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. Cookies5000
    Jul 4, 2012
    9
    Decent game and it's worth supporting the company with a few dollars if you enjoy the game itself. If you like the original tribes or any decent shooter game this game is for you(it's free to play so its stupid not to try out). Quite polished and well made maps. About ~100 hours so far spent playing since the beta days and will play some more for sure.
  2. 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.
  3. 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).
  4. kranky
    May 24, 2012
    9
    Very good multiplayer shooter. Imo it has not enough maps right now and matchmaking is not very smart, but anyway it is #2 in list of my favourite deathmatch games, right after Dystopia and before Warsow.
  5. 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.
  6. 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!
  7. MelonPan
    Jun 6, 2012
    9
    If you enjoyed older styles of FPS games like unreal tournament or quake arena, you'll probably like this game a lot. With a very fast pace (literal and figurative) and a very high skill cap, you might find yourself on the receiving end of a lot of punishment early on in your game, but stick with it. Sure you might find it unreasonable to ask that you hit a target half a mile away movingIf you enjoyed older styles of FPS games like unreal tournament or quake arena, you'll probably like this game a lot. With a very fast pace (literal and figurative) and a very high skill cap, you might find yourself on the receiving end of a lot of punishment early on in your game, but stick with it. Sure you might find it unreasonable to ask that you hit a target half a mile away moving at 30 miles an hour with a jetpack, but that just makes it all the sweeter when you do pull it off. The game operates on an unlock system, you accumulate points for playing the game and winning matches, and you use these points to unlock classes, weapons, and gear for your characters. You can choose to speed the process up by spending real money on this unlocking process, but you won't be denied any part of the game for not doing so. Overall, it's not the most friendly to players who are new to hardcore FPS games, but it is incredibly rewarding for those who stick with it and learn the ropes… Expand
  8. Ordish
    Nov 7, 2012
    9
    As an old fan of the original Tribes and all of the sequels, I was anticipating good things from this game. I am not disappointed. They captured the feel of the original game play and the mechanics and controls are extremely responsive. Could they improve the game? Sure, but I have no idea how. Sometimes a classic is good enough. Anyone for a blue plate special?
  9. 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
  10. DOSfan
    May 2, 2012
    9
    been playing since alpha and really enjoy the game. improvements seem to come at a steady and often pace. my only real complaint is that the alternate costumes cost too much.
  11. Toboo123
    Jul 10, 2012
    9
    Whats not to love fast paced skillful gameplay with a great visual style and customization, I have to say its one of the best FPS games to come out recently and it free to play, it really is a breath of fresh air from all the copy pasted modern shooters of today, although I do have to complain about balance a bit, it seems that you can buy things that give you a clear advantage over otherWhats not to love fast paced skillful gameplay with a great visual style and customization, I have to say its one of the best FPS games to come out recently and it free to play, it really is a breath of fresh air from all the copy pasted modern shooters of today, although I do have to complain about balance a bit, it seems that you can buy things that give you a clear advantage over other players some weapons are blatant direct upgrades being simply a re texture of a weapon with boosted damage, but since most modern fps games have less balance than an elephant with one leg i can forgive it.… Expand
  12. 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
  13. 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!
  14. 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
  15. Zucheto
    Oct 29, 2012
    9
    I just started playing this a couple days ago, and it has been the most fun I've had gaming in a long time. So much different than every other shooter. Extremely fast paced and just downright fun. It is also free to play which is amazing for a game of this caliber. People whining that this game is pay to win are stupid. Yes, you can pay to buy upgrades that help you out but you can alsoI just started playing this a couple days ago, and it has been the most fun I've had gaming in a long time. So much different than every other shooter. Extremely fast paced and just downright fun. It is also free to play which is amazing for a game of this caliber. People whining that this game is pay to win are stupid. Yes, you can pay to buy upgrades that help you out but you can also get them by just playing the game.. Yes, it takes a long time to get them without playing, but its FREE. This game could easily retail for $60. Besides, for $20-$30 you can pretty much unlock everything that would be relevant to your play style. For being a free game, this is definitely a must to check out and will be the most refreshing shooter you've played.… Expand
  16. 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
  17. 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
  18. Jackthehedgy
    Apr 23, 2012
    9
    Really fun, easy to get into. However I think its fair to say if you are not use to these types of games its going to be extremely difficult at first. A few minor problems not even worth mentioning about the game.
  19. 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
  20. 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.
  21. 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.
  22. Rangerage
    May 15, 2012
    9
    The most fun I have had with a shooter since UT2004.
    It harkens back to the old days of shooters, when twitch reflexes and brain power mattered.
    The high speed of the game promotes a unique gameplay amongst recent FPS games and the CTF centric gameplay is a great change of pace from releases in the last decade. Definitely a game worth playing once if you're a fan of shooters but can't    The most fun I have had with a shooter since UT2004.
    It harkens back to the old days of shooters, when twitch reflexes and brain power mattered.
    The high speed of the game promotes a unique gameplay amongst recent FPS games and the CTF centric gameplay is a great change of pace from releases in the last decade.
    Definitely a game worth playing once if you're a fan of shooters but can't stand modern military shooters.    … Expand
  23. ScreamingWargod
    Sep 18, 2012
    9
    Hi-Rez has succeeded with an amazing game that is faithful to the original tribes franchise. Graphically, things are average. Gameplay, and overall user emjoyment is where the game thrives. Hitscan was phased out during the later beta period, and now this is one of the few shooter games that has no hacks available. Pure skill game with E-sports affiliation.
  24. hwarming
    Aug 29, 2012
    9
    A very fun and addicting multiplayer FPS, with very fast paced combat, different classes, and it's free! The reward system is similar to League of Legends, after every match you play you get EXP, which you can use to buy new weapons, you get more EXP for winning a match, and doing well. Or you could buy Gold with real money and use that to unlock things. As you use weapons they level up,A very fun and addicting multiplayer FPS, with very fast paced combat, different classes, and it's free! The reward system is similar to League of Legends, after every match you play you get EXP, which you can use to buy new weapons, you get more EXP for winning a match, and doing well. Or you could buy Gold with real money and use that to unlock things. As you use weapons they level up, providing new bonuses, like more damage, better fire rate, accuracy, ect. It's very similar to Quake. This is a game worth playing if you're sick of FPS games like "Battlefield: Generic Modern Warfare 6"… Expand
  25. eriCPA
    Jul 31, 2012
    9
    This is a great game that anyone who likes FPS should give a try. Yes it is a free to play but if you like it I recommend spending $20 and unlock a few classes all the way. While I do not think this a pay to win it is nice to have all the guns of your favorite classes. They do a good job updating and balancing the guns, nothing seems like the must have or only use gun which is great.
  26. Scarrnix
    May 22, 2012
    9
    There is not a lot of variation in regards to guns, but the gameplay is so fun I hardly even care. Its one of the fastest paced FPSs out today and hardly anyone even dies because you are going so fast (which is not a bad thing). I love the skiing because it is a very nice break from standard FPS. High speed chases and exploding projectiles make this game extremely fun to play.
  27. sotlordrahl
    Jul 4, 2012
    9
    I'm a long time FPS fan. I played Tribes 1 a long time ago. Finally a game that feels as exciting as the it used to be. I don't mind the expansion system because its F2P and you don't HAVE to buy upgrades, you can earn them as well. Loving it!!
  28. 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
  29. nurman
    Apr 18, 2013
    9
    A unique game that, to me, feels like a mix of a first person shooter, a driving game and a flying simulator, though it is mostly a FPS

