'Battlezone' Reboot Coming to Project Morpheus
Virtual reality gaming just got a bit more exciting. Game developer Rebellion is working with Sony's Project Morpheus to reboot the classic arcade game "Battlezone." The reboot is not a simple one because Rebellion intends to make the game playable using Sony's upcoming Virtual Reality or VR headset.
The announcement was made during Sony's press briefing at the E3. Rebellion also shared a video of the new game's gameplay.
"Battlezone" is a 1980 arcade game developed for the Atari and is considered to be the first virtual reality game ever released. The game made use of a wireframe view which made use of vector graphics. Another version of the game was made for the US military as a training simulation game for The Bradley Fighting Vehicle. In the original game, the player is seated in a tank's driver seat, with access to a periscope to see his surroundings. The original game also required the use of a "viewing goggle" during gameplay.
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Rebellion acquired the rights to "Battlezone" recently and immediately started work on the game's development.
"It really was a dream come true, so it's our aim to deliver the same revolutionary thrill of the original for a whole new generation. We want to use VR to truly capture the imagination of today's gamers, just as the original Battlezone captured ours," CEO Jason Kingsley said.
The Asura Engine will be used for the new game, which is the same engine that was used in "Sniper Elite 3," a tactical short video game. The fact that the new game will make use of a VR headset will provide a different gaming experience for players.
Sony's VR headset is set to be released within the first half of 2016, but with no definite date yet.
The VR version of "Battlezone" will be available initially for the PS4. The reboot will also be available on Steam for the PC. Given that there are other VR headsets in development, it is likely that the game will make its way to these later on, after the PS4 release.
