PSP

BattleZone

The big problem seems to be a desire to throw everything and the kitchen sink into Battlezone. If one or two ideas had been better implemented with true online play, this could have been a sleeper. A more free-roaming game that included larger arenas, and variety in tanks that was actually reflected in the gameplay would have improved Battlezone greatly. As it stands, this is a curiosity rental, with some features well implemented, but nothing truly exceptional.

Battlezone treads a well-worn path in almost every respect of gameplay but still offers hours of enjoyment to any gamer, from the hardcore, who want to master their friends, to the casual, who can easily dip in and out of the pick-up-and-play control system. Anyone looking for an in-depth and engaging narrative will probably not be looking for a game featuring "hover tanks." Unreal Tournament junkies will probably find a satisfying and different approach here to the average arena-based fighting game, even if it is just for the novelty of piloting these awesome war machines. It isn't genre defining, and it isn't pushing any real boundaries in game design, but Battlezone is brilliant fun.

BattleZone is one of those rare games that isn't really all that good but is still hard to put down. In fact, when it's all over, you'll probably find yourself wanting more. Certainly that's in no small part because the game can be beaten in one sitting, but it's also because it's fun to play. But even though the game is fun, it's difficult to recommend BattleZone as a purchase--there's simply not enough to do. If there were more game modes, Internet play, and a deeper map editor, it would be worth $30. But as it stands now, there's just not enough content here to warrant a purchase.

BattleZone is a game with a lot of potential that wasn't fully fleshed out. The single-player campaign isn't very long, further showing that the game was designed to be played with actual human beings. Unless you have friends with PSPs or you're Richie Rich with complimentary PSPs for your friends, you probably won't get much out of this game. Had the developers took the time to enable online multi-player, this could have possibly been the PSP's answer to Unreal. Due to this fact, unless you have access to multiple PSPs, I can't recommend this game until you see it in the bargain bin.

"BattleZone" é um game adaptado para o estilo de vida de um portátil, sendo ágil e com partidas que duram em média cinco minutos. É um game basicamente multiplayer, modo no qual extrai o seu melhor, mas a diversão não dura por muito tempo. A modalidade de torneio tenta fazer com que o game valha a pena também com um jogador, mas, no final, trata-se de um jogo pequeno e limitado.

Ultimately BattleZone comes across as a futile and dated attempt at bringing multiplayer deathmatch to the PSP. While the fundamentals are all in place, the lack of online play or a serious single player mode should make you think twice about buying this unless you can muster the players for an ad-hoc gaming session. Even then the game presents only the basics and other than having hover-tanks as combatants does nothing to establish itself as a meaningful entry into a genre that peaked on other platforms years ago.

Battlezone is good for a quick dose of action, but those looking for a longer gaming experience may have to look elsewhere. Despite the game being so much fun, there is simply not enough to do to justify its purchase for the few days of entertainment it can provide, but if you do like the look of it then it's certainly worth a weekend rental.

So basically, this new BattleZone succeeds - if by the skin of its teeth - in becoming an entertaining title, not because of the many attempted 'improvements' that have been made to the original concept of the game, but despite them. But it succeeds nonetheless. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a must-buy title, not by any means, and it won't convert to the cause anyone who doesn't like first or third-person shooters. But anyone who does decide to take one of these futuristic hovertanks for a spin is going to find that - with a little persistence - they're actually having quite a good time, albeit at a slightly slower speed than might seem appropriate...

This leaves BattleZone in an awkward position. It's a decent game but a bad product to actually purchase. What action there is proves solid and enjoyable, even despite the tossed-off nature of the single-player campaign. But the four-player limit severely hobbles the scope of the matches, and the lack of Internet play completely sabotages the game's multiplayer ambitions. That's all BattleZone really has: ambitions. It feels like half a game for the price of one. $30 should buy more than some bots and a capitalized Z.

It's a shame, too, because there could be a solid game hiding under all those issues. A good graphics engine powers everything, the three tanks classes all have different weapon selections to go with the usual armor and speed differences, and the entire game has a feeling of "almost" about it. It's almost good, has the potential to be fun, and could have been worth the effort. But Battlezone is hamstrung by its camera, control, single-player ease, and lack of online support, so it just falls apart in the end.

Despite competent AI, the game is easily breezed through. This is good in that, had the developer chosen to string out more challenges based on the six core gameplay types it likely would have become quickly tiresome but it also makes the game a short proposition. The intriguing online editor, where players can go to the game's website, customise a map and then upload it to the PSP for multiplayer games is a good idea but far too limited to be of any serious, long term use. All of which leaves the player with a slender package boasting little replay value. It's a wholly unoriginal game, devoid of interesting play options and mostly inaccessible for the multiplay ambition around which it was designed. Nevertheless, even the most average things can still be enjoyable, and in this regard Battlezone is not an unpleasant distraction.

Au risque de radoter comme un vieux singe édenté, je dirais qu'un soft aussi résolument axé sur le multijoueur mais qui ne permet pas de s'y adonner pleinement ne mérite pas la moyenne. BattleZone aurait pu être tellement meilleur s'il ne se bridait pas tout seul ! C'est d'autant plus rageant que le titre en avait clairement le potentiel. Les fans de la première heure s'y retrouveront peut-être, mais les adeptes des derniers volets PC et les néophytes des tanks à pédales seront sans doute très déçus de ne pouvoir profiter de leur soft dans son intégralité. C'est un Hiro dépité qui conclue ce test.