Tag: Tanks »

Game Insight has announced that its hit 10v10 iPad battle saga Tank Domination now has wider compatibility within the iOS universe.

Version 1.07 allows Tank Domination to be played on iPhones (4S and newer), as well as the 5th Generation iPod Touch. The user interface has also been redesigned to further enhance the experience on these devices.

We had an opportunity to take a look at the app a few weeks ago, and came away mostly impressed. Tank Domination is still free on the App Store.

War game fans love tanks. So for the Russian game publisher and developer Game Insight, it seems only appropriate that their next title be a game all about tanks. And with their current focus on mid-core games, Tank Domination should be a perfect fit for the studio when it releases later this year.

Demoed on iPad 4 tablets, I got a chance to take part in several online multiplayer battles with other members of the media, Game Insight's US staff, and some of the devs - a look at the webcam pointed at them showed them to be focused and determined on the matches at hand.

Tank Domination is a 10-on-10 tank battling game. While Game Insight does focus on free-to-play titles, there's actual gameplay, not just hands-off simulation! Players drive a tank of their choosing around an open war zone, taking place in a dystopic near future that hopefully won't come to pass, where mercenaries settle their differences with tanks. Actually, that sounds pretty cool.

Matches are divided into two teams on opposite corners of the map. Each team must try to either take out the other team in its entirety, or to conquer their base, at least in the matches I took part in. There are four types of tanks: light, medium, heavy, and artillery. The lighter the tank, the faster it moves, but the less punishment it can take. The artillery can shoot at enemy tanks that are visible on radar, making the light tanks valuable for scouting out enemies for the heavy hitters to take on. There's text chatting supported, but the ability to partner up with friends could help out with the cooperative elements. Plus, playing with other people and laughing at them when they're destroyed is fun.

The game is classified as "mid-core," bridging the gap between the kinds of free-to-play casual games that have a wide appeal, to the kinds of traditional core games that can be inaccessible to new audiences. The controls are basic, with a single virtual stick to move (and auto-forward option) and a virtual joystick to aim the turret. While figuring out how the tank movement works may take some time, to dive in to it is pretty simple and finding games is clearly meant to be easy. This will help with finding online matches as well - the more seamless, the more populous the multiplayer. The free-to-play monetization aspects come in with currency and credits being earned to buy more shells with different stats, new tanks, and combat enhancements. How free will the game be? That remains to be seen, particularly since the game is clearly still being localized - lots of Russian text remained in the game when I tried it out!

Still, considering that Game Insight is experimenting with a game that features actual, tactical online multiplayer, it's the kind of advancement in the free-to-play business model that I want to see. There's no reason why the free-to-play model, which is here to stay, has to exclude the kinds of experiences that satisfy core gamers. Tank Domination, with plenty of tank deathmatches, should definitely be just that.

Everyone likes free stuff, right? Free games are all the better. For that reason alone, people will want to take note of Little Generals - a new, free action game all about pitting tanks against tanks.

Promising to be simple to play yet quickly addictive, players start out with a limited selection of weapons to pit against their opponents as they compete in 1-on-1 physics based battles. New weapons are unlocked through the acquisition of Warbux, either by defeating opponents or buying them with real money via the in-app purchases available. These weapons then promise to make Little Generals all the more exciting and thrilling.

Throughout the game, Little Generals promises to be charming through its use of cute animations and talking generals to add a great original touch.

Check out the trailer below to learn more. Little Generals is out now, it's an Universal app and free to play.

Disney Interactive showed off its new TRON games at the TRON event at their offices in southern California this past Friday, and invited 148Apps to participate.

First up was a preview of the new addition to the free TRON app, Light Cycles. This new game is added to the already interesting Tank Battles for a double dose of TRON goodness, top-down style. TRON Tanks was launched at ComicCon 2010, and involves a reboot of the classic TRON arcade game.

In the newly launched Light Cycles, players can go up against the computer, or each other via WifFi or Blue Tooth, and fight it out on an arena grid with 7 levels, each with three to four stages. In our hands on time with the game, the local multiplayer had some trouble connecting due to poor WiFi network availability, but what little we were able to play together was fun and added a human dimension to the typical AI/arcade light cycle battle game. In Light Cycles, players flick or tap in the direction they want the light cycles to go, avoiding walls, traps, and the light trail of their opponent while attempting to box in their enemy with their own light trail. There are power ups to ride over in the top-down, battle grid play field, some goal-based battles.

The flick controls were solid, the game itself was gorgeous with no slowdown that we could see. The colors and menus all screamed TRON, as did all the games and merchandise on display. It was all a bit much, but the TRON, well, legacy, has become a cultural touchstone for moviegoers and gamers alike. The developers and project managers on hand were truly passionate about the games and the potential, bringing a genuine excitement beyond the typical movie tie-in game.

The mobile game also allows players to unlock the new Daft Punk single, "Derezzed," from the upcoming film soundtrack. There's also a connection to the TRON: Legacy Pop Up Shop, the retail web portal with limited edition TRON merchandise for sale. Coming soon to the app will be a free TRON themed visualizer and Alarm Clock app, which works with a TRON Disk Dock speaker device from Monster.

The second game we were able to play with was the upcoming TRON: Legacy app, set for sale closer to the movie launch and coinciding with the TRON: Legacy movie tie-in games on home consoles and portable handheld gaming devices. The app will include single and multiplayer action set in the TRON universe and cost $0.99. Keep your TRON-anxious eyes right here for more in depth details as they are released.

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