceiling is quite a bit higher than other FPS's, but don't let that discourage you. Once you learn the ropes, you will become hooked. There isn't quite anything like performing an e-grab, while mid-airing the flag carrier and returning the flag at the same time, while skiing backwards while trying to dodge obstacles, while stillThis is the best FPS available. Learning curve/skill ceiling is quite a bit higher than other FPS's, but don't let that discourage you. Once you learn the ropes, you will become hooked. There isn't quite anything like performing an e-grab, while mid-airing the flag carrier and returning the flag at the same time, while skiing backwards while trying to dodge obstacles, while still carrying the flag, while the entire enemy team is chasing you, while shooting at them the entire time, while a shrike is chasing you and a doombringer's missle is heading your way. You just can't beat it. You will become addicted to the sound you hear when you mid-air someone. It's so satisfying. Kills in other games aren't nearly as rewarding. And the speed! Oh, the speed, THE SPEED! "Gotta go fast!" I've tried going back to some other games I played before T:A, like the CoD and BF series, and they are just entirely TOO SLOW and boring. I use to have fun in those games, now I do not. T:A has spoiled me rotten. Download this game! It's F2P, so there's nothing to lose! I can already tell I will be playing this game for years to come. https://account.hirezstudios.com/tribesascend/?referral=1390752&utm_campaign=email

    http://steamcommunity.com/groups/TASN    … Expand
  23. saarmae
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    Well i've been playing (by playing i mean hooked on) this since november, and this game is amazing. Most people who read this have never played a tribes game, so listen: forget everything you know about shooters. Forget your piece of **** tacticool "reality simulator" (bloody screen SO REAL) shooters. Forget walking, crouching and going prone. Walking is what gets you killed and the onlyWell i've been playing (by playing i mean hooked on) this since november, and this game is amazing. Most people who read this have never played a tribes game, so listen: forget everything you know about shooters. Forget your piece of **** tacticool "reality simulator" (bloody screen SO REAL) shooters. Forget walking, crouching and going prone. Walking is what gets you killed and the only people who go prone are dead guys. This game is about speed, jetpacking and sliding downhill with speeds exceeding 300km/h while shooting projectile and ballistic weapons at enemies going at comparable speeds. It's completely insane and the best shooter on the market today.… Expand
  24. xSinon
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    Fast frenetic fun, a breath of fresh air after so many year of Call Of Plod: Modern Walking. Nothing can describe the sheer joy of speed or the sudden nausea that comes when you hit something and lose it. The game really harkens back to the great fast-paced and skilful shooters of the late 90's.

    HiRez should also be commended on doing Free2Play right and continuing to engage with the    Fast frenetic fun, a breath of fresh air after so many year of Call Of Plod: Modern Walking. Nothing can describe the sheer joy of speed or the sudden nausea that comes when you hit something and lose it. The game really harkens back to the great fast-paced and skilful shooters of the late 90's.

    HiRez should also be commended on doing Free2Play right and continuing to engage with the community to help improve the game.    … Expand
  25. AuroraX
    Apr 13, 2012
    10
    This game is completely blowing away all of the CoD copies. I am tribes vet, playing every game in the series (except for the console spinoff) and I have to say this game did not let me down. I have been playing the game since closed beta, with every patch the game gets better and better. Classes are very balanced, the maps dont get old (i want more though lol!), the prices are reasonable,This game is completely blowing away all of the CoD copies. I am tribes vet, playing every game in the series (except for the console spinoff) and I have to say this game did not let me down. I have been playing the game since closed beta, with every patch the game gets better and better. Classes are very balanced, the maps dont get old (i want more though lol!), the prices are reasonable, and best of all, its FREE. This and TF2 are the two best F2P games on the market. I'd reccomend any PC gamer to check this game out, the skiing never gets old, even if you're not good at aiming ,you can get good at skiing and cap flags lol.… Expand
  26. Reod
    Apr 17, 2012
    9
    This game reminded me my childhood with quake 2 CTF , really refreshing in age of cod/bf3.Try it since its free , its big chance that it will suck you in.I would give it 10/10 if weapons mods wasnt so expensive (xp).
  27. BikeKayakSki
    Apr 16, 2012
    9
    I never thought I'd say it, but I'm really enjoying playing a free to play game. There's a reason for this though, Tribes: Ascend is not your normal free to play experience. Its not a "pay to win" style of game like a lot of F2P mmorpgs, you actually don't even need to pay a dime to get the full experience out of the game. What you get, for absolutely no money, is one of the fastest andI never thought I'd say it, but I'm really enjoying playing a free to play game. There's a reason for this though, Tribes: Ascend is not your normal free to play experience. Its not a "pay to win" style of game like a lot of F2P mmorpgs, you actually don't even need to pay a dime to get the full experience out of the game. What you get, for absolutely no money, is one of the fastest and most entertaining shooters to have ever come out. The combat is mind bogglingly fast, but at the same time you can play it however you want. Lets say your playing a CTF map, which seems to be one of the strongest game modes in the game. Like face contorting speed? Pick a light armored class and try to capture the flag, finding the fastest route between your base and the enemy base without getting picked off by other players, vehicles, or the surprisingly strong and accurate base turrets. Looking for a more traditional shooter experience? Pick a heavy class and lay down the law with superior defense and high damage, defending your base generator from attack to keep your depoyables and base turrets firing strong. More of a middle of the road kind of player? Don't know a map and how you should play it? Want to do a little bit of everything? Play a medium armored class and have free range of what you want to do on the battlefield. Even with all of the different ways you can play this game, and all of the different game modes that come with it (team deathmatch, arena, ctf, and ranked servers coming soon) the game is surprisingly well balanced. There is no one class that is superior to another and anyone can kill anyone else as long as you know your classes capabilities and fighting style. This is awesome considering you CAN pay for an in game currency of gold, which you can purchase new weapons and classes. But all your really buying is a different way to play the game. NOT buying a superweapon. Which is nice. This is a great shooter experience for anyone who likes FPS games. You wont be disappointed.… Expand
  28. moby323
    Apr 17, 2012
    10
    This game is so much fun and fast paced, it's addictive as crack. This is absolutely the best FPS I've played in years, and is a groundbreaking achievement as to what free-to-play games can be.

    After a long period of beta testing and tweaking, the official release is very balanced and polished. The menus and interface are super user friendly, and there isn't a game around that makes it    This game is so much fun and fast paced, it's addictive as crack. This is absolutely the best FPS I've played in years, and is a groundbreaking achievement as to what free-to-play games can be.

    After a long period of beta testing and tweaking, the official release is very balanced and polished. The menus and interface are super user friendly, and there isn't a game around that makes it easier to jump into the action.

    I highly recommend you try this game, after all, it's free!    … Expand
  29. GenuineOpinion
    Apr 13, 2012
    10
    Absolutely brilliant game. If you liked Star Siege Tribes, you'll love this game, it's a total throwback to the old school. It is definitely a different type of play style when you compare it to something like Modern Warfare. Also, to anyone comparing this to Halo, let me say this; Tribes was first. For free too? Definitely get it. I put it up there with TF2.
  30. Rastarorm
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    Do you like fast paced,old school shooters?Well,if you do,you must have been waiting for another one for years.The waiting's over.Tribes Ascend is what you are looking for.This is the kind of shooter PC community deserves.Designed for PC,no hitscan weapons,you need to go fast and shoot efficiently,a lot of teamplay involved.Hi-rez should be praised for a product like this.Graphics are asDo you like fast paced,old school shooters?Well,if you do,you must have been waiting for another one for years.The waiting's over.Tribes Ascend is what you are looking for.This is the kind of shooter PC community deserves.Designed for PC,no hitscan weapons,you need to go fast and shoot efficiently,a lot of teamplay involved.Hi-rez should be praised for a product like this.Graphics are as good as UE3 can get,the style is awesome and unique,gameplay is satisfying and rewards the skilled players.What else would you expect from a Multiplayer shooter?Oh wait,it's FREE to play as well!

    We surely need more games like this.Thank you hi-rez studios.    … Expand
  31. krak3n
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    Tribes Ascend really has ascended above the Run and Gun copycats currently being played to death. Combining skiing and jetpacking has lead to a full all-axis fighting experience that only the previous tribes iterations have come close to duplicating.

    You do require a beefy computer to run, but if you do you'll be treated to a beautiful game, if you don't then you're really going to    Tribes Ascend really has ascended above the Run and Gun copycats currently being played to death. Combining skiing and jetpacking has lead to a full all-axis fighting experience that only the previous tribes iterations have come close to duplicating.

    You do require a beefy computer to run, but if you do you'll be treated to a beautiful game, if you don't then you're really going to struggle as the game demands fluidity in all areas.

    Stick with it through the tough learning curve and if you can, spend some $ to get some extra loadouts.    … Expand
  32. MightyMichi
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    Perfect revival of a legendary game. This game is tightly designed around speed and fun and I couldn't have dreamed of a better version of the game (actually thought it might suck like the previous version but it's actually super awesome). Wait, why am I wasting time writing this review? Gotta go fast!
  33. Dead_Reckon
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    The game is officially out now and I would like to say that it is amazing. The speed, the shooting, the skiing. It all feels awesome. I would recommend that everyone check this game out immediately.
  34. GuardianLight
    Apr 15, 2012
    10
    The golden age of FPS games is returning! Tribes Ascend is fast and skill based - nothing like the "realistic" shooters peddled primarily on consoles. I've only been playing for a few hours, but already I find the gameplay deeply satisfying. Some kills are easy, but the hardest of them mean chasing that bastard across the whole map - at break neck speed (skiing) peppering them with theThe golden age of FPS games is returning! Tribes Ascend is fast and skill based - nothing like the "realistic" shooters peddled primarily on consoles. I've only been playing for a few hours, but already I find the gameplay deeply satisfying. Some kills are easy, but the hardest of them mean chasing that bastard across the whole map - at break neck speed (skiing) peppering them with the assault rifle the whole time! Tons of fun!

