Released in 1995

Available in

Genre: Shooting

Originally an arcade game which was released by Atari, the 32X version of T-MEK was published by Time Warner Interactive. The game has you fighting against enemies in tanks (known as meks), in small arenas where the general rule is to kill as many other combatants as possible within the time limit. By having the most kills, you will be able to progress though to the next stage as you work your way through Nazrac's league. There are a number of different meks to choose from, each one having different weapons and stats.

The 32X version of the game has taken a huge hit in the graphics department, with less detail in the arenas and other cutbacks. And despite the graphical downgrade, the game still suffers from slowdown at times. Other issues include the lack of music (there is none during a battle) and poor sound effects. T-MEK was a blast to play in the arcades, what with the fast gameplay, booming sound effects and twin stick controls, but the 32X version really doesn't do it justice.

Nazrac's tournament is open to all challengers. You will start it right at the bottom, where you have to win the qualifying round. Most of the battles have you needing to win by having the most kills, so choose a MEK which suits you best and then blast away. The MEKs all have different strengths and weaknesses, such as some having better shields, some being faster etc. They also have different weapons. Each MEK has their own special weapon, which has limited ammunition. You can refill your ammo by moving under the supply ships seen in each arena. Special weapons include bouncing bombs and remote control missiles.

As you take damage your shields will deplete. You can fill the shield bar up again by collecting the power core of a defeated opponent, which is the green object seen in the opponent's wreckage. Move over it to collect it. If your shields drop to nothing, your MEK will explode, but you can usually respawn and continue the battle.

When the battle begins, use the radar (located at the bottom of the screen) to locate enemies and move in. Depending on which MEK you have, you may want to charge right in, or hang back and pick off enemies from a distance. It all depends on what MEK you've chosen and how far you are into the tournament, as it gets harder the further you progress. You can change MEKs between each stage, so you aren't stuck with the same one throughout the tournament.

Certain stages require you to kill a specific enemy in the battle, but you cannot respawn in these stages so it makes things a lot harder than usual. There are also one on one boss fights, where you and a single opponent will be the only MEKs in the arena. As well as the tournament, there is also a two player mode which has two different settings. You can have other enemies in the arena, or you can just play it with no other MEKs other than you and your friend's.

Invincibility and infinite special weapons:
RICHRICH

Start at Nazrac:
TENGEN

Fight in a Battlezone arena:
THERESEC

-The European version of this game is one of the 32X's rarest titles, and is highly sought after by collectors. Should the Euro version ever appear on eBay, greedy sellers tend to try and put it up for sale with an absurd buy it now price, such as this. From what I've read, the last time one went to auction, the bidding ended at around the £900 mark, which is still extremely expensive.

-The American version of T-Mek goes for a fraction of the price the Euro version costs, and the cartridge does not have region protection -so if you want to try the game out on any regional variant of the 32X version, buy the American version.