January 18, 2000 Web posted at: 9:07 a.m. EST (1407 GMT) by Buck DeFore

From...

(IDG) -- The original 1980 BattleZone had it easy. When you're dealing with wires for graphics, beeps for sound, and shoot-if-it-moves gameplay, it's hard to miss. Twenty years of evolution later, we've come to expect a lot more depth in our games.

Bringing BattleZone into the times in 1998 was an extraordinary accomplishment, a classic for completely different reasons than its namesake. Now, the game has received yet another facelift, but unfortunately Pandemic has missed a few of the more problematic blemishes.

One noticeable improvement is a general sense of placement in the storyline that carries from one mission to the next. This time, an insect-like alien intelligence prepares to launch an offensive to Earth. From one level to the next, you'll uncover a surprisingly well-furnished plot of suspicion, of both your enemy's intentions and of dissention among the ranks. Due credit goes to the varied mission structure, which is consistently rewarding, transcending the "my base is bigger than yours" phenomenon.

	MESSAGE BOARD
Games People Play

Your journey carries you into fantastical planets of all varieties, each with its own weather effects and native wildlife. If you've got the hardware, BattleZone 2 deserves accolade for perhaps the best visuals of the year, from multiple lighting sources to breathtaking vistas. Alongside it all are professional voice-overs and another solid soundtrack, a longstanding trademark within Activision's ranks.

MORE COMPUTING INTELLIGENCE

IDG.net home page

More gaming news, reviews and cheats from GameProWorld

Download free game demos

Game controllers, console systems and more hardware reviews

E-BusinessWorld

Reviews & in-depth info at IDG.net

IDG.net's personal news page

Year 2000 World

Questions about computers? Let IDG.net's editors help you

Subscribe to IDG.net's free daily newsletter for computer geniuses (& newbies too)

Search IDG.net in 12 languages

News Radio

Fusion audio primers

Computerworld Minute

Straight off the scoreboard, the sequel has a lot going for it: story, graphics, and music. But these charms were already solid virtues of last year's BattleZone. And the fact that the original still maintains a dedicated online community testifies that it's aging pretty well. It's unfortunate that one subtly troubling detail which fans of the original have grumbled at for over a year has carried over without significant improvement.

This frustrating complaint is the lackluster AI. Although your defenseless scavengers are much less prone to suicidal tendencies, a fair amount of babysitting is still necessary. The streamlined interface allows easier leadership of your comrades, but in the heat of battle their tactics aren't too bright unless you guide them through the fight.

All of the micromanagement adds up, and Pandemic could have tweaked a bit more to support these faults. Yet with practice, wrestling with this newest edition of idiosyncrasies is bearable -- an amazing achievement considering the limitations of a first-person perspective.

It's unfortunate that an abundance of pitfalls cast a shadow on BattleZone 2's accomplishments. Arriving alongside the newest DirectX update, there are wild fluctuations in frame-rate due to driver issues.

For those who can play multiplayer, the strategy mode is much improved thanks to easier base defense, but out- of-the-box network code is hardly playable. Promises and threats have flown, and it's likely BattleZone 2 will witness a lineage much like its predecessor last year -- which absorbed a series of four patches before most of its problems were corrected.

All things considered, the game is still uniquely entertaining. There's simply so much ambition in its perspective and level design that bugs are attracted by its very nature. And for that, some credit should be given for the epic scope BattleZone 2 manages to convey. With that acknowledged, what a lovable game, what a troubled game.

Graphics: You name it: great texture, color, particles, resolution, variety. You'll need a second-gen card and as close to a Pentium 3 as you can get, but its worth it.

Sound: Voiceovers are top-notch. Weapons lack flair. Directional use could be better. Music is typically strong Activision quality.

Control: The interface gets less cumbersome with practice, and with comfort comes the flexibility to execute a wide number of maneuvers, both by yourself and in command of groups.

Tech: Framerate problems with some hardware (namely nVidia, AMD), various bugs and loopholes. Some missions won't finish unless done exactly as designed.

Multi-Player: Awaiting a patch. At this point, only works for a fraction of modem users. However, by design seems superior to BattleZone 1.

Fun Factor: Innovative technical leap up from the original. If you can navigate around a few problems, BattleZone 2 is a game that gets better as you go.