Discs of Tron for XBLA was maligned in initial reviews, even by the rabid standards of modern gaming magazines that don't understand the audience for classic games and seem to write everything from the point of view of the "Halo" gamer. However, being a big fan of all things Tron, I was in the target demographic for which the game was "critic-proof".
Not only am I a fan of the movie, but I played both arcade games quite a bit when they came out in the early 80's. The dual control scheme of joystick and spinner was a big draw, and made getting a decent home version tricky. Due to what I assume were licensing problems, neither of the Tron games have appeared on any classic arcade compilations. They later appeared as extras in the GBA version of Tron 2.0, but were sadly nigh unplayable.
Which brings us back to the XBLA version; I've put some time into it and gotten pretty good at Discs of Tron. Originally designed to be one of the mini-games in first Tron arcade game, you essentially are playing combat racquetball against Sark, the penultimate villain in the film. You clear a level by "derezing" Sark twice, and the levels get more elaborate—involving obstacles, moving platforms, multi-height aiming and even destructible platforms.
While less than perfect, it's a solid port with a control scheme that's probably the best that can be expected using a stock 360 controller. You use the right stick to aim and the left stick to move, blocking and firing with the trigger buttons. Unlike Tron, there isn't an option for analogue aiming, so timing your shots takes some adjustment. Once you make it to levels with multi-height platforms and aiming, you'll see this was probably the best solution, since you need to be able to aim in three dimensions.
The graphics in both the original and enhanced modes are serviceable. No doubt saving it for the enhanced mode, the backdrop overlay of the arcade machine is missing in the original mode. The enhanced graphics add welcome detail to the board and players, as well as returning the backdrop with some added subtle animation.
Sound is identical in both modes. The music and sound effects are catchy, but often off key—due to what I can only assume is sloppy programming. Sarks' vocal taunts are distorted, but match the game's original 1983 technological limitations.
All in all, I enjoyed playing Discs of Tron. It's a great concept for a game that hasn't been duplicated (Cosmic Smash on the Dreamcast might be a distant cousin). If you're like me and have wanted to play a decent version of the game for a while, I think you'll enjoy it as well. If you've never played it before, your mileage may vary.
2010 ben langberg, all rights reserved.