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Tank Universal

Score: 78%
ESRB: Not Rated
Publisher: Meridian4
Developer: Dialogue Design
Media: Download/1
Players: 1
Genre: Arcade/ Shooter/ Classic/Retro

Graphics & Sound:

If you're looking for a graphical powerhouse, then it's safe to stop reading right now. If you're looking for an entertaining indy game with indy-quality graphics, then welcome to Indy Gaming's Tank Universal. With a Tron-like look and feel, Tank Universal combines extremely basic graphics (we're talking black cubes with grid-like outlines here) with equally basic audio.

It's unfortunate that some Tank Universal's audio is so lacking, though. While the sound FX are neither superior nor inferior, they offer just the right amount of balance to keep interest during in-game moments. Where Tank Universal falls short is in the small amounts of dialogue that are present between matches. Having voice acting for the text would have added a lot more to these interactive cutscenes, but instead, as presented they are a bit boring.


Gameplay:

Tank Universal is, at its core, more or less a Tron-influenced version of the popular Capture The Flag game, with one big difference. Instead of being on foot, you'll be sitting in the cockpit of a powerful tank. Essentially, Tank Universal boils down to you and your A.I. counterparts taking on the enemy in a war game that has you infiltrating the opponent's base to steal their key, then bringing it back to your base safely to declare victory.

Just like its graphics, the concept of Tank Universal is very simple and to the point, but there were a few times when I didn't quite grasp what I was to do. Aside from that small learning curve, the controlling of your tank is quite easy and the quote of the day has to be "kill or be killed" while in the battlefield. Your tank will be equipped with shields that need replenishing, speed bursts that can help you get out of sticky situations, and a host of other power-ups available for purchase as you progress through the game.

Keeping with the theme of simplicity, Tank Universal really isn't much more than increasingly more difficult battles with some dialogue and first-person elements thrown in-between. These moments of story are pretty much forgettable, but it is a natural link to tie the battles together. Unfortunately, controlling your first-person on-foot character feels a bit clunky (or, rather like you're on ice at moments of running), so it is not all that enjoyable.

It's hard to understand why there are games out there that have an appeal beyond their lackluster graphics and average audio, but Tank Universal may fall into that category for some of you out there. Maybe it's the simplistic design or the pick up and play gameplay, and maybe it's a simple nostalgia factor that crosses Atari's Combat with Disney's Tron, that makes the simple aim, fire, and drive attitude actually a bit fun and addictive.


Difficulty:

Aside from a slight learning curve, Tank Universal's difficulty factor isn't that high. With that said, however, you will have to learn to read your enemy and their mannerisms as you progress through the game. The hardest thing to do in this Capture The Flag clone is to learn to aim from afar, since gravity does affect your tank's shells a fair amount. Because of this, taking long shots at distant targets is quite difficult at first, and rewarding after you've gotten used to the play mechanics.

Since Tank Universal doesn't contain a multiplayer component, the game's difficulty fully relies on the computer's Artificial Intelligence. While it does perform well, it can be borderline frustrating to gun down enemy vehicles at times, but there are keys to victory, with the main key being patience. Learning to power up your weapon and aim from a distance can be the difference between victory and defeat. Another big key is to eliminate destructive opponent weapons (like the turrets) before they cause too much damage to you and your posse.


Game Mechanics:

Tank Universal is extremely easy to play, but not to master. After only a few minutes of play time, you'll be able to control, aim, and shoot your tank like the best of them. Using your power-ups is nothing more than the quick hit of the upper "F" keys on your keyboard. Aiming from afar can be a bit tricky, as you'll need to lob your shots a bit, but holding down the shoot button to power up your weapon fully will help destroy opponents even when not hitting them directly.

While Tank Universal may not appeal to everyone, and at first glance you may have the reaction to quit playing right away, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the tank-wars gameplay. If you can look past the lack of presentation, then Tank Universal may be a fun game to pick up and enjoy for a while. It's great to see independent game developers creating games like this, and the look and feel of garage game development definitely shines through (in a good way) with Tank Universal.


-Woody, GameVortex Communications
AKA Shane Wodele

Minimum System Requirements:



Windows 2000/XP/Vista, Pentium IV 2GHz or higher, 128MB DirectX compliant video card (Nvidia 6600GT or equivalent), Windows compatible mouse and keyboard, Requires approximately 250 MB of Hard Drive space for installation
 

Test System:



AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL-52; 1.61GHz (Dual) Processors; 960MB RAM; NVIDIA GeForce Go 6150 Integrated Graphics

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Game Vortex :: PSIllustrated