There were a variety of games released on the Wii U's launch day. Perhaps the most random and confusing was arcade tank shooter 'Tank! Tank! Tank!'. When I saw the trailers and news for this game, it was the name that got me interested in the game alone. Recieving the game for Christmas, I felt pretty indifferent in terms of excitement. I predicted the game would go down in price quite quickly, though it did look fun. Hey, at least I didn't have to pay for it.
Single player
Tank! Tank! Tank! features one single player mode, where you use your tank to either take down a swarm of enemies or one big boss, occasionally accompanied by some "minions" or the like. The robots you face are quite amusing, raging from robotic spiders or gorillas, to a giant cthulu that shoots lasers. The graphics are cartoonish, and don't feel like a step up from those of the Wii. However, the design of the enemies is interesting enough to look by. Gameplay itself is basic, there isn't much skill involved. Aiming occurs automatically, and it's moving about where any skill comes in. You'll constantly hear the screams of a male and female uttering corny lines that can provide a couple of laughs at first, but will annoy you after a while. There's a ton of unlockable Tanks(!) but not much in the way of upgrades, nor cool features on them. There's a large amount of missions, though they're really all the same and get repetitive. In a way, there's replay value, as you have to unlock coins in order to unlock some levels, and beating a level earns you a coin, so this doesn't help the repetivity.
Multiplayer
Now multiplayer is where the game really shines. The Free for All mode will provide many laugh-filled frenzies, as it's so easy to destroy other tanks. Newcomers may be confused and overwhelmed at first, but once you get into it, you can have a good time, though this can get old and boring after a while. There's a team mode too, so those hoping to work together won't be denied here. One fun aspect of playing with friends is customising the look of your avatar. You can use the Gamepad to take a photo of yourself, and add a cartoon avatar to it. For example, you can have your face in a penguins body, or look like an army general. There's a lot of options, so the laughs can continue for a while. The best part of the whole game perhaps, is My Kong mode. One player will use the Gamepad to take control of a massive robot gorilla (complete with the face of the user, which when revealed is hilarious) who must try to survive and destroy the other players who use the Wii Remotes to try and take the Kong down. A session of this will take quite a few minutes, so you'll feel satisfied (and tired from laughing) when the victor is shown.
Game specifics
As said before, the graphics are pretty standard. There isn't much detail in them, as they're just cartoon, though they lack charm. Still, they don't look bad, per say. It's the look of monsters you face that keep you interested. At times, you may face some glitches, driving through the floor or buildings with no effect can occur, though this doesn't affect the game much. The controls work just fine, as the simplicity of the game doesn't require much controlling apart from moving the tank with either the D-Pad or analogue stick, and shooting with A or 2. Moving about with the D-Pad after a while can hurt your fingers so it's best to stick with the Gamepad. During play with the tv, the Gamepad shows the engines of the tank, which doesn't exactly use the controller's full potential. Some attacks might have been handy. Remote play is possible though, if you really like the game enough to play it anywhere in the house.
Verdict
Though multiplayer might provide laughs for the first couple of plays, and the design of the robotic creatures are fun enough, the limited single player modes and repetitiveness of gameplay make the game boring within a week of play. Tank! Tank! Tank! is a game best played in short spurts over a long period of time, and worth getting out with your friends for half an hour at the most.
2.5/5
