“I shouldn’t have written all of those tank programs.” ~ Flynn

Now, let me start by saying I didn’t know that both Tron titles were actually released for Xbox live users. Apparently Discs of Tron was released sometime early this year or around Christmas of ’07. I stumbled upon this article reviewing the [newly-released-for-download-on-xbox] classic game and found it repeatedly stab me through my retro-gamer heart. I think the article meant to attack the Xbox version more than remarking about vintage games and the movie they were based on, but I still feel I must answer to some of the author’s observations.

This is the second of the two classic Tron arcade game to make their way to Microsoft’s downloadable service (the first being the arcade game simply titled Tron). It holds up a lot better than its predecessor. That’s not to say Discs of Tron is technically worth your money – both games are a couple decades old at this point – but it’s aged better than its counterpart.

A lot better? C’mon! I mean, really? Is that because you have the perception that the graphics are better* or is it that you get to actually use Tron in an environment that is more true to the movie? Or is it simply because you were not even born when the games came out and really have no basis for comparison except that Discs looks more advanced? Make a point here, please!

Tron as a title stands proudly on its own as an achievement in arcade gaming. Not only did you have four choices of environments but also realistic recreations of parts of Wendy Carlos’ Tron soundtrack. From Disney! Who knew? Certainly Discs stands apart as an excellent arcade gem, but in no way would I ever call it superior… just different. They are to be loved as one. After all, Discs was meant to be the 5th option in the original game but limitations in 1982 and release dates prevented it from being implemented. This allowed the developers to create something even better given in the 1983 sequel.

You move your character with the left stick and aim your disc against the walls of the arena with your right. The idea is to ricochet the disc off of walls in order to hit your opponent. You can also use your discs to deflect incoming projectiles. That’s really all there is to the game.

Sometimes that’s all you need to have fun… a replica of the original. The critic goes on to praise the game for multiplayer being added but ends up having to retract the positive as it turns out there is really no vs. mode. I can agree that it would have been cool to have a complete re-write allowing one player to pit themselves against another. However, the audience “the man” developed the new version of this game for is probably not interested in it. It was probably ported to appease mom and pop then to create an all new exciting experience for an almost 30 year old title. That being said, this is the only part of the review I can agree with.

Discs of Tron is an interesting blast from the past, but much like the visuals of the original film, it really doesn’t hold up over time.

*Stab stab stab.* This person obviously has no appreciation whatsoever for a vintage film. You have to respect films like Tron and The Last Starfighter for the strides they made in the industry–not necessarily for how they compare to today’s special effect films. And if you ask me (or any late 20 to 30 something) Tron is still a kick ass piece of work.

“Yes I’m old. Old enough to remember when the MCP was just a chess program!” ~ Dumont

End of line.

*Discs of Tron was originally released in two types of cabinets. The more unique (and sought after today) of the two was the environmental cabinet. This was a “walk-in” cabinet with the familiar translucent neon blue arcade joystick and two speakers positioned behind the gamers head. The sound was amazing and like its predecessor, it had black-lit neon lights and stickers decorating the entire cabinet. The game graphics were not especially complicated but the decoration of the diorama that encompassed the discs your character stood on were beautiful and immersing. In the X-box version of the game (and possibly other emulated versions) these graphics appear have been recreated as part of the whole Discs of Tron experience. Here is the link to the cabinet on KLOV.