Tribes Aerial Assault Preview

Last week, Sierra brought by a playable version of Tribes Aerial Assault, along with a set of broadband-adaptor-equipped PlayStation 2 units. We had the chance to play the game online with fellow editors, as well as beta testers and Sierra employees, as our opponents back in Seattle. We came away much impressed by how well the game handled from a technical standpoint and by just how much it managed to re-create the high-flying madness that Tribes 2 on the PC is known for. Since then, we've had a lot of time to mess around with the game on our own, albeit offline, and have managed to put together all the information regarding its various play modes and impressive set of options.

Tribes is nearly as easy to control on the PS2 as it is on the PC.

For those unfamiliar with the series, Tribes is known as the first FPS game to effectively use the Z-axis in 3D space--but the second if you count Interplay's classic Descent series. It did this by strapping jetpacks to the backs of combatants, granting them the ability to blast off powerful bursts up in the air. This brought to the game a new layer of strategy previously untapped by other first-person shooters and earned the game a dedicated following as a result. Tribes 2 further refined the formula, adding new items and vehicles and generally tightening up the game's pace. It's directly on this version that Tribes Aerial Assault is based. The game is essentially a pared-down version of Tribes 2, whose maps have been made more manageable in the context of the smaller head count that it will allow for. Specifically, the PC game allowed for upward of 60 players in a multiplayer game at once--Aerial Assault will allow for 16. While it may seem like a drastic cut, its actual effect on the game doesn't feel all that serious. The environments will still feel quite populated, and the game's unique mechanics make the time you may spend traversing space in search of a fight that much more bearable.

You'll do battle across arid mountains and lush jungles.

As you'd imagine, much had to be done to fit a game--with controls as complex as Tribes 2's--to a gamepad. And given just how much functionality had to be crammed on the DualShock controller, Sierra has done an admirable job. If you've played any recent console FPS, then the basic controls will be second nature to you--just like with Halo, in which you move around with the left analog stick and control your view with the right. Upward movements, in the form of jetpack thrusts, are accomplished with the R1 button. You have an energy meter that dictates just how much thrust you can muster at any given time, which you'll have to pay close attention to--because if you can't counterthrust during your descent, your fall will be speedier than healthy, and you'll suffer immensely. Your regular jump, conversely, is mapped to the L1 button. Given the power of your thrusters, you'd think that the jump is of secondary importance, but the opposite is actually true. The act of "skiing" is one of the game's more unique mechanics, and it is accomplished by holding down the jump button while going downhill. Doing so lets you gain an insane amount of momentum and serves to counterbalance thrusting when moving through rough terrain.