iPhone App: Vector Tanks

March 13th, 2009

= 4 stars

Vector Tanks is a variation on the retro arcade classic Battlezone. You drive a tank through a vector landscape, trying to shoot down other tanks before they do the same to you.

The Good

• Uses multitouch on the left and right sides of the screen to mimic the dual joysticks of the original game.
• Special weapons like rapidfire and nukes add variety.
• The pleasingly retro graphics mimic the vector lines and shapes of the original.
• A tense feeling of impending doom, that no matter how many tanks you shoot down and how well you evade enemy fire, you’ll eventually get shot from behind. This suspense is, well, fun.

The Bad

• The fire button is located at the lower center of the screen, requiring some dexterity. In the original, the fire button was conveniently located on top of either joystick.
• Some variations seem more guided by the avoidance of a lawsuit rather than improving gameplay — meaning the radar is at the bottom of the screen as opposed to the top, and instead of a UFO there’s a roving truck.

Conclusion

Despite my nitpicky complaints, Vector Tanks is a solid version of Battlezone for the iPhone. If you fondly remember the original, you’ll like this game. It’s been updated so it doesn’t look or feel that dated, yet it still accurately recreates that suspenseful feeling caused by the original. Recommended at the price of $2.99.

iTunes App Store Link: