Tokyo Wars Tank Classic Hits Home After 28 Years
After nearly three decades in arcade obscurity, Namco's explosive 1996 tank battle Tokyo Wars is finally coming home. The cult classic joins Hamster's growing Arcade Archives collection with enhanced spilt screen and other modes.
Tokyo Wars arcade game enthusiasts can finally experience Namco's cult 1996 tank battle classic at home after nearly three decades.
Retro specialist Hamster Corporation continues its impressive run of bringing polygonal Namco arcade titles to modern platforms, with Tokyo Wars marking the latest addition to their Arcade Archives 2 series.
Credit: Arcade Archives
Originally released in 1996, Tokyo Wars pits players as either Green or White forces battling through downtown Tokyo streets and docks in explosive tank combat. The game originally used the same Super System 22 arcade board as other Namco classics including Ridge Racer and Air Combat 22. Furthermore, it gained popularity through its deluxe cabinet featuring pneumatic haptic feedback that simulated tank gun recoil – an immersive feature that, while understandably absent from the home version, contributed significantly to its arcade appeal.
Hamster Corporation, which has been releasing retro arcade games under its Arcade Archives banner for over a decade, launched the Arcade Archives 2 series in June. This new initiative began with the first home re-release of the original arcade version of Ridge Racer. Subsequently, they've delivered home debuts for other polygonal Namco classics including dogfighting game Air Combat 22 and jet ski racing title Aqua Jet.
The standard Arcade Archives version available on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 offers three gameplay modes: Original Mode for the authentic experience, Hi Score Mode challenging players to maximise points with a single credit, and Caravan Mode with a strict 10-minute time limit. Each features online rankings for competitive players. Meanwhile, the enhanced Arcade Archives 2 editions on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S add split-screen multiplayer, Time Attack Mode and VRR support for optimal performance accuracy.
While the original arcade version supported up to four linked cabinets for cooperative or competitive play, the home versions focus on single-player action against AI opponents. Bandai Namco's later Wii U title Tank! Tank! Tank! is widely considered the spiritual successor to Tokyo Wars, maintaining the tank combat legacy while expanding upon the original concept.
This release continues Hamster's remarkable preservation efforts, bringing the total Arcade Archives series count to 384 games with an additional 108 titles in the separate ACA Neo Geo series. Consequently, retro gaming enthusiasts now have access to 492 classic arcade experiences that might otherwise have been lost to time.
