The game itself is pretty great, but Hi-rez have made some HUGE mistakes that makes the game boring. 1.The balance SUCKS BALLS! They say that the game is F2P, but it is P2W. I have played 50 hours of Tribes: Ascend and I still don't own 1 good weapon. To be good at the game and to really have a good time, you will need to buy weps for money. There should be more weps, right now there are like 10 weps for every class and all good weps costs 76000 and you get like 300 from 1 battle.

2.There are to few gamemodes and maps. There should be lots of more...

3.The healthregeneration. Sometimes, in the middle of a battle your opponent will try to flee. When you haven't hit your opponent for a certain period of time their healthregen will start, which means that the opponent can first retreat until they have full hp and then they can kill you easily. This is really annoying and destroys a huge part of the gameplay :(

First of all, I am no hater. This is really the truth. Don't believe me? Then try it yourself. It's free after all. The guys giving this game a 10 are nerds who have been playing this for forever. Tribes: Ascend is only entertaining in the start, it gets boring really fast... 6/10… Expand

Really fantastic, easily the best FPS Shooter to be released since Team Fortress 2. The game is f2p, but don't let that scare you; all equipment can be unlocked via normal play (like TF2) and no weapons are exclusive to paying users. Virtually no other recent MP shooter rewards skill and strategy as well as Tribes does, I never felt I was being randomly killed or the situation was outside my control. The graphics and design are slick and polished, the weapons feel great, and theres heaps of play styles (from defensive turret building, to stealthy infiltration to gung-ho heavy weapons)

The pay model is virtually identical to TF2; and hence very fair. In fact I'd say Tribes pay model is probably fairer since you can choose what you unlock with XP (rather than TF2's random drops)… Expand

For the first time in years, I feel like I'm playing an old school multiplayer FPS and it's a fantastic feeling. It's true to Tribes - yes, there's flaws, but it can qualify as a Tribes game. It's fast paced, it's exciting, the addition of classes works well, the variation of weapons is nice and the learning curve as well as the skill requirement that should be in an fps, is there. Thankfully, this is one FPS that consoles haven't had a chance to butcher. However, that's not to say it doesn't feel simplified in some respects. Map design, in comparison with previous Tribes, is poor - both the terrain and base placement feels lackluster and obvious. The addition of SMGs feels as though its attempting to cater to a CoD crowd who would be scared away by the notion of spinfusors as primary weapons and some of the weapons/items just feel like they cheapen the Tribes experience. For example the Sentry class (sniper) for some reason or other, is seen fit to have the best SMG for close combat in the game, whilst anyone who does decide to don an explosive weapon is punished for it when an SMG user can deal the same amount of damage in the same time-frame with greater margin for error. Many weapons are severely imbalanced in similar ways. The maps are also small, meaning a good team/capper can perform several second caps repeatedly. Regenerating health is a bit of a hit and miss mechanic, I'm undecided on it currently. I preferred the old method of deployables which wasn't subject to class and also preferred vehicles from previous games. In T:A you currently have a Grav Bike, a novelty item which is largely useless, a Beowulf Tank, whilst effective is a PITA to manouvere around the field due to physics, and a Shrike, a one man aircraft which is more often than not exploited to run over flag carriers. However, for all the bad, there's a ton of good, and I haven't seen a more tense, competetive and skill-based shooter come out for years. The soundtrack is also fantastic, with scores you could swear were straight from old UT/quake games. I'm impartial to the current payment model, but don't find it too offensive. Whilst payment is a fast track to better weapons, you'll still be outmatched by a better player, and with just a little time invested, you can unlock anything you want reasonably fast anyway. Highly recommended for seasoned tribes players, old school fps lovers, and new players to the genre alike.… Expand

I think this game most accurately is a reboot of Tribes: Annihilation, which was the definitive base game community on T1. Great new visuals and a design team that constantly improves maps the players deem 'untribesworthy'. Anyone complaining of the weapon balance is silly, this game has so many variables it's really more of a 'rock paper scissors' and everyone has a weakness. You'll find the best ways to use every weapon. 350 hours and counting, the distance shots only get more gratifying, do yourself a huge favor and try the fastest most beautiful shooter on the market in 2012. And it's f2p, but not pay-2-win. Seek therapy when you start seeing routes to ski among large mountains in your vicinity, or worse, holding the CTRL button on a keyboard that doesn't exist.… Expand

Best multiplayer FPS in years gameplay wise. More balanced than prevous tribes with a lot less focus on vehicles. But also lacks some of it's features which does let it down a bit and the maps are a lot smaller as well. Also no 3rd party modding was what kept the old tribes alive, it doesn't have that either.

