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Death Tank Review for Xbox 360

Death Tank Review for Xbox 360

Death Comes from the Sky

Back in the days of DOS-based shareware, a little game by the name of Scorched Earth had the tendency to make computer geeks huddle around a single PC screen to engage in turn-based artillery combat across mountainous terrain. As explosive shells and expletives flew, few other games of its time provided such an enticing group multiplayer gaming activity on a single computer. Channeling the spirit of Scorched Earth, developer Snowblind Studios offers a destructively good time with its appropriately-named Death Tank.

Death Tank screenshot

With such a straightforward moniker, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that you’re immediately met by a sinister, fanged, floating skull hovering in outer space with flames shooting out of its eye sockets and a blast of heavy metal music in the background upon loading Death Tank. If that doesn’t scream “awesome,” I’m not sure what does. Maybe the developer could have thrown in an eagle carrying a nuclear warhead in its talons or a zombie unicorn shooting lasers from its horn for good measure. Regardless, it’s a fitting intro for a game that’s solely about dealing hot death through the barrel of a tank cannon.

Realistically, mountainous terrain doesn’t immediately seem like such a great place for tank warfare, but having to fire over – and occasionally through – something to get at your opponents is far more interesting than battling across a flat playing field. As one of a handful of tanks dropped onto a hilly map, your only objective is to leave any and all adversaries in a burning pile of scrap metal before they get to you first. Accomplishing total domination of the battlefield requires quick thinking, fast reflexes, and a solid arsenal of devastating goodies. Also, you’ll have to possess a knack for adjusting the aim and trajectory of your artillery rounds in-between shots while being fired upon from all directions. There’s only one rule in Death Tank: kill or be killed.

Death Tank screenshot

Your tank cannon swivels upwards in 180 degrees, and you can slowly move left or right with your treads. Each shot you take leaves a realistic smoke arc across the screen, making it possible to make adjustments to the angle and power of your shot for a better chance at hitting your target with subsequent rounds – assuming they don’t up and move around on you. More powerful shots arc higher and are harder to aim, but they do more damage on impact. After firing, it takes a few seconds to reload, leaving you vulnerable to incoming rounds. The game isn’t all about offense either; you can utilize the destructible terrain, limited movement, hover jets, and a force field to your advantage.

Though it may sound like there’s a lot to keep track of, the controls are thankfully fluid and easy to grasp. The left thumb stick controls the aim and power of your shots, while the right lets you quick-select any weapons you’ve stocked up on. Hitting the L and R shoulder buttons slowly moves your tank left and right respectively – holding both at the same time engages rocket thrusters to lift you into the air (when you’ve purchased them). The colored buttons can be used to trigger auto aim, give a boost of speed, and erect a temporary force field when those power-ups have been purchased.

Death Tank screenshot

Scorched Earth was a turn-based game where strategy and firepower mixed with trajectory physics and brainpower in explosive, bombardment-style warfare. Death Tank utilizes almost the exact same concept, but everything plays out in real time. This makes for a decidedly more intense and frantic experience.

Death Tank screenshot

The gameplay is designed for fast and furious matches. Most rounds take between 15 and 30 seconds to complete. Beyond that, you’ll rarely find more than two tanks remaining. If players are still alive after a short time, an orbital bombardment will commence, randomly dropping explosives around the map to speed the death-dealing process along. The basic reward for your killing prowess comes in the form of cold hard cash that’s used in-between rounds to purchase more powerful implements of destruction. Each weapon has its own creative uses, from direct-fire machine gun blasts, nukes, and mines that roll down hill to MIRVs and the Death’s Hand that blossoms in mid-air and rains a cascade of explosives on victims.

The game’s eight different maps are beautifully crisp and packed with cool particle effects and destructible terrain. From wind-swept dunes and stormy mountaintops to snow-laden arctic glaciers and oceanfront ridges, the hills and valleys are a perfect setting for the bombardment to commence. Each blast will slowly chip away at the hilltops, gradually leveling the playing field and creating additional variation in the terrain through craters and valleys. Though the tanks are small on screen, they’re very animated. The rest of the visual and lighting effects are excellent. Extra touches added-in to make the environments pop help distract you from the fact that each level is essentially a straightforward mountaintop of some kind.

Death Tank’s main shortcoming is its sparse solo offerings. It falls horribly short as a single-player experience. You can play in sets of 20-round matches against bots of varying ability (a good way to practice starting out), but this gets boring quickly. The real thrill is in playing against other humans, and it’s easy to get lost in the competitive spirit for hours on end. Facing off against three other friends on the same system or playing online via XBLA is where you’ll squeeze the most enjoyment out of the game and really get your money’s worth.

Gamers who grew up with Scorched Earth and its numerous turn-based artillery clones may find Death Tank provides a perfect dose of old-school nostalgia with a modern twist. There’s not a ton of depth in the package, and the $15 price tag seems steep, but frantically blowing away opponents is addictive enough to elicit numerous return trips to the mountains for more carnage. Shave a few dollars of the price and this game would feel like a perfect example of an excellent XBLA title. In the end it’s still worth the investment, just be sure to bring some friends along for the ride.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.7 Graphics
A nice crisp look with cool visual effects and destructive environments enhance the desolate mountain terrain. 3.9 Control
Dealing death with the Xbox 360 controller is tight and efficient on the whole. 3.7 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Solid sound effects and musical score. 3.8 Play Value
The solo experience sucks, but this game rocks as a multiplayer title. 3.8 Overall Rating – Good
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Classic shooting game: Death Tank is an updated version of the classic “ballistic” shooting game.
  • Strategy and action: Get ready for a fast-paced action/strategy game that requires both quick thinking and careful planning.
  • Futuristic weapons: Battle for supremacy using futuristic tanks armed with an assortment of deadly weapons and defenses.
  • Next-gen upgrade: Death Tank is now 100% rewritten to use the awesome power of Xbox 360 to produce unmistakably next-gen visuals.

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