Tribes: Ascend (Review) 2nd Opinion

I, like you, read Paul's review of Tribes: Ascend, downloaded the game, and was convinced Paul is dumb as bricks.

Here's the make-up Stage-Zer0 review:

Tribes: Ascend is a team vs. team, PC shooter (played in the first or third person, depending on your preference) in which you zoom across maps at 100-200+ miles per hour. This speeding is done via the game's unique "skiing" mechanic. At least, that's what the game calls it; I like to think of it more as ice skating with guns. You hold down spacebar and the laws of physics glide you across the ground as if there's no friction. And there's still gravity, so what you'll want to do to go fast is jet pack into the sky or to the top of a hill, and "ski" down the hill. When you're skiing brings you to an incline up a hill, jet pack to the top (maintaining your speed) and ski down the new hill, making you go ever faster than before.

The game is free-to-play, although you can unlock tools and weapons with XP you gain in matches or with cash. This is not what prevents the game from being great.

The problem with the game is the auto-balance. It doesn't occur enough. And I'm not even sure it works. What this failure does is makes most matches one-sided, ski-fests. You might as well play waltz in the background.

And yes, this makes the game a waste of your money and, if you continue to play it after learning the new mechanics, a waste of your time.