    I find the store/upgrades are a little hard to navigate and understand, but some things are simple enough to understand (i.e. +4 clip size, +5 ammo carry etc.). It's already been through a long beta, but I suspect we'll see the store improve now that they are making money from it.    … Expand
  35. pasido
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    Holy jesus this game is fun. Played on release for 4 hours straight and still going as I type this review. What more do I need to say? Play it and get addicted.
  36. Panface
    Apr 14, 2012
    10
    I've been playing non-stop since the game was released and I have to say that Hi-Rez have made a big step up from Global Agenda. This is a lot more fun and it's what the users want. Free to Play where most things are unlock able with xp earned while playing (Paying money doesn't give any combat advantage). Fast paced action, easy to play but hard to master.
  37. Society2
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    It's pretty hard to go wrong with the price of this game. Even on the completely free model, you can get plenty of enjoyment as the basic kits are fairly viable. Veteran players typically will rip new players apart, however, as the game's pace allows for skilled players to really shine. Beyond the free mode in this game, you can still get plenty of enjoyment for even the cheapest purchases.
  38. Viritus
    Apr 13, 2012
    10
    I have been playing Tribes Ascend for a while now, since the earliest days of closed beta, and I have been very pleased with the game so far, and I am happy to note that the game will continue to be developed, with more content added. This includes, but is not limited to: private servers and server flags, more weapons, more packs, more perks, vanity skins, voice packs (supposedly), andI have been playing Tribes Ascend for a while now, since the earliest days of closed beta, and I have been very pleased with the game so far, and I am happy to note that the game will continue to be developed, with more content added. This includes, but is not limited to: private servers and server flags, more weapons, more packs, more perks, vanity skins, voice packs (supposedly), and other such delights. This game is a breath of fresh air from the cookie cutter games we've all been enduring these past years. The pace is well set and fun, and I don't find myself ever getting bored or angry with this game. I've been playing on a competetive level, working on the gameshrine ladder at the moment, and can say that the balance for high level competetive play is well done and rounded. Look up tribescast.com to watch some of the competetive matches, some of them are pretty exciting. Everybody i've gotten to try the game, including some who were not very keen on the idea of a game that wasn't what they were used to, has become enthralled with the game and continue to play and become tribal addicts.
    The past iterations of tribes are preserved well, but it's not the same game, and I mean that in a good way. There was a stale quality about the older tribes that kept people from playing it, even though it's still available there are few players who still frequent the servers. The game is brought to levels that modernize the franchise without compromising it's integrity, and I think HR has done a great job in recreating the series.
    Some people may be wary of free to play games, but this is one game that will benefit greatly from the format. For one thing, there will be no real shortage of players on the servers, I rarely can find a server that is anything less than 3/4 full on the east coast servers, and I'm often gaming from 2am to 6am. The f2p model also allows for monetary support for the aforementioned continued development of the game. Some may have concerns about unlockable classes and weapons, but for the most part (80-90%), they are all sidegrades, and you are given the 3 most versatile classes in the game to begin with. If you don't want to pay any money to HR to play, you still get a great game, but 10 dollars or so will get you some unlocks or an xp boost and permanent vip status, boosting your xp permanently. Personally, I feel the game as is would be fair in the price range of 30 - 50 dollars, but that's just my perspective.
    I would suggest you try playing the game, and though it might take some getting used to at first, learn to ski, find a class that suits your playstyle, and enjoy the game. After all, what do you have to lose on a free game?    … Expand
  39. Cyzthur
    Apr 14, 2012
    10
    One of the best fps games Ive ever played. Its free to play, fast paced, requires precision aiming, teamwork and coordination, has a high skill cap and will be a great Esport but is still fun to play casually. >
  40. hammer77
    Apr 14, 2012
    10
    I love this game! F2P. The game is officially out now and I would like to say that it is amazing. I would recommend get the game right away what are you waiting for! www.tribesascend.com
  41. Syntax
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    I started playing Tribes: Ascend during closed Beta, and it was good then, but I've watched as the game continued to get more polished, faster, and better. It's a challenging twitchy shooter that takes place at incredibly high speeds, but in today's pansy FPS market, this is the one game that really stands out as something different from the incredibly stale CoD/BF clones that get crankedI started playing Tribes: Ascend during closed Beta, and it was good then, but I've watched as the game continued to get more polished, faster, and better. It's a challenging twitchy shooter that takes place at incredibly high speeds, but in today's pansy FPS market, this is the one game that really stands out as something different from the incredibly stale CoD/BF clones that get cranked out year after year. The challenge feeds my desire to keep playing and getting better, and like a great roller coaster, the high speed keeps me coming back for more. Highly addictive and well put together. The company (Hi-Rez Studios) also seems really laid back and good at listening to the community. I have high hopes for Tribes as it re-enters the gaming world with Ascend.… Expand
  42. jebaka
    Apr 14, 2012
    10
    First proper skill based shooter in years. Delivers exactly what it promises: fast paced awesomeness and that in a free-to-play model. Amazing graphics, amazing gameplay, amazing fun. I'm hooked!
  43. Obi
    Apr 21, 2012
    7
    The game is good, something different from the usual MP FPS games. However there are issues: low experience income, skill doesn't matter since u can buy better weapons with real money, poor badge rewards for certain classes (for e.g. it seems that lately there are ''disco parties'' in generator room since it gives the most credit)
    As for classes they are pretty good, sake from sentinel.    The game is good, something different from the usual MP FPS games. However there are issues: low experience income, skill doesn't matter since u can buy better weapons with real money, poor badge rewards for certain classes (for e.g. it seems that lately there are ''disco parties'' in generator room since it gives the most credit)
    As for classes they are pretty good, sake from sentinel. Sentinel is pretty much failed class, since you can't hit anything unless its a lucky shot, you have to be constantly in aim mode to achieve maximum damage, which leaves little chance or nothing to see whats going around u and the jammer, which should act as a cloaking device is one big target painted on your back.
    However, the game is free and if u can ignore certain fails you should have a good time playing it.    … Expand
  44. Overrwatcher
    Apr 12, 2012
    10
    If you are tired of Call of Duty, Battlefield, or Counter-Strike clones and want a much faster-paced game, check out Tribes Ascend. Team Fortress 2 is still the best F2P shooter out there, but Tribes Ascend is a very close 2nd place. Pretty much Tribes Ascend's main thing is Skiing, where you become frictionless. Most of the time you will be going at ~100 km/h, dedicated flagcappers goIf you are tired of Call of Duty, Battlefield, or Counter-Strike clones and want a much faster-paced game, check out Tribes Ascend. Team Fortress 2 is still the best F2P shooter out there, but Tribes Ascend is a very close 2nd place. Pretty much Tribes Ascend's main thing is Skiing, where you become frictionless. Most of the time you will be going at ~100 km/h, dedicated flagcappers go ~200 km/h, and the best go over 400 km/h. There are only 3 hitscan weapons: Snipers, Shotguns, and some pistols. Everything else is projectile-based, so you need to predict where the enemy will be. There are 9 classes (Unlike the previous in the series which is completely free customization), 3 light, 3 medium, 3 heavy. They all serve a different role. For example, Pathfinder is the fastest class, and is used for flag capturing and chasing. Meanwhile Infiltrator can cloak and has high-damage weapons, which make them excellent at destroying the base from the inside. Juggernauts are very slow but very powerful long-range artillery. But anyway, away from all that class discussion the game is easy to learn, difficult to master. The classes are generally balanced (Although Infiltrator is a bit too powerful currently), but usually unlocking different equipment for them is ridiculously expensive ($8 for major weapons or 100,000 EXP, for example). The community is full of /v/irgins, so mention ANYTHING Reddit and they will freak out and start blindly hating. Overall it's one of the best F2P games ever made, and you should stop what you're doing and download it today.… Expand
  45. Talon27
    Apr 13, 2012
    10
    The first FREE game to deserve Game of The Year! or at least FPS of the year. Tribes: Ascend blew me away with the graphics and the fast, fun combat. At first it is hard to ski around and hit people but really fun once you get used to it.
  46. Dethstar
    Apr 12, 2012
    8
    Good fun. Personally I dont expect masses of depth from a game like that and I didnt get it. However, it does have some fun mechanics, it is fun to play and the FTP balancing act seems to work pretty well. A very good game well worth checking out
  47. demontrace
    Apr 17, 2012
    10
    I am so very happy with this game. The fact that it's free to play, with no real loss in gameplay if you pay nothing, makes it one of the best free to play models I've seen. I'm so happy with the game, actually, that I'm worried that if enough people don't pay anything, that maybe the game's future will be hurt, but I can't imagine that being the case. This game is truly an example of aI am so very happy with this game. The fact that it's free to play, with no real loss in gameplay if you pay nothing, makes it one of the best free to play models I've seen. I'm so happy with the game, actually, that I'm worried that if enough people don't pay anything, that maybe the game's future will be hurt, but I can't imagine that being the case. This game is truly an example of a game that's worth spending some money on, if not to give yourself a little boost, then to support something that is very well made, and fun to play. It's not exactly like Tribes 1, or Tribes 2, and believe me when I say, I played a LOT of Tribes 1 back in the day. It was my most played game back when it was out. It was the reason I'd spend money buying a new video card(wasn't just Nvidia vs ATI/AMD back in those days), so the game would look and play even better. Tribes 1 is one of the greatest games I'd ever played, and while I'm not sure exactly how this one stacks up against the old game, I can definitely say it's faithful to the series. It's different enough to be able to stand on it's own in comparison to Tribes 1, and with some future tweaks, could very well surpass it. I'm confident Hi-Rez will continue to tweak this game for the better, and should some popular Mod servers come about, with mods like Shifter, or any of the Mods that were like that style of gameplay, including some additional weapon slots for classes, and the old glory days of Tribes 1 will be back.
    The game still needs some more optimizing, including more advanced graphics controls, rather than requiring .ini tweaks, and better keybinding, but I can't really hold them against the game when it JUST came out of beta, and they've been updating it so much, that I could see where that would be regarded as a lesser issue that'll be taken care of in time. Therefore, I can't take a point off, and that's pretty much the only thing that'd drop this down to a 9. I'm actually giving this a 10. If you can make a game that reminds me fondly of one of the previous 10s in my gaming history, then you sir, get a 10 as well. A new System Shock that was as good or better than System Shock 2 would be another game that'd get a 10 out of me.    … Expand
  48. loin
    Oct 13, 2012
    2
    You would do well to just avoid this. As for the critics I doubt they plug this because its good.
    They say its good so the public buys. Best to talk to real gamers with years of exp in games
    So glad I did not try the other tribes, no surprises if this dies of within a few years tbh.
  49. tentimes
    May 7, 2012
    10
    You would have to be dead not to enjoy this! Plus, it's free - so don't read any more reviews, just download it and make up your own mind :) I would say it will take you less than 10 minutes before you are totally addicted. I just can't express how much fun it is to be hurtling through the air, turning in mid-stream to lob a grenade at a guy that just flew past you, to have it blow up inYou would have to be dead not to enjoy this! Plus, it's free - so don't read any more reviews, just download it and make up your own mind :) I would say it will take you less than 10 minutes before you are totally addicted. I just can't express how much fun it is to be hurtling through the air, turning in mid-stream to lob a grenade at a guy that just flew past you, to have it blow up in his face. Seriously good fun, and I bought myself a gaming mouse just for this. I don't normally play FPS games, but this is the most fun I have had since Swingball when I was about 7 years old. Excellent, excellent game!!… Expand
  50. Zerasad
    Jul 7, 2012
    6
    The game looks and sounds really good. Now this game is not the easiest to play or understand, at it definetly requires a lot of practice to be really good at it. You can get the hang of the skiing mechanic relatively fast, but you need to play for a long time to master it. Overal the gameplay would get around 8.5 out of 10. BUT what really kills the game for me is the free to play model.The game looks and sounds really good. Now this game is not the easiest to play or understand, at it definetly requires a lot of practice to be really good at it. You can get the hang of the skiing mechanic relatively fast, but you need to play for a long time to master it. Overal the gameplay would get around 8.5 out of 10. BUT what really kills the game for me is the free to play model. You can unlock classes relatively easily, but certain weapons require crazy amounts of in-game currency. For instance if u play let's say 3 matches everyday in a row and u do exceptionally well in every single one, win all 3 and get the first win of the day bonus every single day, it would still take you around 30-40 days to unlock 1 weapon for a 1 class. And that's just 1 weapon. And these weapons are not even that special. They are just ordinary weapons that other classes can have, a Spinfusor for instance (works like a rocket launcher). And since in my experience explosive weapons are far easier to use and unless you are really skilled with non-explosive a lot more effective, it really sets back some classes. So if you want to play with another clas you'll have to grind day and night to get to the level of the others.… Expand
  51. moloh
    Apr 29, 2012
    8
    Really fantastic team based FPS, personally have only problems with very long load times (it appears like game is just not responding), but it did not prevent me from enjoying the game. My only problem is the F2P model that developers use, weapons and upgrades are so expensive (either Gold or EXP) that spending 60$ on game will probably give you just about the half of content now. This isReally fantastic team based FPS, personally have only problems with very long load times (it appears like game is just not responding), but it did not prevent me from enjoying the game. My only problem is the F2P model that developers use, weapons and upgrades are so expensive (either Gold or EXP) that spending 60$ on game will probably give you just about the half of content now. This is really disappointing.… Expand
  52. Bean-Bandit
    Jul 15, 2012
    6
    Honestly this game is more of a let down compared to Tribes 2 and part of that deals with the fact that it's Free 2 Play. There's no dedicated servers with custom maps which is always a great thing. The graphics are somewhat boring and not really up to par with current games. You either have to buy a Starter Pack or play non stop to get enough xp to unlock items or classes. If I'm gonna beHonestly this game is more of a let down compared to Tribes 2 and part of that deals with the fact that it's Free 2 Play. There's no dedicated servers with custom maps which is always a great thing. The graphics are somewhat boring and not really up to par with current games. You either have to buy a Starter Pack or play non stop to get enough xp to unlock items or classes. If I'm gonna be doing that I would rather do this on a MMO then a fps. I would have rather this be a full price game with the wish that the overall feel and play of the game would be alot better then what it is.

