Battlesport™ from the makers of Captain Quasar. I’ve been putting this one off. In part it’s a PAL release and I wanted to balance my PAL releases. I have a lot, a huge amount actually, of Japanese games coming and wanted to intersperse them with some native English games.

Secondly, it had the word ‘sport’ in the title. The back of the box suggested it was a futurist split screen sport and I couldn’t face it. Reminiscent of the time I offered a Rabbi a bacon sandwich. A polite smile, a wave of the finger, a shake of the head and the sound of coin dropping in my head. Oooooh! You don’t do Futuristic Sports simulators? That’s right. I don’t.

Yet I am 3DO Kid – and it is my destiny to play every 3DO game.

So I stuck it in the tray – it was either that or some Ego or Igo or what ever the hell that Japanese marble game is. I bet it is Othello.Well it was either that or Alone in the Dark 2.

So – Battlesport™.

It is good. It really is. The introduction is good. More polished than most. The graphics are good – although the Freedo emulator and the pictures below do not communicate that. The options available are good. A good selection of different craft / tanks. Different bolt-ons. Different enemies. And the big difference – well the knee trembler in my case, the game is actually good. It is fun. Even in single player mode. It must be a riot in two player.

There are several modes of play – instant action, exhibition and tournament. Tournament gives you the ability to earn money and with money you can upgrade your tank with various add-ons. Jump capability, extra shields, stealth mode, there are many different add-ons available designed to give you the edge, or take the edge away from you opponent

You have a tank, or to be fairer a craft, although the game calls them tanks. The tank is armed out-of-the-box with a missile launcher and some lasers. The objective is to use the tank to grab the ball and shoot it through the goal. Trying to stop you is player 2, with the option of having them either computer controller or human controlled.

Each game is split into three parts and you charge around the walled play area pounding the hell out of your opponent or trying to grab the ball and shove it through the goal. Get shot while running towards the goal with the ball and you will fumble if the opponent hits you with enough lasers shots. Although this can be avoided by spending money on the right upgrades.

The action is frantic, aided by the graphics engine which gives your tank a feeling of lumbering power and a great sense of inertia, as the craft tries to turn to get a shot, get the ball or get a power-up. The music adds to the experience and adds a genuine sense of pressure to the game.

This is extremely enjoyable. The AI routine that controls the opponent tank in one player mode isn't great but good enough to put up a balanced challenge but obviously not a scratch on a human opponent.

65% rare I would say.

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