"A good game that is worth checking out"

If you've heard about Battlezone: Rise of the Black Dogs then you've probably heard that it is a horrible game with terrible graphics and an even worse multiplayer mode. Well I'm here to tell you that this game is not as bad as everyone has been saying.


Graphics: 8/10

The graphics in this game are actually well done. You can see everything clearly all the time and the game runs very smoothly all the time even in multiplayer. Plus there are different weather effects such as fog on Venus (no it is not to hide bad graphics) and lava on Io. Of course there are some glitches like being able to see through the walls when you get really close to them, but these glitches are very minor and they do not effect the gameplay in any way at all. By the way, this game uses the expansion pak for enhanced graphics and I've heard that the game is a bit blurry without it, but I don't know for sure since I have an expansion pak and I don't want to take it out just to see what the graphics look like without it.

Music: 5/10 and Sound: 10/10

The music in this game is below average and can get very annoying if you don't turn it off after a little while. The sound on the other hand is perfect. The tanks sound great, the weapons sound just as they should, and there are plenty of voices in the game. Yes each different type of tank or unit has it's own voice. It's almost as if the developers didn't care about the music and went straight for the sound.

Story: 9/10

The US has found an alien metal on a meteor that has crashed to Earth and has decided to setup a base on the dark side of the moon to find more of this metal. The only problem is that the Soviets have found the same metal and are ready to fight on the moon to get more metal. This game really has no bad guys since you can be anybody.

Gameplay: 10/10

This game has a lot of different options. First there is the Americans with an easy game, the Soviets with a medium game, and the Black Dogs with a hard game. In addition to this there are three difficulty levels for everybody. There is arcade mode which is the easiest and is basically a destroy or be destroyed game, then there is pilot mode which is a medium game and has you carrying out orders given to you by the commander, and finally there is commander mode which is hard and has you manageing resources, commanding units, and carrying out orders.

Control: 10/10

One of the many parts hated about this game because it doesn't feel like you are piloting a tank on the moon or the controls are too clumsy. Well the reason it doesn't feel like you are piloting a tank on the moon is because they are hover tanks and the reason it feels clumsy is because the tanks just slide around. But the controls are very responsive and you will never have any troube stopping your tank from sliding around or firing a weapon when you need to.

Multiplayer: 10/10

The multiplayer mode keeps up a smooth framerate while entertaining you and up to three friends. First there is the regular deathmatch mode where you can split into teams and go up against up to 10 drone tanks or you can have a free for all battle still with up to 10 drone tanks. Then there is the race mode where you pick a tank and race your friends across any planet that you would like to. Finally there is the strategy mode where you and 1 friend can choose 3 team tanks that attack the enemy whenever they see them.

Overall: 8/10

Battlezone: Rise of the Black Dogs is a game that has been getting too much bad hype to save it now, but it is a good game that is worth a look. I just hope that this review will change someone's mind about the game.

Rent or Buy:

Not everybody will like the style of this game so I say give it a rent before you buy it.

NOTE:

This game is almost the same as the PC version so if you have the PC version, you might want to pass on this one.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/26/00, Updated 04/26/00