Hands-On: Tribes Aerial Assault
When the PS2 goes online, Sierra will be there. Will you?
Sierra may be a console newbie, but the company is leveraging its vast PC multiplayer experience for Tribes Aerial Assault, its first PS2 online game. Up to 16 players will be able to play TAA at once, and since the various game modes will stress strategy and tactics over random carnage, the developers liken it more to a team sport than a traditional deathmatch. Then again, any time you arm gamers with laser rifles, jet packs, and rocket launchers, there?s going to be some carnage. No Net connection? You can still enjoy the single-player campaign or play against bots with a friend in a split-screen showdown.
The one potential drawback will be the lack of player communication. There won?t be voice or text chat support, so if TAA can be considered a team sport, imagine the quarterback never being able to huddle or even call audibles. The network code itself worked fine in a multiplayer LAN demo?the action was fast, furious, and fun. Then again, the GamePro editors were able to scream between offices while playing. We?ll see how online gamers handle radio silence when the game ships.
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