Scott Watson reviews Battlezone Gold Edition…
Talk about making you feel old… doing a bit of research and back history into Battlezone, and Rebellion’s repackaging and Gold Edition release, has made me feel positively archaic! I remember summer holidays to Scarborough, Bridlington, and the North East coast of England in my youth, chucking ten pence pieces into games like this. Can the original and grand daddy of this bright, bold and beautifully coloured re-imagining really be almost forty years old… excuse me while I take a moment!
Yes, Rebellion did a brilliant job about 18 months ago when they released this as a PSVR exclusive, but they’ve gone one better now with a general release that includes all the DLC and more without the requirements of virtual reality headset!
Think a rogue-like tanks of Tron meets Blockbusters (old 80s quiz show reference kids, look it up) table top battle map and you get the idea of a game that’s firmly steeped in arcade brilliance with strong elements of strategy and RPG-lite customisation. It’s tough, it’s brilliantly addictive, and it’s glorious to look at in sleek 4K!
Set at some point in the earth’s future, we know not when, you’re the last line of defense and attack in stopping an AI from taking over the world. With your trusty tanks at the ready you have to make your way across the map, clearing areas of enemies until your final showdown at a huge volcano. Each game is unique thanks to the procedurally generated levels which also help keep things fresh each time.
The game’s not really about the story though, but about you feeling like a one man army as you dispatch tanks, gun emplacements, drones, mine trucks and more with a great mix of weaponry as you press on to your final target. The game keeps this interesting throughout the map with each tile being a different style of mission. It could be a simple clear out of enemies in one, to a takedown of a key base, to convoy missions where you have to protect your own on the way to their designated waypoint.
While these missions and their primary objectives are nothing new within gaming, it’s all handled with great aplomb and a superb arcade feel. The game is extremely playable, with the three tank types; light, middle and heavy, all having their own specific weaponry and feel that can be upgraded as you go. Secondary targets throughout help you and hinder the enemy, by way of data points or armories or similar that you can capture during a mission as you progress. They’re nice distractions without losing too much focus and keep things interesting.
If there’s a downside, it’s that the old arcade three lives and you’re dead, reset to start won’t be to everyone’s taste in this day and age. But to me it’s forgivable due to the sheer playability of the game.
Rebellion have crafted a superb, lean, mean, sleek fighting machine with Battlezone Gold Edition that keeps drawing you back for more. If you didn’t have the opportunity to get this when it was released on PSVR, this is the ideal opportunity to see an arcade classic reinvigorated in fine style.
Pros:
+ Incredibly easy to pick up and play
+ Simple yet addictive gameplay
+ Procedurally generated maps keep things fresh
Cons:
– Rogue like
– Multiplayer at present is very empty
Rating: 8/10
Platform reviewed on Xbox One
Scott Watson
