DID YOU KNOW THAT THROUGH the Earthsiege, Starsiege, and Tribes series, this universe has supported 12 games? It's true. For the latest extension, it's getting personal, with a deep backstory of family conflict being crafted by a studio well-suited to the task -- Irrational Games, of System Shock 2 and Freedom Force fame.
Vengeance promises a unique telling of a tale -- spanning a period of 20 years and 16 missions -- that outlines the huge tension felt between the warring tribes. In the role of Julia, you'll pursue a story that stems from the attributes Irrational has infused in its other games. As founder Ken Levine told us, "We like to give the user a ton of tools that let him choose how he approaches the gameplay, and then build a lot of emergent and simulational systems to support that."
What we saw of the gameplay was pretty amazing. Aside from the Unreal engine-powered looks, what started as a seemingly typical Tribes duel, with you fighting as the strapping Julia, took an amazing twist: suddenly the gameplay shifts into her life as a child, with you controlling the kid as tribesmen escort you away from an apparent assassination attempt. Then, after you fight another mission, a cut-scene shows the perpetrator of the earlier betrayal about to be revealed... until that character is assassinated. Your next mission? In the shoes of the assassin!
And that's not to mention the multiplay, which its designer, Michael Johnston, says will add new weapons and vehicles for two to 32 players, and is made "to avoid overwhelming new players while still allowing vets to experiment with different combinations and strategies." Fan-tastic.
-- Rob Smith