Tank! Tank! Tank! is a 2009 third-person shooter arcade game from Namco Bandai Games, and it knows exactly what it wants to be. It wants to be a noisy, cartoonish, over-the-top arcade shooter with a full roster of weapons, a split-screen multiplayer mode, and giant monsters to fight. It gets there, mostly, but the Wii U version shows serious cracks in the paint.
The premise is simple. You take command of a tank, grab a weapon from a vast arsenal, and blast everything that moves. The enemies include mechanical insects, gigantic dragons, and other players. You can team up with three friends or fight against them in fully destructible environments. Weapons are never in short supply, and threats hide behind every corner.
Trailer, via Nintendo of America.
The Arcade Version
The arcade original was a hit. Critics applauded its exhilarating gameplay and wide array of weapons. The controls are tight, the visuals are bright, and the sheer volume of enemies on screen gives the game a constant sense of chaos. It is built around a vertical-oriented monitor, a design borrowed from the popularity of Japanese mobile games, which Ishii believed would make players instantly familiar with the gameplay.
The game is a spiritual successor to Tokyo Wars (1996), another Namco arcade game that shared many of the same mechanics and ideas. Producer Makoto Ishii wanted to create an arcade game that allowed players to express themselves through fast-paced gameplay and visuals. That ambition is visible in the final product, even if the execution stumbles on the home console.
The Wii U Port
The Wii U version was released in 2012 as a system launch title in North America. It is a port, pure and simple, and it shows. The game’s modes are thin. There is a campaign, there is a multiplayer mode, and that is about it. The content is shallow compared to the arcade original, and the difficulty curve is rough in places.
The controls feel awkward on the Wii U controller. The game was clearly built with arcade sticks in mind, and the home version does not handle the same input method well. Players who expected a faithful recreation of the arcade experience got something closer to a shadow of it.
“Its gameplay has been compared to titles such as the Earth Defense Force series, through its usage of B-movie tropes and parodying.”
The Weapons and Monsters
The weapon list is where Tank! Tank! Tank! shines brightest. You can arm your tank with lasers, machine guns, missile pods, and the dreaded Colossus Missile. Power-ups are scattered throughout each map, giving you temporary boosts and new toys to try out. The game encourages collateral damage against the city background, and the destruction is satisfying.
Each level contains destructible elements, and the city itself reacts to your shots. You can knock down buildings, shatter glass, and send debris flying. This is the kind of feature that arcade players love, and the Wii U version captures it well enough to keep the spirit intact.
The Multiplayer Modes
The split-screen multiplayer is the strongest part of the Wii U version. You can divide yourselves into two rival teams, team up to fight the monsters cooperatively, or fight against each other. The camera holds up well in these modes, and the action stays readable even when four tanks are on screen at once.
The modes are limited, though. There is no ranked play, no progression system, and no real reason to return beyond the novelty of the setup. That is a problem when the core loop is so simple.
The NamCam and Avatars
Players take a photo with a nearby camera dubbed the NamCam, and that photo becomes their avatar. It identifies each player’s tank during multiplayer matches. You can add accessories to the avatars, such as military helmets and wrestling masks. It is a small touch, but it adds a personal layer to the chaos.
The city backgrounds are detailed and varied. The game throws mechanical kaiju at you, and the visual style leans heavily on B-movie tropes and parody. It is not trying to be a serious shooter, and it does not need to be.
The Troubled Development
The game underwent a reportedly troubled development cycle. The arcade version was well-received, but the Wii U port suffered from a lack of polish. The result is a game that feels unfinished, especially on a console that needed a strong launch title to build momentum.
The arcade original remains the definitive version. It has a larger roster of modes, a deeper weapon pool, and a better sense of scale. The Wii U version is a pale imitation by comparison.
The Critical Reception
Critics were largely negative toward the Wii U version. The complaints centered on the lack of modes, the shallow content, and the difficult controls. Several reviewers argued that the Wii U port was evidence that the game should have stayed exclusive to arcades.
The arcade original’s critical success was not enough to carry the home version. The port fails to deliver the same excitement, and the flaws are easy to spot.
Key Facts
- Title: Tank! Tank! Tank!
- Developer and Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
- Release Year: 2009 (arcade), 2012 (Wii U)
- Platforms: Arcade, Wii U
- Genres: Simulator, Third-person shooter
- Modes: Single player, split screen
- Critical Score: 5.1/10
Tank! Tank! Tank! is a game with a good idea and a bad port. The arcade version deserves its acclaim, and the Wii U version deserves its low score. It is a fun, chaotic shooter when it works, but the home version never quite gets there.
The game is a spiritual successor to Tokyo Wars, and it shares that predecessor’s love of spectacle. It is a game about blowing things up, and it does that well. But it is also a game that was clearly built for a different hardware, and that mismatch shows in every corner of the Wii U release.
The Wii U version is worth a look if you have the console and the time. It is a solid multiplayer shooter, and the split-screen battles hold up. But it is not a game you will return to for the campaign, and it is not a game that justifies its existence on a console that needed a stronger start.
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