Fast and balanced gameplay. I picked up the game really fast and enjoyed it. Maps are huge and the gameplay is fun. If you want similar to lets say unreal tournament games but more flying this is the game.
AND OF COURSE ITS FREE!

The original Tribes was the very first FPS game I had ever played, Tribes 2 was even better, and then the series sort of fell a little short after that. I kept trying to find similar games that allowed for such flexible vertical game play, but nothing ever seemed to quite work out. Tribes: Ascend, however, brings back the nostalgia in the most wonderful way, revitalizing the concept while keeping nearly all of my favorite points from the first games. In the beginning I was a little worried about the "Free to Play" format, but it has proven to be a great move on their part, and extremely versatile. The decision to make every unlock (except vanity skins) free with enough play-time was exactly the right business move, and has kept the community thriving. Earning unlocks and their upgrades also give plenty of reasons to keep playing the game, and more goodies are constantly being added. This brings me to another positive; Hi-Rez is *very* into supporting this game. They have constant updates with new maps, class skins, weapons and game types, and they release these major content updates at a staggering rate of roughly every two weeks. I've determined that they must not sleep much over there, since there's probably twice as much content as when I started playing back in mid-April. I've seen a few people complain about having to lead their shots, skiing, and just vertical game-play in general...which makes me wonder why they've even decided to play Tribes: Ascend. Those mechanics are the very things that make this franchise so unique and special, in addition to being some of the more advertised features. There are plenty of other great shooters out there that keep your feet planted (relatively) firmly on the ground, so if flying through the air and precision shooting isn… Expand

Free to play done right. I am always skeptical of F2P games, as often there is a barrier to entry that prevents new players from being competitive. For the most part - that is not the case. The only class I can see where this would be an issue is the soldier not having immediate access to a spinfuser, (although you do start out with the thumper, which is a lot like one.) but most other classes start with competitive weapons, some even being BiS. While there is some things that purchasing will give you a slight edge, everything is obtainable with XP, (Even more so with equipment, because you can only unlock upgrades for a weapon by use or 15k xp). There is encouragement it pay - very low xp gain with a non VIP account, but even if you only spend $10(US), you're a VIP forever and have increased XP gain, and can unlock almost everything for the class with very little money spent. So in summary - yes- there is some F2Pness here, but it is one of the most fair models out there, bar TF2. I would like to see more emphasis on money for cosmetics, which looks like it is coming. Gameplay is what sets this apart from it's competitors - Different - Fast Paced. Tactical Gameplay; very sparse in our "Big Developer, play it safe" attitude which is too prevalent at the moment. The game feels like a AAA title, with quick responsive controls. The feeling of polish is such a refresher after the industry seems to have forgotten what it is. You can tell they took player feedback to heart and made the game they - and their fans - wanted. Love is in the air in Tribes, and it feels good. Graphics are smooth - with options, although I wish there were more. Art style is a personal taste, but I feel they did Tribes justice. It looks like a High fidelity remake, in terms of art style. The Warhammer look was well preserved. Sound is good - again this opinion will very. There were no obvious problems, the tracks are very bass heavy and give you a rush which compliments gameplay. All in all - I give this a VERY SOLID 9. One of the best MP games in years, and free to play done in a respectful manner. I just think more emphasis should be put to money for cosmetics than money for guns. I mean, who hasn't seen the infiltrator skin and not been jealous your class didn't have a badass outfit? I'd pay good money for a ninja suit.… Expand

