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1[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tron_2.png]]
2[[caption-width-right:300:What you get when you mix TRON with ''VideoGame/HalfLife''.]]
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4''TRON 2.0'' is a video game developed by Creator/MonolithProductions and released in 2003.
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6It is a SequelInAnotherMedium to the 1982 movie ''Film/{{Tron}}''; the player takes the role of Jethro "Jet" Bradley, son of the film's characters Alan and Lora. Jet is conscripted by the BenevolentAI [=Ma3a=] out of desperation and uploaded to the digital world of Encom's computer network to protect it, his father, and the secrets of the digitizer technology from both a mysteriously powerful virus corrupting everything in its path and a group of {{Corrupt Corporate Executive}}s from the company Future Control Industries ("[=fCon=]") staging a hostile takeover.
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8The game was released to minimal advertising and press coverage, but still managed enough success, with Creator/SlaveLaborGraphics releasing a six-part graphic novel series called ''Tron: Ghost in the Machine'' that took place six months after the game's events. Jet is shown to be traumatized from his experience in cyberspace, having nightmares and having trouble discerning those nightmares from reality. There was also a sequel for the Game Boy Advance called ''Tron 2.0 Killer App'' (a title which was also used for the Xbox port of the PC game) where Tron was revived from archival storage and teamed up with Mercury to thwart a viral attack on Encom.
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10Not to be confused with ''Film/TronLegacy'', the 2010 movie sequel to ''TRON''. Particularly since the two sequels are mutually exclusive, and WordOfGod makes the film the official continuity.
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12[[http://store.steampowered.com/app/327740/ Now available]] on Platform/{{Steam}} [[https://www.gog.com/game/tron_20 and]] Website/{{GOG|DotCom}}!
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14----
15!!''TRON 2.0'' provides examples of the following tropes:
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17* ActionGirl: Mercury. Undisputed and undefeated champion of Encom's lightcycle combat arena, and appears to serve [=Ma3a=] in some kind of "secret agent" capacity. ''Killer App'' has her fighting her way through corrupted sectors and defeating a powerful virus in single combat, while explicitly showing she's ''equal to Tron'' as far as fighting ability. [[spoiler: Considering they're both Alan's Programs, this shouldn't be a surprise.]]
18* AdvancingWallOfDoom: The [[spoiler:system reformat.]]
19* AIIsACrapshoot: Averted strangely enough, considering it was such a big theme in the movies. Most of the Programs are there to do their jobs. It's the invading humans that cause problems.
20* AlreadyDoneForYou[=/=]BaitAndSwitchBoss: About 2/3rds of the way through the game, you join forces with the [=ICP=]s in an EnemyMine alliance to assault BigBad Master User Thorne's domain and take him out. [[spoiler: By the time you get to Thorne's throne room, however, you find that the [=ICP=] Kernel has already defeated Thorne, and you end up in a boss fight against the Kernel instead in order to SaveTheVillain (who you need alive to interrogate).]]
21* AlternateContinuity: From ''Film/TronLegacy'', as the two feature different accounts of how the digitizer technology was developed in the decades since the events of ''TRON''. There is also a character who is dead in 2.0's canon and still alive in Legacy's. There are some [[RecycledScript pretty shocking similarities]], though, such as Kevin Flynn vanishing under mysterious circumstances (per the ''Ghost in the Machine'' spin-off comic) and Tron himself going MIA. Probably the most shocking one is that the plot of the game actually involves something called the "Tron Legacy Code", though nothing like it appears in the film sequel.\
22Not to mention the leads in each canon are the sons of the original ''TRON'''s leads, who meet a female program who's been influenced or sent to help [[spoiler: by the lead's father]]. And the fake-out with the living virus and apparent BigBad merely being an UnwittingPawn to the truly evil people who set the whole thing up has shades of ''VideoGame/TronEvolution''. The dialogue between Alan and Jet also sounds suspiciously like some of the Tron and Beck dialogue in ''WesternAnimation/TronUprising''. Let's just say it probably wouldn't be a surprise if the ''Legacy'' writers played a few rounds of this.
23* AncientKeeper: I-No, Tower Guardian of the old Encom mainframe. Terribly friendly sort, too. [[spoiler: Chooses to die with his system, sadly.]]
24* ArtifactTitle: Tron's not in the game at all. He's only mentioned in two optional conversations, the in-game emails, and [[spoiler: the unused and buggy upgrade that was scrapped on Flynn's orders]]. It only makes a little sense in that Tron and Jet technically have the same father. {{Subverted}} come ''Killer App'' where Tron is one of the [[ActionDuo dual protagonists.]]
25* AttackReflector: Jet can turn his disc into one of these using the Power Block subroutine. It's devastating against other disc-wielding opponents.
26* AwesomeYetImpractical: The Prankster Bit. A very impressive BFG that fires implosion vortices and can pretty much clear a small room with one shot. Unfortunately, you get it too late in the game to fully upgrade it, the energy cost is massive, and in close quarters (read: most of that final stage), it stands as much of a chance of killing Jet as it does the thing he's shooting.
27* BadassBiker: The lightcycle combatants are NintendoHard to start with. Mercury is the undisputed champ of the Encom system, and Jet ends up surviving ''nine'' rounds in-game.
28* BarBrawl: Jet and [=Ma3a=] head to the Progress Bar to get the Legacy code compiled and contact "Guest." Just when it's looking like everything's going to turn out ok, "Guest" [[spoiler: warns Jet about the bad code too late to do anything about it]], and Thorne crashes the party with a horde of Z-Lots.