    Playing this game makes me miss Tribes 2 and want to play that more then this tribes. Even though Tribes 3 was short lived I would even would rather play that then this game. Heck even the music in Tribes 2 really got you into the feel of the game.    … Expand
  53. krkbomb
    Jul 14, 2012
    0
    Pay to win game. Pay to win game. Pay to win game. Pay to win game. Pay to win game. Pay to win game. Pay to win game. Pay to win game. Pay to win game. Pay to win game.
  54. paws
    May 1, 2012
    6
    Tribes:Ascend looked great in the beginning, but the more I played it, the more serious flaws became obvious to me.

    The weapon balance is pretty bad and often makes little sense, for example a silenced pistol has a higher damage output than an assault rifle. You have to unlock a lot of weapons that are better than the default gear, and the price both in experience points and gold/cash is    Tribes:Ascend looked great in the beginning, but the more I played it, the more serious flaws became obvious to me.

    The weapon balance is pretty bad and often makes little sense, for example a silenced pistol has a higher damage output than an assault rifle.

    You have to unlock a lot of weapons that are better than the default gear, and the price both in experience points and gold/cash is steep. If you spend only $60 on T:A, you still need hundreds of hours to unlock and upgrade the good stuff. If you don't spend any money and stay f2p, you need about 40 hours to unlock each of the more expensive weapons, 30 hours for the middle priced ones and 17 hours for the cheap ones. So unless you spend most of your waking life playing this game, you won't get far without gold. You get 50% once you spend any money, but then you still need a lot of time for unlocks. You can buy xp boosters for gold that doubles the xp rate for a period, but they're usually marginally cost efficient for casual players.

    HiRez has released obviously overpowered weapons in both of it's new weapon packs, and they were the most expensive ones. This shows that pay to win is how they plan to keep maximizing their revenue.

    Being a team based game, team play is a very important factor. Unfortunately, in most games the teams are stacked so that one team steamrolls the other, which is neither exciting or fun. Also, overall team play is usually terrible, especially in CTF games where people often refuse to defend the flag. But if you happen end up in a game were the teams are balanced and people work together, it's a fun game.

    In the Capture and Hold mode, there's less requirement for cooperation than in CTF, so the games are less chaotic, but here the classes don't work as well together as in CTF, and some of the maps used for CaH are just not well suited for it because they have rooms were people tend to crowd up and spam grenades.    … Expand
  55. Dangles
    Aug 28, 2012
    2
    I hate to review games based on their business models, but Tribes: Ascend is just another low quality production with extremely generic maps (no interacts with environment available), mediocre technical work and low production value on top of being a traditional F2P.

    While the main complaint about F2P is the P2W (pay-to-win) argument, it isn't reason it's bad. F2P models generally feel    I hate to review games based on their business models, but Tribes: Ascend is just another low quality production with extremely generic maps (no interacts with environment available), mediocre technical work and low production value on top of being a traditional F2P.

    While the main complaint about F2P is the P2W (pay-to-win) argument, it isn't reason it's bad. F2P models generally feel cheap because in most cases it is. Low production value has always been a hallmark of F2P games with the exception of those made by Valve (TF2 and DOTA2).    … Expand
  56. MathewRD
    Apr 18, 2012
    10
    It's rare that you see a free-to-play that isn't pay to win or forces you to pay to keep playing. Tribes Ascend is F2P done right. The amount of work that went into such an amazing game is mind blowing. If I had the money, I'd send Hi-Rez the prize amount for winning the lottery.

    Do yourself a favor. Ignore the negative reviews and try the game. The only reason there are negative reviews    It's rare that you see a free-to-play that isn't pay to win or forces you to pay to keep playing. Tribes Ascend is F2P done right. The amount of work that went into such an amazing game is mind blowing. If I had the money, I'd send Hi-Rez the prize amount for winning the lottery.

