Battlezone for the PlayStation VR is a modern re-imagining of the 1980 classic of the same name. Like the original, you are in control of a powerful and deadly battle-tank fending off enemies from every imaginable angle. However, the modern take on the game trades in its original wire-frame vector graphics in favour of fully 3D environments in the virtual reality medium.
Turrets syndrome
The Battlezone VR experience starts off with you already in the cockpit of a futuristic war tank as you select whether to play off or online along with choosing your difficulty and campaign length. In Battlezone, you are never taken out of your tank at any point. Looking around your tank’s interior reveals an impressively detailed cockpit littered with a multitude of screens displaying all manner of information such as the hull and shield integrity, your weapon loud out, upgrades and a very handy radar. Just about every conceivable piece of information you require is a mere tilt of the head away, making you feel important and powerful.
Initially you have the choice of three tanks: Heavy, Medium and Light. You can unlock six additional tanks by completing the game, each with their own specialties. As you can imagine, the heavy tanks are slow but powerful, whereas the light tanks are faster but more vulnerable thanks to a general lack of armour. The medium-sized choice sits somewhere in the middle of these two with balanced strength and agility.
You control your tank using the left analogue stick whilst aiming your weapons with the right. You can of course pan your head around at any time which can reveal enemies creeping up on your sides or hovering over you in the skies. When online you’ll also need to look around and refer to your radar often to keep check of your teammates, especially when the action gets tense.
Tanks feel very responsive and actually seem closer to the hovercraft family as they slide effortlessly across the surface as if on a cushion of air. At no time during my play through of Battlezone did I experience any ill feelings or motion sickness when gliding around in my chosen tanks. The control system works perfectly and for this reason developer Rebellion deserve some credit.
Feeling hexed
You play out the procedurally generated campaign (which can be played either on your own or with up to 3 others in the online mode) on a hexagonal tiled grid. The goal is to move to the enemy’s AI core which is rather conveniently situated on the other end of the map. You move at the rate of one hexagon at a time (which does feel like a bit of a chore) and each move initiates a mission more often than not. Missions include defending your base from enemy attacks, defending allied convoys and destroying all enemies besides others.
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Source: Teamvvv