N64’s Most Underrated Game

Growing up I was very lucky to have some of the best N64 games around. This included games that are often talked about like Super Smash Bros, Goldeneye, Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time. However, one of my other favourite games Battle Tanx: Global Assault is barely spoken about. Battle Tanx: Global Assault is a post-apocalyptic tank game that improved on literally everything from its predecessor Battle Tanx. It was released on the N64 and PS1 but the general consensus is that the N64 version is considerably better. With that in mind I’d like to highlight why I thought this game was so great despite not gaining the same praise as other classic N64 titles.

Story and Setting

As a kid I thought The Battle Tanx: Global Assault’s story was a great mix of The Warriors, Mad Max and Children of Men before I knew what any of those things were. In hindsight the story seems quite campy but nevertheless I still think it’s pretty entertaining. The first game established a world where 1 percent of women survive a plague and these women are fought over by (or are prominent leaders of) gangs using futuristic tanks. In the second game main characters Griffin and Madison need to rescue their supernaturally powered son who has been kidnapped from a gang leader named Cassandra. It’s ridiculous but awesome.

Gameplay

All the modes in the game revolve around choosing the right tanks for whatever the mission is. Certain levels in the campaign and which gang you choose in multiplayer usually limit which tank options you have but most times you have a solid amount of interesting choices. Each tank has different pros and cons and prices so there can be a decent amount of strategy involved each time you pick a tank. These options include basic tanks, giant tanks, tanks that are strong up front but weak to flanking, flamethrower tanks, lazer tanks, hovering tanks, tiny fast tanks, missle launcher tanks and tanks that strafe sideways. On top of that most tanks start with or can pick up secondary weapons or abilities with scarce ammunition. This includes health, shields, a nuke, guided missles, turrets, lasers, grenades, multiple mines, swarmer missles, cloaking, teleporters, flamethrowers and speed boosts.

Campaign

The story mode has you leading Griffin’s gang trekking across the globe fighting different games on the way to save the protagonists’ son Brandon. Most missions revolve around destroying a variety of tanks with your own. Others use capture the flag mechanics were you rescue women from gangs or capture intel from buildings you demolish. A third type has you trying to get yourself or some cargo vehicles from point A to B. And despite the bad reputation of escort missions the ones in Battle Tanx: Global Assault are great and so is just about every other mission in the game.

Multiplayer

No one I knew growing up agreed with me but to me the multiplayer modes in Battle Tanx: Global Assault rivals the multiplayer in Goldeneye. I’d argue that Battle Tanx 2’s multiplayer took a bit less skill but had more need for strategy. Unlike the quick aiming needed for Goldeneye Battle Tanx 2 doesn’t have you aim verticaly, you only direct your shots horizontally based on how you steer your tank (with the exception of lobbing grenades, aiming guided missles or shooting while on an angled surface). This puts a greater focus on things like flanking, tank selection and collecting power ups instead of just being a quick and precise with your aim. Most multiplayer modes are deathmatch or capture the flag variations. Up to 4 players can play at a time but empty spots can be filled by the AI teams. Anybody can team up with anybody as long as they choose the same color before the game is started.

Features

On top of everything else discussed other great features set Battle Tanx 2 apart from other N64 games. It was the first game I remember playing to allow 2 players to play the campaign together. A code system let you write down codes to pick up where you left off in the campaign. Not only did this save valuable memory card space it also let you essentially create multiple save states so you could return to an earlier level if you were stuck or just wanted to replay it. That same system also let you put in cheats so you could access special tanks and powers in the multiplayer modes. All in all Battle Tanx 2 was (to me it still is) an amazing game that unfortunately never got the praise it deserves or a sequel to resolve its cliffhanger ending.