At first I was skeptical. A free to play game in this modern age of gaming. I was expecting a dumbed down Tribes with horrible graphics and every way possible to make money off you. But boy was I wrong. This game is absolutely beautiful. The maps have nearly flawless design. The balance of weapons is very stable. And everything in the "modify class" area, you can either use real money for the inpatient player. Or earn your way all the way to 100k xp and feel like a champion on a pedestal. The game is not "pay to win" but pay if you want to unlock some stuff faster. I personally bought the 19.99 pack. But mainly because a game like this is FREE. I had to give them something. Hi Rez deserves the 20 bucks. They made one of the best FPS I've seen in years. The classes all have strengths and weaknesses. No class is too strong, and no class is too weak. There aren't enough gamers playing this game. All they need is one advertisement during prime time television. Announcing that it's FREE and 10/10. And then everybody will be playing this. And the nice thing is, the people who are every day Call Of Duty players, would find the game incredibly bad and annoying. So they would quit very quickly. As this game is only for elite gamers who actually look for a challenge. I can admit. When I first started playing I died ALOT. And when I say alot. I mean it took me like 6 deaths to get 1 kill. But now after playing day in and day out. I get kills all the time. And that's what this game excels in. MAKING you play the game over and over until you get better. This is what modern gamers don't want to hear. They want to be able to jump in a game and instantly have the capabilities to be just as good as veterans. The people who are good at Tribes Ascend are good because of hardcore playing. Not because they have the right perks equipped or a certain gun. This game SHOULD be FPS of the year, But it won't because it will lose to Black Ops 2. Oh well. C'est la vie.… Expand

It's free to play, so I can't complain much, but this is simply a F2P model that does not work, and with Sony publishing Tribes Ascend it's no surprise. It plays out as what you'd expect, you can level up normally (and rather slowly), or go the Pay to Pave option and obtain gold to buy market items, perks and skins. It's not with this that the game becomes broken, though many weapons become more and more overpowered with each consequential update that supposedly fixes these problems. It's the fact the disbalancement of F2P v P2P players becomes overwhelmingly clear through the horrible in-game matchmaking, which ends up pitting players with low points against MVPlayers most of the time. That being said, the pros of Tribes come from it's insanely fast-paced gameplay, intense objective-based modes, and unique graphically-stirring maps and designs. Cons quickly appear in minor, but overwhelmingly apparent doses still. The interface is clunky, OP weapons have not been fixed or have been made worse, and with many other problems surrounding matchmaking and gameplay, Tribes: Ascend loses its grand appeal in the first few hours, but still delivers to Tribes fans and those looking for a new skill-based shooter not unlike Quake. Given time, I'm sure that these problems will be ironed up, but the problem still lies in why they released the game when the beta clearly needed attention to fixes as well.… Expand

Like Team Fortress 2, great free-to-play with item system and not all items being unlocked at once unlike old games. Hi-Rez Studios has found out how to correctly balance Tribes: Ascend and avoiding pay-to-win "gameplay." Tribes: Ascend is amazing.

Tribes: Ascend is probably the only online FPS I've actually enjoyed playing, no other game has you capping the flag at 260km/h screaming WOOHOO WOOHOO as enemies try to shoot you out of the sky with lasers and **** The skiing mechanic is so much fun and jetpacks are just icing on the cake. Every class offers a completely different style of play. It's so much fun and I'd recommend it to anyone. Not to mention that it's also free and it's not pay to win since anything you can get with real money can also be obtained through play.… Expand

Having played Tribes Ascend for 50+ hours now, i can honestly say that this game is, second to Unreal Tournament Classic, THE best FPS Multiplayer ever concieved.. and its f2p.. but boy how i do not care giving the Hi-Rez Studios all of my money. If you have some time, and wish to learn a truly skillful teamplayer FPS, try it!

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.

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.

the game is really the best starting around end game. You can really tell the developers paid ATTENTION to the old community of tribes players from 1 + 2.

