This started out as a game that was supposed to be part of the 4-part game that was released with the movie. Development dragged on, and it was released later. Essentially an adaptation of the "discs" game portrayed in the movie, it's a futuristic game of racquetball. You have three discs which you can launch at Sark; he has three also. You can "block" seven times per level; Sark cannot. But Sark has additional weapons to lob at you, and if you can shoot those with your disc(s), you score many more points. Once "thrown," discs bounced around the court 2-3 times before "returning" to the player. While they were in play, Tron couldn't throw more, so you had to be judicious about your "throws." Discs that collided blew up, and each player gained a new disc.
What set this game apart is that game play did not become hysterically accelerated or task-saturated like most VGs. Every level was over when you'd "de-rezed" Sark twice. Higher levels offered more complicated arrangements of platforms. After 7 levels, new levels with 3D targeting (your cursor moved up and down 7 or so degrees, in addition to the 360 degrees around the playing court), and your ring/platforms started moving up and down (like merry-go-round horses). Finally, the top two levels offered the opportunity to aim at the ceiling, thus bouncing your discs at Sark's and starting a "de-rez" of one of his platforms (for, once again, big big points). The sound and the visual of this was quite striking; jumping to the ring ceased the de-rezzing. But with discs and other weapons bouncing around the court, this wasn't always easy. I found that I could corner Sark on the left or right, then de-rez his center ring, then de-rez the opposite one at my ease. Lots of fun.
Controls were simple. A two-axis joystick with trigger (launches discs), and thumb button (the "shield"). A 360 degree spinner knob controlled your targeting cursor, and the knob moved up and down (spring-loaded) for the higher levels.
The final killer feature of this game is that, although levels got more complicated, Sark's abilities did not drastically increase. His strategies, and array of weapons, was pretty much static. Once you, the player, learned your way around the court, and learned tactics to avoid and destroy Sark's more lethal weapons, you could play for an hour or more. Rare, indeed, for a commercial arcade video game.
The complete, original version of "Discs of Tron" is now available on the "Tron 2.0: Killer App" cartridge for GameBoy Advance, along with the original "Tron" video game. With the appropriate adapter, the cartridge can be played on a Nintendo GameCube on a full size TV. It can also be found as a "MAME" program for execution in personal computers.
What set this game apart is that game play did not become hysterically accelerated or task-saturated like most VGs. Every level was over when you'd "de-rezed" Sark twice. Higher levels offered more complicated arrangements of platforms. After 7 levels, new levels with 3D targeting (your cursor moved up and down 7 or so degrees, in addition to the 360 degrees around the playing court), and your ring/platforms started moving up and down (like merry-go-round horses). Finally, the top two levels offered the opportunity to aim at the ceiling, thus bouncing your discs at Sark's and starting a "de-rez" of one of his platforms (for, once again, big big points). The sound and the visual of this was quite striking; jumping to the ring ceased the de-rezzing. But with discs and other weapons bouncing around the court, this wasn't always easy. I found that I could corner Sark on the left or right, then de-rez his center ring, then de-rez the opposite one at my ease. Lots of fun.
Controls were simple. A two-axis joystick with trigger (launches discs), and thumb button (the "shield"). A 360 degree spinner knob controlled your targeting cursor, and the knob moved up and down (spring-loaded) for the higher levels.
The final killer feature of this game is that, although levels got more complicated, Sark's abilities did not drastically increase. His strategies, and array of weapons, was pretty much static. Once you, the player, learned your way around the court, and learned tactics to avoid and destroy Sark's more lethal weapons, you could play for an hour or more. Rare, indeed, for a commercial arcade video game.
The complete, original version of "Discs of Tron" is now available on the "Tron 2.0: Killer App" cartridge for GameBoy Advance, along with the original "Tron" video game. With the appropriate adapter, the cartridge can be played on a Nintendo GameCube on a full size TV. It can also be found as a "MAME" program for execution in personal computers.
