Namco Bandai's upcoming version of arcade favourite Tank! Tank! Tank! for the Wii U is a bit of an oddity. My time with the game began chaotically, as the four of us playing raced around firing rockets at metal arachnids that threatened to crush us beneath their despicably numerous legs. Less than five minutes later I was fleeing from those I'd just been working with, my tank shrunk to the size of a metal-plated water pistol whilst my rivals' undiminished vehicular destructors took aim at me with machine guns and plasma bolts.
Welcome to the madness of Tank! Tank! Tank!
The premise of the game is simple, and remains fundamentally unchanged from the version you'll have been able to find in (mostly Japanese) arcades since 2009. As a "battle party game", you and up to three friends can either join forces to take down increasingly large monsters, or take part in free-for-all matches where complete destruction is the aim of the game.
In the demo build, there were two Monster Battles available. The first pitched us against the aforementioned spiders in some docklands, before a giant red dragon reared out of the waves and began to bellow at us. Far from the simple sit-and-attack gameplay that the trailer implies,Tank! Tank! Tank! involves plentiful tactics; shooting from too far out gives your opponent time to dodge, while getting too close risks making you a meal.
But it's when you fight against fellow players rather than with them that the game truly shines. Combat has the frenetic feel of all the best party games that Nintendo already has in its stables, and the cel-shaded aesthetic is as visually appealing as anything that the current generation has to offer. The weapon pickups are varied enough to make you keep an eye out for them, from colossus missiles to plasma bolts, with the water gun being a personal favourite. Anyone unfortunate to pick one up shrinks, becomes super-speedy and harmlessly shoots water until they can find another weapon.
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Combat has the frenetic feel of all the best party games that Nintendo already has in its stables, and the cel-shaded aesthetic is as visually appealing as anything that the current generation has to offer.
Though most of the above can be found in the 2009 version of the game, the upcoming Wii U release isn't just a port of the arcade version; it's being treated by the team as a completely original title. Kunito, the game's producer, explained that one of their biggest aims was to enable players to enjoy the game when they were playing alone. He explained, "We’ve added more tanks and weapons, and we’re going to add more maps and a new mode for solo players. We’re really keen to add a campaign mode so that while you can still enjoy the group play from the original arcade version, if you’re on your own you can play through missions."
Though the full length of the campaign mode hasn't been nailed down quite yet, Kunito suspects it will take players somewhere between 10 and 20 hours. It's a wise move, as the longevity of the title is one of the main uncertainties surrounding the game at this point. There's currently an undefined number of maps (but probably no more than 10) and online play won't be supported, so additional value will be important.
Another potential qualm is the use of the GamePad - or rather, the lack of it. With all the innovation we've seen from Nintendo Land in terms of multiplayer modes and functionality, it's a shame Tank! Tank! Tank! offers nothing but the four-player free-for-all games it's always had. The GamePad's only function during matches is as an additional monitor, though the camera does let players customise their avatars before battles. It just feels like a missed opportunity to innovate and introduce new objectives and experiences to the game, especially given that the monster battle co-op feels a little too similar to the arena matches in terms of gameplay.
Of course, there's still time to go before Tank! Tank! Tank! is released, and Kunito has teased that "The Wii U GamePad is a very unique device, and we are trying to use its unique functions in a new way. I think in the near future we’ll be able to release some information about how we want to use the Wii U GamePad, but for now we’re just using it as a monitor." Whether this will lead to the innovation many are hoping for from the Wii U's launch titles is unclear, but it's encouraging to know that there's more info to come.
Just when that release will be is still unclear, but Kunito is fairly confident the game will be out at the end of 2012. The final say on whether or not this family-friendly title will be available at the Wii U's launch is up to Nintendo, but regardless, it's one to keep an eye out for in the console's release window. While it may not be about to blow us all out of the water, this is one war game that's not afraid to go on a charm offensive.
Source : ign[dot]com
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