    Do yourself a favor. Ignore the negative reviews and try the game. The only reason there are negative reviews are because people are bad at the game, and it's not the game's fault. Screw anyone who gives it less than a 6 or 7.    … Expand
  57. badrain
    Apr 19, 2012
    10
    Oh gosh, where do i start? I love FPS genre, I play alot of shooters, single/multi alike. I got sucked into the world of Tribes almost instantly. This game is purely awesome. It does everything right and when it doesnt - devs quickly alter it to match what community demands. It's great to know that Tribes: Ascend is still expanding, still getting better. Plenty of goodies, dlc's andOh gosh, where do i start? I love FPS genre, I play alot of shooters, single/multi alike. I got sucked into the world of Tribes almost instantly. This game is purely awesome. It does everything right and when it doesnt - devs quickly alter it to match what community demands. It's great to know that Tribes: Ascend is still expanding, still getting better. Plenty of goodies, dlc's and patches ahead of us. I dont consider it as Free to Play... because it's almost a crime not to pay for it, it is SO ENJOYABLE. Yes, it is free. It gives you three basic classes and a possibility to upgrade them without paying a penny. It will take more time to unlock your desirable gear, but it is possible to fully enjoy this game without contributing any money... Nevertheless, i felt guilty not to pay. Hi-Rez Studios should know that this game made my day a lot of times and still Im totally in love with their game. Ok, but more about the product - Tribes: Ascend is fast paced, skill-oriented, teamplay shooter. If offers great gameplay and huge, well designed maps (most of the time about 32 players at once). The gimmick of Tribes is skiing - as you move down the slope you can slide and gain momentum. Then, jet packing uphill helps you maintain speed. Combine this and you can achieve even more than 200km/h of pure speed! (when playing the lightest class) Hard to imagine? Watch some gameplays or trailers on youtube. Some people here complained about "going thru the map and meeting no one" or "it's to fast to hit anybody". Sorry, but that's BS. Game is perfectly designed and I suggest PLAYING IT for real and not making stuff up. For those saying "it's boring and easy, just wait for somebody to land" I recommend watching some 'blue plate special' (air kills) videos on yt. Also, play Capture The Flag. Team Deathmatch is more of a warm-up before the real thing. The same with the Arena Mode. It's all good, but CTF is THE ESSENCE of Tribes. Skill and teamplay is all that matters. See you on the battlefields, sandrakers! 10 out of 10. It's a perfect game for me.… Expand
  58. Lionhearted
    May 12, 2012
    2
    Thus far I've played about 3 hours. It has some interesting movement dynamics. The game is entirely team based however, I don't think there is a community intercom to coordinate. The game also makes the same shotguns for nubs/mgs for pros error, without a stair step for difficulty. It's a decent timewaster, its enjoyable, but it oesn't draw me in with invention or divergent playstyles. ItsThus far I've played about 3 hours. It has some interesting movement dynamics. The game is entirely team based however, I don't think there is a community intercom to coordinate. The game also makes the same shotguns for nubs/mgs for pros error, without a stair step for difficulty. It's a decent timewaster, its enjoyable, but it oesn't draw me in with invention or divergent playstyles. Its a fairly 1 track minded shooter without a lot of the options. the pay to compete thing here isn't as bad as say World of Tanks, but it's present nonetheless. I think a 6 is suitable.… Expand
  59. MegWhiteley
    Apr 18, 2012
    10
    This FPS is really amazing, Hi-Rez Studios do an amazing job, Tribes: Ascend is incredible, the graphics are awesome, the gameplay incredible. This game is fantastic.
  60. Carlevin
    Apr 18, 2012
    10
    A cut above the 3 second sprint world of endless CoD/BF clones. Tribes: Ascend combines the best qualities of old school high speed shooters while including some of the features we've come to know and love such as awards, badges, and exp based progression into an exhilarating offering that defies its price of entry. The "Freemium" model is very much present but takes a page from TeamA cut above the 3 second sprint world of endless CoD/BF clones. Tribes: Ascend combines the best qualities of old school high speed shooters while including some of the features we've come to know and love such as awards, badges, and exp based progression into an exhilarating offering that defies its price of entry. The "Freemium" model is very much present but takes a page from Team Fortress 2 in that the only items that you cannot obtain by hard work and blowing up lots and lots of other players are purely cosmetic and unlocking and upgrading of items is permanent, not on a timers. The interface doesn't bombard you with pleas to spend more money constantly, its approach feels more grown up when compared to the almost frantic grabbing at your wallet may free to play games present. "Pay to Win" is almost completely absent as well as upgrades for classes and weapons are only purchasable with in game XP and not with micro transaction currency.


    The game-play is incredibly fast and free flowing in most modes, rewarding quick reflexes and split second shot calculations over camping and ambushes. Map design is varied but tends to favor open rolling terrain with long lines of sight and lots of opportunities to make use of the games signature movement style, skiing. Skiing involves turning yourself into a human air-hockey puck, gliding gracefully a few inches above the ground a speeds that can exceed what you could legally do in your car. Hitting a target traveling at that speed or while traveling at that speed or while both you and the target are traveling at that speed is understandably difficult but when it happens the hit is far more satisfying than whole killing sprees are in other games. TDM, Capture and Hold, and Arena modes cater to those wanting a more simplistic experience while CTF offers a lot of strategic play and a good bit of meta-game to satisfy hardcore veterans of the shooter genre.    … Expand
  61. Gilgamex
    Apr 19, 2012
    9
    The feeling of tribes is quite a departure for most FPS players. Being a faithful yet highly honed continuation of the series the game radiates a feeling of some serious TLC was put into the feel, graphics and map designs. The mechanics of the game are unique which involves a shooter experience similar to Unreal Tournament yet with much bigger maps, Jetpacks, Precision Distance basedThe feeling of tribes is quite a departure for most FPS players. Being a faithful yet highly honed continuation of the series the game radiates a feeling of some serious TLC was put into the feel, graphics and map designs. The mechanics of the game are unique which involves a shooter experience similar to Unreal Tournament yet with much bigger maps, Jetpacks, Precision Distance based shooting, And a mechanic called Skiing that produces a thrilling burst of speed to traverse these maps. This game isn't for everyone and I'll explain why. While the game is very accessible and the gameplay isn't overly complex, mastery is an investment of time, patience and practice. It is a very satisfying and rewarding game when you nail down the mechanics but be prepared to hit a somewhat steep learning curve to properly time your skiing, routes, projectile anticipation etc...

    The game runs on the Unreal 3 engine and is silky smooth on even modest hardware, as I run a Nvidia 260 GTX currently maxed out with no hiccups whatsoever. This also works in Tandem with great netcode that rarely if ever produces lag that would hinder this precision based game. The Stat tracking is very satisfying in this game and there all sorts of ways to accumulate points in-game . The more points you accumulate the more XP, the XP more bonuses, perks and weapons you can unlock. I have not fiddled with the P2P model that is implemented in this game, but at this very moment the game is Free with many worthwhile P2P options available. It is pretty amazing that they can sell this triple-A title for free.

