Battle Chess
SCORE: 71
I have played Battle Chess on the original 8-bit NES and the Evercade
system. There are impressive things about
Battle
Chess and things that families will need to take note of. Battle
Chess is chess. That is completely true, real, and valid. Battle Chess
can be played different ways too. One or two family members can enjoy
Battle Chess at the same time. There are different levels you can play
against the computer.
Battle Chess can be played in 2D or 3D. I spent most of my time in the
3D since that is where many of the content concerns come from. The 3D
figures will fight when one piece is taking out another piece. This
involves a variety of violent and magical attacks. It all depends on
which piece is taking over which other piece. Battle Chess is known for
these animations and it is one of the things that set this game apart
back in the day.
The chess action is decent in Battle Chess. There are better chess
simulation video games on the market. The animations in Battle Chess are
painfully slow. The same goes for watching pieces move from one spot on
the board to another one. The pieces trudge along and wait for a piece
in their way to move aside. I did not find a way to skip these
animations either. Expect to be a bit bored while waiting on the
animations.
If you have the basic concepts of chess down you should be able to play
and enjoy Battle Chess. The computer is versed on many of the gambits so
do not expect a quick win in Battle Chess. I learned to take away as
many of the pieces of my opponent before moving in for the checkmate.
That strategy also helped me by having less pieces of the opponent to
worry about. It can dismay a human opponent. I have no idea if the
computer was stressed out.
The graphics in Battle Chess look good for the era. The music and sound
was not really to my liking. I supposed the slow trudging movement of
the pieces was only accentuated with the special effect sounds. If you
want better speed you can play in 2D. At that point you might as well be
playing some other chess game. Battle Chess is one of those historical
gaming experiences that is need to see at least once.
- Paul
Graphics: 70%
Sounds: 65%
Replay/Extras: 85%
Gameplay: 70%
Family Friendly Factor: 65%
System: Evercade/NES
Publisher: Data East
Developer: Beam Software
Rating: ‘NR’ for Not Rated
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