Tribes 2

Who loves it, who hates it, who still uses the word "shazbot" in conversation? I've been getting back into the game recently, so I thought I'd see who else enjoys this game ^^

For those who don't know, Tribes 2, released in 2001, is an online first-person shooter with heavy emphasis on team play, the use of vehicles and maneuverability via the jetpacks all players come equipped with. The game differs from many of its type (Quake 3 Arena, Unreal Tournament (to a lesser extent as of UT2K4), etc.) in that equipment such as weapons, armor and activatible equipment is not sought out and gathered in the level, but acquired at inventory stations typically located within your team's base.

What keeps the game engaging today is the sheer number of possibilities. To further your team, you could dawn scout armor and infiltrate their base with a stealth suit, or on the other side of the spectrum, lumber up to the enemy base in juggernaut armor with a shield pack. You could pursue the opposing team's flag or not, choosing instead to destroy their sensor array, turret emplacements, generator, inventory stations. Even when it came to dueling, there were dozens of techniques one could employ to gain the upper hand. There are so many roles to play, I could easily spend three hours in the very same level, every day of the week!

And finally, again for the benefit of those who've never played it, here's a video I snagged from YouTube of my favorite level, Katabatic. I'm sorry if you don't like the music...Katabatic's theme is actually very good on its own.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS5U2t7LzfE[/YOUTUBE]

For those who have played Tribes 2 before, what was your favorite level/mode of play? What roles did you favor, what loadouts did you prefer? Any moments of glory you can remember?

Personally, I was all about the Juggernaut armor, hehe! I favored defense, which is really more about using the design of your base to your advantage than it is mobility, so heavy armor tended to favor my playing style. I leaned on the Juggernaut Defense preset loadout the most, using a repair kit in the equipment slot and concussion grenades (nasty!). When I was sick of being a monolithic behemoth, I'd slip into scout armor and set myself behind enemy lines using the stealth pack. When our offense got to an objective, I'd support them by murdering their opposition with a shocklance ^^

I used to have so many stories! Geez, it's been so long! I guess one would be how one game, I was piloting a bomber and making a pass near the enemy base. We had a small escort of a couple of Shrikes, which the enemy was gunning down...why they decided to shoot our escort and not us was beyond me. Anyway, after my first pass, I took note that our offense was very close to the flag, and that our opponents' defense was huddled around the stand. So like, with no communication to my crew, I just take a nose dive, aiming right for the middle of em! I leap out at the last second, end up dying as the thing crashes into the flag stand, blasting everyone there to kingdom come. As I'm staring at my corpse, I see my tailgunner slowly floating down on his jetpack, stand there, turn to the flag, grab it and trot off ^^

I have so many memories of this game ^^ and as much as I played it, I wish I'd played it more! The days of its popularity will never return, and geez, those 32-man matches were some of the most intense online shooter experiences I've ever known!