• Posted October 19th, 2010 at 11:14 EDT by Steven Williamson
• 3 Comments

(continued from previous page) ...that we haven't already done before, but the setting makes it all that more enjoyable and the temptation to jump on one of Tron's iconic light-cycles is too much to bear.

Not only can you use the bikes to get to and from locations quickly, but you can also take down other players who get caught up in the trail that leads from your back of your bike. The bikes were fairly difficult to control on our first few goes, but they're very responsive and react very well when turning full circle, braking very quickly, or navigating around sharp corners. They also add another layer of strategy to the gameplay, and such is their draw we’re sure they’ll be used a lot in the multiplayer component, alongside the light-tanks. Though we didn’t get to try out the tanks, they seem much slower than the light-bikes but far more powerful, sporting a cannon that can take players out with one blast.

The single player campaign is still something of a mystery. We know it incorporates a lot of disc-throwing combat combined with free-running and bike riding, but we're hoping that the levels are varied enough to maintain our interest for more than a few hours, rather than it just having a good storyline. What we have seen in action is the multiplayer mode, which involves pretty much everything that you learn in the single player campaign.

Dotted around the Tron universe, within the single player campaign, are Disc Stations that you can use to jump straight into the multiplayer arena. This happens instantly and smoothly and any XP that you gain online carries back over into the single player mode. The online experience revolves around fast-paced combat and light-bikes and caters for up to 10 players.

There are four different game modes to enjoy, including Disintegration and team disintegration, which are versions of the classic team-death match modes. Gameplay is extremely fast-paced on the smaller maps and there's a lot of movement and running around because discs auto-track the enemy when they're thrown. On the larger maps, it looks like combat will be a bit more controlled with longer ranged fighting and more use of the light cycles, with wide corridors and open areas that make light cycle fighting perfect.

Bit Runner is an interesting mode. It’s like Oddball with a twist. The person carrying the 'bit' drains with energy while the other players run around trying to get hold of it. As you might expect, there's lots of wall running, jumping and leaping out of the way at the last minute, bashing into other players to get them out of the way and some frantic fights for possession. The fact that the walls carry energy tracks so you can fill up your meter, encourage you to wall run. Visually it's impressive to watch as you move rapidly around the arenas, and the animation is tremendous. You get quite a rush from travelling at speed while players are frantically after you.

The fourth game mode is Power Monger, which offers a slightly different take on the usual capture and defend modes. You have five nodes in an arena but they are interlinked. You have to capture at least two linked nodes to score. As you can imagine there's a mad dash for nodes right at the start of the game and some vicious battles for early possession. It’s a tried and tested game mode in other strong multiplayer games, and there’s no reason believe it won’t be just as compelling here.

Level design is impressive with multiple tiered locations and platforms giving you plenty of scope to utilize your free-running skills. We’ve got no complaints with the mechanics; our avatar handled very well, free running is intuitive and combat is smooth and fluid. What we have noticed, however, is how much free running plays a part in the game. You're constantly on your toes and keen to fill your meter back up to take advantage of the special powers, so you'll spend a fair chunk of time leaping around acrobatically before moving in for the kill.

We've enjoyed our short time with Tron Evolution, but the free-running side of the game has left us with one major concern. ... (continued on next page)