BattleZone Reborn
Atari and Paradigm Entertainment are bringing an updated classic to the PSP.
Published: May 4, 2006
Though the majority of gamers born after 1985 will probably never remember BattleZone, for old-school gamers, the mere mention of the game can send one hurtling down memory lane, bathed in the greenish glow of cutting-edge vector graphics and the telltale BEEWWWWWWWNNN of cyber-cannon fire.
Now forget all that, because it's time for a remake. An update. Something to rope in the kids with fancy whiz-bang graphics and something they call Why-Fly multiplayer or something. At least the premise hasn't changed too much: futuristic hovertanks zip around levels and blow the snot out of each other. The big difference is that the locales are international, and there's a slew of unlockable upgrades for the tanks.
The four-person multiplayer modes are more than just Deathmatch battles (though that's certainly represented); Capture the Flag, Team Deathmatch, Knockout (we're thinking king of the hill here), Hotzone and Fox and Hound modes will all be available, though we'll have to see what some of those modes actually entail.
“The BattleZone arcade game broke the mold for vehicle action combat in 1980, and today’s version will reinvent this classic property into a modern day must-have,” stammered Stephen Baer, Senior Product Manager at Atari, before pushing a pair of taped coke bottle glasses up his nose for effect. “BattleZone for the PSP system offers the fast-paced action and addictive gameplay that meets the demands of today’s on-the-go generation.”
We have to admit that the game looks rather pretty, even this early on. The promise of an online hub where you can tweak and redesign levels then download them to your PSP (though not directly, sadly) is something we're a little excited about, especially if it affords the kind of detail we're seeing in these first shots.
BattleZone should roll onto PSPs this November -- perfect timing for the Holidays so you can cram turkey into your face hole and then pass out in mid-battle with loved ones. It's how the Pilgrims envisioned it!
Now forget all that, because it's time for a remake. An update. Something to rope in the kids with fancy whiz-bang graphics and something they call Why-Fly multiplayer or something. At least the premise hasn't changed too much: futuristic hovertanks zip around levels and blow the snot out of each other. The big difference is that the locales are international, and there's a slew of unlockable upgrades for the tanks.
The four-person multiplayer modes are more than just Deathmatch battles (though that's certainly represented); Capture the Flag, Team Deathmatch, Knockout (we're thinking king of the hill here), Hotzone and Fox and Hound modes will all be available, though we'll have to see what some of those modes actually entail.
“The BattleZone arcade game broke the mold for vehicle action combat in 1980, and today’s version will reinvent this classic property into a modern day must-have,” stammered Stephen Baer, Senior Product Manager at Atari, before pushing a pair of taped coke bottle glasses up his nose for effect. “BattleZone for the PSP system offers the fast-paced action and addictive gameplay that meets the demands of today’s on-the-go generation.”
We have to admit that the game looks rather pretty, even this early on. The promise of an online hub where you can tweak and redesign levels then download them to your PSP (though not directly, sadly) is something we're a little excited about, especially if it affords the kind of detail we're seeing in these first shots.
BattleZone should roll onto PSPs this November -- perfect timing for the Holidays so you can cram turkey into your face hole and then pass out in mid-battle with loved ones. It's how the Pilgrims envisioned it!