BattleTanx
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| Battletanx | |
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| Developer(s) | 3DO |
| Publisher(s) | 3DO |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo 64 |
| Release date | December 31, 1998 |
| Genre(s) | Action |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen (T) |
| Media | Cartridge |
BattleTanx is an action game for the Nintendo 64, produced by 3DO. It also has a 1999 sequel entitled BattleTanx: Global Assault.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
In the year 2001, a virus has killed 99.99% of the females on Earth. Various countries fight over each other's quarantine zones, and end up engaging in nuclear war, destroying much of civilization. The few remaining females are held by gangs who have taken over small pieces of the world. The main character, Griffin Spade, had his fiancee, Madison, taken away from Queens, New York by the U.S. Government. Griffin ends up separated from his wife and New York City is destroyed. He claims a tank for his own and sets out to cross America and find her, battling gangs as he reaches his goal. After surviving the ruins of New York City, Griffin heads Westward gaining recruits in the countryside, Chicago, Las Vegas, and San Francisco.
[edit] Gameplay
There are three tanks in the game that are at the player's disposal. The player can choose between a Moto Tank, M1A1 Abrams MBT, or the Goliath, which packs a lot of firepower. There are 17 levels to complete in order to finish the single player game, all of which are filled with enemy tanks. Each level is located in a specific place in the United States, such as New York City, Chicago, Las Vegas, and San Francisco. Most buildings and tanks can be destroyed.
In the game's multiplayer mode, players can battle with up to 4 players simultaneously. There are four different multiplayer configurations; battlelord mode (equivalent to capture the flag), deathmatch, family, and annihilation mode.
- Battlelord pits the players (and perhaps computer opponents, per settings) in a match to capture each other's queenlords and bring them back to their bases. When one player or team holds all the queenlords at their base(s), they win. Players can die infinitely in this mode, though if they die too often they will respawn slower. This is the only mode to feature true bases for the players, and they are set up with awesome firepower. However, with the use of items this power can be mitigated or ignored and with enough offense the bases can be damaged to the point of being largely ineffective at protecting queenlords.
- Deathmatch is a fight between players to accumulate seven kills. The first to seven kills win. Again, players respawn infinitely (getting seven kills otherwise would be nigh impossible), but will start respawning slower if they die too often.
- Family mode is a perfect replica of Deathmatch, with but one stipulation: all items are used before regular ammo can be accessed, and items cannot be switched. This can make otherwise useful items, like the cloaking device, annoying to pick up in large numbers. In addition, the player may pick up useful weapons but not be able to use them until they fire dozens of rounds of weaker weaponry.
- Annihilation provides each competitor with five tanks. The tanks that the players get are identical to the tanks their particular gang is shown with in the gang selection screen. The player controls one of the tanks and the computer controls the others. The armies then proceed to blow each other into piles of rubble. When a human player dies, they will automatically switch to another tank in their army and resume control of it (assuming there are tanks left). The smaller tanks, while being able to implement useful strategies in other modes, are particularly vulnerable in this mode where they could potentially get matched up against dozens of Goliaths. Players do not respawn in this mode; whoever is still alive at the end of the massacre is declared the winner. This match can play fast on small maps such as the Arena.
[edit] Items and weaponry
Multiple items, most revolving around weaponry, were included. These items do not respawn in Campaign Mode but can respawn in Multiplayer, per player preference.
- Radar: In Campaign Mode, the radar activates the player's radar and shows where enemies are, even from a great distance, by placing arrows over them. In Multiplayer, the radar is always activated, but picking up a radar item is still needed to see the arrows on the main screen. This item lasts until death.
- Points: Gives the player 1000 points. Appears only in Campaign.
- 1-up: Gives the player a life. Appears only in Campaign.
- Ammo: Restores a set amount of ammunition to the tank's main weapon.
- Health: Adds several units of health to the tank's life bar. If life is full, this item is stored in the inventory for later use.
