There was a time when action games, like first-person shooters, were really, really, really simple. You played the game from a first-person perspective, ran around a hallway, and blasted everything that wasn't you. Times have changed, thanks to games like the team-based Tribes series, which lets you play as a futuristic soldier on a team of futuristic soldiers--all the while armed with a few high-powered weapons, a jetpack, and some pretty serious speed. You achieved this speed in the previous games by using your jetpack to fly through the air and then "skiing"--gliding along the surface of the ground in freefall, which often let you accelerate to incredible speeds. Tribes: Vengeance will be the next game in the series, and it will have the competitive, team-based gameplay and the unique weapons and vehicles of the previous games, plus an all-new single-player game from the creator of System Shock 2 and Freedom Force. We've seen the game in action a few times, but recently we were finally able to take the game for a spin.

Did we mention that Tribes is back with a vengeance?

Tribes: Vengeance takes place several centuries before the events of the first two Tribes games, and it will offer a somewhat different and more streamlined setting. It will still feature futuristic weapons and vehicles, such as the two-man buggy, which we revealed previously, and a newly revealed, one-passenger air vehicle, the pod, which isn't especially fast but possesses excellent maneuverability. The single-player game will encompass a power struggle between three warring factions, or "tribes." These include the Imperials, the Phoenix, and the Blood Eagles. Each of these tribes will have a distinct look and feel that will be reflected in its armor and architecture. The Imperials wear heavy, boxy blue armor with gold trim, while the Phoenix tribe wears orange-colored armor with curved surfaces. Finally, the Blood Eagles wear jagged, angular, bright red armor. The single-player game's unusual structure was inspired by the sci-fi novel Cryptonomicon in that the narrative of the different levels jumps between different characters in different time periods. One of the game's main characters, for instance, is an Imperial trooper named Julia who is seeking revenge on the man who attacked her family when she was just a child. As a result, you'll play as Julia in different times of her life throughout the single-player game. However, you'll also be playing different characters.

According to multiplayer designer Michael Johnston and lead designer Ed Orman, Tribes: Vengeance will also be a game that's shaped significantly by user input, both from experts and beginners. The pair outlined four common criticisms of the previous games. One, they seemed "slow" at the beginning; two, their environments were too big and didn't allow much opportunity for fighting; three, the games were too complex to understand easily; and four, Tribes 2, specifically, was buggy at launch. The designers explained that each of these issues was carefully considered, so the team has now implemented actual gameplay features to address them. For instance, while Tribes veterans know that the games let you "ski" at incredible speeds by gliding along the ground after using a jetpack, the initial acceleration can seem slow to some players. As a result, the new game features faster acceleration from low speeds and affords you some limited movement in midair without using a jetpack, which represents a concession that new players might find useful.

The team is also including several smaller maps that were specifically designed for as few as two players at a time. This was done so that new players could get into the action quickly rather than having to roam around huge, empty maps. Also, the Tribes team is attempting to streamline the game to make it more accessible to new players. For instance, the new game has an onscreen minimap that lets you see your teammates' positions without having to come to a dead stop to open the command screen, as in previous games. Finally, the designers went on record by assuring us that the new game will not reuse any of the computer code from the infamously unstable Tribes 2. Instead, the game is built on a heavily modified version of the Unreal engine, and interestingly enough, some enterprising hobbyists have actually been working on the first modification for Tribes: Vengeance--a customized game mode called Starsiege 2845.

By equipping yourself with different armor, weapons, and packs, you'll have plenty of options.

However, the game will still use the concept of equipment "packs" that you can use to outfit yourself. Tribes: Vengeance will feature a total of four packs, including the repair pack, which we revealed previously. Additionally (as in the previous games), the new game will let you equip yourself with one of three kinds of armor--light, medium, or heavy. Each has its own speed, jetpack capacity, and unique weapon. Take the light armor's sniper rifle and the heavy armor's mortar, for instance. The former is great for picking off enemies from afar, while the latter is useful for bombarding an enemy base from a distance.