Tribes Ascend screenshots arrive, closed beta incoming

Hi-Rez studios are set to start a Tribes Ascend closed beta testing in a couple of weeks, and they need testers. Head over to the Tribes Ascend site to toss your name into the hat. The beta will include all 12 classes, and testers will be able to battle their way across four maps in two game modes, with three vehicles available. The beta test will keep growing as the year continues ahead of the final launch in early 2012.

Hi-Rez have also released two new screenshots of the free to play sequel, showing more of the sunny alpine environments, a shotgun, and a gun that looks as though it fires glowing blue disks of burning energy. From the looks of the motion blur in the first shot, the player looks as though he's skiing, a technique used by seasoned Tribes players to glide at high speeds across terrain. See the new shots below.

Part of the UK team, Tom was with PC Gamer at the very beginning of the website's launch—first as a news writer, and then as online editor until his departure in 2020. His specialties are strategy games, action RPGs, hack ‘n slash games, digital card games… basically anything that he can fit on a hard drive. His final boss form is Deckard Cain.