The life expectancy of a frontline Tank Commander is said to be very short, a few hours at best.  There you are cooped up in little more than an oversized biscuit barrel with only a single gun, albeit a rather hefty one.  On top of that the tracked propulsion certainly isn’t going to win any prizes for speed or manoeuvrability.  “Oh look!  Incoming SCUD missile, quick out of the w…….”  So why on Earth would you want to take a tank into battle if it only results in a quick and untimely demise?  How about if some amusing and devastating weaponry is chucked in?  Or perhaps some jump-jets so you can, well, err, fly?  Still not convinced?  Okay, let’s just say that yes, you’re going to die lots, but doing so in Snowblind Studios Xbox Live Arcade title ‘Death Tank’ is not so bad.

‘Simple’ is the name of the game here, in fact there’s not much difference between Death Tank and a few kids lobbing stones at each other.  The battleground is represented on a single 2 dimensional screen, and only varies in its ‘lumpiness’ and theme.  For example, one round could present a mountainous vista and the next may be a glacial arctic arena.  Despite this game being about as complex as a monkey’s armpit, it does come complete with a handy tutorial.  The right and left triggers move your tank from side to side (slowly) and the left thumbstick rotates the gun turret through 180 degrees, as well as adjusting the shot power.  Gravity plays a big part, particularly when the often-obscuring landscape prevents a straight shot.  The art of a direct hit entails a combination of angle and power such that your shell arcs across the sky and lands right on your enemy’s noggin.  However, similar to the movement of your tank, the reloading of shells is at best ponderous.  Therefore you need to be thrifty with your shots, ensuring that your aim is true before unleashing your artillery.  A wasted shot means you are literally a sitting duck while your enemies home in on you.   So there you have it, all you need to throw stones at the other lads, figuratively speaking.  But it doesn’t finish there; with the correct upgrade you can also make your tank fly, repel incoming fire with a force field, or even drop a few nukes on your opponents.

Some of you may even remember Death Tank from quite a while back (1996 in fact) as a little game add-on for the Sega Saturn title ‘Powerslave’.  There’s no doubting that this is a retro game re-born, and as is often the case it does have that ‘just one more go’ factor.  Probably the most obvious comparison I can give is ‘Worms’, however this is the realtime equivalent.  No waiting for turns, just pummel away until you’re either victorious or smoke. 

With the controls mastered in the tutorial you can move on and hone your skills in the Arcade mode.  Quite frankly this isn’t going to hold your attention for too long.  What you’re presented with is stage after stage of battles against differing A.I. bots with a set theme.  As you begin a round you’ll be informed that you have been granted jump-jets or machine guns and super-fuel, for example.  The sole purpose of this gametype is to eliminate the opposition, with the pre-determined upgrades giving you variable means of extermination.  After a few rounds you’ll get the gist and have your diminutive tank lobbing shells with pinpoint accuracy.  Whilst you are scored for your efforts in the Arcade mode, there isn’t sufficient appeal to keep you playing against largely stupid bots.

Death Tank really comes alive with its multiplayer element, either local play with friends and family, or taking on the world through Xbox Live.  You can play the game as either a team based affair or a chaotic free-for all frag-fest.  Up to four can play on the same Xbox and the online matches will entertain up to eight players.  A full game consists of a set number of rounds and the winner is the player or team with the most points, which also means the most kills.  As the round starts all players are dropped in random positions on the map and then battle commences.  Particularly in the free-for all matches, luck can certainly play a part in your success.  Being dropped smack bang in the middle of the map usually means you have multiple turrets homing in on you.  There’s nothing like being tucked away at the edge of the screen taking pot shots into the middle where the cannon fodder are busy destroying each other. 

Providing you finish the round with some kills under your belt, regardless of survival (although extra points are given), you are rewarded with cash.  With a bit of the old folding stuff you can pay a visit to the store during the interval between rounds.  Now this is what you call shopping - mines, missiles, repel shields and various weapons of mass destruction are all there tempting you to part with your hard-earned cash.  The more powerful the upgrade the more it costs, tactical purchases are essential to get the most ‘bang for your buck’.  Unexpectedly you then find yourself in a game of cunning and tactics; those clever with their budget will go for a balance of offensive and defensive upgrades.  After all, it’s no good having the biggest gun if you can’t run away or protect yourself when you drop into the middle of the map.  Aside from visiting the weapon store at the end of each round, you are also presented with an updated leaderboard.  Through this you can keep track of your own and/or your teams’ relative performance. 

Graphically Death Tank is neither prince nor pig, it sits somewhere comfortably in between just ‘doing it’s job’.  In order to fit eight tanks onto one screen they obviously have to be pretty small.  Despite this you can choose from a number of models and change the colour to your taste.  The landscapes are colourful but not particularly detailed, however weapon strikes do deform the ground slightly making it feel a little more dynamic.  The only real highlight in the graphical repertoire would be that the particle effects from explosions look quite pretty.  The music is non-offensive and fits in well with the feel of the game.  The sound effects are generally good and each of the weapons gives off a suitable whiz pop or bang.

One unexpected feature I’ve found, in the free-for-all multiplayer games both locally and over Live, is that there seems to be one un-written rule; “Kill the leader!”  If one player starts off the first few rounds dominating play, then the weaker players seem to pick up on this and almost work together to negate the greatest threat.  Once the ‘big-gun’ is out of the picture it’s back to every man for himself with carnage, mayhem and of course death.  Before you know it the leaderboard closes right up and it’s anyone’s game once again. 

Although there’s no story or depth to this game there are the leaderboards and an online ranking system to keep you coming back for more.  Matchmaking is a doddle with the game kicking off as soon as there are enough players in the lobby.  Players can join in at the beginning of a round to replace those who drop out allowing the game to progress until done.  Everything works extremely well, lag is non-existent and the only disruptions happen if a player leaves mid-game and a new host is selected.

Whilst Death Tank is a fun and addictive game, I am left with a feeling that it could have been absolutely awesome with a few more features.  Why stop at deathmatch?  There are so many gametypes we’ve all seen in modern day shooters that could have easily been implemented.  King of the hill, capture the flag etc, etc, they could have made this an absolute classic if included.  But these omissions are not fundamental and certainly could be used to make a worthy sequel.  The biggest stumbling block with this title however is the price, at 1200 Microsoft points it doesn’t feel like a budget arcade release.  When you compare this game to the likes of Bomberman Live, which is a classic retro game with online multiplayer and at only 800 points, you have to ask why.  This game isn’t big or complex and certainly the 54Mb file size for the download is some indicator of this. 

If you buy Death Tank for the single player experience then you’ll feel like you’ve been smacked over the head and had your wallet nicked.  However, as with all Arcade releases you have the option to download a free trial of the game before you purchase.  Snowblind Studios have been quite clever with Death Tank in that you are given one hour to try the game on Xbox Live (with a Gold account).  By giving you this taster of online multiplayer, you are indeed given a chance to experience this game at its best.  If you think this sounds like your sort of game then you have nothing to lose by giving it a whirl.  My final note though has to go back to price:  Come on Microsoft!  Don’t you know we’re in a credit crunch!