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Tuesday 15 January, 2008
Gamelog entry #1:
Summary
Battle Tanx puts the player at the helm of an array of tanks with a lot of firepower. You control an army of resistance fighters battling across the globe to protect the human race against Cassandra, your enemy and commander of a large tank force. Each level presents a new challenge, lots of enemies, and more than enough accessories to help you blast through them. You push Cassandra’s forces out of America and chase her into Europe, while finding more tank bunks in each level, which let you choose between a variety of specialized tanks whenever you die.
Gameplay
I began playing this game not knowing what to expect, but the name itself gives a pretty good idea of what’s in store. I played the campaign cooperatively with my friend who owns Battle Tanx and is a far superior tank commander than I. This was both a bonus and a setback; because he knew what he was doing and completed levels quickly, it took me a little longer to figure out what was going on, but once I had the basics down I could keep up and get a piece of the battle. Each tank has varying firepower, speed, and size depending on the cost. I like the basic M1A1 tank because it has a powerful gun and decent speed, however, I definitely drooled over the pricey Goliath, whose cannon got me a few satisfying explosions before its lagging speed soon spelled my doom.
The levels are reasonably simple and easy to navigate thanks to the brilliant map given in the upper corner of the screen; and since there is a main theme of utter destruction to guide you anywhere you wish to destroy, it is not hard to find something to use your guided-missiles, grenades, or flamethrower on. My friend and I rolled as a solid team meaning he could save me when there were too many enemies. Shockingly, I only tended to die when panic struck and I sprayed madly.
Besides the simply spectacular aspect of destruction via a treaded, metal, missile-launcher, I think Battle Tanx has a slightly humorous storyline as well: A nuclear war has just killed 99.9% of Earth’s women and your wife is one of the four remaining females on the planet. After that it fades back into the typical battle to save the world where demolition is the only solution and the short laugh I had was replaced by pure adrenaline pumping through me in anticipation for the epic war ahead. The story is logical and provides enough incentive to continue playing by presenting varieties of challenges in each mission to keep you interested.
Gamelog entry #2:
Gameplay
Coming into my next session of Battle Tanx, I knew what to expect but wanted a little more. The challenge of figuring out how to control my tank was gone and now I could focus more on missions and killing as much as possible. The game had been fun so I was excited to continue but got a little bummed a few levels in when the repetitive nature of the game started sinking in. I stopped concentrating on the storyline and I hardly knew my own name, much less those of other characters. However, the levels soon changed and so did the machines. A bridge level caught my attention, with the goal being to cross it while blasting through a sea of enemies. This new setting plus the addition of two new tanks was just what I needed to keep having fun.
I think one of my favorite aspects of Battle Tanx is that it never stops. When you blow one tank up, another one is there to keep shooting. The buildings are lined up neatly to roll right through and collect power-ups while blasting new holes in the opponent’s defenses. The only pause was between missions to show your kill-count and brief you on your next set of objectives before putting you back in the fray. Due to this consistent theme and utter disconnect from the “plot”, I could definitely play this game again and have an even better time.
Design
Battle Tanx gives you the sense that you are fighting for survival in an evil world. You’ve heard enough: there are four women left on the earth and your wife is one of them. That alone is obviously worth fighting for. This desperation is obviously felt by your comrades, who are fighting the steady stream of red tanks with you and pushing them across several countries. This tone of urgency is kept up through non-stop gameplay and you must stay focused and firing or someone will find and blow you up.
With each level, stronger enemies appeared and the missions got more complicated. This kept the game challenging and progressively more interesting, although the new missions got confusing at times when they were vague or the location of a checkpoint was hidden on the map. What really kept me intrigued was all of the weapons available for any tank, big or small. There are items scattered throughout the map that deliver different explosive force, and stars replenish your health every time you kill an enemy. There are also Tank Bucks in a few places on every level which help you afford a new tank every time you die and cooler tanks further along in the game.
Though this game is a lot of fun, it is repetitive and visually bland. The graphics are decent, especially for the time, but the color shades grow unappealing. I had fun until I got tired of shooting other tanks, and after that, there isn’t much left to do.
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