Tron 2.0 is re-rezzed on Steam
Tron 2.0 was not a hit by any stretch of the imagination. Released in 2003, it was well-reviewed, but didn't catch on with gamers; Tron fans in particular, at least those that I know, seemed to have a particular dislike for it. I, on the other hand, was a big fan, and so I'm very pleased to see that it's taken its rightful place in Disney's recently-launched Steam stable.
The game is really only loosely connected to the movie: Bruce Boxleitner reprises his role as Alan Bradley, but the action focuses on his son Jethro, aka Jet, who is digitized by his father's AI to aid in the fight against the runaway virus Thorne. It's a fairly conventional shooter, but the expected Tron elements are all here too; the disc weapon made famous by the movie is present and actually quite useful, and you will also race light cycles—although you'll be forgiven if you choose to skip those bits, since they're almost impossible to beat.(Monolith, the developer, actually patched in an option allowing players to get past the light cycle segments without winning them, because of all the complaints from players.)
Despite not having much to do with the film, it's all wonderfully Tron, with clever dialog and everything rendered in neon, including your stretchy duds. And the gameplay, light cycles notwithstanding, really is quite fantastic; as far as I'm concerned, it's a shamefully underrated game. Fortunately, it's also really cheap: Tron 2.0 goes for $10 on Steam, and for the next couple of days is can be had for ten percent off.
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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.