The grind is kind of annoying at first, but once you start playing TDM and getting decent scores, you end up with so much exp it's not funny

Where to start? This is probably one of the best F2P since TF2 (Even better than TF2 in my opinion). Very fast action, lots and lots of customization, and lots of free updates containing new maps and weapons! For the people who complain about weapon balance, of course there is going to be some OP weapons after new weapons are introduced. But the great thing about it is that Hi-Rez listens to player complaints and do what they can to fix. OP weapons only have their reign for 3-7 ish days. Then boom it's fixed. Also, a major complaint was the high cost of weapons. Quite recently, those prices have dropped! Now, of course there's free currency and "premium" currency. What's great about Tribes though is that absolutely everything that effects gameplay can be unlocked for free! Gold (the payed currency) is only used for custom skins, double XP boosts, and unlocking stuff early. Now about gameplay, this really is about the fastest game you will play anytime soon. Also, another unique feature is that (with most weapons) you have to think about your shots. For example, a rocket-launcher called the Spinfusor has to be shot where you think the other player is going to be in about 1 or 2 seconds. Otherwise, you are about to be blasted from the field.
I definitely recommend this game to all players of Shooters. Once you start playing it, you'll forget it's free!… Expand

Brilliant game, much more than anyone could ever imagine from a free game. I will not list the good parts, as all have been said in the couple previous reviews.

But the biggest cons of the game is totally that there are a little overpowered classes (Not weapons), but the difference is so small, that you can actually play with any class against any class, expect Pathfinder of course, because he's used almost only for flag capping. Plus the game is only meant to capture the flag, I can't find any fun of Deathmatch or Arena, i'm not saying that they are not bad, but they are not for me.… Expand

Guys seriously the best game ever...I was tired of running around on the ground in typical shooters. Everything was just feeling too slow. Weapons all felt the same from game to game with nothing really standing out. I've played Tribes: Ascend since eI was tired of running around on the ground in typical shooters. Everything was just feeling too slow. Weapons all felt the same from game to game with nothing really standing out. I've played Tribes: Ascend since e… Expand

One of the greatest FPS's to ever hit game scene. I have thousand of hours played in this and probably never gonna stop, got everything already unlocked and my most favorite gear Is soldier with spinfusor, pistol and short fuse grenade. Stuff you can get pretty much for free or is part of starter pack, so no there can't even be talk of Pay2Win. My 4:1 KDR says so.

Fans of the first wave of fps shooters featuring deathmatch (say Quake arena/Unreal) will love this. Fast paced (I mean faaast) plenty of classes and customizations, and free to play.And If you decide to go next level and spend some in the in-game shop, Hi-Rez really deserves your money, for this very well done and well refined retake on a classic title. It is also been fun to take part to the beta testing.… Expand

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!!

I really don't understand what people see in this game. I personally find Tribes an unsatisfactory chaotic mess. Some elements, such as skiing and the counterstrike-like weapon system, I enjoy. However, the core gameplay, of a first person shooter, I find impossible. You end up spending most of your time shooting at the group where a person was 10 seconds ago. Everyone is moving too fast, and they all seem to be WAAY better at the game then you. The graphics are absolutely fantastic...if you could take the time to appreciate them. But most of the players end up being a blur, and the maps contain mostly repetitive terrain with no real variation.
The worst element of the game however, is playing with a team. The maps are too large to effectively co-ordinate with team members for attacks, defences, or what have you.Plus, no matter what you do, you never feel like you are contributing to the team effort, unless your the person at the front lines, capturing the flags and whatnot. And because the maps are too vast, the player are too widely spaced, Heck, even finding people to shoot is hard.
Mind you, there are some good elements about the game. The class variation is decent enough, and it is somewhat exhilarating to fly around at ridiculously fast speeds, and, as said earlier, the graphics are quite nice.
However, the core gameplay isn't something I enjoy. For shooters, unless you are a fan of the series, or have a fair about of skill with timing and speed, I recommend taking a pass on this one.… Expand

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This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. i got a feeling i have played games like this before, it is like...yes every other shooter game ,did not amuse me ,have nothing bad to say really but ,i would not play further… Expand

Tribes ascend is a great way to kill time in short or long bursts. It's just plain fun. The skiing mechanic works well particularly with this fast-paced shooter setting. Graphics are fine, the shop doesn't seem to get in the way of gameplay, and it's free. Give it a try!

One of the best shooters i' ve played in the last years. Very fast with great weapons and ah fair balance between the classes. And you earn enough XP during the game to get your favourite weapons instead of buying them.