    The only gripes I have with this game is the Audio is very average, it doesn't take away too much from the game but it lacks some OOOmph overall. Also, the speed while still pretty fast may turn off some of the veterans of the series because the speed isn't quite as fast as it used to be, which I was indeed a little dissapointed over. Overall though I give this game an 8.5 Though I gave it a 9 because the option doesn't allow decimal ratings.    … Expand
  62. dennycrane
    Jun 3, 2012
    5
    The best part about Tribes Ascend are the improved graphics. Beyond that, the game pales in comparison to the skill ceiling and physics of the first two. Long time players of Tribes 1 and Tribes 2 will understand what I mean. There have been some quirky changes to make the game easier for casual players. That's understandable, but in that attempt its just not as enjoyable. Too much CODThe best part about Tribes Ascend are the improved graphics. Beyond that, the game pales in comparison to the skill ceiling and physics of the first two. Long time players of Tribes 1 and Tribes 2 will understand what I mean. There have been some quirky changes to make the game easier for casual players. That's understandable, but in that attempt its just not as enjoyable. Too much COD style ground hugging combat, very little LD or great chasing skirmishes. Ridiculous massive hit boxes. No team damage and auto regen make this tribes on training wheels. I'm sure the casual guy will enjoy it, but it's not the type of tribes game that make me, or other long time fans want to stick around.… Expand
  63. ObeyingSlave
    Jul 6, 2012
    0
    Tribes is an okay game. It doesn't really yield anything special. It's really just another way to get your money. The game play is pretty good. I like the idea of surfing around. Because everyone is constantly moving, it's very hard to camp. If you stand still for more than 10 seconds, you are sure to be dead. Most of the weapons are total crap. The default classes are very good. TheyTribes is an okay game. It doesn't really yield anything special. It's really just another way to get your money. The game play is pretty good. I like the idea of surfing around. Because everyone is constantly moving, it's very hard to camp. If you stand still for more than 10 seconds, you are sure to be dead. Most of the weapons are total crap. The default classes are very good. They just want to you to pay money to unlock the other crappy classes. The stealth class is just absolute trash. You have to shoot at enemies and the bullets travel so incredibly slow. You can't just aim and shoot. You have to predict and hope you hit them. The bullets do almost no damage. The classes just aren't balanced at all. The only reason I give it a 6 is because it's not that bad of a game. It's just not very fun and enjoyable. Could be a whole lot better though.… Expand
  64. Damien13
    Jul 28, 2012
    10
    Its a fun game. Many complain about the free to play mechanic, but unlike many others, you dont HAVE to buy ingame purchases to be good at it, you can unlock everything by simply PLAYING THE GAME ITSELF. If you do want to buy anything, its the Steam Starter Pack. It gives you everything you need to well, begin, and even if you didnt buy this, there are promotions to get you gold for free.Its a fun game. Many complain about the free to play mechanic, but unlike many others, you dont HAVE to buy ingame purchases to be good at it, you can unlock everything by simply PLAYING THE GAME ITSELF. If you do want to buy anything, its the Steam Starter Pack. It gives you everything you need to well, begin, and even if you didnt buy this, there are promotions to get you gold for free. I myself did buy the Starter Pack on sale and it did give me a good start, but in all reality if i played for about a week i could have gotten all of the items in the pack, besides the gold of course. It is high in quality, even though the only problem i may have is there should be just a tiny bit more terrain details, very few maps have endless hills, but id rather have that than flatlands. If you think a weapon is going to come out you want? Save up XP! Dont bother listening to those who hate because of the F2P mechanic, ignore that and have fun.… Expand
  65. siveZ
    Jun 30, 2012
    10
    The game that actually takes alot of skills to kill someone ya 360 no scope bastards. I would buy this game even if it was paid. In case it's free-to-play i'm gonna buy some in-game stuff to reward developers. Though there is no pay-to-win formula - everything can be unlocked free.
  66. keefbaker
    May 7, 2012
    9
    This is online FPS like it used to be, tactical, fast, fun, pure unadulterated enjoyment. Sure, you can complain that you don't have the best weapons, or instead you can just have a shedload of fun and cope with the fact you're probably not going to be number 1 on the leaderboard. SPINFUSER GO!
  67. gMcizzLe
    Jul 3, 2012
    10
    This game is NOT pay2win, every weapon is a side-grade item to one another. Maybe some weapons are better in some situations, but definitely not overall superior (minus maybe 1 or 2). I have spent over 500+ hours playing this game both in pubs and competitively, and put about $50 dollars into it so far. Needless to say, I am extremely impressed by this game as a former UT/Quake player.This game is NOT pay2win, every weapon is a side-grade item to one another. Maybe some weapons are better in some situations, but definitely not overall superior (minus maybe 1 or 2). I have spent over 500+ hours playing this game both in pubs and competitively, and put about $50 dollars into it so far. Needless to say, I am extremely impressed by this game as a former UT/Quake player. If you were ever a fan of UT/Quake/Tribes1/2, or are bored of CoD/BF3, as you should be, then you need to play this game right now.… Expand
  68. Katana
    Apr 30, 2012
    10
    With nearly 400 games in my Steam library, it takes a very good game to pull me away. Minecraft did it, but now even that has been left on the sidelines by Hi-Rez's new game, Tribes: Ascend. It's unique combat system where movement and prediction become more important than regular aiming, this is a game that has got me playing every night, with a growing interest the more I play. Go tryWith nearly 400 games in my Steam library, it takes a very good game to pull me away. Minecraft did it, but now even that has been left on the sidelines by Hi-Rez's new game, Tribes: Ascend. It's unique combat system where movement and prediction become more important than regular aiming, this is a game that has got me playing every night, with a growing interest the more I play. Go try it, it's FREE!… Expand
  69. EddyHan
    May 9, 2012
    9
    This game is one of the best F2P FPS I've played since TF2! The graphics are crisp, the gameplay is awesome, and the sound effects and music adds to the pace of the game...Which is really damn fast!! This game maybe fantastic, but there are somethings that tarnish it's glory. In Tribes: Ascend you will be playing for a long time to unlock one single gun with XP, but Hi-Rez studios givesThis game is one of the best F2P FPS I've played since TF2! The graphics are crisp, the gameplay is awesome, and the sound effects and music adds to the pace of the game...Which is really damn fast!! This game maybe fantastic, but there are somethings that tarnish it's glory. In Tribes: Ascend you will be playing for a long time to unlock one single gun with XP, but Hi-Rez studios gives the option to buy gold which can be used to unlock weapons and equipment. This means that there will be rich kids playing with their fancy guns, but the weapons that all classes start with are decent enough to confront anyone in combat. In terms of balance, each class seems to have their advantages and disadvantage with one exception...The sentinel class which is very weak and doesn't even scratch other classes with it's sniper rifle! Tribes: Ascend does get regular updates which includes new weapons, equipment, skins and maps. Tribes: Ascend is great fun, fast paced and free to play!… Expand
  70. pow3rboy
    Apr 29, 2012
    10
    It is true that the game is simpler than Tribes 2 and lacks lots of elements which made tribes series (besides Vengeance) so good. But it is still exciting and fresh. You don't have to spend a cent/penny/grosz because it's free.
  71. LilD
    May 7, 2012
    9
    Can't really complain about a free game can you? The game seems pretty straightforward as all FPS games are. The game modes are pretty traditional like CTF and Team Deathmatch. The addictive part is the leveling system. Like the online of CoD, the more you play, the more you are rewarded for XP. You can use these XP to upgrade your character. While this is so much fun, the differenceCan't really complain about a free game can you? The game seems pretty straightforward as all FPS games are. The game modes are pretty traditional like CTF and Team Deathmatch. The addictive part is the leveling system. Like the online of CoD, the more you play, the more you are rewarded for XP. You can use these XP to upgrade your character. While this is so much fun, the difference between the starter character and the fully upgraded character is feast or famine making a pretty unbalanced game. There are at least a dozen different classes to choose from, so "completing" the game would take a really long time. The graphics are stunning especially the weapons and the gameplay is really entertaining. Skiing down the mountains and jetpacking in the air is really fun and also creates a huge challenge that makes taking down enemy players extremely satisfying. Overall, this game is definitely worth the download.… Expand
  72. xGalile0
    May 6, 2012
    10
    Tribes Ascend is a breath of fresh air in an industry saturated with military shooters aimed only for maximizing profit yearly. I downloaded this game expecting to be turn off since I absolutely hate any form of low-gravity in games, but I was wrong. This game is a metric crap ton of fun and the fact that it's free only doubles its worth. I mean, where else can you find a free game withTribes Ascend is a breath of fresh air in an industry saturated with military shooters aimed only for maximizing profit yearly. I downloaded this game expecting to be turn off since I absolutely hate any form of low-gravity in games, but I was wrong. This game is a metric crap ton of fun and the fact that it's free only doubles its worth. I mean, where else can you find a free game with graphics that rival that of Crysis 2 (given that you have a solid rig and you maximize settings)? It's wonder how Hi-Rez is still around with all the high quality f2p games they're putting forth and they're not even pay2win. Even the most expensive weapons and items you can get in just a few days of playing, with that said there's really no crucial incentive to buy booster packs or gold as of now, but with the constant release of new content then that notion might change completely. It's a skill-based game for the most part; if you're not a PC-FPS veteran or just suck at FPS games in general, it will be almost impossible to get a good score in your first several games until you learn and perfect the ropes. That's probably the biggest drawback to this game, it's not noob-friendly 90% of the time. In the first few hours that I played I was constantly getting 3-4 K/D ratios (I'm a PC-FPS vet for the most part) and almost half the players in a 16v16 game can not get any kills in a 25 minute game. However, that changes once you start playing with people level 15 or higher, that's when the skill level drastically increases. Sometimes they release weapons that are overpowered, but Hi-Rez does listen to their fans and usually issue tweaks in a matter of weeks. My best advice for new players is to practice skiing/jetpacking to get your accelerations on point, change your mouse sensitivity to something more comfortable (the default is way to high), and change classes once in a while so you don't get bored, this also improves your overall skill at the game, and best of all, practice practice practice!… Expand
  73. Elsako
    Sep 14, 2012
    9
    This game is to the closest to the original I've played. It really is a polished game. It's was polished when I started playing in Beta. If you like FPS and flying this game is awesome. It's certainly on a level with TF2.
  74. elhive
    Jul 9, 2012
    9
    This is how FPS's should be like. Tribes is pure run and gun, even more exciting then Unreal Tournament. You don't get cover, you don't get realism, but you get fun. Tons of it.
  75. Jugnificent
    May 8, 2012
    10
    I loved both Tribes 1 and 2 when they were out, so when I first heard about this release I was very interested (and the F2P aspect was just icing on the cake since I'm a cheapskate). I personally don't get a bunch of the complaints the negative reviewers have.

    -One reviewer gives the game a super low score, but he's been playing since September? Really, if a game is that bad I'm not    I loved both Tribes 1 and 2 when they were out, so when I first heard about this release I was very interested (and the F2P aspect was just icing on the cake since I'm a cheapskate). I personally don't get a bunch of the complaints the negative reviewers have.

    -One reviewer gives the game a super low score, but he's been playing since September? Really, if a game is that bad I'm not going to play it, free or not.

    -Lots of the negative reviews complain about the weapon balance, with some complaints in particular about machine guns. I will agree that machine guns seem a bit better than they were in the old tribes, but its not like everyone is exclusively using them. The plasma gun *was* overpowered, but they fixed it very fast. I don't see complaints about any of the spinfusor variants, but lots of people use them (to good effect).

    -One reviewer complained about it being hard to find people on the map. Unless you are going out of your way to avoid people, I've never seen that to be an issue.

