"This is an excellent game" - me. Tank beat is what I would classify as a real-time-strategy/tank simulator, which is controlled almost exclusively with the stylus. The player will take control of a rookie tank operator (Vill Katjue), set in a fictional nation that amidst a period of war that rages between two main factions. There is a large array of tanks to be unlocked as you progress through 30 missions. Each tank has its own advantages and weaknesses in terms of firepower, speed, armour, maneuverability, etc. Tanks include designs made exclusively for the game, as well as some historically accurate tanks used by the United States/Germany/Russia from various periods of war. Each mission consists of different terrains, mission objectives, enemies. The player will control their tank with the stylus from a third-person perspective, using it to 'draw' the paths that your tank will travel on screen. The stylus also controls the direction of the tank turret, as well as being used to select the tanks weapons. The player will occasionally be able to control a secondary tank ally by using commands from the games HUD, as well as the stylus to draw their tanks paths. Some of the positive points about the game is its large array of tanks, which should suit a variety of play styles. Some missions call for the player to use a specific tank in order to achieve a victory. The style of gameplay is without using other words, 'just fun'. The fully 3-D environments in which the player directs their tanks are ideal and although they use simple palettes they provide a variety of different terrain. There are some downsides to would have to include: The poor A.I of the allied tank that you can also control. the size of the map on the lower screen which is used to draw your tanks path is too small, so your going to have to keep drawing your tanks path in the middle of battles. But mostly I don't like the way your constantly made to look at the lower map screen in order to control your tank, instead the top screen is where all the action is taking place! The game does feature wireless and online play, but I have yet to try it online, so I don't know how wifi play fairs (I would love to play against some people living in Australia if they could let me know). Apparently there's a tank beat 2 that's either already out in Japan or being planned for a future release? In summation, this is one of the better games that I have played on the Nintendo DS. It is not usually the case for me to enjoy playing simulations. Although there are some downsides to the game they can be overlooked due to the games positive factors.
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Tank Beat