Buttle Tank

In Brief

An updated version of the old school NES tank games Battle City and Tank.

Introduction:

Buttle Tank introduces you to several types of enemies, with a difficult boss The end of a level gives you detailed statistics and which rank you have achieved.

Edited reference accessed HERE. 24th April 2019 2019

Installation:

Buttle Tank downloads to a 10.2 MB zip file that unzips to two files, (a setup executable and a read me). The game installs to the following path by default, but can be changed if you wish. The installed game is approximately 10.3 MB in size.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Buttle Tank

Five shortcuts are installed to the desktop, four of which can be safely deleted (i.e. Falco Space - Online Game!, FalconLine Online Games Website, FalcoGo WebGL Games! and Free Games Downloads!). If you don't want to install the games shortcut to the desktop during installation, just make sure the install desktop shortcut is unchecked when the 'additional task's window appears; you will still get two of the other Falcoware shortcuts installed (i.e. FalconLine Online Games Website & FalcoGo WebGL Games shortcuts). Also, if you don't like icons installed to the quick launch task bar, make sure you also uncheck the appropriate checkbox when the 'additional task's window appears (after the Select Start Menu Folder window).

Menu Controls:

Move up = ↑
Move Down = ↓
Action = enter key

Game Controls:

Start = Enter
Tank movement direction
Forward W or ↑
Back = S or ↓
Left = A or ←
Right = D or →
Fire = Space

The Game:

If you ever played Battle City (1985) or TANK (1990) back in the late 80's and early 90's via the NES, this will be a blast from the past. Buttle Tank is basically the same as those games with updated graphics (that emulate the originals really well, though hardly any pixillated sprites are evident). To be honest, looking at videos of both those old games (I've linked to video game play of Tank and Battle City in the 'In Brief' section above), the game play for Buttle Tank does look virtually the same, apart from the graphics update and the layouts. As you progress in game (by destroying enemy tanks your tank is upgraded. Ammunition becomes stronger, which enables you to easily destroy stronger tanks. However, as your tank becomes stronger so do some of the newly spawned tanks, though in the time I played, I only saw armour improved. I didn't see any better ammunition used by any enemey tanks. However, I only played through a few levels. Each level starts you off back at level 1. with the weakest ammo. The difference being the layout of the level and some slight colour changes; also sometimes you get qa mix of destructible barriers sometimes all the barriers are of the same material, some materials are take more hits to destroy than others. Enemy tanks only seem to destroy the weakest barriers. This can be used to your advantage tactically. Game progress is only saved when you complete a level. If you choose the load option, it will load back to the last new level you started. If you choose a new game, your progress is lost completely.

Each level also includes a super strong boss that is usually located at the furthest point away from the original spawn point; these are much harder to destroy and have better ammo that the more common enemy tanks.

This game is an excellent remake of those classic NES games and faithfully reproduces the game play. Strategic placing of your tanks is of paramount importance in staying alive; however, you also need to keep your wits about you because staying in one place for too long may result in your tank being destroyed because the tanks you've previously destroyed re-spawn after a few moments and if you hadn't noticed, (like I kept doing initially), you'll find you rapidly lose all your lives and have to start afresh. There is some forewarning when a tank is about to re-spawn. A cloud like structure appears where the tank will re-spawn. If you are close enough to it, you could position yourself in an ambush position, though I think it may have a second or two of immunity from attack before you can actually destroy it (I didn't think to check until posting this). All barriers are destructible, though some are destroyed easier than others, e.g. the brick like ones. The longer you survive, the more upgrades to your weapons occur in any level and the more lives you earn. These are needed if you face off against the boss tank. Your upgrades will be evident as a star appears above the tank temporarily. The more stars you have the more powerful your tank is at destroying other tanks. You'll see a change in the ammo being fired, either in size or colour.

There are also power ups such as the freeze time power up. This stops all enemey tanks in their tracks for a short time. They cannot fire back at you. So you need to seize the opportunity to destroy as many tanks as possible during the freeze time. There is an indicator on the left of the game arena that shows you how much freeze time you have left (in the form of a bar). When you encounter any flags, these are spawn points. If you are destroyed you spawn at the last spawn point you encountered. The level ends when you capture the cup. To boost your score try and avoid capturing the cup until you've destroyed the boss tank (if you can)

At the end of a level your stats are displayed. This includes a cumulative count of your kills, the lives it's cost you, the rank you have attained (this increases with the number of tanks you destroy) as well as the number of bonuses you've collected. All these give you a total score.