    -Another reviewer said CTF was impossible to defend. If the teams are very imbalanced (which happens fairly often unfortunately) this can happen, but I've seen a lot of very good flag defense. Another said chasing was impossible and not done, yet I see people chase the flag carriers (and kill them) all the time. The things I will agree that I don't like: -The screen vibration when you get shot *is* annoying and overdone. Imo it helps make the game less newbie friendly (which with its huge skill curve is NOT needed).
    -Orbital bombardments are dumb. It reminds me too much of the COD method of "hey lets give a bonus to someone who is already doing extremely well!" The tactical strikes are fine.
    -Stacking is an issue sometimes. I'm not sure how to easily fix this, but it can make for annoying 5-0 speed matches.
    -The generator seems to be annoying to keep up sometimes. Maybe my memory is faulty but I didn't remember it being as much of a hassle to defend in the first two Tribes.
    -Some of the unlocks are pretty expensive (game XP and real money wise), but you're better off sticking with a limited number of classes anyway to build up your skill.    … Expand
  76. Mitthrawnuruodo
    Jun 28, 2012
    5
    A solid first person shooter that is unfortunately built on a pay-to-win free play model. The person who spent the most money on better armor, better guns and better perks that are constantly released will win.
  77. BrainTrust
    May 15, 2012
    10
    So forgive me if Im wrong here but isnt this supposed to be a game where guns matter? I can't figure out whether or not Im being trolled when I log into the screen and see the white dot. Ive contacted support and spent hours on the phone with them, I taked to a really cute girl on there who's name I will keep anonymous because she asked me to. I just want to say thanks for the supportSo forgive me if Im wrong here but isnt this supposed to be a game where guns matter? I can't figure out whether or not Im being trolled when I log into the screen and see the white dot. Ive contacted support and spent hours on the phone with them, I taked to a really cute girl on there who's name I will keep anonymous because she asked me to. I just want to say thanks for the support and thanks for the advice you gave me, it gave me the courage to keep going and I will forever be greatful for that. I want to add that the secret to being really good at this game comes with time and patience. I have mastered all of the different aspects and areas that anyone with a similar level of education can appreciate. Its not the little things that count when trying to excell at this game that matter but the continuous effort you put into abusing what is wrong with the system and taking advantage of what needs to be taken advantage of. I am not the average PC Gamer with a basic understanding of CMOS, I come from a long line and generation of individuals who share the same values that I do and strive to keep those values in line with what the creators of this game intended those playing it to achieve. A lot of people will read this review and be confused but that's normal when you haven't been to the places I've been and seen the people I've seen. This game really is just like a purple neckless that dangles from the wrist of an overbearing giant you'd commonly see on a planet rotating near two closest binary stars are to our solar system. Once you see the neckless and focus in on it you forget about all the soft and squishy heartwarming feelings you once thought were important. It's just like that time when you were eight years old and the world was so bright and the future was so far in the past that you forgot about why you were playing in the street without any shoes. Scooping up tar with your mothers silverware and shooting your neighbor with a bee-bee gun are all things of the past. Regardless of whether or not you have the notion to recollect and discover all the infinite possibilities this game can offer you there is one thing for sure; and that is that you have wasted a serious amount of time by reading this review. thumbs up please, if you desire the same things that I desire. Its not everyday that a german speaking CEO gets to work in the limelight of other popular titles that overshadow the really important ones. Money talks, and if you want to make a change that will have any kind of everlasting impact on the way that people take for granted the things you and I hold so dear to our hearts you should know that these types of opportunites don't come that often. A lot of people have spent hard earned money to enjoy false shadows cast on the wall, accepting these images given to us by false teachers to be "Real" images. We are all shackled to a dungeon wall deep inside of a cave looking at shadows cast onto a wall infront of us by a fire. This false light and the years we have spent believing in what society tells us is "important" and "real" is nothing more than the shallow desires that will bring an end to this tiny bit of sand spinning in the Multiverse. If you stepped out of this cave and travelled up the winding path to the outside world you would be blinded by the sun. The brightness would overpower you at first, but soon you would want the glory of the sun for others so they too could see what real light was. Imagine yourself returning to that dark cave and trying to explain to the others what you had seen and what they were missing out on. They would be angry with you and want to kill you. You are that person tied to wall, the sooner you accept this the sooner you can change. There is "Truth" out there, there is more to this world than Money and Possessions. Stop being materialistic, stop thinking that the pretty pictures you see of individuals are the way you should be. We are an MTV generation raised up to believe that one day we would all become rockstars and movie gods, well the sad truth is that this won't happen. Advance your goals, make time for your family and those who you care about. We need to rally together as a world and realize that space exploration and energy conservation are more important than fighting these useless wars over Oil and Power. If we don't make changes to the way we live as humanity, and start taking care of this little bit of sand we call Earth, we just might destroy it. My message will go unheard because I'm making it on a review of a game that I downloaded and played, but that doesn't make my message any less true. If you imagine the distance of the Earth to the sun, which is 93 million miles away being compressed to the width of a piece of paper. The nearest galaxy to us would be a stack of papers 73 miles tall. We are nothing, this tiny bit of sand spinning in a forever expanding multiverse is all we have.… Expand
  78. Salient0ne
    May 24, 2012
    5
    I played a lot of tribes2 and was very good at it. I started playing this, and just got owned. Why? This is very much play to win and the grind to get the weapons/items/perks is miserable. Like 50 wins needed per 1 item. You'll never see scrubs at the top of the leader boards, and you'll get tired quick of using inferior weapons and having no energy to keep up with the enemy. Its quite sadI played a lot of tribes2 and was very good at it. I started playing this, and just got owned. Why? This is very much play to win and the grind to get the weapons/items/perks is miserable. Like 50 wins needed per 1 item. You'll never see scrubs at the top of the leader boards, and you'll get tired quick of using inferior weapons and having no energy to keep up with the enemy. Its quite sad too, the simple solution is to fix the match making, i dont understand why scrubs get stuck in games full of pay2win players.… Expand
  79. chazden
    Jun 18, 2012
    10
    First off, tribes is without a doubt the most fun shooter game I've ever played.
    I've played competitive cs 1.6 for 6 years mainly due to the lack of skill required in other shooter games... until I found tribes ascend. This is a completely different type of shooter than cs or cod, but it's extremely addicting. Once you hit your first blue plate shot from miles away you'll know why so    First off, tribes is without a doubt the most fun shooter game I've ever played.
    I've played competitive cs 1.6 for 6 years mainly due to the lack of skill required in other shooter games... until I found tribes ascend. This is a completely different type of shooter than cs or cod, but it's extremely addicting. Once you hit your first blue plate shot from miles away you'll know why so many people love tribes. Back in the day I used to get excited if I landed a nasty 1shot on someone from across the map... That excitement has been lost for years now. Tribes has revived that child-like excitement over a single kill, which you don't find often in shooters today.

    After playing tribes for just a few hours, I was literally trying to find something I didn't like about the game.
    I still haven't found a single negative thing about this game. This new dev team has my respect and loyalty. They don't just listen to the community, they put in the work to polish the game beyond all expectations.    … Expand
  80. SaintZz
    Jun 23, 2012
    10
    Tribes Ascend is a rare type of game and the best free to play FPS since TF2. Flying and skiing over 200 mp/h with firepower beyond this world it gives you a great sensation of speed and power. The learning curve is not easy one and all classes play differently so you have to learn every class bottom up, this take time, but every unlock gives you a feeling of accomplishment unlike mostTribes Ascend is a rare type of game and the best free to play FPS since TF2. Flying and skiing over 200 mp/h with firepower beyond this world it gives you a great sensation of speed and power. The learning curve is not easy one and all classes play differently so you have to learn every class bottom up, this take time, but every unlock gives you a feeling of accomplishment unlike most games. This game is too good to be true, free, skillful, good looking, great maps and awesome weapons. Just get it.… Expand
  81. Aukerai
    Nov 6, 2012
    9
    After 510 hours of gameplay, I believe that it's time for me to review this game in it's entirety. For a quick review: Great Graphics, fresh, original gameplay, free, but the freemium model, while not P2W, does aggressively encourage you to purchase premium currency.

    So, to those of you who aren't aware of *what* Tribes Ascend is, it's a free to play, multiplayer first person shooter    After 510 hours of gameplay, I believe that it's time for me to review this game in it's entirety. For a quick review: Great Graphics, fresh, original gameplay, free, but the freemium model, while not P2W, does aggressively encourage you to purchase premium currency.

    So, to those of you who aren't aware of *what* Tribes Ascend is, it's a free to play, multiplayer first person shooter with 32 player dedicated servers. Describing Tribes isn't hard, but it sure as hell isn't easy either. Let's focus on the graphical side first, as it's the easiest to explain. Tribes Ascend is an impressive looking game, with models that are painstakingly detailed. However, some of this detail disappears in the terrain textures, as from certain angles it's obvious that the textures tessellates. Animations are smooth, fluid and damn pretty to look at, with your character even angling his body to match rotation of strafing whilst he jets. But this is where we start to run into more serious graphical issues. Tribes is poorly optimised, on account of the Unreal Engine not handling large open environments well without map stitching. As a result, the framerate tanks when observing the vast open maps. Even 2 570s drop to ~45FPS in some areas. Not a problem, but interesting to see.

