Software:Tribes: Aerial Assault

From HandWiki
Short description: 2002 video game

Tribes: Aerial Assault
Developer(s)Inevitable Entertainment
Publisher(s)Sierra Entertainment
SeriesTribes
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
Release
  • NA: September 24, 2002[1]
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Tribes: Aerial Assault is an online first-person shooter video game released for PlayStation 2 in 2002 by Sierra Entertainment. It was one of the first PlayStation 2 titles designed almost exclusively for online play and was the first online PlayStation 2 shooter that supports both modem and broadband connections.[2] It was announced in tandem with Sony's online strategy for the PlayStation 2 at E3 2001.[3]

Gameplay

Tribes: Aerial Assault is a first-person shooter game with an emphasis on mobility. There are many game types in the single-player campaign and multi-player, including capture the flag (CTF), capture and hold, hunter, team deathmatch, and deathmatch. Campaign usually consists of some mixture of these game types.

In all games but hunters and deathmatch, there are team and player points. Depending on the game style, team and player points can reflect two completely different things. Player points are usually earned through an individual player's accomplishments that help the team as a whole. Player points are earned by setting and deploying equipment, repairing friendly assets, destroying enemy assets, defending friendly assets, and completing objectives of the game.

  • Capture the Flag: Both teams have a flag, and the objective is to capture the other teams flag. The "runner" is unencumbered by the flag, that is; he/she can still use weapons and grenades freely and without debilitation. After either team has captured the flag 8 times, or the time limit runs out, the game is over and the team with the most points wins. In CTF, team points reflect how many times a team has captured, or attempted to capture the flag. Trying to capture the flag, but dying before reaching the base, gives the player's team one point. Successfully getting the enemy flag to one's own base rewards the player team a hundred points.
  • Capture and hold: This is an asset-guarding game. Usually there are four buildings or bases scattered over the whole map. Inside each of these is a switch. The objective is to touch the switch in any building and try to prevent the enemy team from doing the same for as long as possible. For every second that a base is held, that team gets one point. When the time runs out, the team with the most team points wins.
  • Hunter: A survival-based game. The objective is to kill as many people as possible and collect the flags that they drop, and then try to bring those flags back to a central "nexus" for points. There are no teams in Hunter, so everyone is an enemy. If someone drops more than five flags, everyone in the game is alerted as to who has the flags and who dropped them.
  • Team Deathmatch: Two teams duke it out until time runs out. 1 kill = 1 point. The team with the most points when time runs out wins.
  • Deathmatch: No teams, few rules, kill or be killed. The person with the most points at time-out wins.

Like most first-person shooters, Tribes: Aerial Assault has a Heads Up Display (HUD). The HUD consists of a crosshair, health, energy reserve, grenades and grenade type, pack type, armor heat, lock-on detection, and vehicle condition. The HUD also has target identification, that is, a red arrow over the target is an enemy, a green arrow is a friend. An unusual feature of Tribes: Aerial Assault is the jetpack feature. The jetpack runs on armor energy and allows players to fly for short to medium distances.

Story

It is the year 3945 A.C. (five years after the events of Tribes 2). On the frontier "Wilderzone" of human space, hardy neo-barbarian tribes compete for possession of new worlds. Tribal warriors enter combat in powered armor, relying on skill and bravery to win glory. BioDerm Hordes have started to invade tribal space. Though the tribes boast of being the finest warriors humanity has ever produced, they face a genetically modified race that has literally bred itself for battle. The stakes are epic, and the Wilderzone is aflame with a new kind of war. The player controls J. Ransom, a recently recruited newblood. After a training segment, the story follows J. Ransom through missions to fight off the BioDerm horde and keep control of tribal space.

Development

Tribes: Aerial Assault for the PlayStation 2 demonstrated at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in 2002

Like Software:Halo: Combat Evolved the year before, Sierra had hoped that gameplay elements popular on the PC would translate well to console and would catch on with a much bigger audience. Unlike the Xbox however, the PlayStation required an external device for online connection, which despite the console's success, limited the game's potential audience. In addition, PlayStation online functionality did not arrive in Europe until June 2003, and Ethernet ports were not added to the PlayStation 2 until 2004.

