New Tribes news benefits us all, PC gamers--even the least jetpack-amicable among us. Hi-Rez Studios (the Georgia-based dev that made Global Agenda ) is creating Tribes: Ascend , a multiplayer-only, download-sized successor to Tribes 2 in the Unreal 3 engine. This is a separate game from the developer's more massively-multiplayer use of the license, Tribes Universe, which is also in development. Inside: the Ascend trailer.

Normally I'd feel a little uncomfortable about a dev digging up years-old quotes to build excitement for it's sequel, but heavens to healthkits, if Tribes doesn't deserve a proper modern reboot, I'm not sure what shooter does. There's such a void that's formed as multiplayer FPSes have moved away from the complexity and acrobaticism of Quake 3 and Tribes to favor the narrower, grounded gunplay of Call of Duty. That said, it's a modest warning sign that Hi-Rez says that Ascend will be available on Xbox 360 as well as PC. I don't doubt that it can be done, but taming Tribes' high-speed gameplay for a controller--while maintaining its creamy, Spinfusor-filled core of breakneck movement and open-air fighting on PC--can't be easy.

Here's Hi-Rez Studios' Todd Harris, COO: "Before Halo, before Modern Warfare, and before Battlefield, there was Tribes. Tribes fans appreciate the game's essence--athletic FPS combat combined with teamwork and strategy. As we began development of Tribes Universe, we focused first on capturing that essence--refining and modernizing iconic elements like jetpacks, skiing, and vehicles. We've had tremendous fun play-testing and realized the potential of a multiplayer focused title ahead of Tribes Universe. The community has been waiting for a multi-player shooter that is the modern successor to T2. Tribes: Ascend is that game.”

To review: