At first glance, these two games are identical. The classic arcade game Battlezone from 1980 was the first major 3D video game and was a smash success. It was no surprise when the Atari 2600 received its own version. Albeit it was different and was not in true 3D, it still had its core functionality and fun game play.
It was also no surprise when Battlezone encountered clones like Robot Tank from Activision in 1983. As usual, Activision aimed to go above and beyond. Like some of their other games like Enduro, a day-night system was added, and it even kept track of how many days went by. Other changes included damage to your tank and change in weather.
Beyond these things, Battlezone and Robot Tank were both very similar. Your view is of the front of the tank, as if you were literally driving it and looking forward to visually navigate. This added dimension that was not often seen in video games at the time. It felt like you were actually driving and shooting a tank! A radar on the screen told you where an enemy was, and you had to turn and attack it before it attacked you. This might seem like a simple concept, but it was in fact incredibly fun to play for extended amounts of time.
Commanding a tank as if in combat was fun as it was, but with an extra layer of virtual reality Battlezone kicked butt. It still holds up to this day and its hard not to love. Bother Battlezone and Robot Tank were popular enough that the old Atari 2600 game cartridges are cheap and easy to find. I recommend buying one as soon as you see it. Don’t even think or let your brain process the decision, or you may change your mind. Be sure to leave a comment letting us know your thoughts with these tank games.