For those who never got the chance to play either Tank or Battle City, there have been other remakes of the game, at least one of which has been previously given away here and a remake of Battle city (see below for link). Also, you can find some of these tank games on MyPlayCity and other free game sites for example: Battle City , Hell Buggies, Tank Commander , Tank o Box, Combatant Area, Tank Assault X and Mini Metal (3D version).

Whiterabbit-uk 24th April 2019

Conclusion:

If you like strategic tank games with simple graphics and reasonably challenging game play, then this remake of Tank and Battle City from those classic early console games is definitely a must download. The game faithfully emulates the original games with similar graphics, though not as pixillated as the originals. For newcomers to this classic genre, I recommend checking it out. don't let the retro graphics put you off downloading. some of those old games have never been bettered, even with realistic graphics. I'd score this a decent 7.5 out of 10 for game play and a great copy of the originals. For those interested you can get emulators that will allow you to play many of these old classics on your PC's. See the end of this review for details

Other Reviews and Videos of Buttle Tanks:

You can read a few mainly positive Steam community comments about Buttle Tanks HERE

You can see several in-game videos of game play HERE, HERE, HERE (Português/Portuguese) & HERE(românesc/Romanian) .

If you miss today's game giveaway you can always get the game via Steam HERE for £0.79/$0.99

Problems getting the game to work:

If you're having problems installing or activating or getting Buttle Tanks to work please visit the FAQ's Thread HERE and read through the communities comments because sometimes fixes have already been posted, for example, a common issue seen since the Themida wrapper was introduced three years ago is that some community members installation of the game are blocked by their security because Themida code has been known to hide malware, (usually an error message is flagged for example 'The executable is corrupted' even though in reality it is not); so as a precaution some anti malware programs will block and even delete the suspect installation files even though the files (i.e. the setup, read me and setup.gcd files are actually totally free from malware. This issue can be solved either by rebooting your computer in safe mode with networking or a quicker method is to temporarily turn off your security software to allow the installation. You could also try white-listing the setup.gcd file. In the almost 12 years this game giveaway site has been operating there has 'never' been a game given away that was infected with malware.

If for any reason you want to contact the giveaway team, for example, you have a game to offer the community, or are unable to download the latest game or other issues that the FAQ's thread or these comments don't cover or solve you can do so HERE

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the developer Trash Format and the distributor Falcoware Games for giving away a free standing version of Buttle Tanks I have fond memories of playing Battle city on the NES many years ago and also to the game giveaway team, as always, for securing other ways to get free games.

Useful Information not related to today's game giveaway:

If Buttle Tank doesn't interest you, but you still hanker for something new to play, you'll find details of some game deals whether they be sale items, indie bundles or games being given away for free HERE (I've not updated the thread in a while, but most of the links still take you to the latest deals).

The rest of the information that used to be posted in the game review can be found in the forums HERE. Finally, check out Delenns threads for details of other free games and offers HERE and elsewhere in the game discussion forums HERE, (usually on the first page of the game discussion forums).

for those of you who don't mind or like Steam, they offer over 120 free games ranging from platformers, visual novels, tower defense, arena shooters, space shooters and simulation, plus other sim games, puzzle games, battle royale, role playing games, real time strategy, first and third person shooters, clicker and dungeon crawlers to name some of the genres offered.

The following are just some of the games that caught my eye while I was perusing the collection There are nine pages of free games starting from HERE I recommend the following (not an exhaustive list as there are so many others to choose from):

