Battlezone

Battlezone looked like it came from the future: glowing green and red lines sketching out mountains, a volcano on the horizon and tanks moving in real 3D. Atari released it in 1980, and you pressed your face into a viewfinder like you were sitting inside the tank.

For a lot of players it was their first taste of a first-person game, years before anyone called it that.

History

Atari used its vector graphics tech, the same family as Asteroids, to build a real-time 3D battlefield. The original cabinet had a periscope-style viewer you looked through to see the screen.

As the story goes, the U.S. Army got interested and Atari put together a modified training version, one of the most famous bits of arcade lore.

How to play

You drive with two joysticks, one per tread: push both forward to roll ahead, one forward and one back to spin. A radar at the top shows where the enemies are.

Take out tanks, speedy supertanks, flying saucers and zigzagging missiles. Duck behind obstacles to dodge incoming fire, but don't sit still too long.

Fun facts

• You steer with two sticks, just like a real tank's treads.
• It uses 3D vector graphics.
• The volcano on the horizon is always erupting.

In the arcade

Battlezone is coming soon to UsuArcade. It's on our wishlist, and you can vote with I Want to Play It to bring it in sooner.

In the meantime, the arcade has Asteroids, Atari's other great vector classic, plus Space Invaders and Astro Fighter so you can keep blasting everything that moves.

FAQ