Battlezone (Activision)

Battlezone is a critically acclaimed remake of the 1980 arcade game of the same name by Atari; it was released by Activision for Microsoft Windows on February 28, 1998. Aside from the name and presence of tanks, this game bears little resemblance to the original, as Activision remade it into a hybrid of a tank simulation game, a first-person shooter and real-time strategy game.

The game was rereleased on Steam as Battlezone 98 Redux, and contains most of its expansion packs. It also includes the Steam workshop for downloading instant action and multiplayer maps.

Story
After a meteor shower hits the arctic circle in 1952, American and Soviet scientists simultaneously discover the power and use of "bio-metal", a wonder material capable of being molded into sci-fi weaponry. Both sides seek to use it against the other in the Cold War, with America developing the National Space Defence Force, and the Russians developing the Cosmo-Colonist Army. The NSDF gets into space under the guise of the Apollo missions.

Thus begins a hidden chapter of the Cold War that was never seen - with the player character Grizzly 1 fighting the Soviets while unraveling the mystery of the origins of the bio-metal.

Gameplay
Battlezone is a hybrid of real time strategy and first person shooter, later employed by other games such as the series.

Players start on foot, usually with a large boxy vehicle called the recycler. Units can be selected by either aiming at the vehicle and pressing Spacebar, or by using the number keys. Units can then be moved by aiming at the ground and then pressing Spacebar. Units can be issued other orders, such as to follow the player. The recycler can be used to build resource gatherers and other factories.