Vengeance for the Holidays

Tribes: Vengeance is a worthy update; plus, a first look at Half-Life 2.

PC World Senior Associate Editor Andrew Brandt took a break from playing games to coauthor How to Do Everything In Windows XP Home Networking (Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 2004, 877/833-5524).

I spent most of October playing the latest Tribes game, and having a blast. Tribes: Vengeance ($30, PC only), the third installment in this venerable series, updates the adrenaline-rush game play of Tribes and Tribes 2 with a sparkling new look, courtesy of the Unreal game engine. The developers also added new kinds of multiplayer games and a complete single-player game experience--a first in Tribes history.

The Tribes series, with its dedicated following, adds some nuance to the first-person shooter genre. All players in Tribes games wear a jet pack, which allows a freedom of movement that's rare in FPS games. But that doesn't mean movement on the ground is slow. On the contrary, experienced players use a technique called "skiing" to rapidly slide down hilly terrain, which makes traversing large maps quickly an exercise requiring a sharp eye and a quick hand.

Expansive outdoor maps are what Tribes is all about. The Isle, Tropics, WinterLake, and Fort maps exemplify the best qualities of what a Tribes map should be. They're wide open, with lots of terrain where you can hide from, chase after, and/or duel with other players; but they're dotted with large bases, some of which float silently above the ground. T:V also introduces some enclosed maps, such as Spiridian, which looks like the Parthenon, and Cavern, an underground battleground.

Vengeance's New Stuff

Vengeance brings back most of the weapons that fans of the series expect, including the "spinfusor" (also called the "disc gun," this is a large rifle that shoots a relatively slow moving, explosively energized spinning disc) and the mortar cannon. T:V introduces a few new weapons, including a flamethrower, a gun that fires a handy grappling hook, and an electrified riot shield called a "buckler."

The game also features a new type of pack. Packs are enhancements that players wear as part of their armor. In addition to the energy, shield, and repair packs, players can now equip themselves with a speed pack, which increases their running speed on land and flight speed in the air. The speed pack, when activated, can also temporarily increase the fire rate of a weapon.

Players equip themselves in inventory stations, which are dotted around the bases. T:V adds a "quick favorites" option to the game. In both Tribes and Tribes 2, fans of the game wrote their own add-ons that performed the same function, but the developers of T:V saw fit to make this a basic feature of the user interface, a welcome addition.

Single-Player a Distant Second to Multiplayer

Vengeance's single-player game adds a new dimension to the Tribes universe, which puts several human clans, an alien race, and a race of robotic assassins at each other's throats. In the single-player game, we finally learn why the Imperials are trying to crush the Phoenix tribe, and why the Blood Eagles (themselves former Imperial soldiers) broke away under the leadership of a former Imperial general.

The story line, which up to now has existed solely in fan fiction, is a bit forced at times but nevertheless adds a new dimension to the game. In some ways, the single-player game is reminiscent of both the best and worst aspects of the Godfather films: The story line jumps back and forth in time (sometimes disconcertingly), and it focuses on a wide range of interrelated characters with competing interests. I'm not sure I care all that much about the backstory--but being able to play a little Tribes on a long flight, when you can't connect to the Internet, is far superior to a careful, hours-long examination of the Sky Mall catalog.

The single-player game does, however, introduce the novice player to every weapon, pack, vehicle, and feature of the game--which is just as well, since the real action is out on the multiplayer servers, where you fight teams of real players rather than AI-controlled opponents. Multiplayer action is the meat and potatoes of a Tribes game, and with more than 200 servers to choose from at any given time, you're likely to find someplace to get a taste of real competition. For a flat 30 bucks and no additional monthly fees, you can't go wrong. And you can try before you buy: There's a free multiplayer demo in our Downloads library.

Half-Life 2: First Impressions

At first glance, everything in Half-Life 2 ($55, PC only) looks eerily familiar--and I'm not just talking about the uncanny resemblance of the game's protagonist to one of my coworkers. Security guards give travelers a hard time as they pass through checkpoints. Cameras are everywhere, snapping pictures of everyone who walks by and everything that happens. There's litter everywhere people can throw it, and even some places where you can't figure out how it got there. And all the while, you're filled with a sense of foreboding, as if something is about to go horribly, horribly wrong--or maybe it already has.

The game isn't set in a post-September 11 airport terminal, though. And while playing it, at some points I longed for a world where being scanned by a metal-detector wand while someone else X-rays your shoes is the low point of your day. Is the game's world a nightmare, or a really bad reality? It's not clear, but here's what we do know: Earth, or what's left of it, has been taken over by an alien entity called The Combine. Humans are no longer the dominant species on the planet, having been subjugated by the newcomers.

You reprise the role of Gordon Freeman, a scientist-turned-action-hero who, in the previous game, fought his way out of the Black Mesa research facility where he worked. Some of Freeman's former colleagues from Black Mesa appear in the game, but there are lots of new characters, as well as new kinds of enemies and horrors. You/Freeman enter the game in City 17, a shell of a world that might once have been a part of eastern Europe. You're behind enemy lines, and without a clue as to how you got there.

Losing Track of Time

After just a few hours of playing the single-player version of Half-Life 2, I can say the story line is far more cinematic and enthralling than I'd expected. I don't think it's an exaggeration to characterize the game as a landmark in video game storytelling, akin to cinema's Citizen Kane. Killing bad guys is no small part of the game, but it's not the only thing you must do: You also spend time solving puzzles that help you overcome obstacles to your progress through the game. And it's important to note that horrific gore is a key element of the game's environment--this is not for young kids, who would undoubtedly end up having nightmares. Come to think of it, I'm having nightmares.

By now, you've probably seen the early screen shots of the aliens and the evil-looking cops in gas masks wandering the streets. But until you find yourself looking up at giant walking robots (or nasty aliens, stuck to the ceiling, that slurp you up for a snack; or flying robots called "man hacks," armed with spinning saw blades, that aim for your neck) you can't really know what an emotional roller coaster the game is. I can't count how many times my heart leapt into my throat when one of the ubiquitous breeds of aliens known as "headcrabs" lunged at me out of the darkness. Dread seeped into my soul as I traversed a small town, formerly known as Ravensholm, that's now an alien killing field.

However, I felt great glee using a new weapon called a "gravity gun" to violently lunge heavy objects like 50-gallon steel drums, saw blades, cars, or armoires at slow-moving zombies.

I'm just blown away; and the best part is, there's a ton more of the game I've yet to play: I haven't even touched the multiplayer portion. Stay tuned for more about Half-Life 2, and some great (though bizarre) games for the holidays.