This game is tightly designed around speed and fun and I couldn't have dreamed of a better version of the game (actually thought it might suck like the previous version but it's actually super awesome). Wait, why am I wasting time writing this review? Gotta go fast!Fantastic game, free to play but not pay to win

You would do well to just avoid this. As for the critics I doubt they plug this because its good.
They say its good so the public buys. Best to talk to real gamers with years of exp in games
So glad I did not try the other tribes, no surprises if this dies of within a few years tbh.

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

It's comeback of very fresh series and great evidence that games similiar to old school FPS games (Increadibly high skill gap, very fast gameplay) are still great and haven't become worse. It lacks in reminder of how great singleplayer campaigns can be made without overscripting, but who cares! Even having multiplayer only game is enough!

The fresh gameplay works fantastically. It doesn't work as well in closed enviroments when compared to open enviroments due to the game's explosive focus. But it still works. Every kill feels very satisfying, making you play the game longer and longer.

But sure this can't be just praising of the game? Well, there are few weapons, which would take forever to unlock without using real money. Yes, there needs to be a way for the developers to have money, but when the only primary explosive weapon of a specific class is Pay-2-Use, it does get a little annoying. As a good thing though, the game isin't Pay-2-Win, even with weapons like that.

Can I honestly find any other bad things? No. So just like many others, I recommend this game. Its quality flies over 99.9999% of the other FPS games released today.… Expand

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.

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.

I played this for at least 50 hours in the beta, and have put another hundred in since its been on Steam.....this is a simply amazing game.
The first FPS I have every played that focused more on movement than shooting.
I know of no better feeling then skiing up the enemies base ramp at 180km an hour, snatching their flag, and turning around on the ski out to spinfuse some retard that thinks he's playing Call of Duty in space suits. Also this is truly free to play and not "pay-to-win"… Expand

gran juego online me gusto mucho entretenido y lo mejor de todo free, si bien la mecánica de shooter es bastante clásica pero con una variación de armas mas que considerable. graficamente es muy bien logrado, entornos ricos y bien detallados, los sonidos esta bastante bien.. en resumen un juego recomendado para aquellos que quieran pasar un rato jugando online grafis..

Undoubtly the best f2p shooter on pc! Fast speed, highly competitive. You should have a try if u are a fps fans.
Although some weapons and abilities require tons of exp or bucks if u want, but IMO, pay about twenty bucks for such a awesome game is ok for me. GOGOGO!

Great free to play game. It's NOT too much a "pay to win" game, and that's the main pro i've found. The game is original (different to normal FPS), very funny and skill based: at level 1 i killed many high level guys only with the default weapons. Of course unlocking new stuff is a bit long without paying anything, but it could be done.

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 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

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?

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.

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 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

AWSOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! You must play this game it is so fun. Really fast passed shooter if you don't like fast pace games then don't play this game. I dont want you comments if you have anything bad to say about it because also its still in beta.

This Free-to-play FPS is one of the best games I have ever played. even in comparison to full price games. It matches all those full-priced games in terms of game play, graphics and best of all it's not pay to win. All weapons can be purchased with in-game XP

I just wanted to note that its great to see this game revived and to see the responce of a younger generation that may not have known what Tribes even was. Ive played Tribes since the origional. Tribes 2 was by far the best one since this one. This game however brings it all back full circle. Finally i can relive my childhood again! And finally we have a game out there that is worthy of being called a FPS. I only hope that it opens peoples eyes to how skillful a FPS can be. Great game. If you havent tried this yet you owe it to yourself to give it a shot...This was teh game that spawned alot of the inspiration for the FPS games your see today.… Expand

Great game. Not your typical shooter. Lots of fun and a nice change of pace form all the generic modern shooters on the market. Graphics comparable to a retail product with no cost upfront. All unlocks can be attained through simply playing the game, so you will not be dominated by paid weapons you cannot attain without paying real money.

Shooting and hit detection seem rock solid. No glaring glitches that I have seen so far on my system. The developers are constantly tweeking and balancing this game, as well as adding new content. They seem to listen to community feedback pretty well so even when the do mess up and nerf or buff something the community didn't ask for or want. They are pretty good about fixing it or finding a middle ground between their vision and that of the community. Excellent game, well worth a try. The skiing and flying make it very fun but there is a bit of a learning curve. Some of the weapons are extremely hard to master and properly utilize. To me that just adds depth and re-playbility to the game. Always something new to master! Well worth the price of... 0 Dollars!… Expand

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 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

An awesome take-back to the glory days of Starseige Tribes, Hi-Rez did the series justice which it hasnt seen since the very first Tribes game. SHAZBOT!

