Tank Racer

Tank Racer
Cover art for Tank Racer
Developer(s)	Glass Ghost, Simis
Publisher(s)	Grolier Interactive, R&P Electronic Media
Platform(s)	PC, PlayStation, Mobile Phone
Release date(s)	March 26th 1999 (PC and PlayStation versions), February 28th 2005 (Mobile Phone version)
Genre(s)	Action game, Racing game
Mode(s)	Single-player, Multiplayer

Tank Racer is a 3D action racing computer and video game by Focus Multimedia Ltd,^[1] Grolier Interactive and Glass Ghost, copyrighted in 1998 and released on March 26 1999.

Single Player Mode

Screenshot of one of the levels.

There are 4 tanks to choose from for each championship (12 in total), and 8 different tracks.^[2]

The main goal of the single player mode in Tank Racer is to win all 3 cups in Cup Race. There are 4 courses in the bronze cup, 3 courses with 2 repeated courses in the silver cup and 1 course with 5 repeated courses in the gold cup. There are 4 'brands' of tanks to choose from. Though each cup has a different type of a specific brand, they keep the same purpose and more or less the same characteristics. For example: the EBZ brand is build for handling and taking corners rather than for speed and this remains true for each of the cups. Although there are differences, the 'EBZ 212 coupe' has handling as the highest statistic while the 'EBZ 720 SLi' switched to acceleration, top speed is still their lowest rating.

Each track is different, usually with a main road to follow and some shortcuts to discover. With the premise of racing tanks other interesting options are provided. Cars that block the road are no longer unpassable obstacles, you simply run over them rendering them flattened for the next round. Driving through parts of a houses to quickly cut off a corner and save time becomes standard. These and other possibilities can quickly alter the flow of a race. If anybody manages to clear all the levels in a single cup race, there is a bonus tank hidden in the game, which becomes visible for use. The capabilities of this tank is better than others.

Multi Player Mode

There are two multi-player modes, Battle mode and Multiplayer Race mode

Battle mode:

Battle mode lets you battle against one other player (on the PC version you battle via LAN, the Internet, Modem link or DirectCable and on the PlayStation version you battle using split screen mode) in 1 of 8 tracks.

Multiplayer Race mode:

With the PC version of the game you play Multiplayer Race mode with up to 5 other players over LAN or the Internet, or with 1 other player via Modem link or DirectCable connection. With the PlayStation version of the game you can play Multiplayer Race mode with 1 other player in split screen mode.

Multiplayer Rules:

No Hidden Tanks And Goodies Are Allowed Only Random Powerups Will Dropped On Map

Power-Ups

There are 8 power-ups throughout the game:

• Homing Rocket - Locks onto the tank you are aiming at and homes in on it.
• Concussion Shell - Causes a shock wave to come out from the point of impact. This shock wave causes any tank that it hits to spin off.
• Turbo - Gives 8 seconds of Turbo Acceleration.
• Mines - Drops 3 mines behind your tank, which when driven over cause you to lose control.
• Shield - Gives you a shield for 10 seconds. If you are shot whilst you have the shield the weapon will have no effect on you.
• Alien Abduction - When a tank is hit with this it will be abducted by a UFO and transported back down the track.
• Electro Mine - Causes you to lose control of the tanks turret for 6 seconds.
• Slider Rizer - This is a mine based weapon that causes the tank to slide around as if out of control.

Mobile Phone Version

Screenshot of one of the tracks in the Mobile Phone version of Tank Racer.

A mobile phone version (known as Tank Racer Mobile, Tank Racer Portable and Portable Tank Racer) of the game was released by GlobalFun and Runestone Games on February 28 2005. It is in 2D unlike the PC or PlayStation versions.^[3]

In the game you can choose from a range of tanks including Bumbleboy, Thor and Power Punch. Like the PC and PlayStation versions you have a range of tracks and championships to choose from, and some tracks have hidden shortcuts.^[4]

Reception

The UK Official PlayStation Magazine gave the PlayStation version 6 out of 10, describing the "novelty racing game" as having a "Casanova charm" with a "fun-filled soul".^[5]

External links

• Official Website.

References