Battlezone, based on the identically-named 80s arcade game from Atari, is scheduled to release alongside the PlayStation VR on Oct. 13, one of the 50 games coming to the VR headset by the end of the year. Restricted to the cockpit of a futuristic tank, players must blast through waves of different enemies using a variety of different weapons. After taking it out for a spin, Battlezone seems like it will be a great way to introduce new players to VR.
Players get control of a single-person tank, and must take to the battlefield to blow up enemies. Using a first-person perspective, Battlezone makes it really feel like you've been put inside a physical vehicle. Just sitting in the cockpit felt very cool in Battlezone. Looking around, I could see the virtual controls for the tank at my sides. Thanks to the use of the PlayStation camera, you can even lean over to peer down into the mysterious space between the wall and the chair, just like sitting in a real car, with the headset compensating for your leaning and reaching motions.
Once the tank was deployed, piloting the thing felt very natural. The left stick on a PS4 controller works as your movement with the right stick controlling the aim for your weapons. There's a shoot button, a swap weapons button and a boost button to help you dodge incoming fire as well. Enemies attack from all sides and different heights. This forces you to have to move your head around, sometimes even looking straight up or behind you, to get a better view of the battlefield. It also made the experience feel more immersive, with attacks coming from more than one direction.
While my demo was fairly short, a full single-player campaign is in the works for Battlezone. New tanks, weapons and other upgrades can be unlocked during each campaign playthrough, but each campaign you'll start fresh, similar to a roguelike. When asked about multiplayer, I was told there were thoughts about integrating a multiplayer component at some point, but there didn't seem to be any immediate plans as of right now.
Battlezone is coming first to the PS VR on the PS4. Because it's going to be a launch title for the new headset, you can expect an initial launch date of Oct. 13. An Oculus version is also planned, but no release dates have been mentioned yet.
So what do you think? Are you interested in trying out Battlezone? What other VR games have you excited? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