- Star: An item which only appears when another tank is destroyed. It adds ammo and life to the tank, though the ammo and life are less than their aforementioned individual powerups.
- Shield: Makes the player's tank temporarily invulnerable. In addition, whatever weapon is fired at the player's tank will rebound. The shield doesn't seem to run out in time, but rather after a certain amount of damage has (or would have been) taken.
- Cloaking Device: Makes the player temporarily invisible. In multiplayer, the player will even disappear from the radar. Firing or being hit will temporarily reveal the player's location however, and cloaks do not work while carrying queens.
- Swarmers: Three missiles are fired off. One goes straight and the other two initially curve slightly away, but given space will go across to each other's side. At close range, all three missiles can be used on one tank and cause heavy damage. A special attack (which uses all of the chosen weapon and is activated by pressing the weapon fire and weapon switch button simultaneously) can be initiated if one has fifteen or more swarmers. The special fires all of the swarmers rapidly in a more spread out fashion. Swarmers are picked up 5 at a time.
- Laser: Fires a high-powered, super-fast laser. This weapon does heavy damage. The special attack spawns multiple lasers.
- Guided Missiles: Fires a missile that is, true to its name, guided by the player. While controlling a guided missile, it is impossible to move the tank. The missile moves fast, so knowing the level's layout is important.
- Mines: Drops a mine on the player's location. Mines do not differentiate between players; anyone who hits it, even the planter themselves, are targets.
Detonated mines can detonate other nearby mines, causing a deadly chain reaction.
- Gun Buddies: Places a gun emplacement. There are different types of Gun buddies. There are small machine type Gun buddies that shoot small fast bullets that are very similar to a moto tank's shells. There is the middle to large sized (the size varies from map to map in the campaign) rocket type of Gun buddy that is usually seen placed for base defense, these shoot small rockets that are typically slow moving that do moderate damage. Lastly there is the large sized laser-class Gun buddy, they are only seen in campaign. They fire lasers at quick intervals at a high accuracy and deal heavy damage.
- Nuke: The most powerful, and scarce weapon in the game. (It appears in all multiplayer missions, and some Campaign). The nuke will demolish every single damageable building in one stage (not completely) on the map and causes damage to all players within a very large radius.
[edit] Gangs
Throughout the entire campaign mode, you will battle against a number of different tribes, all with their own backgrounds. While playing any of the four multiplayer modes featured in BattleTanx, you will have the choice of playing any of the gangs that you battle against in campaign. In multiplayer, each different gang spawns with a different weapon; that weapon and the number of them that each tank starts with is listed next to the gang name.
- Griffin's Army: Random (can start out with anything)
- Urban Decay: City Mutants [Swarmers (5)]
- Psycho Brigade: Insane freaks [Shield]
- Skull Riderz: Motorcycle gang [Guided Missiles (5)]
- Mech Maniacs: A gang obsessed with metal [Gun Buddies (1)]
- Charlie Company: Formerly part of the U.S. Army [Lasers (5)]
- Nuclear Knights: Escaped "Super Soldiers" [Nuke (1)]
- After Shocks: Street Punks [Mines (5) and Grenades (5)]
- Dark Angels: Cult society [Cloaking (1)]
- Storm Ravens [unlocked by beating campaign]: Women only gang [Lasers (5) and Cloaking (1)]
[edit] Cheats
PLVRZM is for All Weapons. MSTSRVV is for Invincibility. CTSTLCLR is for Invisibility. HVRL is for a Spinning View.CNCTHRTM is for a Psychedelic View. LTSFBLLTS is for Unlimited Ammo. LVFRVR is for Unlimited Lives.FRGZ is to Unlock the Frog Storm
[edit] Levels
The first three levels all take place in New York City and involve the suburb of Queens, Queens Midtown Tunnel, and Times Square. The Las Vegas stage takes place on the world-famous Fremont Street. The San Francisco stages take place on the Golden Gate Bridge and The Wharf.
The hacker word xyzzy can be seen in the password screen in one picture of the manual.