29* BenevolentAI: Like in the movie Film/{{Tron}}, the Programs are mostly benign or even friendly and happy to help. Even the [=ICP=] units trying to hunt Jet down aren't malicious, just mistaken and the Z-Lots are insane and under the control of a corrupted User. [=Ma3a=], a full-blown AI, is Jet's ally and MissionControl through the game.
30* BifurcatedWeapon: The Sequencer allows Jet to split his Disc into up to ''four'' parts (at the highest upgrade) and fling them at enemies ala [[Film/TronLegacy Rinzler]].
31* BodyHorror: [[spoiler:When Alan removes the correction algorithms to check them, fCon higher-ups Baza, Popoff, and Crowne are merged together into the final boss upon digitizing.]]
32* BookEnds: The opening credits take place ''inside'' the digitizing stream, which is where the final battle takes place.
33* BoringButPractical: The Disc Primitive is going to be your workhorse, considering it's the only weapon that doesn't require energy. The fact it's the only weapon that can deflect the multitudes of discs tossed at you during the game - and deflections can ''eliminate'' enemies) makes it that much more mandatory.
34* BrainUploading: [[spoiler:[=Ma3a=]]] straddles the lines of BrainUploading, VirtualGhost, and InterfaceWithAFamiliarFace. [[spoiler:[=Ma3a=]'s previous builds ([=Ma1a=] and [=Ma2a=]) were designed by Alan and Lora. Lora was killed by being partly digitized by her laser. Alan used code from [=Ma2a=] and the part of Lora that remained in the system to construct [=Ma3a=] - this is why she's voiced by Cindy Morgan, the actress who played Lora (and her virtual doppelganger Yori) in the first film.]]
35* BrokenPedestal: fCon's datawraiths aren't exactly sterling examples of human virtue. Some programs can be overheard saying, if they are indeed users as it's claimed, [[NayTheist perhaps users don't deserve the admiration they receive]].
36* CallAHitPointASmeerp: They aren't keys, they're permissions.
37* CanonDiscontinuity: Disney declared the events of ''TRON 2.0'' not canon when ''Film/TronLegacy'' was released.
38* CassandraTruth: When captured by the Kernel's ICP forces (Intrusion Countermeasure Programs), Jet answers everything in the interrogation truthfully. He was born in 1982, and he doesn't have a User - he ''is'' a User. The Kernel doesn't buy any of it and Jet narrowly escapes summary execution. Mercury even questions his statement, and Byte says it's [[JustifiedTrope justified]] by saying ICP should stand for [[DumbMuscle "incompetent, confused Programs."]]
39* CheckPointStarvation: The game only autosaves at the start of a level, no matter how large said level is. Worse, you cannot save during the lightcycle matches at all. On the other hand, if you have installed the patch, you can simply ''skip'' the lightcycle matches, and you can manually save at any time (except during lightcycle matches, of course).
40* ClearMyName: Jet is mistaken for the cause of the viral corruption by Encom's chief security program, the Kernel, and a SternChase ensues for the first few acts of the game.
41* ColourCodedArmies: Every faction gets its own colour, the red and blue of the original film being supplemented with green for infected, viral programs and sectors, gold for really ancient systems, and purple for the BigBad. {{Exaggerated}} and [[JustifiedTrope justified]] tropes in the universe's settings. The color and pattern of Program circuitry are important identifiers. Just be careful to take notice of ''both'' to avoid shooting helpless civilians.
42* ComeWithMeIfYouWantToLive: Mercury blasts her way out of the lightcycle arena and orders Jet to follow her. At that point, Jet only knows her as an opponent and current champion of the Game Grid.
43* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: In lightcycle races, computer-controlled opponents manage to pull off turns that are obviously impossible for human reaction to repeat. May or may not cross into FridgeBrilliance if you realize that they have the ''in-game'' advantage of not being human over the player.
44* ContemplateOurNavels: Byte as the [[spoiler:reformat wall approaches.]]
45* CoolBike: ''TRON 2.0'' has its own updated version of the lightcycles (designed by Syd Mead).
46* CorporateWarfare: Kidnapping, armed robbery, armies of mercenaries...F-Con puts the "hostile" in hostile takeover.
47* CorruptCorporateExecutive: If you thought Dillinger from the first film was bad, the [=fCon=] crew are ''worse.'' It is hinted that [=fCon's=] CEO is actually Dillinger.
48* CorruptedData: This trope is encountered all over the place. Virus-infected Z-Lots will have garbled names. Attacking with a certain weapon will cause the Program to convulse and stammer error messages. If a virus infects Jet's [[StatOVision Profiler subroutine]], then the input for enemy names and stats are garbled. Considering the universe we're dealing with, all of it is perfectly Justified.
49* TheCorruption: Thorne becomes a living version of this, infecting other Programs to turn them into insane Z-lots. Jet is able to use weapons originating from the corruption without suffering ill effect. FridgeBrilliance when you realize he's an uncorrupted User, and not subject to the usual system guidelines.
50* CutsceneIncompetence: Early on, Jet managed to plow through several waves of security units. But when a cutscene takes him directly to the Kernel's office, he surrenders without a fight, though that's because his primitives were taken.
51* CutscenePowerToTheMax: In-game, Mercury ''barely'' helps out, but when Jet's freed [=Ma3a=] and they're about to escape, she is shown fending off about five Z-lots in melee combat in a YouShallNotPass moment.
