ChaseTheChuckwagon
02-07-2009, 11:45 PM
Vector Tanks – Iphone/Ipod Touch, So Cal Mike, 2/09 from Retrogamingroundup.com
* * * * * out of * * * * *
Vector Tanks by Peter Hirschberg hits the Iphone Ap Store this week. I was fortunate enough to get a pre-release version graciously sent to me by Peter himself. First off, obviously this is an updated remake of Battlezone. But I can’t emphasize enough the “updated remake” part of that sentence. This is a game we all wished we would have seen in the past, but never did, until now. The game maintains the classic feel of the arcade game right down to the Vector Tanks intro screen with the 3-D traveling logo (ala Star Wars). When first powered on you will be treated to the basic rules. One of the first things you will notice is the introduction of powerups. Power ups will play a significant role in this game and include shields, rapid fire and best of all, nukes. The power ups are scattered with some randomness around the landscape and are red in color. Run your tank over a power up to attain its attribute. Shields will turn your screen a purple hue as if you are engulfed within the shield. The pulsating sound of the shield as it protects you is a treat to hear. It will protect you against enemy tank fire but will not protect you against the numerous land mines scattered around the battlefield. The rapid-fire power up makes it easy to hit tanks before they know what hit’em. They are especially good for hitting some of the faster enemies. The third power up is nukes. These are really special as firing a nuke into an enemy tank will result in an impressive mushroom cloud explosion you will have to see to believe. And, if you take out multiple enemy tanks with one nuke you will get bonus multiplier points.
The next welcome addition to Vector Tanks are color vectors. If you remember, Battlezone utilized only green vectors. Colored vectors really make this game stand out as the colors represent different items and really help them to stand out on the black backgrounds. The mountains in the distance are a glowing purple, both the power ups and land mines are red and enemy tanks are their familiar green. White stars and a moon add to the overall atmosphere of the landscape. Following the color vectors, Peter has also done wonders with the in-game audio. I played the game with some nice Bose stereo headphones and it really made the game come alive. The sounds of the tank whizzing around the landscape sounded incredible. The sounds are great and really add to the ambiance of the game in all sorts of ways. The explosions sound incredible and are deep and full of bass. But the best sounds by far, come from the surprise enemy, the army jeeps. When I first played Vector Tanks, I didn’t know about these wonderful new additions. I was surprised when I first heard this sputtering motor sound, similar to the jeeps you hear on the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. Then off to the left of the screen comes this beautifully drawn vector jeep zipping fast through the battlefield. Bam I nailed that sucker and watched as the tires and hood and everything else blew apart. Another cool thing I noticed is you can just run them over. Now, that’s fun! The jeeps don’t fire at you but are fast and if you aren’t careful they will conveniently draw you near a land mine and then you can kiss your ass goodbye. The enemy sounds in this game are great and actually channel left or right or blend depending if the enemy is on your left or right or right in front of you.
The final piece of this puzzle is the well laid out control scheme. Using your thumbs on the left and right side of the screen you move the tanks just like you did in the original arcade game. Moving both thumbs forward speeds you forward, bring them both backward you go full speed in reverse. Then combination left thumb forward, right thumb back you will turn and accelerate and vice versa. All you need to know is that the controls are intuitive and work perfectly. You really feel like you are one with the tank like never before. It does take a small bit of practice to line your enemy tank up in the center of your radar before you fire and if you take to much time to line it up the AI Tanks will finish you off right away. I found it easier to out maneuver them and try and get on their side or stern and then blast’em to Kingdom Come.
Needless to say, this game is something special and like everything Peter does, this game is perfect in every way it can be. From the sound to the graphics to the controls this game is a new game in and of itself and stands light years ahead of its much beloved predecessor.
* * * * * out of * * * * *
Vector Tanks by Peter Hirschberg hits the Iphone Ap Store this week. I was fortunate enough to get a pre-release version graciously sent to me by Peter himself. First off, obviously this is an updated remake of Battlezone. But I can’t emphasize enough the “updated remake” part of that sentence. This is a game we all wished we would have seen in the past, but never did, until now. The game maintains the classic feel of the arcade game right down to the Vector Tanks intro screen with the 3-D traveling logo (ala Star Wars). When first powered on you will be treated to the basic rules. One of the first things you will notice is the introduction of powerups. Power ups will play a significant role in this game and include shields, rapid fire and best of all, nukes. The power ups are scattered with some randomness around the landscape and are red in color. Run your tank over a power up to attain its attribute. Shields will turn your screen a purple hue as if you are engulfed within the shield. The pulsating sound of the shield as it protects you is a treat to hear. It will protect you against enemy tank fire but will not protect you against the numerous land mines scattered around the battlefield. The rapid-fire power up makes it easy to hit tanks before they know what hit’em. They are especially good for hitting some of the faster enemies. The third power up is nukes. These are really special as firing a nuke into an enemy tank will result in an impressive mushroom cloud explosion you will have to see to believe. And, if you take out multiple enemy tanks with one nuke you will get bonus multiplier points.
The next welcome addition to Vector Tanks are color vectors. If you remember, Battlezone utilized only green vectors. Colored vectors really make this game stand out as the colors represent different items and really help them to stand out on the black backgrounds. The mountains in the distance are a glowing purple, both the power ups and land mines are red and enemy tanks are their familiar green. White stars and a moon add to the overall atmosphere of the landscape. Following the color vectors, Peter has also done wonders with the in-game audio. I played the game with some nice Bose stereo headphones and it really made the game come alive. The sounds of the tank whizzing around the landscape sounded incredible. The sounds are great and really add to the ambiance of the game in all sorts of ways. The explosions sound incredible and are deep and full of bass. But the best sounds by far, come from the surprise enemy, the army jeeps. When I first played Vector Tanks, I didn’t know about these wonderful new additions. I was surprised when I first heard this sputtering motor sound, similar to the jeeps you hear on the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. Then off to the left of the screen comes this beautifully drawn vector jeep zipping fast through the battlefield. Bam I nailed that sucker and watched as the tires and hood and everything else blew apart. Another cool thing I noticed is you can just run them over. Now, that’s fun! The jeeps don’t fire at you but are fast and if you aren’t careful they will conveniently draw you near a land mine and then you can kiss your ass goodbye. The enemy sounds in this game are great and actually channel left or right or blend depending if the enemy is on your left or right or right in front of you.
The final piece of this puzzle is the well laid out control scheme. Using your thumbs on the left and right side of the screen you move the tanks just like you did in the original arcade game. Moving both thumbs forward speeds you forward, bring them both backward you go full speed in reverse. Then combination left thumb forward, right thumb back you will turn and accelerate and vice versa. All you need to know is that the controls are intuitive and work perfectly. You really feel like you are one with the tank like never before. It does take a small bit of practice to line your enemy tank up in the center of your radar before you fire and if you take to much time to line it up the AI Tanks will finish you off right away. I found it easier to out maneuver them and try and get on their side or stern and then blast’em to Kingdom Come.
Needless to say, this game is something special and like everything Peter does, this game is perfect in every way it can be. From the sound to the graphics to the controls this game is a new game in and of itself and stands light years ahead of its much beloved predecessor.