World Destruction League: Thunder Tanks

"Ticket to fun: multiple controllers, and a multi-tap wouldn't hurt either"

I've been hooked on 3DO's Battle Tanx series for quite some time. It simply delivered one of the most intense multi-player experiences I had ever seen. Well, 3D0 decided to release this awesome series only under a new name and concept. However, tank destruction is still number of the day.

Gameplay:

TV is indeed the wave of the future
Wondering why I said that with the name change came a new concept? Well, in the future the world in trashed. (Wow! never heard that.) Strangely people huddle around TV sets watching the world get destroyed even further by huge tanks.
Sad I tell you.

It doesn't get more simpler then this. Pilot a tank, and destroy everyone else. Such a simple concept, yet very entertaining. However, I wouldn't advise buying this title if you are looking for a satisfying single player experience. Rather, just like Battle Tanx multi-player is where it's at. That is not to say single player is horrid, it just gets boring. Kill tanks, capture flags/emitters, rinse, recycle, repeat. Thankfully, yet again multi-player is highly entertaining, and includes all the ground breaking weaponry you crave.

Graphics: To put it lightly, WDL fails to take advantage of the PlayStation 2 hardware. For starters seam tear is more common then a middle aged man trying to fit in his high school jeans. Explosions look decent, but can seem to shake the Nintendo 64 look. Really PS2 is capable of better looking explosions, and flames for that matter. Ground textures are highly blurry, but I'm willing to let that slide since they are just ground textures. The actual design of the levels isn't all that impressive. The levels may be large, but they feature far too many wide open spaces. However, what I'm sure all of you want to know is how the destruction of building looks. Am I right? I don't blame you since that was one of the cool aspects of the Nintendo 64 titles. Sadly, the effect is done very poorly. You see flames and the building collapse through the polygons in a very unimpressive fashion. No chunks falling nothing. However, what really kicked me in the groin was the graphical defects in multi-player with three or four players. The sky and even worse bodies of water are stark grey. The sky I can forgive, but the first time I saw a body of water I winced.

Sound: I liken the sound to a baseball fielder who catches a ball only to have it slip out of his glove. Basically he comes close, but still fails to deliver. The various sound effects for the weapons is pretty good, but still comes off a bit scratchy. As for the sound track, it's mighty boring. However, the explosive action at the hand usually drowns out the music any ways. One of the standouts is the announcer duo, listening to them crack lines like ''That tank is about to score like a cop in a doughnut factory'' is quite amusing. Sadly, the jokes get recycled far to often. Nobody likes hearing the same joke again and again, and video games is no exception.

Control: I've heard several individuals scorn the controls, but really I can't see where they are coming from. You use on analog stick for moving backward and forward, and the other one is for moving the turret on the tanks that have it. One of those peoples main complaints is the control is stiff. While I agree the controls are sort of still, I can't help but feel they are blowing it out of proportion. Besides tanks aren't exactly the best turning of vehicles any ways.

Okay, lets do a rundown. Graphics and sound stink, but the only real important section gameplay this game hits. However, multi-player is the only real satisfying way to play. What does this all mean? A game that is worth buying for around twenty dollars. Luckily for World Destruction League that is the case.

Score:7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/02/02, Updated 09/02/02