The original Battlezone, an arcade stand-up released by Atari in 1980, was built around a vector graphics-based wireframe view of a futuristic battlefield, upon which players piloted a tank that was neither fast nor tough enough to keep me from bleeding quarters at an alarming rate. The updated version, announced today by Sniper Elite studio Rebellion, has come a long way from those early days, but looks to be very much the same sort of experience.
The new Battlezone will make use of the Asura Engine used in Sniper Elite 3, and is being developed specifically for VR platforms. "It's our aim to deliver the same revolutionary thrill of the original for a whole new generation," Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley said. "We want to use VR to truly capture the imagination of today's gamers, just as the original Battlezone captured ours."
Oddly, Rebellion said the game has been confirmed for Steam and the PlayStation 4, but the only VR platform announced is the PS4's Project Morpheus. Other VR platforms are being "evaluated," while a non-VR version is "being investigated, but not confirmed." A Vive release would seem the most certain, based on that, but I'd be a little surprised to see the Oculus Rift passed over. A release date hasn't been set, but there's a website at Battlezone.com with more information.
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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.
