Page 41 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #6

Tank Battle

Honorable

Mentions

Al Backiel
Pyramid Wars

Tanks A Lot (Emerson Arcadia) - A pretty sophisticated tank game for the era. The walls are made up of bricks.
Recommended. This one is similar to the tank strategy/puzzle games seen on larger systems. Rating: B-

Panzer Attack (Astrocade) - Teamed with Red Baron. This is basically a remake of Atari's Combat cartridge, but with a little more graphic detail and
color. There isn't as much variety in this one, but the sprites move at a faster rate. Rating: B

Desert Fox (Channel F) - Teamed with Shooting Gallery, this is one of the earliest tank battles. The graphics are
quite primitive (pre-Combat). The tanks go through a lot of shape shifting when you turn.

Helicopter Rescue (Videopac+) - Very rare Choplifter wannabe released by
Philips for their enhanced graphics European O2.

Combat! (Coleco) - This is a cool looking stand alone system that was released during the Pong era. It consists of a 2-player console/controller plus TV
hookup. There are 2 pairs of left and right hand levers for steering plus one fire button per side. The console has a camouflage design; the playfield has
a lot of obstacles. Drawbacks? It looks like it is only b&w. Sound is from the console, which requires batteries.

There are cameo appearances of tanks in the following games:

Pyramid Wars (2600 Chopper Command clone)
Space Jockey (2600)
Turmoil (2600)
CGM
Adventures of Tron (2600)
River Raid (5200)

Review By Brett Weiss

A forerunner of vertical-scrolling Rambo-style games such as Ikari Warriors and Commando, Front Line for
the ColecoVision is based on the 1982 Taito arcade semi-classic of the same name. Armed with a rifle and hand
grenades, you assume the role of an awkwardly animated (though formidable) foot soldier. Your mission is to
destroy an enemy bunker and fort, which are heavily guarded by tanks, enemy soldiers, and a rotating gun. To
reach your objective, you must dodge enemy fire and land mines while maneuvering through various cartoonishly
drawn, though nicely detailed roads, fields, and deserts. The terrain is littered with barbed wire, craters, rocks,
brick walls, and other obstacles.
Throughout the game you can jump into tanks that increase your firepower and maneuverability. The arcade
version of Front Line has rotary controls for use in aiming tank fire as well as the other weapons, while the ColecoVision rendition employs the
use of the color-coded buttons on Coleco’s Super Action Controllers. Using four fingers to ro-
tate your weapons clockwise and counterclockwise is tiring, but effective and fun.
One of the best things about Front Line is that there is more to the game than simply run-
ning through it and blasting everyone to hell. A bit of strategy is involved as you must frequently
slow to a stop and jump out of your tank in order to aim and throw grenades over obstacles. A
two-player simultaneous mode would’ve added to the strategies and enjoyment of the game,
but I suppose that would be asking too much. With a few notable exceptions, most two-player,
non-sports ColecoVision games are alternating only. And besides, the arcade version lacks
simultaneous play as well.
The action in Coleco’s version is less fluid than its arcade counterpart, the scrolling is not as
smooth, and the course is a little too short, but like most Coleco-produced arcade simulations
for the ColecoVision, it is overall a very good port. Gameplay, graphics, and sound
effects are solid. Musically, an inappropriately silly (for a game based on war) musi-
cal number plays as the game begins, but after you lose all your lives, you’ll hear a
moving and entirely appropriate rendition of “Taps.”

Classic Gamer Magazine Spring 2001 41