Death RattleGame:
Tribes 2 | 2001
Despite being an anxiously awaited sequel, and birthing an inexpensive, open-source engine, Tribes 2 sent Dynamix the way of the American Indian. Legend has it that parent company, Sierra, didn't cotton to the "when it’s done" release philosophy prevalent amongst mod-friendly contemporaries like Valve and id Software. So, to keep revenues streams flowing like the mighty Suwannee River, Tribes 2 went retail marred with slowed gameplay, an unwanted emphasis on vehicles and horribly persistenꦐt crashing.
Above: The gang's all gone
Identity Loss
An expansion pack was canceled as customer complaints grew, and more and more copies of Tribes 2 found themselves returned to retailers. And while each successive patch plugged leaks and aided mod support, remaining gameplay aspects were nerfed and the unique, yet buggy, community features were scrapped entirely. When Sierra itself was summarily swallꦍowed up by Vivendi Universal in a 2001 acquisition, poor Dynamix just didn’t make the cut.
Above: This lone warrior representsTribe 2's remaining player
Hope for Resurrection?
Nope. Sierra shifted development of the last game in theseries, Tribes: Vengeance, to Irrational Gamesto surprisingly good review scores in 2004. Sequel? Not from them. They got a little busy with their own properties: a tiny game you may know asBioShock. Good to know w♓hen playing Six Deಌgrees of Andrew Ryan.
Above: Tethered by failure.
