BattleTanx

A fast-paced sci-fi tank combat game for the Nintendo 64 set in a post-apocalyptic United States.

Overview

BattleTanx is a sci-fi tank combat game developed and published by 3DO for the Nintendo 64 exclusively in North America on December 31, 1998.

The game is set in near-future 2001, after a biological virus (the X2 Virus) wipes out nearly all of the female population (with the surviving women now worshiped as "Queen Lords") and after the resulting nuclear war. Players control Griffin Spade, a "Battlelord" who must travel west through the post-apocalyptic United States (from New York City to San Francisco) with his M1 Abrams to build up a tank squadron, fight marauding gangs and militias, and rescue his fiancée Madison.

In addition to three different types of tanks at their disposal (including the nimble Moto-Tank and the heavyweight Goliath), players have access to a variety of special weapons and power-ups (including mines, cloaking devices, automated sentry turrets, energy shields, and nukes). The game also includes split-screen competitive multiplayer for up to four players (any of which can be A.I. bots), with a special faction-based system that determines each player's tank squadron.

The game later received a handheld port for the Game Boy Color by Lucky Chicken Games on March 2000, changing it to a top-down perspective. The original version also received a direct sequel (BattleTanx: Global Assault) and two spin-offs (WDL: World Destruction League - Thunder Tanks and WarJetz).

Gameplay

Tanks

M1A1 - Standard medium-grade tank with a basic tank cannon.
Goliath - Heavyweight tanks with additional armor and a more powerful tank cannon. Can be rail-mounted for increased side-to-side movement and firing speed.
Moto-Tank - Lightweight motorcycle tanks with more nimble mobility, smaller frame, and twin-mounted machine guns.

Items

Some weapons have a hidden "super shot", which deploys a more powerful version (that uses up all of its reserves) if activated when the player has an overabundance of it in reserves.

Cloaking
Grenades
Guided Missiles
Gun Buddies
Lasers
Mines
Nuke
Radar
Shields
Swarmers

Missions

In addition to the game's main 13 levels, the game includes four bonus levels (one after Stranglehold Bridge, one after State St., one after Fremont St., and one after The Wharf).

Ground Zero
The Tunnel
Times Square
Stranglehold Bridge
The Heartland
Lake Shore Drive
State St.
Armageddon Highway
Area 51
Fremont St.
The Crimson Gate
The Wharf
Q-Zone

Multiplayer

Game Modes

All game modes support teamplay, and free-for-all can only be played by assigning each player to their own separate team color (Blue, Green, Red, and Yellow).

Deathmatch - Standard deathmatch. Players cycle through their Gang's five tanks at a random order. First team to defeat 7 enemy tanks wins.

Annihilation - Last team standing. Each player has a stock of their Gang's five tanks, which serve as the player's "lives". Last team to have tanks remaining wins.

Battlelord - Capture the Flag mode with QueenLords instead of flags. Unlike CTF modes in other games, players must "capture" all of the opposing Queen Lords at once by bringing them to their fortresses and can recover them. Players cycle through their Gang's five tanks at a random order and have an additional Goliath tank on a rail at their bases (which can be controlled manually at any time). First team to have all Queen Lords in their bases wins.

Family Mode - Deathmatch mode, simplified for quicker matches and inexperienced players. Gang Selection is disabled (with all players spawning with the same faction) and only one Fire button is used (which prioritizes activating Items over firing the main cannon).

Gangs

Outside of Family Mode, each player picks one of 10 squadrons, or "Gangs" (with one of them hidden behind a cheat code). Each Gang has their own set of five tanks, which serve as the "lives" in Annihilation mode and their randomized tank order in other modes. In addition, each Gang spawn their tank with their specific Item (or, with Griffin's Army, a random one).

Each Gang can be playable in the main Campaign with a cheat code.

After Shocks (Grenades + Mines) - Moto-Tank x3, M1A1, Goliath
Charlie Company (Lasers) - M1A1 x2, Goliath x2, Moto-Tank
Dark Angels (Cloaking) - M1A1 x2, Moto-Tank x2, Goliath
Griffin's Army (random) - M1A1 x4, Goliath
Mech Maniax (Gun Buddies) - M1A1 x2, Moto-Tank x2, Goliath
Nuclear Knights (Nuke) - In non-Annihilation modes, the Nuke can only be used once. Goliath x5
Psycho Brigade (Shields) - M1A1 x2, Moto-Tank x2, Goliath
Skull Riderz (Guided Missiles) - Moto-Tank x4, Goliath
Storm Ravens (Lasers + Cloaking) - Unlockable with cheat code. M1A1 x2, Moto-Tank x2, Goliath
Urban Decay (Swarmers) - M1A1 x4, Goliath