PlayStation
Tiny Tank
| Graphics: Sound: Gameplay: Overall: |
7.33 8.78 7.44 7.89 |
| Votes: | 9 |
| Reviews: | 3 |
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| Reviewer: Highwire | Date: Aug 14, 2023 |
| I grew up with this game so I'll do my best to remove bias and just talk about what the game does well and doesn't do well.
Graphics: 7 This looks pretty run of the mill for a PS1 title, however each level has a distinct vibe to it and the animation, both the FMV and in-game; has a lot of character and charm to it. The designs of the enemies are very diverse and appealing and all the gameplay elements are easy to read. Not to mention Tiny Tank dances to the music and I think that's a level of polish worth noting. Sound: 10 The sound is hands down the best part of the game. If you think of the soundtrack as Tiny Tank listening to a radio station it becomes one of the most immersive experiences I've ever played. The OST itself is an absolute banger, with genres ranging from big band, jazz, hard rock, and electronica. The music is a narrative element to the game with a clear distinction between human made music and robot made music. There is also a radio show that plays once each level, which may be annoying to some but the talk show host is the main antagonist which is honestly pretty cool. The game even acknowledges the player's actions in the previous level they played which is something I wish more games did. Gameplay: 6 This is a mixed bag. The actual combat is pretty competent. You can attach weapons to 4 different locations on Tiny Tank and make them more powerful. Tiny is pretty agile around the battlefield which leads to combat being REALLY fun. He's pretty fun to control as well, with the movement and jumping feeling pretty satisfying and having a good degree of control. Each level really tries to throw something new at you which can leave a first time playthrough feeling unpredictable in a very fresh kind of way. You can tell they really wanted to surprise you and give you as much variety in a big way as they could with how little they had which is very commendable. Honestly some of the boss fights, while easy to cheese, can also be VERY memorable and unique. HOWEVER. Many levels could have been polished WAY better as a handful just are not fun at all and focus on the weakest parts of the character controller, such as a later level that focuses so heavily on high skill platforming; which Tiny CAN do, but it's very very difficult and feels very bad. This game is at its best when it gives you a target to shoot and an arena to run around. Overall: 7 It's soundtrack and narrative are the strongest parts of the experience, with the gameplay and levels fluctuating in quality but always wondering what else this game might have in store for you if you press on. Tiny Tank can be both a very lovable mascot character while also being annoying, so it really comes down to personal tastes, but this game has a lot to offer. It's worth checking out even today, especially for it's narrative, charm, soundtrack, and earnest attempt to always bring something new and fresh to the table. However, some levels you will have to grit your teeth through, but most of the worst offenders can also be the shortest ones. While not a hidden gem, it's definitely got a lot to say that I think is still relevant today. |
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| Reviewer: Marina F | Date: May 13, 2022 |
| Played this game on a whim one day and I gotta say this is one of the most uneven experiences I've had with a video game. Your mileage is gonna vary wildly depending on your tolerance for frustration. That being said this game would make for an excellent study in game design. (Albeit in a negative light)
Graphics: 5 The model work is appealing and the fmvs look nice but that's about it. Most of the game takes place in drab industrial settings and that coupled with the fog don't make for the most appealing look. The menus look rockin though. It's just barely passable imo. Sound: 8 The soundtrack is the best part hands down its a lot of heavy guitar riffs, only thing is that the music doesn't loop at all. It will often be followed by radio banter or just ambient noises. At one point I heard a dog barking and I found that really charming but that might not be appealing to everyone. Biggest complaint is that restarting a level resets the radio banter and you can't turn it off without turning off the music. Gameplay: 5 Mixed Bag. its essentially a very slow version of twisted metal with borderline obstructive platforming The more simple levels tend to be the most comfortable but randomly this game can be torture. Biggest problem. The lives system. I didn't know this going in but the game starves you for extra lives. Had to do most of the game with 1 life and this creates a lot of balance issues. A lot of levels either have annoying gimmicks, or the mechanisms in which the level operates are poorly explained Worst offenders, the blimp level and the final boss. The blimp boss requires you to have the foresight to pick up a weapon off an enemy that most players would avoid because they take off so much health. The level before it also requires you to do horrible platforming with a very short jump Final boss is terrible. The lock on mechanic which is normally fine for the rest of the game absolutely bugs the fuck out and it makes the boss nigh impossible without save states *Game overing here also makes you do a very long boss prelude that drags out the pacing even more The difficulty is too uneven. It's either smooth sailing or an agonizing wall that makes you wanna snap the disc in half Overall: 6 The charm of the story is offset by how god damn tedious it is at points. There is great potential here but I'm likely never going back to this. TBH if this got remastered it could be great. |
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| Reviewer: Fisher Wagg | Date: Aug 13, 2018 |
| Well, I may just be the one person on Earth who considers this game anything more than childish garbage.