Sierra Entertainment was the publisher for Tribes Aerial Assault. Tribes Aerial Assault was developed by Inevitable Entertainment. As Tribes Aerial Assault was a port from the PC game Tribes 2. Essentially making it a simplified Tribes 2 for the Playstation 2 console.[4]

In early November 2008, Sierra shut down the online servers for 21 games, including Tribes: Aerial Assault. In 2015, the game was released as freeware by Hi-Rez Studios.[5]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic73/100[6]
Review scores
PublicationScore
EGM6.17/10[7]
Game Informer8/10[8]
GameProStarStarStar[9]
GameSpot7.2/10[10]
GameSpyStarStarStarStar[11]
GameZone8.5/10[12]
IGN7.2/10[13]
OPM (US)StarStarStarHalf star[14]
PSM8/10[15]
X-PlayStarStarStar[16]

The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Tribes Aerial Assault Ships" (in en). 2002-09-24. https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/09/24/tribes-aerial-assault-ships. 
  2. ↑ "Tribes Aerial Assault online update". Gamespot. September 26, 2002. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/tribes-aerial-assault-online-update/1100-2881784/. 
  3. ↑ Shoemaker, Brad (May 17, 2001). "E3 2001 Hands-on: Tribes 2 PS2". Gamespot. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2001-hands-on-tribes-2-ps2/1100-2761897/. 
  4. ↑ tribesaerialassault.com. "tribesaerialassault.com" (in en-US). https://tribesaerialassault.com/inevitable-entertainment. 
  5. ↑ Sykes, Tom (October 30, 2015). "Hi-Rez makes previous Tribes games free". PC Gamer. Future plc. Archived from the original on October 30, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151030184042/http://www.pcgamer.com/hi-rez-makes-previous-tribes-games-free/. Retrieved October 30, 2015. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Tribes Aerial Assault for PlayStation 2 Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/tribes-aerial-assault/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2. Retrieved June 16, 2017. 
  7. ↑ EGM staff (November 2002). "Tribes Aerial Assault". Electronic Gaming Monthly (160): 292. Archived from the original on June 4, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040604083500/http://www.egmmag.com/article2/0,2053,1488074,00.asp. Retrieved June 16, 2017. 
  8. ↑ Brogger, Kristian (November 2002). "Tribes Aerial Assault". Game Informer (115): 116. http://www.gameinformer.com:80/Games/Review/200211/R03.0731.1156.36272.htm?CS_pid=280552. Retrieved June 16, 2017. 
  9. ↑ The D-Pad Destroyer (September 27, 2002). "Tribes Aerial Assault Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on February 6, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050206203623/http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps2/games/reviews/26387.shtml. Retrieved June 16, 2017. 
  10. ↑ MacDonald, Ryan (October 1, 2002). "Tribes Aerial Assault Review". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/tribes-aerial-assault-review/1900-2882110/. Retrieved June 16, 2017. 
  11. ↑ Satterfield, Shane (October 30, 2002). "GameSpy: Tribes Aerial Assault". GameSpy. Archived from the original on November 7, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20051107185534/http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/tribes-aerial-assault/583207p1.html. Retrieved June 16, 2017. 
  12. ↑ Bedigian, Louis (October 6, 2002). "Tribes: Aerial Assault Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on December 27, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081227225537/http://ps2.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r19485.htm. Retrieved June 16, 2017. 
  13. ↑ Smith, David (September 26, 2002). "Tribes: Aerial Assault". http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/09/26/tribes-aerial-assault. Retrieved June 16, 2017. 
  14. ↑ Rybicki, Joe (November 2002). "Tribes Aerial Assault". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: 194. Archived from the original on June 19, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040619083650/http://www.playstationmagazine.com/article2/0,2053,1495395,00.asp. Retrieved June 16, 2017. 
  15. ↑ "Review: Tribes Aerial Assault". PSM: 51. November 2002. 
  16. ↑ Lee, Ed (October 14, 2002). "'Tribes: Aerial Assault' (PS2) Review". X-Play. Archived from the original on December 16, 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20021216171052/http://www.techtv.com/extendedplay/reviews/story/0,24330,3402788,00.html. Retrieved June 16, 2017. 
  • Official website (archived)
  • Tribes Universe - A website with a download link to the game
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari





Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Tribes:_Aerial_Assault&oldid=4139479"