BattleTanx: Global Assault Review

Good Selection of Weapons and Tanks
Fun Multiplayer Mode
Action Packed
Better than Average Music and Sound F/X

Generic Gameplay
Doesn't Take Long to Complete
Mindless Action
Levels Too Similar
Little Thought Put into Missions

It has been said that every original idea is eventually copied by somebody else. The developers of this game are that "somebody else". Army simulations are nothing new, so instead of trying to make something unique out of the genre, the developers just kept the premise and boiled it down even further to shoot, shoot, avoid, collect a few items here, shoot, shoot. It is dumb-dumb playing in its purist form, and don't be fooled otherwise by the "missions". The so-called missions involve you collecting items, blowing up buildings, protecting vehicles on your side, and other such tasks. There are many times playing when you look at a level and think "This is their mission?" and laugh. Much more thought into the mission element would greatly help this game.

In terms of graphics, the game is average. The game doesn't exactly have realistic graphics, but it doesn't have cartoony graphics either. So it maintains a middle of the road graphical feel throughout the game. The game uses very bright and vivid colors in some levels, and then drab, dark graphics on others. The graphics are by no means bad, but they just don't have that extra "Oomph" required to make the graphics seem to leap off the screen.

The music in the game is quite good. Many of the levels feature music that truly could have come from an action movie. The music sets the tone for mass destruction of rival tanks, buildings or whatever else stands in your way. The sound effects are very good as well. The sounds from your weapons being launched really put you in the game. And when buildings and other tanks are destroyed, it produces a satisfying explosion sound. But my absolute favorite sound effect is when you run over things with your tank. A big crunch is produced when this happens, and I don't know what to say, it just sounds cool. The music and sound effects really add to the fun of the game.

Moving on to the control, it doesn't disappoint. The controls in the game are very simple, with a button to change weapons, two buttons to shoot your arsenal, and occasionally a couple of other buttons for other functions. I definitely view simple controls as a good thing, because they are easy to get a handle over, and can be mastered within only a short time of playing. The controls allow you to just play the game and not worry about which button does what. They are concise and simplistic, as the control in most action games are.

Unfortunately, though the graphics, sound, and control are all quite good, the gameplay is the main problem in BattleTanx: Global Assault. It's just incredibly generic, tough guy action stuff, with nothing in the way of originality. And depth? Forget it! Once you make your way through a level, there is no inspiration to go through it again at all. Zero, nada, nothing. The levels are all quite similar, so it can be difficult to even differentiate between some of them. There isn't a whole lot of challenge either. The later missions do increase in difficulty, but the average gamer should be able to get through the game in less than a week. The saving grace is the multiplayer mode, which is quite entertaining. It's no secret that developers often add in a multiplayer mode into games to add replay value, which will encourage gamers to buy the title because they know they can have much more enjoyment with it after they defeat the one-player mode. This battle mode is for the most part nothing new: It simply has the old Deathmatch, and a capture the flag-type game. It pits you and 1, 2 or 3 of your friends against each other in a fairly spacious arena. But there is one difference: You have computer forces on your side too, in the form of stationary lasers and machine guns, that can damage the other player's tanks if they are not careful. This variation adds some interesting elements into an otherwise generic Deathmatch. Be warned though: the battle mode can get old fairly quickly, and can make your buddies want to switch off the game in as little as fifteen minutes.

As stated previously in my review, this game is pretty much as generic as it gets. Its definitely not going to revolutionize the way people think about vehicle simulations, and certainly won't appeal to people looking for a game that really makes you think. But for those who shoot first and ask questions later, this one could offer short thrills in the single-player game, and a fair bit of entertainment in the multiplayer battle. I, for one am very sick of titles that just try to clone the current trend in a gaming. Unfortunately, the genres that most often fall victim to this total lack of originality are racing games, fighting games, and combat-simulation games. C'mon you lazy video game companies, get off your butts and put out something daring for once. As it is BattleTanx: Global Assault is few days rental. Frankly, I don't think the game has enough substance to warrant a purchase.

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