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.

This game is a AAA multiplayer experience for FREE. If you enjoy team shooters, you NEED to download this game. What really sets this game apart from other multiplayer shooters is how you get around. Everyone has the ability to "ski", meaning you glide along the ground with little control over which direction you go (basically, you go where gravity and momentum gide you). Everyone also has a jet pack which allows you to fly, though this has a limited amount of energy, before you have to land, and let it recharge. When you add these two things together, you can ski down a slope to build up speed, and use your jetpack to rocket up the next hill. Chain moves like these together, and you can build up incredible speed and soar incredible distances through the air. With about 8 classes to chose from (most which require unlocking), you can find a play style that works for you. Either fast and fragile, slow and hardy, or somewhere in between. I've been playing the game for about a week now, and am still loving it, and I haven't spent a dime. As far as I can tell, you can unlock everything just by playing the game and earning "XP" (though there are some unlocks which require tons of "XP" to unlock). I feel that there are some things that could be balanced a little better (for example, I feel the Technician class is really underpowered), but the price tag more than offsets that minor complaint. GET IT!… Expand

great game they are one of the few that managed to nail the free to play model u can easy buy the weapon perks and armor u want just by playing the game and its fast paced like the first tribes and higly compeditive great game :D

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

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

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is how Free 2 Play should be done! Tribes Ascend has such a fine tuned and well crafted experience that it is a real treat to play, and is quite addictive. This isn't anything new with a lot of Free 2 Play games, a lot of them are addictive and a treat to play INITIALLY. That's what the model is about, its designed to sucker you in to pay. However, Tribes Ascend does not do that. The game doesn't force a brick wall on you to prevent advancement without constant grinding or your credit card. It certainly does take a lot longer to advance in this game without paying than with, but paying doesn't really give you a quantifiable advantage. What paying does is it will give you quick access to some great classes, weapons, and gear that can be very helpful, but does not make you play better. This game still requires skill and dedication over anything else to master. The game is 100% playable without paying a cent. Every thing in the game that is unlockable can be done with the experience points, you dont have to buy the gold for ANYTHING. However, because of how good the game is, the sheer quality of the gameplay, graphics, controls, and variety of content, you will still want to pay for some gold (if you can afford it), not necessarily to level up faster, but because you just ended up playing a game that's so damn good, it would morally feel like piracy if you didn't pay. Now THAT'S how to do a Free 2 Play game!… Collapse

Refreshing game, non stop action, literally non stop. I can't cant how many times I've lifted my hand off the mouse for no more then 2-3 seconds and got killed. This game is easily a 10 because it is so damn fun, though I wish they would add more vehicles now that some maps are getting bigger.

Wonderfully fun and free game. Just skiing is fun in it self. The only negative thing I can say is that after playing all of the classes the juggernaut seems far and away op. I may just not know how to play the others though.

A very creative and multifaceted take on the FPS. I recommend it to anyone who has grown tired of the genre. It is free after all, so you don't have much to lose...

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.

Tribes: Ascend is like a breath of fresh jet vent in an otherwise stale FPS genre. As this is a F2P game there really isn't an excuse not to try it out. The combat is fast paced and exciting. The initial classes on offer really give you a good feeling for how you want to play. The three class stereotypes of light, mid & heavy really give the game three dimensions and rather more literally the fact everyone has a jet-pack and the ability to 'Ski' [essentially slide really fast using inertia] makes every fire fight a pleasure.

That being said, as this is a F2P model it seems that there is a risk of the premium equipment being rather over powered. Of course this can be patched but we've already seen a few instances of new equipment giving unfair advantages. However, on the whole the actual pricing of the various equipment is fair and if you only spend money to unlock the classes you won't feel cheated in the long run.

