Tron Derezzing on Xbox Live

We actually got this release last week, but we were hoping that a release date would have come out along side or shortly thereafter. Sadly it has not, so I’m posting anyway.

The date is July 9, 1982. Theatres had just seen major box office numbers with Rocky 3, Porky’s and Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan. Disney had put out one of their bubble-gum live action drips: Herby, The Love Bug. However, they also took a risk with an emerging technology in filmmaking using computers to create images on the screen. Tron represents one of the largest leaps in special effects techniques post Star Wars and what better way to celebrate its succes than to make a video game. In this case, two.

Those two titles, Tron (a combination of 4 games) and Discs of Tron (which came in ’83) has unique controls, cabinet designs and was one of the first to be based on a film license. Now Disney Interactive and developer Backbone Charlottetown are bringing the two to Xbox Live for the movie’s 25th anniversary. Players can opt for the classic version of each game or an enhanced environment to play in. Light Cycles, Tanks, Grid Spiders, Discs and the final fight against the MCP will be available for download…soon, though still no word on how many MS points it will cost or achrivements it will offer.

So chew on these screens in the meantime.