52* CyberpunkIsTechno: Yup. The whole soundtrack. The Antiquated Server level even samples Music/WendyCarlos's original score.
53* CycleOfHurting : Due to the scarcity of save checkpoints, you will be using autosave frequently. Unfortunately, it's also very easy to save right before an inevitable de-rez or other failure, meaning you have to play the whole level from the start.
54* DeadlyDisc: One of your weapons is an identity disc.
55* DeadpanSnarker: Byte. Even with a monotone voice, manages to snark off about and to the face of everything from Users to Z-lots.
56* DefendsAgainstTheirOwnKind: At first, Jet's got Thorne to deal with and needs to stop the corrupted User from destroying the Program world. But behind Thorne, there's F-Con's plans to invade and conquer {{Cyberspace}} with their army of mercenaries, leaving [[spoiler: Jet, Alan, and [=Lora/Ma3a=] ]] as [[RussianReversal Users fighting for the Programs.]]
57* DeityOfHumanOrigin / DemonOfHumanOrigin: True to the franchise, but {{Downplayed}} with the Bradleys as Jet doesn't ''want'' that status, [[spoiler: Alan isn't in long enough to figure out the User idea, and Lora-[=Ma3a=] is part AI and throwing this trope about like a pinball.]] Thorne is the Demon type who is completely DrunkWithPower once he gets uploaded and the Datawraith mercenaries are trying to [[InvokedTrope invoke]] the trope to terrorize the Programs into giving up their Users' secrets to these new "gods."
58* DiegeticSoundtrackUsage: ENCOM's break room plays a smooth jazz rendition of ''[=TRON=]'s'' theme.
59* DigitizedHacker: Staple for the franchise. Thorne and the Datawraiths play out the ugly aspects of this trope. The former declares himself a virtual god and amasses an army of corrupted followers. The latter are mercenaries under the employ of [=fCon=], out to steal everything from state secrets and bank accounts to controlling global finance markets and media outlets. That's why [=Ma3a=] resorted, in desperation, to TakesOneToKillOne and kidnapped the protagonist to help. She explicitly states that humans are "five hundred and twenty six times more powerful" inside {{Cyberspace}} than out in the analog world.
60* DiscOneFinalBoss: [[spoiler: Thorne, the apparent BigBad, is killed off about 2/3rds of the way through the game (and not even by the player). The remainder of the game is spent dealing with [=fCon=] and their [=DataWraith=] scheme.]]
61* {{Disneyfication}}: Well, it is a Creator/{{Disney}} universe, and it warrants a Teen rating while most first person shooters are RatedMForMoney. Monolith managed it by making liberal use of the franchise's BloodlessCarnage, the fact that Jet is [[JustAMachine killing Programs]], and even hinting DeathIsCheap [[spoiler:with Mercury's restoration from backup]]. They also avoid having Team Bradley [[spoiler:kill humans by various dodges. Thorne is killed by the Kernel, the Wraiths are kicked out to analog when defeated, and the TerribleTrio end up imprisoned on a hard disk]]. It's only when you [[FridgeHorror think about it a bit]] that anything actually becomes disturbing. Oddly enough, this makes this game not only LighterAndSofter as far as FPS games, it's also LighterAndSofter then ''Film/TronLegacy'' and even ''WesternAnimation/TronUprising'' by a large degree.
62* DyingAsYourself: [[spoiler:Thorne]]; he even helps out the good guys with some information before he goes.
63* EasyAmnesia: Justified as Mercury gets caught in the reformat which wipes her memory since the last backup.
64* EnergyBall: The Ball weapons. They use energy, are difficult to aim with any accuracy, and cause a large area of splash damage. When wielded by Thorne's minions, they also corrupt and infect nearby Programs.
65* EscortMission: Through the last quarter of the game, you're escorting [[spoiler: your father]] through F-Con's network. Not as bad as the {{Protection Mission}}s because he has the good sense to duck or otherwise take cover when discs start flying.
66* EverythingIsOnline: Played mostly straight as Thorne also uses the Internet and other networking protocols to spread the virus, and F-con is about to launch a virtual server (software that acts like a server) to spread the [=DataWraiths=]. Jet is hopping between network connections to travel between systems. However, especially in the case of EN-1282, the challenge is ''getting'' it online.
67* ExplosiveOverclocking: Literally done. This ''is'' the ''TRON'' universe, after all. Jet overclocks an old Encom mainframe to upload [=Ma3a=] to it, getting her out of immediate danger. Unfortunately, the overclocking tears the old system apart, forcing him and [=Ma3a=] to retreat to the open Internet.
68* ExpositionFairy: Byte and [=Ma3a=] take turns on this one.
69* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:[=Ma3a=] and, in a sense, Tron; the "Tron Legacy" ([[Film/TronLegacy no relation]]) code Jet tries to find to fight [=fCon=] turns out to be designed to [[KillAllHumans Kill All Users]] -- as he finds out just ''after'' [=Ma3a=] assimilates the code.]]
70* FloatingPlatforms
71* FunWithAcronyms: [=Ma3a=]'s name comes from originally being called '''M'''ath '''A'''ssistant. The second "a" came from the software being uploaded with voice synthesis and recognition, earning it the name [=Ma1a=].