Another plus is that the community behind this game is so far fantastic. As such there is plenty of free information available and hundreds of videos with the express mission of making your time with Tribes more enjoyable. Do yourself a favour and download it today, after all it costs you nothing. If you tire of FPS' this won't likely hold your attention for that much longer but at least it isn't yet another £40 brown marine simulator.… Expand

It's free, it's fun, it's not pay 2 win, and it's not a ripoff of Call of Duty or Battlefield. What more could you ask of a modern day multiplayer FPS? Graphics- All is good in this department. Stands up as the best looking F2P game along with Blacklight. Gameplay- Tribes has always had this unique fast paced gameplay of sliding and gliding. This concept is original to only the Tribes series which is always a win in my book. Capturing a flag is one of the most exhilarating experiences you will ever take part in. Imagine a high speed chase and you'll get the idea. That said, Tribes game mode of choice is capture the flag. Design- Tribes is elagent in this department. Purchasing new equipment and upgrades is easy to do and not a hassle. Navigating the menus is a breeze.… Expand

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.

I've played tribes: ascend for a few weeks now and it's simply fun to play from the very first second you are in a match. It's very easy to start a game: Just select the mode you want to play and your desired class and start playing. The servers (as far as I can tell, me being a player from Germany) are very good as I have never experienced any lag issues. I don't like how paying "free to play" games works nowadays and if you do not pay, you are definitely playing with a handicap! But it doesn't matter too much, because this game is fun anyway. So if you like shooters like quake live and open, easy maps which don't require hours of memorizing every corner before you can enjoy the game, you should definitely try tribes: ascend.… Expand

I cannot understand why any person, who has played shooters in their life, can pass this game up. First off, it's free, and it being free, automatically can turn a gamer off as it being "lesser quality". Well let me just say CoD is infinitely lesser quality of a shooter than Tribes when it comes to any type of creativity, and that game is $60. I mention CoD, because apparently that is the top shooter of all time. Tribes requires actual FPS skills, not aiming down sites, hiding behind cover, running around knifing people. Leading targets, pass by kills based on speed, honestly these things bring back the classic shooters which actually required practice to get right. And you don't need to spend $60 to get it right.… Expand

The best FPS in a very long time. I do wish that all weapons were unlocked from the beginning to give everyone equal footing, but I understand Hi-Rez needs to make money. Fortunately, I found the starter weapons to be just as effective as the later unlocks. The only thing I miss is the ability to make custom mods for the game...

Overall though a must play! Though a warning, this game does take a significant amount of skill. The ranking system does do a lot to segregate the better players from the noobs, but once you get up to rank 8 or so, the skill of players improves dramatically. If you are feeling overwhelmed though, you can always repair the base :).… Expand

Wrote a review earlier that was pretty critical of the game for its balance issues, pay2win elements, herpity derpity autohp regen mechanic, and its not so relevant base structures/vehicles (gave it a meh 5 score). While those issues haven't gone away - as I play this game more I must say it has slowly begun to grow on me for the things it does do right so I thought it only right to re-post a new score reflective of that. Still not my favorite FPS, but it easily could be if they would just take the time to balance what needs to be balanced and remove what needs to be removed (sniper rifle damage, fractal grenades, ranking display that promotes team stacking, etc).… Expand

Fast, Frantic, Tactical, and downright brutal at times. This game brought me back into FPS games after a 2 year hiatus. after trying tribes i went to try the current FPS heavy hitters, CoD, Battlefield 3. I even tried the F2P competitors, Blacklight retribution, Combat Arms, etc. No other FPS I've played since the original tribes games holds a candle to this. And no other franchise in FPS history has ever kept my attention, and kept me going like tribes has. SHAZBOT FOREVER!… Expand

Pure multiplayer goodness. Fast gameplay, beautiful graphics, great controls. Only problem I got was taht some stuff are expensive as hell but you don't really need them, it's all about the skill.

Great competitive MP game it is not for casual players if you see negative review it mostly from some noobs VGS . I love every thing about the game : the fast Gameplay is VGCA specially Ski , the 9 classes with different tactics and uses , the big large sexy Maps , the chat system is cool VGW , so if you are hardcore player looking for new great experience then Tribes is your game .