    Free to play, with a weapon system that is composed of unlockables and experience points. Though the game has been criticized for having gold and seasonal "more xp" passes, I do not find that so bad considering the game is free to play. A "GOTY"    A unique game that, to me, feels like a mix of a first person shooter, a driving game and a flying simulator, though it is mostly a FPS

    Free to play, with a weapon system that is composed of unlockables and experience points.
    Though the game has been criticized for having gold and seasonal "more xp" passes, I do not find that so bad considering the game is free to play. A "GOTY" version of the game has also been released where you get all the items unlocked from the get-go. The game has also been released on steam, which makes it even easier to play.

    The game is very solid, multiple different roles and an absolutely MAGNIFICENT physics engine.
    A bit hard to learn but when you get to it, it is tons of fun.

    The only reason I did not give it a 10 is because some of the maps flawed, though this will most likely be fixed with time.

    Time to go fast folks!    … Expand
  30. viciousglowworm
    Mar 2, 2013
    9
    I would have given this game a perfect score 6 months ago. Since then, however a couple of things have changed. Many of the new weapon "balances" will take away a key element of the game, such as the decision to nerf the self-knockback on one of the grenades in the game. That being said, it is still a wonderful multiplayer fps experience, and I would recommend buying the newly releasedI would have given this game a perfect score 6 months ago. Since then, however a couple of things have changed. Many of the new weapon "balances" will take away a key element of the game, such as the decision to nerf the self-knockback on one of the grenades in the game. That being said, it is still a wonderful multiplayer fps experience, and I would recommend buying the newly released Game of the Year edition to instantly unlock all weapons and perks. You fly through the air using your jetpack and quickly slide along the ground while skiing. It brings a new light on the fps genre in a Call of Duty dominated world and rewards skill-not purchases. The one thing this game needs is voice communication. I understand that many users have been complaining about the difficulty to capture flags. The point is, if a coordinated team is able to specifically time well-organized flag caps, then it is not that hard. To do this, we need voice communication.… 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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