72* GameMod: The Killer App Mod from [=LDSO=] (Living Dead System Operators, a ''dedicated'' fan collective) patches a lot of the bugs found in initial release and restores several Xbox only weapons to multiplayer (and yes, they maintain their own server for it on a limited basis). The same collective also came out with "User Error," a fan-done expansion pack that [[PatchworkFic attempts to tie the game into the]] ''Film/TronLegacy'' [[PatchworkFic timeline]].
73* GladiatorGames: Yup. Lightcycle arenas -- just like the movies. Jet is sent to these as an alternative form of death sentence.
74* TheGlassesComeOff: Jet wears glasses in the analog world. They vanish once he hits {{cyberspace}}. [[spoiler:Same thing happens when his dad is zapped in]].
75* AGodAmI: Thorne. [[spoiler:He later realizes he's nothing.]]
76* AGodIAmNot: Between Thorne and the [=DataWraiths=], and the fact it almost got him killed by [[KnightTemplar The Kernel]], Jet is reluctant at best about embracing his [[PhysicalGod User]] status (it's played up a lot more in the spin-off comic). As a result, he's at best only capable of things a very high level program would be able to do: his best "superpower" is being able to decide what he wants to do, something programs can't do.
77* GoingDownWithTheShip:
78** Or "server" in the case of [[spoiler: I-No]].
79** Discussed then averted with [[spoiler: Alan and Jet]] when they decide to [[spoiler: crash F-Con's server from the inside]].
80* GoodColorsEvilColors: {{Exaggerated}} and [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in the ''TRON'' universe. The color and pattern of a Program's circuits indicate their loyalties and their function, with each faction having their own color (Blue for Encom, red for ICP forces, purple for F-Con, SicklyGreenGlow for Thorne and his viral army). You have to take note of ''both'' to keep from accidentally killing civilians.
81** Notably, while you will be fighting them for the majority of the game, the red ICP programs are ''not'' evil. They're security, and they're doing their job of attempting to prevent unauthorized access.
82* GratuitousFrench: Eva Popoff
83* GridInventory: Jet has a varying amount of space available in each level to load [[PowersAsPrograms power-up programs]]. Alpha-grade programs take up three times as much space as the gold versions of the same power-up -- and if all you have are one-slot inventory spaces available, you're in trouble.
84** Interestingly, the amount of space is determined by the system you're accessing: some systems have lots of space for programs, while some (particularly the EN-1214 system) have very limited space due to hardware constraints.
85* HappyEndingOverride: Not ''quite'' as catastrophic as ''Film/TronLegacy'', but still unpleasant. The comic establishes that Flynn apparently went insane and vanished (without so much as a pager left behind), Lora was killed by her experimental laser [[spoiler: with the part of her that remained in the system compiled into [=Ma3a=]]], Alan has been exiled to a basement lab, Encom is on such shaky ground that a fly-by-night like F-Con can buy them out, and Tron's fate is explicitly said to be "unknown."
86* HeKnowsAboutTimedHits: Byte and the help programs display this during the tutorial.
87* HellIsThatNoise: Invoked InUniverse by the programs, who state that the Data Wraith chatter freaks them the hell out. (The player will learn to as well.)
88* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Mercury]], though she "gets better" (eventually).[[note]]Mercury 6.8 doesn't recognize Jet, but Mercury 6.8.1, whom Alan saved, does.[[/note]]
89* HijackedByGanon: Thorne was being used by F-con. F-con's day to day operations are run by Seth Crown. But Crown's boss? [[spoiler: ''Heavily'' implied to be Edward Dillinger, though a resurrected Master Control is also plausible.]] It shows up again in the ''Killer App'' sequel as the malicious User behind the problem [[spoiler: is voiced by Creator/CoreyBurton doing the same Creator/DavidWarner impression he pulled later for VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII]]
90* HoistByHisOwnPetard: The trio of bad guys wanted to digitize humans to infiltrate all corners of cyberspace. At the end [[spoiler: they're digitized, and turned into cyberspace Eldrich Abominations. Jet defeats them and Alan traps them on a hard disk]].
91* HonoraryUncle: The in-game emails reveals that Kevin Flynn is Jet's godfather, and the spin-off comic has Jet talking about "Uncle Kevin's" cyberspace misadventures.
92* HopelessBossFight: [[invoked]] Invoked in-universe by programs who learn Jet will be facing Mercury on the Light Cycles grid.
93* HostageSpiritLink: Killing any ally or civilian Program or failing to protect [[spoiler: [=Ma3a=] and Alan]] leads to an instant NonstandardGameOver, as Jet's "program" is forcibly terminated by the system[[note]]Presumably, the system could do that at any time, but the ICP programs are trying to stop Jet without using extra system resources. It's only when Jet endangers the system by killing a civilian or letting system-critical resources get derezzed that Jet gets purged[[/note]].
94* HumansAreTheRealMonsters:
95** The whole problem comes from a handful of greedy, vicious, and stupid humans who want to exploit and enslave the Programs in order to TakeOverTheWorld [[TheManBehindTheMan from the shadows]] by blackmailing world leaders and manipulating world finance and media. [[spoiler:Thorne was just an UnwittingPawn to that end, despite his AGodAmI trip]]. The Programs themselves just want to protect their home.
96** The programs complain that the Users (especially the Wraiths) treat them like dirt and demean them. One of them snorts that if ''that's'' what Users are like, maybe worshipping them is wrong. Mercury even tells Jet that Users make her feel crude. Jet replies that it's ''humans'' who are the crude ones, and that [[TheWorldIsNotReady people are not ready to interact]] with the cyberworld.
