Battlezone: The Best Game You Never Played

Omatic810Omatic810 Gainesville, FL
edited January 2004 in Gaming
No, not the one with the green vector lines and blips for sound affects, I mean the remix that Activision released in 1998. This game is one of the best games (in my opinion) to ever be released. It's a strategy game mixed together with tank-hovering action. Basically take Command and Conquer Generals and make yourself one of the units, and you have BZ.

This game is waaaaaay before it's time. I'll go part-by-part:

Graphics: For today's standards, the game still is good looking. Put it on High-rez, 1024x768, full graphics, and it's a PS2-quality game (graphically).

Sound: I love the music to this game. I still hum the tunes every time I see a military movie. Also, the computerized voice telling you you're being slaughtered is a great touch. Finally, the voice-over story is engaging and makes you feel like you're watching a movie.

Gameplay: The gameplay is very well done. The controls are smooth, and the physics are well simulated. You get to order around 10 offensive units, 10 defensive units, 10 utility units, and your building facilities. It's the coolest thing that you get to ride alongside your subordinates. The AI is pretty good, but none too advanced. You won't see any crazy flanking manuvers or suicide tanks destroying your vital buildings, but the scripted AI is challenging nonetheless.

Story: Amazing. At first you're like "What the hell?", but then you're like "Oooohhhhh", and finally you're like "Woah!". That about sumarized my feelings throughout the game. The game takes place in the 1960's-1970's (or 80's, cant remember), shortly after the lunar lander made it to the moon. The world thought that the cold war on Earth was over, and that the 1st space launch was all the space travel to happen, but the cold war against the USSR has moved into space, and full military battles are ongoing on the moon, mars, and several moons. And if you think you'll just be fighting commies out there, you'll be unpleasently suprised (yep, a story twist!).

Multiplayer: Nope, you're 6 years late for that. :-/

Anyway, this game is great. It's uber-cheap too, you can find it online or in the "Classics" section at a gaming store. And after you finish the first game, try and find the expansion, it's a nice add-on to an already superb game. It'll entertain you for a good while, and after you finish the american campaign, you can take the superior soviet machines for a spin (and chinese fighters if you get the exp.).

Final word: Collect the change under your couch and GET THIS GAME!

Comments

  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited January 2004
    I prefer BattleZone II, it's awsome.... Quite limited on the amount of different units though, but great graphics and you can run around everywhere.
  • RWBRWB Icrontian
    edited January 2004
    The first BattleZone is very very old... so I think that BattleZone II was what the original poster was referring to Enverex.

    I think I like the first BattleZone more though...
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited January 2004
    RWB wrote:
    The first BattleZone is very very old... so I think that BattleZone II was what the original poster was referring to Enverex.

    I think I like the first BattleZone more though...

    Couldn't have been as BZII is the ISDF and the Psions fighting in space, not the russians and such.
  • Omatic810Omatic810 Gainesville, FL
    edited January 2004
    It's Battlezone 1 that rox my sox. The AI in BZ2 turned me off. The review is on Battlezone
  • TheBaronTheBaron Austin, TX
    edited January 2004
    the games were released within a year or 2 of each other. BZ1 isn't much older than BZ2. both of those games rocked my socks
  • T-BirDT-BirD Montgomery, AL
    edited January 2004
    The original was an Atari arcade game in the early '80's. Activision then did a remake with added base-building and on foot elements in 1998 (which was a hella-fun LAN game). BattleZone II was released about 2 years later, but not many people noticed, oddly enough.
    Kinda like Heavy Gear doing well, then Heavy Gear II being ignored.
  • edited January 2004
    eh, diablo kept all my attention away from battlezone. good game but not something i would call amazing.
  • astroworpastroworp Northridge, CA
    edited January 2004
    i loved the original... i wonder if i can find it anywhere online...
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