Robot Tank

• Release Date: March 24, 1983
• Genre: Shooter
• Style: Vehicle Shooter
• Similar Games: Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom (Atari Video Computer System), Battlezone (Atari Video Computer System)

Game Description

Enemy robot tanks are slowly but surely advancing across the nation, firing at anything and everything in their paths. As commander of your own fleet of robot tanks, you must stop this reign of terror.

The robot tanks you pilot are so sophisticated that you don't actually have to be in them. You can control the tanks and see the battlefield from a remote control station. As you drive a tank over the bumpy land, enemy tanks come into range and fire at you. Using your gun sight and a circular radar scan as a guide, you can fire at the tanks and at their rockets, or you can try to avoid the confrontation, primarily by maneuvering to the left or the right.

If you get hit by enemy fire, you will either sustain damage to your cannons, treads, radar screen or video relay, or your tank will be completely destroyed. When you destroy 12 enemy tanks, you get an extra tank.

Robot Tank begins in the sunshine, but weather conditions can quickly turn to fog, rain or snow. Also, you must be prepared to drive your tank in the dark of night.

Roots & Influences

This type of first-person tank shooter was first seen in the arcade version of Atari's Battlezone.

Review: Overall

Far ahead of its time, Robot Tank is easily one of the most sophisticated Atari 2600 games. For instance, if your tank gets hit by enemy fire, it can sustain damage to its video capabilities, cannons, radar scan and treads, effectively limiting the use of said features. So, if your cannons are damaged, you will sometimes be unable to shoot, and if your treads are damaged, you will slow to a crawl while maneuvering in the snow. Speaking of snow, Robot Tank also features varying weather conditions, an unusual component for a game of this era.

Another advanced concept used in Robot Tank is the use of the military clock. The game goes from night to day and back again in a very convincing manner. In the light of day, the sky is blue, the mountains are brown, and the grass is green, while in the dark of night, the surroundings appear to be dimly lit by a full moon.

Despite its wizardry in draining every last bit of juice out of the Atari 2600's memory banks, Robot Tank is not necessarily the best game out there. The fickle weather, time changes and various tank damages give the game an illusion of versatility, but Robot Tank can get a little old after repeated play. Turning horizontally to dodge and/or blow up enemy tanks and their rockets is basically all you do. True, you will go forward and backward sometimes, especially when you want to dodge a tricky enemy, but facing tank after tank after tank becomes repetitive.

Because it came out the same year, and because it is a very similar game, Robot Tank must be compared to Atari's Battlezone. With its varying weather conditions, damage sensors, and time changes, Robot Tank is the more realistic of the two games. Also, your tank in Robot Tank sort of bounces as it travels over the bumpy terrain. One area where Battlezone excels in the realism department is the fact that enemies can shoot you from behind. In Robot Tank you are safe as long as your enemies are not in your viewing range.

Both Robot Tank and Battlezone offer challenging, if not particularly intense, one-player tank battles. Battlezone features a larger variety of enemies while in Robot Tank you command a more advanced kind of tank. If you prefer methodically taking out one enemy at a time as opposed to the thumb-numbing shoot-out action found in Defender and Asteroids, Robot Tank and Battlezone should appeal to you.

Review: Enjoyment

I like the damage sensors, the radar scanner, and the overall look and feel of sophistication found in Robot Tank, but I prefer a faster, more ferocious brand of shooter.

Review: Graphics

The enemy tanks look good, and the time and season changes are effectively portrayed.

Review: Sound

The explosions are satisfying and deep.

Review: Replay Value

Maneuvering a slow tank can get a little old, but this is a highly advanced game for the {!Atari 2600}.

Review: Documentation

The manual is nicely done. {$Alan Miller}, the designer of {*Robot Tank}, offers a few tips on playing the game well.

Production Credits