97* InhumanResources: Dr. Eva Popoff makes Dillinger look reasonable.
98* InsideAComputerSystem: Remember what universe we're dealing with.
99* InternalDeconstruction: The implications of humans being {{Physical God}}s in {{cyberspace}} are glossed over in the ''Film/{{Tron}}'' [[Film/TronLegacy films]] (and ExpandedUniverse), which feature [[AIIsACrapshoot malelovent Programs]] [[RobotsEnslavingRobots enslaving other Programs]] and planning to turn the same cruelty onto the human world. To switch the storyline to where the Programs are (for the most part) well-intentioned, and for ''humans'' to exploit virutal godhood in the ''worst'' way possible certainly hits one of the central premises of the universe and inverts the source of conflict shown in the movies, but doesn't do much past that. The spin-off comics take it all the way to DeconstructorFleet.
100* ItemDropMechanic: When you de-rez an enemy, it leaves behind a "core dump" containing a small EssenceDrop of energy and health as well as subroutines and permissions. Yes, even the Wraiths. [[FridgeHorror Try not to think TOO hard about the implications of this.]][[note]]A later cutscene shows that derezzed [=DataWraiths=] are just kicked back out into the real world, unconscious but alive.[[/note]]
101* ItsUpToYou: ZigZagged. Users (humans) are almost PhysicalGods in cyberspace, and with a corruped User unleashing ZombieApocalypse all over the digital world, [=Ma3a=] figured the only thing that could stop a User was another User. Jet was also immune to Thorne's plague, whereas no Program could take a hit without becoming a ZombieInfectee. Worse, the KnightTemplar Kernel had also flagged [=Ma3a=] as an enemy, and [=Ma3a=]'s [[spoiler: agent, Mercury, is de-rezzed when the Encom server reformats]], leaving Jet as her ''only'' line of defense. Of course, by the time Jet reaches Thorne, [[spoiler: the Kernel has already mortally wounded Thorne (who was likely wounded earlier during the BarBrawl).]] And once the [=DataWraiths=] show up, it pretty much becomes "only a User can fight another User."
102* JackOfAllStats: Disc upgrades (Sequencer and Cluster) also use very little extra energy compared the the Rod, Ball, and Mesh weapons, and offer a great balance between firing speed, range, ammo cost, damage, and accuracy. The Mesh blaster may fire faster, the LOL (sniper rifle) may be more accurate and cause more damage, and the viral Ball weapons cause a lot of damage at the cost of accuracy, but the Discs are very well balanced on all of the above. [[FridgeBrilliance Little wonder they're the weapon of choice in the franchise]].
103* KnightTemplar: The Kernel, so very much. He is willing to [[NukeEm destroy]] entire servers full of uninfected civilians to staunch the spread of the virus, orders his men to attack Jet and [=Ma3a=], nearly executes Jet when Jet tries to explain the situation, and then challenges Jet to a one-on-one disc-only duel [[spoiler: when Jet and Alan try to stop the Kernel from finishing off the mortally wounded and helpless Thorne]].
104* LeaningOnTheFourthWall:
105** One of the emails in [=EN12-82=] is Flynn asking Alan if he can use TRON as the name of his new video game.
106** A program before the AdvancingWallOfDoom level recommends Jet SaveScum before proceeding.
107* LegendaryInTheSequel: Both played straight and subverted. Several Programs mention Tron as a legendary hero, the focus of a KingInTheMountain style myth that states that he will return in the system's darkest hour. At least one NPC wistfully wishes he'd return to help them fight the [=DataWraiths=]. [[note]] Amusingly enough, the ''Killer App'' sequel plays this completely straight - Alan had a copy in reserve and reactivates his old System Monitor to fight a threat to Encom, leading to a BadassMindsThinkAlike team-up with Mercury! [[/note]] Amusingly enough, ''no'' Program seems to remember Flynn...
108* LighterAndSofter: Especially compared to [[VideoGame/TronEvolution the]] [[Film/TronLegacy canon]] [[WesternAnimation/TronUprising sequels]]. Yes, a ''first person shooter'' manages to be one of the most optimistic entries in the franchise.
109* LiteralMetaphor: Everything in the game. For example, when they plan to crash the server, they literally mean to make the server (which is represented as a boat) to literally crash into the "ground".
110* LivingProgram: Again, staple of the franchise. Most of them are helpful and benevolent and even many of those hunting Jet are more mistaken (believing he's an enemy) or corrupted into insanity than malicious. It's {{Deconstructed}} in the spin off comic as Jet had a full on breakdown and was disgusted by the idea of playing god over the lives of beings just as sentient as he was that he wanted nothing to do with computers once he returned.
111* LoadBearingBoss: Inverted when Jet [[spoiler:has to battle a Seeker in ENCOM's old mainframe. The presence of the Seeker, a newer and thus more resource dependent program, is too much for the old technology to bear and it periodically craps out, darkening the arena and releasing smaller enemies.]]
112** Played straight with Thorne's server. [[spoiler: Once he dies, the whole place goes into cascade failure.]] Justified partly because we ''are'' talking about a server heavily damaged by the corruption and because [[spoiler: Jet's fight with the Kernel took out a few major support pillars]].
113* LockingMacGyverInTheStoreCupboard: Nice going, F-Con thugs. You lock Alan freaking Bradley (the guy who pretty much ''invented'' computer security in this universe) in a closet full of spare computer equipment. That can't backfire on you...