    Now let's look at gameplay. The core mechanic of Tribes is that of skiing. The ability to remove friction between you and the ground, and use gravity and jetpacks to attain ridiculous speeds is an absolute blast, and while easy to pick up, extremely difficult to master. Tribes:Ascend is a fairly well balanced (Keyword, FAIRLY) game, with each of the game's 9 classes featuring distinct strengths and weaknesses. Take the Soldier for example. He can cap, but not as fast as a Pathfinder. He can defend the stand, but not as well as a Doombringer or Brute. He can duel, but not as well as a Raider. When you first play, be prepared to die. alot. This is because very few weapons are hitscan, meaning the projectile takes a good deal of time to reach your target. While this isn't an issue on say Battlefield, when other players are whipping about at 200 + kph, it becomes a good bit more difficult. In addition, explosive weapons inherit some of your movement speed when you fire them. If your fire a basic spinfusor, for example, it will fire at ~280kph. But if your moving at 200 when you fire, it will inherit 50% of your momentum, and instead travel at ~380kph. This further raises the skill ceiling for the game, which was already quite high.

    Finally, let's look at the business model for this game. Here's where most of the game's problems reside for the average gamer. Weapons and equipment are quite expensive, requiring 4800 (not much) to 88000 (much better than closed beta, but still quite high) xp. You can get all FUNCTIONAL items in the game for free, so this game is far from pay to win, and one of the fairest f2p shooter models to date, but unlocking weapons is a long time consuming process (as should be expected of a f2p). You can purchase gold in order to unlock skins, weapons, classes or even voice packs, and the pricing, while a little expensive, isn't draconian. Overall, the business model could do with a little work, but it's by no means pay to win or insultingly expensive. If you want everything unlocked fairly quickly, drop $50 on the game, buy a year of boosted xp, and relish in the xp.

    As a conclusion, Tribes:Ascend does alot of things right. While it does have several flaws, most of these are minor complaints in comparison. This is by no means a perfect game, but it's the easily the best f2p FPS to date, and easily competes with today's AAA titles for graphic fidelity and gameplay mechanics. Metacritic doesn't allow for x.5 scores, but I'm giving Tribes the benefit of rounding, because of it's original concept, and solid core mechanics.    … Expand
  82. DeMelkor
    Jul 19, 2012
    10
    One of the best shooters i' ve played in the last years. Very fast with great weapons and ah fair balance between the classes. And you earn enough XP during the game to get your favourite weapons instead of buying them.
  83. Isaac_adhd
    Jul 28, 2012
    10
    This game is tightly designed around speed and fun and I couldn't have dreamed of a better version of the game (actually thought it might suck like the previous version but it's actually super awesome). Wait, why am I wasting time writing this review? Gotta go fast!Fantastic game, free to play but not pay to win
  84. ZZZGheronZZZ
    Jun 1, 2014
    4
    Great initial game play. Provides lost of incentive to play again. VERY crappy lvl system that favors player who have been playing longer not skill... crap gaming style.

    Hi-Rez has the same problem with Smite and tried to fix it by starting all players at lvl 0 but still favors players who have been playing longer. Want more money? Make the game fun for everyone to play.
  85. Mogul
    May 6, 2012
    4
    This game looks pretty, and is easy to jump in and play. For me, though, I found the physics and controls to be very wonky and unintuitive. The skiing + jet pack stuff just doesn't feel smooth to me, and I never really felt like I was going that fast either (even at speeds where I would never get shot or hit things that I was shooting at). There also seem to be class / weapon balanceThis game looks pretty, and is easy to jump in and play. For me, though, I found the physics and controls to be very wonky and unintuitive. The skiing + jet pack stuff just doesn't feel smooth to me, and I never really felt like I was going that fast either (even at speeds where I would never get shot or hit things that I was shooting at). There also seem to be class / weapon balance issues, but that's not unusual for a game like this. I can see why people would enjoy playing this, but it's just not my style I guess.… Expand
  86. Coeco
    Jul 22, 2012
    3
    Had loads of fun with this game at beta. Then it just got worse. And worse. And worse. And worse with every single update they released which is odd considering Hi-Rez studios pride themselves on listening on the community which has clearly not been the case for this game. Originally, they threw a few mixed updates both with good and bad, nerfing some of the obnoxious explosive weapons butHad loads of fun with this game at beta. Then it just got worse. And worse. And worse. And worse with every single update they released which is odd considering Hi-Rez studios pride themselves on listening on the community which has clearly not been the case for this game. Originally, they threw a few mixed updates both with good and bad, nerfing some of the obnoxious explosive weapons but then they tugged down the weapons that requires actual aiming and started adding more explosives instead with not the slightest hint of concern for balancement in regards to rewarding players for aim or tactics. I thought that all the good stuff had to be in the paying section so I threw them a couple of bucks to try more content just to be met with even worse weapons, including a set of daggers that you could throw for around 200-300 damage each depending on enemy armor quite slowly with extremely precise aiming and timing required or pick up the standard silenced SMG that spews out hundreds of rounds per minute for 50 damage each. I asked for a refund not too long afterwards, explaining my disappointment and they insisted on having my account closed due to their inability to retract purchases manually which is a shame because now I've lost all hope of returning to the game once things have been polished but hey, at least they honored people refunds which is more than I can say for most US companies right now.… Expand
  87. Nevermind
    Apr 28, 2012
    4
    Tribes:Ascend seems like a good game, and is mostly. However, this is the kind of game where the little things are eventually going to become annoying. I mean mostly weapons with area of effect only, deathmatch where kills do not matter (but holding the flag does) , capture the flag maps that seem to be impossible to defend, a generator that doesn't do much on the best days, and loses theTribes:Ascend seems like a good game, and is mostly. However, this is the kind of game where the little things are eventually going to become annoying. I mean mostly weapons with area of effect only, deathmatch where kills do not matter (but holding the flag does) , capture the flag maps that seem to be impossible to defend, a generator that doesn't do much on the best days, and loses the game on the others. Even the unlock system is pretty obnoxious, you get to unlock a weapon or a class that might be virtually useless, without any information whatsoever, and they do cost a bit. The practice/training session could let you try all classes, but no. That would be too easy, I guess. The innovative skiing system is nice, but tbh I wasn't really so good at it. I can ski, but I can't really sky and shoot so much. I guess I should mention, most of the weapons fire plasma projectiles with weight, so you have to lead your aim. What's worse, they inherit your speed and momentum, so if you jump, for example, the plasma "blob" will inherit the jump momentum, and go slightly upwards. This is actually a pretty neat change from the usual point and click. Oh, yeah,and I forgot to mention the voice chat spam. "Shazbot" will become a part of the english vocabulary soon enough, and part of your nightmares way before that. I did have fun killing some guy or the other, so the game has it's moments, but for me, games are about winning. I couldn't figure a way to win in this game. Maybe you can.… Expand
  88. True-Saber
    May 20, 2012
    3
    A good break from the every other slow fps these days. Sadly the developers did not understand the importance of only the Heavy classes (other than sniper/sentinal) having high velocity projectile weapons, which prevented the unbelievable amount of spray-and-pray-spamming that takes place in this game. They also completely ruined the amazing customization of player characters. No longerA good break from the every other slow fps these days. Sadly the developers did not understand the importance of only the Heavy classes (other than sniper/sentinal) having high velocity projectile weapons, which prevented the unbelievable amount of spray-and-pray-spamming that takes place in this game. They also completely ruined the amazing customization of player characters. No longer can you choose Heavy, Medium, Light, instead they are uselessly split up into 9 "different" classes. Most of which have only 1 or 2 packs to choose from and as few weapons. In comparative terms its like going to checkers after playing chess your whole life.… Expand
  89. PlusEighteen
    May 23, 2012
    1
    Tribes: Ascend is a solid game buried by poor balance and developer greed. At first it seems fair, everyone has the same choices in gear so it's mostly skill based unless someone buys unlockable weapons via the cash shop, but in the beginner queue these crutches don't give much of an advantage over a more skilled player. After ranking up past 6 though, the entire game goes to **** MatchesTribes: Ascend is a solid game buried by poor balance and developer greed. At first it seems fair, everyone has the same choices in gear so it's mostly skill based unless someone buys unlockable weapons via the cash shop, but in the beginner queue these crutches don't give much of an advantage over a more skilled player. After ranking up past 6 though, the entire game goes to **** Matches are stacked regularly, all the high ranked players flock to one team and curbstomp the other, unlockable gear is extremely unbalanced/overpowered and goes weeks with no fix, certain classes are just better versions of others, and the biggest point is automatic weapons completely defeat projectiles which is the main drawing point of tribes in the first place. Weapons take over 20 hours of gametime to unlock, and many of them are straight upgrades over vanilla gear, so a person with vanilla will always lose to a person with unlocks, and this is how they make their money as you can buy unlockable weapons with real cash, 10USD for a single weapon when each class has 3+ weapons to unlock. It's a damn shame because the actual gameplay is a lot of fun, but when you lose to someone with unlocked gear every single time, not because they're better than you, but because they bought an advantage, what's the point of even playing the game? At this point the game can't be fixed barring a complete rebalancing of almost all the weapons and classes in the game, and they can't do that when people have already paid real cash for their easy mode gear.… Expand
  90. santosx
    May 26, 2012
    0
    Mediochre game. Unlike basicaly all modern shooters, Tribes does not use unlagged code, which means that latency (ping) is not compensated. This does for a "back to the 90s" feeling, where low pingers always had a massive advantage. Plus its not realy "free to play", its more "pay to win" unless you will spend hundreds of hours to even get the basics for free.

