Why the Tank! Tank! Tank! for Nintendo Wii U Holds Up
Tank! Tank! Tank! is a goofy, arcade-style party game that's genuinely fun in short bursts — but at $42 for a Wii U title, you'll want to know exactly what you're buying into.
If you've been digging around for Wii U games lately — maybe you picked up the console secondhand, or you're filling out a collection — you've probably stumbled across Tank! Tank! Tank! at some point. It shows up in searches, it pops up on resale sites, and it has this oddly persistent presence for a game that didn't exactly set the world on fire when it launched. So what's the deal with it?
The game started life as a Namco arcade cabinet, and that DNA is very much intact in the Wii U version. It's loud, it's colorful, it's simple, and it's designed to be fun in short, punchy sessions rather than long play-throughs. You drive a tank. You shoot things. Giant monsters fall over. Repeat. There's something almost refreshing about a game that knows exactly what it is and doesn't try to be anything else.
Where Tank! Tank! Tank! actually earns its keep is in the living room with friends. The local multiplayer modes are the heart of the experience, and the standout is a mode where one player uses the Wii U GamePad to control a giant monster while everyone else tries to take them down in tanks. It's chaotic and funny and exactly the kind of thing that gets people laughing. The Wii U didn't have a ton of games that used the GamePad in truly inventive ways, and this one deserves some credit for actually trying.
That said, if you're a solo player or someone who wants a game with real staying power, this probably isn't your pick. The content is limited, the campaign is short, and there's no online multiplayer to fall back on when your friends aren't around. It's a party game through and through, and it lives or dies by whether you have people to play it with.
If you're hunting for a fun Wii U party game to add to the rotation, keep an eye out for Tank! Tank! Tank! in the used bin — around $10 to $15 is the right price for what it offers. At that range, it's an easy yes for anyone who hosts game nights. Just don't pay collector prices for it expecting a hidden gem. It's more of a hidden good time, which is a perfectly fine thing to be.