114* LogicBomb: A prissy archive guard bars Jet from going into the Historical Archive on the old mainframe. Jet quickly asks him what the 7th even prime number is[[note]]Prime Numbers can't be even, because then they would be divisible by 2 and therefore not prime, so Jet is intentionally asking for an impossible result[[/note]], causing him to spazz out.
115* LostInTransmission: Oh, Users. For three-quarters of the game, Jet's instructions from "Guest" and [=Ma3a=] are incomplete, full of static, cryptic, incorrect, or ''all of the above.''
116* LudicrousGibs: The [[Film/TronLegacy "canonical"]] [[WesternAnimation/TronUprising sequels]] have dying programs collapse into a shower of voxels. On this one, enemies explode into piles of flying body parts before de-rez.
117* MadeASlave: The Kernel plans to execute Jet outright, but [[spoiler:Mercury]] intervenes when Jet mentions [=Ma3a=] and suggests sentencing him to the [[GladiatorGames Game Grid]] instead. This is mostly so [[spoiler: she can break him out herself when he proves he can hold his own]].
118* MagnetHands: You can perform all sorts of acrobatic tricks and still catch your disk without fail!
119* MeaningfulName: I-No is an appropriate name for a wizened old indexing program who knows every corner of his system.
120* MinorMajorCharacter: The F-Con CEO. He sets all this mess in motion as part of what's said to be a [[spoiler: twenty year plan to get revenge]] in addition to TakeOverTheWorld, but does little directly. It's the TerribleTrio doing the legwork.
121* TheManBehindTheMan: What F-Con aspires to be using their rule of {{cyberspace}} to blackmail world leaders and manipulate global media. There is also the mysterious CEO of F-Con (WordOfGod says he's Dillinger from the first film) who is directing matters unseen while the Terrible Trio do the legwork.
122* MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds: What did you ''think'' overclocking a circa 1982 mainframe in order to upload a modern AI was going to do?!
123* MindScrew: The spin-off comics for many readers. The whole thing turns out to be [[spoiler:a collective hallucination from three glitched Programs, two of which think they're Jet and the third is trying to mislead them]]. They're still pretty weird, even after the explanation. The characterization of Alan also veers into RonTheDeathEater territory.
124* MiniGame: The light cycle races, which also tend to be NintendoHard. Later versions of the game allow you to skip the ones in the main game, and there is also a non-story-based light cycle game mode you can play any time.
125* MookCommander: After reaching a certain score threshold dark blue Commander units start appearing on the board, and all other opponents move and attack faster until the Commander is defeated.
126* MythologyGag:
127** One of the techs asks Jet if he could have some of Alan's popcorn, as Roy did with Alan in the original film.
128** One of the guards snarks that he's seen "compound interest Programs fight better," an indirect reference to Crom.
129** Crowne reacts to a slow elevator exactly how Alan did in the film - about to bang the door with his fist when it opens.
130** When [[spoiler:Alan]] is sent to the system, he looks like he's borrowed [[spoiler: Tron's]] clothing -- and looks rather ridiculous in it.
131** When Jet is traveling through the old mainframe, the "Reindeer Flotilla" password from the film activates a battalion of tanks.
132** A conversation between Jet and Alan references a bit from the film; "We made it!" "This far."
133** "End of Line" is used as a form of "goodbye" or "end of message" several times.
134* NerdsAreSexy: Even outside of cyberspace, Jet is quite good looking. His dad didn't age so badly, either.[[note]]Oddly, Bruce Boxleitner looks 30 years younger than his ''TRON 2.0'' counterpart a decade later in ''Film/TronLegacy''.[[/note]]
135* NiceJobBreakingItHero:
136** Jet [[spoiler: compiling the Tron Legacy code. Alan thought that it would be safe to compile since he thought there were no humans in the system. Once he found out Jet was in the system, he desperately tried to tell Jet not to compile it. Too late.]]
137** The Legacy Code is located on an old mainframe, but [=Ma3a=] is in danger. [[spoiler: Jet overclocks the old mainframe to upload her out of trouble. But there's a downside - overclocking a computer, particularly an old one, is a fast way to destroy it.]]
138** A ''very'' delayed case: The old mainframe is populated with tanks that cannot be deactivated or destroyed, forcing Jet to run the proverbial gauntlet. Flynn left them behind in the system...Nice freakin' going, "Uncle Kevin!"
139* NiceJobFixingItVillain: F-Con decides to test their laser by [[spoiler: zapping Alan in, which reuinites him with his son and [=Ma3a=]. Now, remember - this is ''Tron's User'', a guy who probably ''invented'' computer security in this universe...]]
140* {{Ninja}}: [=fCon=]'s [=DataWraiths=] are all-but-literally computer ninja -- digitized hackers able to infiltrate any system, and appear and disappear with virtually no warning to attack the player. In fact, their animations are almost entirely copied from the ninjas in ''VideoGame/NoOneLivesForever 2''.
141* NintendoHard:
142** Like ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'', ''TRON 2.0'' can be described as a first-person platformer with shooting. Unlike ''Metroid Prime'', the jump distances are hard to control, often landing you in the BottomlessPit over and over. And you can't fall as far as you can in many other games before hitting the ground becomes instant death.
143** Also, even on Normal mode a group of ICP can kill you in seconds. Combine this with the jumping puzzles and the dodgy disk mechanic and you really should just turn on GodMode and enjoy the SceneryPorn. The jumping puzzles will still kill you more than most other game's enemies.
