Battlezone
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Atari: Anniversary Edition
(2001) -
Microsoft Arcade
(1993)
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Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 1
(1996) - Atari Flashback (2004)
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Atari: 80 Classic Games in One!
(2003) -
Atari: Anniversary Advance
(2002) -
THE400 mini
(2024)
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Battlezone
(1998 on
Windows)
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BattleZone
(2006 on
PSP)
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Battlezone
(2008 on
Xbox 360)
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Battlezone
(2016 on
PlayStation 4, 2017 on
Windows)
Description official descriptions
Commonly considered the earliest progenitor of first-person shooters (FPS), Battlezone is a 3D tank game initially released in the arcades, and later converted officially to many systems. Earth has been invaded, and you and your tank lead the defensive effort. You drive around the battlefield from a first-person view, targeting and firing at tanks, planes and UFOs. You have a radar to help you see where the enemies are in direction and distance. Objects can be used as strategic cover. Controls simulate the tracks of a tank realistically, so the direction and speed settings are varied - combining forward right and backward left movements (as you can on keyboard versions) sees you change direction more quickly.
Groups +
Screenshots
Promos
Credits (Arcade version)
6 People
| Programmed by | |
| Project leader | |
| Electrical engineer | |
| Vector-graphics generator by | |
| Enemy tank models | |
| Artwork | |
| Erupting volcano code by |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 64% (based on 19 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.5 out of 5 (based on 80 ratings with 1 reviews)
The Good
Battlezone for the PC was released during a time where the only PC title to have decent 3D graphics was Flight Simulator, so when I first saw it I was skeptical that it would run well. Not only did it run well, but it was a nearly perfect conversion and it ran just as fast as it did in the arcade.
You don't have to be familiar with the arcade to enjoy the game; it's a sly shooter that really ups the "nervous" factor and forces you to keep one eye on the radar at all times.
The Bad
The dual "tank sticks" control mechanism was replaced by the standard 8-way joystick directional paradigm. No actual control was lost, since all possible left and right stick combinations map perfectly into an 8-way joystick, but the game feels different as a result.
The Bottom Line
Fans of the original arcade game won't be dissappointed, and modern arcade emulation programmers will be impressed by the conversion.
PC Booter · by Trixter (8951) · 1999
Discussion
| Subject | By | Date |
|---|---|---|
| The arcade original | John F | Apr 3, 2023 |
Trivia
1001 Video Games
Battlezone appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott
Arcade version
Development of the original Battlezone coin-op was a team effort: Morgan Hoff was the project leader; Jed Margolin handled electrical engineering; Ed Rotberg programmed it; Roger Hector modelled all 3D objects as minimally as possible, and Howie Delman's vector-graphics generator was used.
References to the game
Battlezone units appear in the movies: * Tron (1982) * Joysticks (1983) * The Philadelphia Experiment (1984) * Running Scared (1986)
Volcano
Owen Rubin kept pestering Rotberg to make the volcano on the horizon active; Rotberg brushed him off, challenging Rubin to write the code for the volcano himself if he felt so strongly about it# The next morning, there it was sitting on his desk.
Awards
- Retro Gamer
- Issue 46 - #20 in the "Top 25 Atari 2600 Games" poll
Information also contributed by Nélio, PCGamer77 and FatherJack.
Analytics
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Related Sites +
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Kumar's Gaming | Battlezone Review
A detailed review of Battlezone on the Atari 2600 gaming console. -
The International Arcade Museum
extensive information about the arcade game machine
Identifiers +
Contribute
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Trixter.
Windows, Xbox 360 added by Alaka. Atari 8-bit added by Kabushi. ZX Spectrum added by Martin Smith. Arcade added by Pseudo_Intellectual. Antstream added by lights out party. Atari ST, Atari 2600, VIC-20, Apple II added by Servo. Commodore 64 added by wanax.
Additional contributors: Alaka, Martin Smith, Pseudo_Intellectual, Patrick Bregger, FatherJack, ZeTomes, Abhishek Kumar.
Game added November 1, 1999. Last modified November 10, 2024.