When I was 6 in 2002, this game sort of fell into my lap when I was messing around with some old jampack discs we had laying around. The demo for this game was nigh impossible to finish, but something grabbed me. I begged my dad to get it for me, and a few months later a used copy arrived in the mail. I would try to beat it on and off for the next decade and a half. I would finally beat it in 2017 as a 21 year old who had already published several of my own games. It was only after completing it that I realized I had built a personal mythos around the game and the characters in it. Everything had a deeper illusion of depth to it that influenced not only my experience playing the game, but also the design decisions I would make with my own characters in my own games throughout my life. I would even go on to talk at length about Tiny Tank in one of my post mortems as a source of inspiration. Now, all of that said, this game is wack. Graphics: 7 The graphics in this game are modern and consistent at best and indiscernible at worst. The first mission Dead River Canyon is among the most eye pleasing scenarios in the game, but unfortunately the visuals do not hold that caliber of quality throughout the romp. The very next mission Mortar Villa Airfield sees an immediate dip in quality with some hard to navigate rocky canyons bathed in fog featuring a confusing spaceship with what looks like lipstick and blond hair. But as you progress through the levels some rather interesting locations can be found. My personal favorite area is the Magneto Synchrotron Transporter which provides an interesting symmetrical battlefield that can be thrilling to navigate (once you get the hang of the controls, that is). Sound: 8 Each level begins with an in-game radio show describing the goings on in the world and conveying how the enemy is reacting to the absurd stuff you do in the game. The main vehicle of exposition is a radio show hosted by Mutank (the antagonist of the game) whose calm demeanor allows for him to host a helpline for robots in need of purpose, or perhaps orders. Once these shows end, the player is then often treated to the "SenTrax Memorial Orchestra" which serves as the soundtrack for the level. This game has surprisingly good music. That's not to say it fits very well with the themes of the story or even the gameplay, but it's catchy and I will sometimes find myself humming the tracks. But then the songs end. Then sometimes, things get weird. Some levels just turn to more generic tunes featuring ominous tones and distant and sporadic drums. Others have nothing at all. Then some have this bizarre track that plays featuring a series of samples and field recordings that I can only describe as experimental art rock. Indistinct voices in the distance, the echoing sound of gravel being shoveled, machinery humming and rattling... these are the sounds that haunt you when you take your time completing a level. I have never seen anyone mention these bizarre tracks online. They will haunt me until the day that I hear my own gravel being shoveled over me. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention... the entire time Tiny spits out outdated one liners. While this may annoy you, 6 year old me found this comforting in a world of games like Unreal where designers saw fit to strip the player of human contact as much as possible. If you learn not to take the whole thing too seriously, you may even find yourself quoting Tiny. Gameplay: 5 Gameplay isn't great. What few systems exist are poorly explained (if at all) and are often unreliable. The game demands a dual shock controller, but even the added control won't be enough as the framerate of the game will sometimes drop below 15 fps and controls will suffer dramatically. This unfortunately occurs most during boss fights that require precise control and accurate movement. Playing this game is hard as hell. Weapon placement and brain usage (you decide how much brain power you want to dedicate to each weapon on the select menu) are sometimes vital and sometimes not, but you likely won't notice because your enemy will be invisible or beyond your visibility or something. If this were a new game I would accuse it of cheating, but these practices were commonplace in the 90's and earlier so I forgive a lot of the brutality. Mutank is a difficult boss simply because you feel like you're not sure if you're doing the right thing. Just keep shooting him and try to hit the stuff he sets up and eventually you'll beat him. Eventually. Overall: 7 If I could give this game a 6.5 I would, but I'll settle for a 7. Yeah, it plays like shit. Yeah, it has some really confusing stuff that only makes sense if you take the time to listen to everything everyone says and read the manual, and even then some things still don't make sense. I love this game. It's not for everyone, but I guarantee I'll be putting it up again soon. Maybe it's nostalgia, but something else begs otherwise. If you took the time to play this game I want to know your thoughts, and maybe you can change my mind on some things. I especially want to hear about your take on the wacky soundtrack if you have one. You can email me at zwedizhfizh [at] gmail [dot] com and we can comiserate/reminisce. |
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