144** This is without even mentioning that there is no autosave. No joke, you have to rely on the quicksave function a LOT. Yes, this is lampshaded by one character, but he refers to it as "autosaving". Further inexcusable considering that one of Monolith's previous FPS titles, ''VideoGame/AliensVsPredator2'' actually DID use an autosave function.
145* NoEnding: The ending leaves more open than it solves. [[spoiler:Sure, Thorne's dead, the virus was halted, Alan and Jet make it back to the analog world, and it seems their rocky relationship is a bit smoother now. Yes, [=Ma3a=] is uploaded out of danger and Mercury appears to have escaped.]] However, [[spoiler: The F-con CEO / Dillinger/ (or maybe even Master Control Program 2.0)]] is still operating with impunity, and Alan cuts him off in mid-threat. Furthermore, [[spoiler: Crown, Popoff, and Baza are trapped on a hard disk, and Alan isn't in any hurry to free them]]. And what about the F-Con buyout of Encom, and ''all those [=DataWraiths=]?''
146* NonStandardGameOver: Kill any civilian Program, ally, or anyone that is not out to cause Jet harm, and you get an announcement that you have performed an illegal operation, the game ending five seconds later. However, if you fail your ProtectionMission or EscortMission, you will get the announcement "You failed to protect [=Ma3a=]" or [[spoiler: "You failed to protect your father."]]
147* NoOSHACompliance: Every level has bottomless pits. Aside from the City Hub, none of them have railings.
148* NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: In this continuity, it took 20 years to fully recreate the digitizer technology because only the MCP knew how to make the corrections needed to allow humans to enter the Grid intact. Emails suggest, however, that the developers were unaware of this fact and that they did not know that the digitizing laser only worked because the MCP was tweaking the incoming data. Also the reason for [[spoiler:Thorne]] being in the system in his viral state: they put him in without the necessary corrections.
149* OhCrap: Jet when he receives the warning from "Guest" not to [[spoiler: compile the Tron Legacy code]] as it's happening.
150* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname:
151** "Jet" is short for "[[EmbarrassingFirstName Jethro]]". We only see this in the in-game email.
152** Subversion with Mercury's User. She only knows him as "Guest." Turns out, [[spoiler: Guest is Alan, using a game console and spare parts to hack into the system!]]
153** Another subversion is that Jet is called "Alan 2" by Mercury [[spoiler: which should have been a ''huge'' clue to Jet that Alan was feeding her instructions.]]
154* ParentsInDistress: The whole thing kicks off when the F-Con thugs kidnap Jet's dad in broad daylight from Encom HQ. Even with the problems in cyberspace, his overriding concern is to rescue his father. The F-Con cyber attack seems focused on the AI [=Ma3a=] and the laser correction algorithms she carries. [[spoiler: But then we get TheReveal that [=Ma3a=] is [[BrainUploading what's left of Jet's mother]] and things just got a lot more serious for Bradley the Younger]].
155* PhysicalGod: Played with. Users in this setting can certainly be powerful. Even at his bare minimum, Jet is much stronger than most Programs, who have to resort to sheer numbers to wear him down. And Thorne pretty much ''does'' live down to a near-deity status as he infects hordes of minions. [[spoiler: [=Ma3a=], who is only ''part'' User, being what remains of Lora, can also unleash terrifying amounts of power given sufficient time or bad code]]. The [=DataWraiths=] (digitized mercenaries) are also the nastiest {{Mook}} enemies you can face. However, they are not as powerful as Seeker engines, or other heavy-duty security countermeasures, and [[spoiler: Alan Bradley]] has laughably low hit points once he's zapped in.
156* PillarOfLight: Exit ports (the means to travel across different systems) appear as these. [[spoiler:The final BossBattle is ''inside'' the transit beam going home.]]
157* PlagueZombie: The Z-Lots. They are single-minded, insane, with attacks are designed to infect and corrupt other Programs and turn them into more Z-Lots.
158* PowersAsPrograms: The only thing always available are the "basics": the disc, the rod, the ball, and the mesh. All their other iterations (they have two additional versions each) are loaded as programs in Jet's "memory allocation" on the server he's on, along with the additional powers, such as increasing jump height, silent running, and so on. Virus-type enemies can infect programs to reverse their effects (the silent running program makes Jet's footsteps ''louder'', for example), and all programs have an alpha, beta, and gold level. Alpha is the least effective (or the most costly in terms of energy) and takes up the most space in memory (four contiguous blocks), beta is more effective (or less costly) and takes up two blocks, and gold is the most effective (or least costly) and only takes up one block. While there are beta versions of programs that can be found while exploring, you can only get gold versions by "feeding" the program to a code optimizer. Of which there are a limited number, and which can only be used once each.
159** There's two weapons that ''do not'' have gold versions available, and one of them doesn't have a ''beta'' version either: the Energy Claw and the Prankster Bit. The Energy Claw can be found as an alpha and upgraded to beta using one of the last available [=COWs=] (Code Optimization Wares), or found as a beta later on. The Prankster Bit is only found as an alpha. After getting the alpha Energy Claw and upgrading it to a beta version (or finding the beta version), there are no more [=COWs=] in the game. And you get the Prankster Bit so late in the game that there's no [=COWs=] at all after you find it, so it can never be upgraded (without cheating).