Apex Legends (a free-to-play Battle Royale game where contenders from across the Frontier team up to battle for glory, fame, and fortune), Path of Exile (Action RPG with hack and slash elements and character customisation), Star Trek Online (command your own starship and crew, explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and civilizations, and boldly go where no one has gone before), Paladins® (A free-to-play fantasy team-based shooter weilding guns and magic), ArchAge (a free-to-play fantasy-sandbox MMORPG), Warface: Blackout (a free-to-play MMO first person shooter from the creators of Far Cry and Crysis), Art of War: Red Tides (a multiplayer strategy game), Warframe (a cooperative free-to-play third person online action game set in an evolving sci-fi world), Star Conflict (Play as an elite pilot in an action-packed, massively multiplayer space simulation), Atlas Reactor (a turn based strategy shooter), Hard Light Vector (a first-person action platformer where you traverse an alien environment), 天际起源 The Ark of Horizon (a Battle Royale game. with multidimensional battlegrounds - sea, air and land), Auf Abwegen (on the wrong path) (a narrative driven mini-puzzle-platformer), ManaRocks (an online strategy card game), HYPERFIGHT Max Battle (a fighting game where every hit is lethal, and every win counts), Magic Mouse (an action-adventure top-down dungeon crawl set in a fantasy world), Ultimate Logic Puzzle Collection (over 50 types of logic puzzles), Hades' Star (a unique space strategy game where thousands of players participate in one shared galaxy), Swarm Simulator: Evolution (a strategic, incremental, idle, clicker game), World War II: TCG (a collectible card game where you create your own Army Deck with Tanks, Infantry, Aircrafts, Ships, Submarines and Structures), Moe! Ninja Girls ( an anime visual novel game that contains the perfect blend of reality and out-of-the-ordinary), Rise of Legions (a hybrid of MOBA, tower defense and deck building. Play solo or bring a friend for co-op, collect cards, build your deck and crush your enemies), Marble Combat (a physics based multiplayer game for 2 - 8 people. Players compete as magical marbles racing and fighting to dominate capture points and collect power ups), Comet Crasher (soar, shoot and dodge - but don't stop moving. Fall down at breakneck speeds in this fast-paced platformer filled with chaos and explosions), Supraball (play football in first person view and develop your own tactics and tricks. Play with up to 9 of your friends or join alone), Idle Space Raider (you are one of the station guards and need to patrol space. Complete missions and raids, upgrade ship and station to increase your power), White Dove 白雀 ( a puzzle game with mild horror elements, Chinese language only), Breathe Peace World (visit a VR storybook world and learn how to relax), Becalm (fancy a relaxing drift through magical waters? Enjoy this seafaring voyage in search of the sunset), King Rabbit (a puzzle-platformer sandbox), Idle Wizard (RPG/Idle hybrid about becoming the most powerful wizard there is. Pick a class, get a pet, configure and improve your character in a myriad ways), Black Survival / 黑色幸存者 (a Real-Time Survival Game, where you must survive by any means out of 10 competitors in a deserted island), Fovos VR (a post-apocalyptic horror, rail shooter for the HTC Vive), Dimension Of Gameth (a turn-based RPG board-game), Its Simple, SHOOT (a minimalist top down 2D waveshooter), The Walsingham Files - Chapter 1 (an episodic mystery-adventure game series made with RPG Maker), Wasteland Survival (a survival game in a post apocalypse wasteland), Drunken Wrestlers 2 (a funny physics-based multiplayer fighting game with Steam Workshop support), BLOCKADE Classic (a first person shooter in an editable procedural cubic world), VTB Basketball League VR (play in VR as a basketball player in the VTB united league- Russian language only), Sin Slayers (an RPG with rogue like elements set in a dark fantasy world), Exosphere (a climbing game where you shoot, jump & bounce your way into the outer layer of the atmosphere), Alice in Stardom (a 3 hour long visual novel about Alice entering a top idol competition) and finally Infinite Art Museum (a virtual reality museum and archive of art with a growing collection of over 500 original paintings, illustrations and photographs from artists around the world).

For those interested in capturing their youth, or for those wanting to experience those heady days of the early console games, there are many emulators available for virtually every console ever made, plus many of the game titles for all those games are available for free as ROM's via many dedicated sites. of course you need to be careful that you are downloading from a safe site, so you should always do a little research first and check all downloads from any site to make sure they are safe. If you were interested in playing one of the tank game sI mentioned above e.g. Battle city you can find several NES emulators HERE and thousands of ROM's including one for Battle City HERE. you'll find sites that dedicate to particular consoles and others that cover all the popular ones. There are thousands of those games available for free. Abandonware sites also offer a great choice of older PC games, though many of the best have been hoovered up by sites like Good old Games, who tracked down the original license holders and either purchased or got permission to sell them. If you find any game on an abondonware site that is now available for sale, you should report the site, or at least warn it that they are giving away a game that is still under license. Abandonware sites are a grey area in law. The term abandonware says it all. Some of the games developers went bust, some no longer exist (i.e. have passed away) and others have just abandoned their games and moved on to better things. Some people don't agree with abandonware sites. Personally I think they are great. I was able to download many games I'd previously purchased, but could no longer play either becasue the original floppy's I'd purchased were corrupted, or I couldn't get them to work on newer systems. I regrettably (and stupidly) dumped thousands of cassette, floppy disks (both the original 8'', 5½ and 3½ disks) plus console cartridges about 15 years ago into a skip when we were having some house renovations carried out. Months later I found out about emulators and hardware that was available via my local computer shop that would have allowed me to play those games via new gadgets that had been developed that would allow you to play almost any of the original cassettes, disks and cartridges via my PC's. I could have pulled my hair out in frustration. Thankfully since then e software emulators as well as the ROM's for virtually all of those games are now readily available for free.