Tribes, when it was released, was vastly different from its ilk. Tribes is part of the series that spawned Earthsiege, a mechanized combat game, and CyberStorm, a turn-based strategy game. Tribes, however, was an FPS, and subsequently spelled the end of the Starsiege series. After all, with everyone playing Tribes, who is going to play Starsiege? Unlike the Earthsiege series, Tribes has little to no plot other than the setting, which frees players from really dealing with all the complexed nuances of a more detailed story.

The graphics and sound of Tribes have aged, but they have aged well. The graphics are distinctive and fit within the art style, while the sounds are still recognizable after all these years. Just ask any Tribes player what a spinfusor sound is, and you will understand what I mean. These sounds are downright iconic, and even after so much time, they are still delightfully appropriate and well-suited. It is suggested that you run Tribes at the highest resolution and highest graphical settings possible, however. A low-end machine today is much more powerful than necessary to play Tribes, after all.

On the surface, the gameplay is much like any run-and-gun shooter like Quake or Unreal. However, under the surface lies a ton of additions and complexities that tug at the fabric at the game, attempting to lure you into digging deeper. In regards to yourself, Tribes has an incredibly robust inventory system. Players are designated into three classes: light, medium, and heavy.

• Light players are the fastest, carry the most energy, and carry all the recon-related gear, but they go down extremely quickly. Naturally, those in light armor can carry weapons such as sniper rifles and chainguns. Light classes lack the weapon and deployable diversity of the other classes, but more than make up for it in speed and versatility.
• Medium players are the backbone of your team. They are average in almost every respect, and can carry a reasonable amount of items and weapons. Some equipment you might see on a medium include things like a plasma gun or a rocket launcher. Medium classes have theversatility of the Light class with less speed and more survivability. Just don't try to snipe.
• Heavy players are the beefy meat shields that help hold everything together. Where light players are great at moving around and quick assaults, they quickly fall prey to things such as stationary defenses. A concentrated enemy assault might break through your defensive wall of palyers. This is where the heavy classes come in. They are the most heavily armed and armored classes on the battlefield, with massive weapons such as mortars at their beck and call. They can change the tide of the battle in a tough contest, but are best used sparingly, as their slow speed allows for them to be outmaneuvered.

Team gameplay brings several elements into the mix that you might not see in other multiplayer games. They certainly weren't common before Tribes. These are vehicles, stationary base objects, and deployables.

• Vehicles are things such as the infamous Scout. You can only create so many per team, but more than one player can get in one and they are incredibly powerful. When you make strafing runs on the enemy base in your scout, the enemy will definitely take notice. Be cautious that you are not callous to your other players who would like to use vehicles.
• Base objects are things like generators and turrets. These are essential in taht they can be destroyed, thus rendering the enemy team a tactical advantage. For example, if the generators are destroyed, the turrets and equipment stations will not work, which renders your team unable to do much until the generators are repaired. Base objects are the primary targets for heavy attacks due to their tactical value, so defend them well!
• Deployables are packs that any player can toss on the ground or use. Deployables include things like turrets, mini-stations to get extra ammo, or repair packs. Deployables ca change the course of a battle by setting up beachheads or establishing impenetrable defense, which makes them essential for any good tema to master.

Finally, there is the issue of movement. Tribes is a unique game in that every player has access to a jetpack simply by holding down the right mouse button. This jetpack allows for some elegant aerial acrobatics and attacks, so its effective use is essential. Make sure to master all of your weapons in the air, and learn how to ski across the terrain properly.

Tribes has its faults that should not be overlooked. It's definitely not the game for everyone, as it is incredibly unrealistic. It's aged significantly since its original release, with the master servers having gone away and player-run master servers requiring configuration to run. It also has a steep learning curve, thanks to the primarily aerial gameplay and juxtaposition of classes. Despite these problems, it still has a dedicated following that cherishes it to this day.

Tribes is, in short, a masterpiece. It dominated the online realm for a while, and its sequel was one of the more anticipated sequels to ever come out. It basically built an entire company's reputation, and is still hailed as one of the best multiplayer shooters of all time. You can pick it up through CNet. Make sure to configure your master server properly, or you won't see any servers to play on! Have fun, and make sure to watch for GarageGames' resurrection of the franchise, which aims to be spectacular.

For another look at freeware games, take a peek at Joystiq's Free Game Club weekly feature!