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 TRIBES 2Reviewed By: Jeff HutchinsVOLUNTEER GUEST REVIEWER
Genre: Sci-Fi Shooter
“Tribes 2” is, at it's heart, a large-scale game of Capture The Flag over gigantic outdoor landscapes. Players are divided into teams, each with it's own base, and war with the other teams. “Tribes” is a very unique game, as it adds elements to traditional first-person-shooter titles that are very seldom seen. All players begin with some standard equipment and a jet pack, and from there, you can change your armor type, weapons, and “packs”, which are extra goodies you can use, such as extra jetpack fuel, deployable turrets, changeable turret barrels, etc. Different equipment combinations are better suited for different tasks. For example, a person with Juggernaut armor and a plasma rifle is going to be a useful attacker, while someone with Scout armor and a repair tool would be excellent for defense. Another feature not often seen in games of this type are vehicles. Players can take control of mobile bases, fighter planes, scout hoverbikes, etc. For those who don't like to fly alone, the Shrike Bomber requires both a pilot, and a bomber, as well as space for a third person to ride along as a tailgunner.
The entire online mode of the game (which is, really the only fun way to play) requires you to sign up (for free, of course) for a community-style game network. If anybody reading this who is familiar with Battle.Net from Blizzard (as seen in such games as “Starcraft”) will know what I'm talking about. The system, aside from it's primary function of finding and joining games, contains extra features, such as built in message boards, news postings from the development team, chat, and a way to join different “Tribes”, which are groups of players who band together to make a team of sorts. While this is a fantastic feature with a lot of cool potential, parents should be advised that you can run into some unsavory characters on the system. Normal Internet rules for children should apply here, as on any chat-style community. Violence in this game is very mild. While you DO shoot things, there is no blood whatsoever, and is very non-graphic. Also the guns you use seem like something out of Star Wars. The Spinfusor, for example, shoots glowing blue discs of energy. The violence in this shouldn't be an issue. Language, while not present in the game itself, can be present in the form of other players chatting. This game also features voice-chat capabilities for the sake of teamwork, but it could easily be abused if someone decided to do so. I've never seen any misuse of the voice chat system, but the potential is there. Adult content is not part of this game at all, but as I said before, it's not at all unlikely that you will run into some inappropriate things being said by other players.Overall I would say that this game is fine for anybody over their teens. The game promotes teamwork and camaraderie, and the game itself contains no content that most people would find objectionable. Pick it up if you see it. Year of Release—2001 Positive—I have played Tribes 1 for ages and I have just stepped up to Tribes 2 and I must say Tribes 2 is too soft… I think it is the softest game of all FPS's but until some good mods come to bear Tribes 2 will become more brutal. I think that it might become offensive but [as of now most players are] gentlemen. My Ratings: [5/4]
—Ludo, age 17 I have been playing the Tribes series for over a year now and love the game. I would say this game is just fine. The content is WAY better than other games such as Quake 3, CounterStrike, and Unreal Tournament. This game offers a great sense of teamplay and the chance to meet other people with similar interests in gaming. I recommend it. My Ratings: [4/5] I've played in the Tribes/Tribes 2 community for over 2 years now, and am very familiar with the game. I think the adult content rating you gave this game is harsh… There is no nudity at all, with every player dressed in armor that covers at least 80% of the body. The game, in itself is not offensive at all… The players you play with may be offensive… My Ratings: [5/5] Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this Christian Spotlight review are those of the reviewer (both ratings and recommendations), and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Films for Christ or the Christian Answers Network.
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The nature of this game requires teamplay on a very large scale. Teams must be coordinated. If an enemy manages to get into your base and destroy any generators or sensors, your whole team will be left crippled and open to attack. The more advanced weapons in the game require one player to mark a target with a targeting laser before the other player can fire on it. Everybody has to function as one team, or else you'll get totally trounced.