Battlezone (VR) Reviews
A solid arcade shooter that shines in co-op multiplayer.
Interesting idea, throwaway fun
It may not be one of the must-play titles on PlayStation VR, but if you’re looking for a challenging experience to share with friends, strapping yourself into Battlezone should serve as a good introduction into what virtual reality should feel like.
Battlezone VR is a fun game on the PlayStation VR system which provides an enjoyable game that doesn’t throw too many challenges at the player. It does showcase the VR system and thankfully the controls work hand in hand with the gameplay and graphics to create this almost retro arcade tank game.
In the end, Battlezone VR is a missed opportunity. With so many other PSVR launch titles ending up being little more than glorified tech demos, the balance and design gaffes that cripple the game make the experience that much more disappointing as Battlezone VR’s handling of the technology works really well. I’m convinced a good game could be salvaged from this with a few tweaks and some rebalancing, but for now it’s a brutally frustrating mess doesn’t live up to it’s promise.
Battlezone seems more suited to this type of co-operation as opposed to its single-player missions that have you fight wave after wave of enemy tanks all alone.
Battlezone does an okay job of rebooting the original arcade game, but the end result of a randomly generated roguelike experience doesn't really satisfy. One of the most expensive PS VR launch titles, for no good reason.
Though I feel folks are paying half for the game and the other half for the experience. A cheaper price would have definitely given it a bit more legs. As it stands, it’s a great showpiece for VR tech at launch.
While Battlezone is a very simple game conceptually, Rebellion has done a great job of making the most of what’s there. Controlling the tanks in virtual reality is a joy, the free-form mission structure makes it endlessly replayable and it’s home to a fantastic community of helpful and friendly players. Although it may not be the most impressive VR game to make use of the PlayStation VR’s capabilities, it’s certainly one of the most complete, and deserves a shot if you’re in the mood for an old-school multiplayer game with a very modern twist.
With endless replayability, Battlezone offers one of the more robust PSVR experiences available at launch. It is also exceedingly immersive, and its online co-op multiplayer makes for a unique experience in the VR gaming space. It's too bad that a lot of the underlying gameplay design decisions weren't better implemented. The extreme challenge is just one thing, and could be fixed in a future update for that matter. But players simply won't find themselves that drawn back into the game after the first couple of rounds, mostly due to frustration, or an overall sluggish feel.
Battlezone is one of PSVR’s bulkiest titles, but fails to drum up replayability in the long run.
Battlezone is a tough, fun and addictive tank warfare game in its own right that throws down a gauntlet to teams of players and challenges them to really work together to succeed.
Fans of the original games will find that Battlezone on PSVR rekindles their passion despite some definite divergence.
It is unknown if the developers can patch Battlezone to reduce the nauseating feelings its perspective emits (reports indicate the game was even more discomforting during press previews before receiving some fine-tuning before launch), but that alone is a big enough reason to caution players from purchasing it.
Battlezone stays faithful to the original game, offering a standout cooperative VR experience. The cooperative gameplay provides a great challenge, but playing alone can be a frustrating ordeal. The lack of competitive options is unfortunate, but the procedurally generated campaign offers plenty of unlockable weapons and different types of tanks to mess around in. Just be sure to bring a friend or more along for the ride.
Compared to other PSVR experiences that I’ve had so far, Battlezone still is one of the best games available right now. It’s actually a fully formed game, not some shoehorned VR experience in a different game or a boring shooting gallery like many other VR games currently on the market.
The fast and hectic gameplay is fairly pleasant, but the presence of a single mode, monotonous and with some balancing problem, limits the appeal of the game.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Battlezone forgot to include a reason to keep playing with it, leaving players with a hollow and repetitive package from a developer capable of much more.
While I would argue that Rigs: Mechanized Combat League is by far the superior online multiplayer game for PlayStation VR, if its frantic in-mech motion is too much to handle or you're otherwise more interested in an engaging cooperative experience, this fits the bill nicely. There are some glaring balance issues for Rebellion to work out, and Battlezone is far less advisable as a solo game, but damn if it isn't thrilling when everything comes together and your team perseveres against all odds.
Virtual reality is an apt home for Battlezone's class of tank busting pandemonium. Appropriating its arcade doctrine, filtering it through 36 years, and then projecting it as a full-priced product may have been a reach. As an experience, Battlezone VR is neatly matched to its hardware. As a game, however, it doesn't (yet) have quite enough firepower to oppose any presumed opposition.