Tribes is fun, fast paced and free. What more can you ask for. The movement mechanics free up the need to have free run, jump or sprint in place for that shooter lone wolf chase feel. The guns i'll admit are in need of some battlefield beefiness but are more than made up for by the visuals and the effects of the guns. Overall Tribes: Ascend is what halo or COD never were and will hold its own in the game community for years to come.… Expand

This game is hands down the best Free2Play game currently available (and it will stay that way until Survarium comes out, look it up!). There is no way I could give it less than 10- everything about it is superb. The gameplay style is unique and thrilling. No more hours wasted slogging across large maps by foot- fly across them at speeds in excess of 250 km/h! Now, imagine trying to shoot someone as they fly by you at that same speed and you can begin to comprehend how amazing this game really is. There is something for everyone here: straight up 5 on 5 deathmatches, huge 16 vs 16 deathmatches, on man army style fights, capture and hold style gameplay, and of course it's most in depth and well done mode, capture the flag. In capture the flag, there is a huge variety of roles to be played. A flag defender (typically Doombringer) will stand on the flag and has to be knocked off before the flag can be captured- they can also lay down mines and force fields to prevent capture as well. However, their forcefields won't work without the help of generator defenders (typically Technician), who have to set up shop in their teams generator room and protect it. If the generator goes down, so does the whole defense system- turrets, forcefields, radar sensors, vehicle stations, and more. But a good defense is nothing without a good offense, and thus the most integral role of flag cappers (typically Pathfinders) comes into play. Perhaps the most difficult task, they have to make their way through the enemy defenses and escape with the flag. But then the hard part comes of escaping your numerous pursuers- the flag hunters (also typically Pathfinders), whose job is to chase after anyone who manages to steal the flag and retrieve it. However, the flag capper will never get the flag from the flag defenders without the help of the two other roles. The generator attacker role (typically Infiltrators and Raiders) are specially equipped to sneak past enemy defenses and destroy the enemy generator. However this task is one of the most difficult as the generators are often in enclosed spaces and have a lot of health. Should they fail in their task, it remains up to the defense harassers (typically Sentinel and Juggernaut) to soften up enemy defenses around the actually flag itself to allow the flag capper access. This is just one example of the huge amount of team play, tactics, and depth that make this game so good. With just one of those roles not being properly filled, your team's entire strategy can collapse, and there are a lot of roles so each player needs to be contributing in order to win. The games other features are too countless to name them all, but a important one to mention is the huge amount of character customization, including armor, voice packs, skins, weapons, perks, packs, deployables, thrown weapons, and more. You make your character unique and you play it how you want to. I will lastly mention the best part of the game. Quite simply, this is a Free2Play game done right. Every single game-changing item can be obtained without paying a cent. Some of the weapons have quite a grind and can take a week or two to get, but if you want variety fast, there are a bunch of arguably better weapons you can earn in just a day or two. You can have a ton of fun without pulling out your wallet. If you choose to put money into the game, though, the advantages are great. You can get custom skins, voice packs, and of course that weapon you always wanted. Not only that, but every day a new item goes on sale that you can get for anywhere between 25% and 75% off, so if you want to wait and only buy when what you want goes on sale, you can easily get double the value of whatever you paid. In addition, your account becomes VIP as soon as you spend any amount of money on the game (anywhere from 10-50 USD). VIP status gives you +50% exp permanently, so for just a little money you can get a whole lot of value. If you want to get a very high quality game completely free, this is the game for you. If you want to get that same game, but don't mind shelling out a few bucks to make it even awesomer, this is still the game for you. Download this game as soon as you finish reading this, if you haven't already. What are you waiting for?… Expand

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

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Easily the best free-to-play shooter ever made, and best multiplayer FPS of 2012 This game is really something really unique after the endless semi-realistic modern military shooters.… Expand

This is the coolest game in the world. Everything you do boils down to skill and skill alone, and even if you suck at the game, you can still have tons of fun. The game is incredibly well designed, even to the tiny things. All in all, if you don't like this game, you should go back to playing Halo 3 or whatever it is your get spoonfed for breakfast.

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 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

I was a big fan of the original franchise and played it a lot. This version is super hardcore, but extremely well done. Hi-Rez deserves a lot of credit in this remake.