    If you got a very low    Mediochre game. Unlike basicaly all modern shooters, Tribes does not use unlagged code, which means that latency (ping) is not compensated. This does for a "back to the 90s" feeling, where low pingers always had a massive advantage. Plus its not realy "free to play", its more "pay to win" unless you will spend hundreds of hours to even get the basics for free.

    If you got a very low ping, fail to excel in modern shooters and desperately need another fps, Tribes might just be the niche game you are looking for. Otherwise, move on, waste of time. Oh, and note how most positive user reviews here have been written on certain days, like april 12th ... small and dedicated community ;) So most likely the user score for this game is fake.    … Expand
  91. loungegecko
    Apr 30, 2012
    5
    Alright, Tribes is NOTHING special. It's a generic online shooter. Sure, you go fast, yeah, but honestly? It doesn't even give the feeling of fast that you would get from a lot of other games. Also the balance is poor. It's a given that in any online game the edge goes to more experienced players, but the experience and unlock system makes this game terribly unbalanced. Also, the crash andAlright, Tribes is NOTHING special. It's a generic online shooter. Sure, you go fast, yeah, but honestly? It doesn't even give the feeling of fast that you would get from a lot of other games. Also the balance is poor. It's a given that in any online game the edge goes to more experienced players, but the experience and unlock system makes this game terribly unbalanced. Also, the crash and bullet physics are absolutely dreadful. It's redeemed by the fact that it looks pretty and it's fun to play ONLY IF YOU HAVE FRIENDS PLAYING. It's free, so it's worth a download I suppose.… Expand
  92. diablo3helpme
    May 29, 2012
    0
    My god this game is bad.. How can people rate this so high?

    How can people play this pay to win game?

    They really have shot themselves in the foot by focussing on money grabs instead of proper balance and fixing core issues.
  93. Darkmark
    Jun 17, 2012
    5
    It the start it was fun because of the jetpacks and skiing which really added some dynamic movement to the game that you rarely see in other shooters. It was fun just skiing around trying to go as fast as possible or to fly around with your jetpack in the middle of combat. But after some time the game got boring and you began to notice all the flaws and the poor balance. Now i haven'tIt the start it was fun because of the jetpacks and skiing which really added some dynamic movement to the game that you rarely see in other shooters. It was fun just skiing around trying to go as fast as possible or to fly around with your jetpack in the middle of combat. But after some time the game got boring and you began to notice all the flaws and the poor balance. Now i haven't played the game in a while and though it can be fun at times if you play it with your friends there are much better games out there.… Expand
  94. Zimzams
    Jun 22, 2012
    6
    The game is fun, there is no doubt about it. if you are looking for the remedy to the generic slow, cover-based fps that have been trending lately then this is a decent game for that. HOWEVER, there are serious balance issues, Hi-Rez have their "fremium" model all wrong, it is far too easy to buy power in this game, and unlocking stuff without paying takes far too long. not to mention theThe game is fun, there is no doubt about it. if you are looking for the remedy to the generic slow, cover-based fps that have been trending lately then this is a decent game for that. HOWEVER, there are serious balance issues, Hi-Rez have their "fremium" model all wrong, it is far too easy to buy power in this game, and unlocking stuff without paying takes far too long. not to mention the fact the weapons are not side-grades all the time, but can be straight up-grades
    all in all its a fun idea poorly executed, but there is still hope for it to be fixed in a future patch.    … Expand
  95. Qlmmb2086
    May 22, 2012
    4
    After about a month of this game, I think I have played enough to form a proper opinion.

    Tribes: Ascend has two severely conflicting features. It has the Tribes game mechanic, which are incredible, and it has the Free to Pay scheme, which is terrible. If everyone was equal, this would be a truly amazing game. Combat is fast-paced, based entirely around accuracy and split-second timing,    After about a month of this game, I think I have played enough to form a proper opinion.

    Tribes: Ascend has two severely conflicting features. It has the Tribes game mechanic, which are incredible, and it has the Free to Pay scheme, which is terrible.

    If everyone was equal, this would be a truly amazing game. Combat is fast-paced, based entirely around accuracy and split-second timing, and has rich tactics. The classes all play differently in a good way, and excel in different situations, and different weapons can be used differently depending on your environment and range to target.

    Unfortunately, you don't get to any of that unless you spend money on the game. You start with three classes, and those classes in turn start with less health, less energy regeneration, less ammo, less weapons, and less perks than anyone who has paid into the game, even if they're using the same class that you are. For being "not pay to win," this is surprisingly noticeable in the game. In theory, everyone would be able to unlock weapons through "experience points" at a reasonable rate, but unfortunately the way Hi-Rez has weighted the costs of the items, it takes (litterally) about 300 matches at 20 to 30 minutes each to unlock ONE new weapon, never mind classes, perks, armor upgrades, and upgrades the weapons you've unlocked.

    That's right; it takes well over one HUNDRED hours of play time to get a single weapon. Grand total cost to unlock everything (currently) in the game directly? About $150. And that's only currently existing items; expect more to be added faster than you can unlock them at your pitiful one-weapon-per-month rate with free points alone.
    Because different weapons are better in different situations, "all weapons are good in some way." Unfortunately, all weapons are also BAD in some way... usually some way that is extremely easily exploitable by someone using... you guessed it: a weapon they paid money to unlock. The real issue isn't the different weapon matchups; the issue is that the combat in the game is 90% about switching weapons, classes, and loadouts to exploit your opponent's weakness, which is literally impossible to do without paying money into the game. As a result, spending money on the game gives you a clear advantage, which is the one thing Free to Pay schemes should never do, from a gameplay standpoint.

    To be fair, this wouldn't be a problem if it was consistent. The problem lies in the fact that some people are earning their way up the ladder, while other people bought the weapons and classes directly, and then simply spend all their XP on upgrades so that even if you DO get the same class and weapon, their version of the class is STILL more powerful than yours.

    Technically, you can unlock everything in the game with XP. But you won't. You won't even come close. The most generous estimate my calculator gives me is that it takes about 1250 hours of matchmaking to unlock everything in Tribes: Ascend without any payments. That's six months solid if you treat the game like a full-time job. And by then, you'd have to start over on everything that had been added to the game since.

    TL;DR: Great game mechanics, but expect 9 out of 10 of your deaths to be from someone using a weapon you haven't unlocked yet and probably never will.    … Expand
  96. refdxf
    Apr 26, 2012
    9
    Very fun game for free. Simple as that. Yes they release op new content that unbalances the game. The new raider gun is nuts op. But it's still a very fun game for free. You can choose to buy stuff, or you can unlock it with xp. It will take a very long time with xp, but you can do it. The most expensive weapons are 100k xp. You get probably an average of 500xp per match if you performed decently.
  97. Qkumba
    Apr 17, 2012
    9
    Aside from several overlookable latency issues that have hit-scan weapons and spinfusors dealing zero damage on direct hit, you gotta go fasterr as this is Sanic Hegehog world of shazbots.
  98. iom666
    Apr 28, 2012
    10
    Fantastic game, the Tribes 2 style and community being resurrected, hell yeah ! Not only is it A Tribes game done right, it is free to play !
    But honestly, the $50 package is by far the best and you won't regret it.
    Also please gives some kudos on Twitter to Chris Rickwood (@chrisrickwood).
    He is the genius composer behind that awesome music.
    Really, that game has everything right, TRY IT !!
  99. Vagrant
    Apr 18, 2012
    9
    Brutal old school Deathmatches and CTF's with a sprinkle of new school graphics and "Modern Warfare". Free skis and jetpacks makes it all more fun. There's quality entertainment for everyone here, as it is Free 2 Play.
  100. Suits
    Apr 21, 2012
    9
    Fast paced and with a high skill ceiling. So refreshing being able to move around with speeds of 300 sanics flying through the skies. In fact, whenever i play another game, the walking feels like crawling. Combat is fun and trades the point-and-click hitscan of your usual generic FPS in for projectile based weapons, which in combination with high speeds, need a certain level of skill toFast paced and with a high skill ceiling. So refreshing being able to move around with speeds of 300 sanics flying through the skies. In fact, whenever i play another game, the walking feels like crawling. Combat is fun and trades the point-and-click hitscan of your usual generic FPS in for projectile based weapons, which in combination with high speeds, need a certain level of skill to effectively use. Team based play is fun all around, when using the VGS system, tactics are easily coordinated without the use of VoIP. A number of modes and custom servers keep it diverse and every class plays entirely different and load-out allow for even more costumization. Gotta go fast.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

18
#18 Best PC Game of 2012
35
#35 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Aug 31, 2012
    89
    Contrary to the classic gameplay of an FPS that requires constant cover, slow advances, crouching and prone positioning, the battles of Ascend happen on the ground, as well as in the air and in tremendous speeds- thus changing drastically the classic tactical approaches of the genre. It's a breath of fresh air in the online FPS world. [September 2012]
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Aug 10, 2012
    70
    Arcade online shooter surprises with fresh and fast paced playability and is a very good alternative to paid services with its free-to-play model. [Issue#220]
  3. Telegraph
    Jun 12, 2012
    80
    Tribes: Ascend is a worthy successor to its forebears, bringing the same inimitable, hectic play style married to graphics that will stretch even the most capable machine.
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