Discs of Tron

Discs of Tron
North American arcade flyer
Developer(s)	Bally Midway
Publisher(s)	Bally Midway
Designer(s)	Robert Dinnerman
Platform(s)	Arcade
Release	1983
Genre(s)	Retro/Arcade
Mode(s)	Single player

Discs of Tron is the second arcade game based on the Disney film Tron (1982). While the first Tron arcade game had several mini-games based on scenes in the movie (Gridbugs, Light Cycles, entering the MCP Cone, and Battle Tanks), Discs of Tron is a single game inspired by Tron's disc-battle sequences and set in an arena similar to the one in the jai alai–style sequence.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Discs of Tron is based on several scenes in the Tron film, combining the jai alai-like combat between Flynn and Crom with the disc combat between Tron and Sark. The player controls Tron in a one-on-one battle with Sark, presented in a fixed three-dimensional view behind Tron. Using a control scheme similar to that of the original Tron arcade game, the player moves around with a joystick, throws discs using a trigger button, and defends with a thumb button. The player uses a rotary dial to move a targeting reticle around the arena walls, and in later levels the player can also pull up and push down on the knob to aim up and down.

Each match takes place in a closed arena on top of platforms made of concentric disks, like in the jai alai sequence. Tron and Sark attempt to destroy each other by either directly hitting their opponent or causing him to fall off his platform. Tron and Sark can each throw up to three discs at a time. Assuming it is not destroyed, each disc automatically returns to the player (destroyed discs regenerate). Tron can defend himself by hitting Sark's discs with his own or by using a deflector, of which he has a limited supply. Sark can additionally attack Tron with high-speed missiles, chaser orbs, and "super chasers" (which consist of an orb and two orbiting disks), which cannot be deflected.

In later levels, platforms begin to move up and down vertically, requiring the player to aim up and down as well. Tron and Sark can bounce discs off the ceiling (similar to the energy ball in the jai alai sequence) with the goal of hitting one of their opponent's platforms. If successful, the platform flashes briefly and then disappears, reducing the character's movement or possibly causing him to fall and die. The platform reappears after about ten seconds. For some levels, a continuously scrolling wall of blocks appears between Tron and Sark; these blocks must be destroyed to open gaps in the wall before either character can hit the other.

The game has a total of twelve levels, with Sark becoming more aggressive throughout the game. Once the twelfth level is completed, levels repeat from six to twelve until the player runs out of lives.

Release

This game was released just before the video game crash of 1983 and was later ported to the Commodore 64. In 2004, it was released again in the Game Boy Advance game Tron 2.0. On February 13, 2008, Disney Interactive released an updated port on Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360.

Reception

In 1996, Next Generation listed the arcade version as number 87 on their "Top 100 Games of All Time". Calling it "One of the first games to attempt a 3D environment", they remarked that the fast-paced and complex gameplay works due to the responsive controls. They also praised the enemy AI as advanced for its time, though they complained that a head-to-head multiplayer mode was an obvious feature that had not been included.

In the competitive arena

According to Twin Galaxies, David Bagenski of Syracuse, New York, United States, scored a world record 418,200 points on June 28, 1986 during the 1986 Video Game Masters Tournament.

External links

• Discs of Tron at the Killer List of Videogames
• Entry on the arcade-history site
• Discs of Tron on Xbox Live Arcade
• Twin Galaxies High Score Rankings for Discs of Tron
• The GameRoom Blog: Rare Game Room Gems — Environmental Discs of Tron