PixlBit

Tanx a lot, 3DO.

Now this is a guy game if I ever saw one. Tanks? Check. Explosions? By the truckload. Post-apocalyptic setting? And how. Crudely-spelled title? Of course. Rescue the chick? That's even a multiplayer mode.

In the year 2001, which is the not-so-distant future of the time but is now the not-so-distant past, a mysterious plague has wiped out 99% of all females of the human race. Without the influence and guidance of women, all of the men have reverted to their primal instincts. They have segmented into packs and rove the lands with tanks built from the wreckage of civilization, and battle each other over the few women who remain. Playing the role of one of the more "sane" men, Griffin, you must travel across the US in search of your girlfriend, Madison.

Yeah, great story. It is totally believable, too. Men would destroy each other were it not for women to keep them in check.

Jumping into the game, the first level is a simple one, where the goal is to destroy the five enemy tanks. They're pretty easy to find, as there is a radar and a mini-map which points out their locations. The next stage is a bridge which supposedly no one has ever crossed alive. With how easy this level is, I find that one hard to believe. Then again, I guess Griffin is the only one left who is smart enough to dodge the machine gun fire from the gun emplacements. There are various powerups scattered around each area, the better of which are hidden behind obstacles or inside destructible buildings. These range from weapons including missiles and lasers, to support items such as invisibility and sentry guns.

The controls are fairly straightforward, but could benefit from some more customization options. The analogue stick is used to move the tank, the Z button fires the cannon, and the A button shoots any special weapons or powerups that have been obtained. Holding the R button enables the cannon to be moved independently of the tank, allowing forward movement whilst aiming in any direction. This setup is somewhat restrictive, as it isn't possible to control the cannon and turn the tank at the same time. If tank movement were assigned to the C-buttons and cannon control on the analogue stick, it would be a much more efficient setup.

The graphics are pretty bland, but this has partly to do with the setting. There is heavy fog, making visibility limited; it isn't uncommon to see shells blasting out from the mist before the enemy becomes visible. Buildings are comprised of simple textures and dark colours, and have no real varying look. The music is generic rock with that famous tinny sound quality, and is unremarkable and instantly forgettable. Sound effects are scarce, with the movement of tank treads, gunfire, and explosions being the main three noises to be heard the whole game. There is also a female voice which says "powerup" whenever a powerup is collected, which soon becomes grating.

BattleTanx is nothing but a little dumb game to satisfy your urge to blow stuff up. There is a nice multiplayer offering with a decent helping of modes, but unfortunately, as a late addition to my collection, I've never tried it. There's not much strategy or variety to be found here, but it can still be enjoyable in short bursts. And hey, tanks are fun. We all like tanks.