''Abrams Battle Tank'' is a

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

developed by

Dynamix Dynamix, Inc. was an American developer of video games from 1984 to 2001, best known for the flight simulator ''Red Baron'', the puzzle game '' The Incredible Machine'', the ''Front Page Sports'' series, ''Betrayal at Krondor,'' and the online ...

and published by

Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted th ...

in 1988 for

MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few oper ...

. Designed by Damon Slye, the game is a 3D vehicle simulation of the

M1 Abrams The M1 Abrams is a List of main battle tanks by generation, third-generation American main battle tank designed by Chrysler Defense (now General Dynamics Land Systems) and named for General Creighton Abrams. Conceived for modern Armoured warfa ...

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful e ...

. The 1991

Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...

port by Realtime Games Software was renamed to ''M-1 Abrams Battle Tank''.

Gameplay

Although the simulation depicts the four crew positions, and is advertised as a simulation, gameplay is not actually very realistic; the missions are arcade game-like with a fixed sequence of actions to perform. The graphics were very good for their time, but reviews are mixed, with many players enjoying the "fun factor" introduced by the lack of realism, and others decrying it for the same reason.

Ports

The port from MS-DOS to Genesis was performed by Realtime Games Software in the UK using their own 3D engine that was earlier used in Carrier Command with some tweaks to adapt it to the Genesis and the needs of the tank scenario.

Reception

In 1989, '' Dragon'' gave the MS-DOS version of the game 3 out of 5 stars. ''

Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through t ...

'' gave the game two and a half stars out of five, stating that ''Abrams Battle Tank'' was a good game but a poor simulation. The magazine cited the commanding officer's briefings, at one point threatening failure with execution, as unprofessional and offensive to military personnel. In a 1994 survey of wargames the magazine gave the title two out of five stars, stating that newer games had superseded it and criticizing the simulation of a single tank instead of a company or squad. ''

Compute! ''Compute!'' (), often stylized as ''COMPUTE!'', was an American home computer magazine that was published from 1979 to 1994. Its origins can be traced to 1978 in Len Lindsay's ''PET Gazette'', one of the first magazines for the Commodore PET c ...

'' agreed that the game was not very realistic, but advised players to "accept the game as a graphically excellent, tactically complex simulation". In 1994, ''

PC Gamer US ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games mag ...

'' named ''Abrams Battle Tank'' the 50th best computer game ever.

Reviews

*'' Games-X'' (Jun 27, 1991) *''

Raze Raze may refer to: * Demolition ** Slighting * Raze, Haute-Saône, a town in France * Raze (house-music group) * Raze (Christian pop group) * Raze (Underworld), a fictional character in the Underworld films * Raze (magazine), a videogame magazi ...

'' (Oct, 1991) *''

Computer and Video Games ''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') was a UK-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot website ...

'' (Aug, 1991) *'' The One'' (Jul, 1989) *'' ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment)'' (Jul, 1989) *'' ASM (Aktueller Software Markt)'' (Jul, 1989) *''Video Games'' (Sep, 1991) *''

The Games Machine ''The Games Machine'' is a video game magazine that was published from 1987 until 1990 in the United Kingdom by Newsfield, which also published '' CRASH'', '' Zzap!64'', '' Amtix!'' and other magazines. History The magazine ran head to head w ...

'' (Jun, 1989) *''Power Play'' (May, 1989) *''

Jeux & Stratégie ''Jeux'' (''Games'') is a ballet written by Claude Debussy. Described as a "poème dansé" (literally a "danced poem"), it was written for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes with choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky. Debussy initially objected to the ...

'' #59

References

External links

* {{Dynamix 1988 video games DOS games Sega Genesis games Electronic Arts games Tank simulation video games Dynamix games Single-player video games