160* ProtectionMission: Two of them, both guarding [=Ma3a=]. The first one is where she needs to be protected from hostile security programs while she tries to override the server's security. The second is a BarBrawl where Thorne and his Z-Lots try to kill her and you have to fend them off long enough for her to compile some code.
161* PsychoPrototype: Tron Legacy was abandoned in its unfinished state, still unable to differentiate between authorized and unauthorized digital users (a bug that Alan never managed to squish). Once it's compiled, it takes the form of an AxCrazy BloodKnight, indiscriminately attacking any users it sees.
162* PsychicStrangle: The Energy Claw subroutine is a nasty cross of this and LifeDrain. Use it and the opponent visibly chokes to death...er...de-rez while it fills up your energy (ammo) bar.
163* PunnyName:
164** I-No. Justified as he ''is'' an information retrieval Program.
165** The leader of all the security programs is, of course, their Kernel.
166* RecursiveCanon: The ''VideoGame/{{TRON}}'' arcade game from the 1980s appears; the explanation is that Kevin Flynn created a game based on his adventures in the film, which was later published by Encom. The same explanation was recycled for ''Film/TronLegacy''.
167* RPGElements: Before they were widely popular. The player can gather points throughout the game that can be used to "upgrade" Jet's basic characteristics (life meter, energy meter, etc.) by increasing his version number: he starts as Jet 1.0.0, and every 100 points, he upgrades to another full version (2.0.0, 3.0.0, etc) and can improve a characteristic. His highest full version is 9, and there's enough upgrade points to get him halfway to 10 (in case you miss some of the points). Upgrades improve his max health, max energy pool, energy/health drain speed, weapon efficiency, and so on. Upgrading any characteristic to max gives it a "surge", which is a massive final bonus to the characteristic: health surge gives a huge increase to maximum health, for example.
168* SaveBothWorlds: [=fCon's=] plans would bring devastation to the electronic world, either via ZombieApocalypse (Thorne) or by the [=DataWraiths=] brutalizing the Programs into giving up their secrets. But since the real goal of the company is to TakeOverTheWorld by using the data they loot, it quickly becomes this.
169* SaveScumming: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by an NPC:
170-->"I'm auto-saving every 30 seconds. I suggest ''you'' do the same."
171* SaveTheVillain: Twice. The first time [[spoiler: with Thorne. You need him alive to interrogate him about F-con's schemes]], the second time [[spoiler: With the TerribleTrio after they were fused into a monster. You have to defeat them and kick them out of the transit beam or they will die upon arrival in analog.]]
172* SceneryPorn: Watching the ''TRON'' universe is one thing; interacting with it is another thing altogether.
173* SchoolGradeHacking: Implied (among other shenanigans). One of several incidents of adolescent rebellion on Jet Bradley's part was hacking into the school's mainframe, something that did ''not'' impress the more rule-abiding Alan.
174* SecondaryCharacterTitle: Tron himself doesn't appear, and is only mentioned in passing by a couple characters. I-No explicitly states that he "vanished" shortly after the victory over Master Control. FridgeBrilliance, though, if you think of Programs as the children of their Users; Jet and Tron have the same father.
175* ShoutOut:
176** ''TRON 2.0'' has several little references to the first film, such as the popcorn machine.
177** Jet is playing the original ''VideoGame/{{TRON}}'' [[GameWithinAGame Arcade game]] in the opening.
178** There are also at least three shout-outs to Creator/{{Bungie}}'s ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}'' series.[[labelnote:Designer trivia]]Two of ''TRON 2.0''[='=]s designers, Frank Rooke and Courtney Evans, had previously done level design and, in Courtney's case, writing for the ''Marathon'' [[VideoGame/MarathonExpandedUniverse fan sequel]] ''Tempus Irae''; Courtney has said his work on ''Tempus'' is part of what got him hired at Monolith.[[/labelnote]]
179*** "Frog blast the vent core!"
180*** The infected program enemies' names include Durandal and (Ra*mpa^ncy).
181* SicklyGreenGlow: The corruption.
182* SimpleYetAwesome: The Disc Primitive can be considered this if you think of it as basically taking down armies with what is essentially a cyberpunk frisbee.
183* SpannerInTheWorks: F-Con's plan would have gone swimmingly if it hadn't been for the fact Alan was on the phone with Jet at the time F-Con's goons marched in.
184* StatOVision: The "Profiler" subroutine.
185* StealthPun: They're ''everywhere''. Covering all of them would require an entire page. Let's start with the names of some programs.
186** Ordinary [=NPCs=] are given ordinary names, such as "Brian.exe". The security programs, Intrusion Countermeasure Programs, are given names like "svchost.exe" and "spoolsv.exe". There are enemies called "Resource Hogs" which are given distorted names of real programs such as "[[TakeThat reelplayer.exe]]", "inlook.exe", "screensaver.exe" and "exploder.exe". Virus programs called "Z-Lots"[[note]]Britishers would likely get this—they pronounce ''z'' as "zed"[[/note]] who are spawned by "Rector Scripts" also exist.
187** [=ICPs=] run after you with identity disks alight shouting such gems as, "Freeze, Program!", "You can't hide from me--I know all the shortcuts", "Quit running!", and "Stop executing escape routine!".
188** There's an ICP who laments the approaching reformat because he lost all his updates the last time it happened. His buddy replies, "You'd lose your header if it wasn't compiled on."
189** "In the event of sudden archive decompression, a subnet mask will rez into your overhead memory. If you are accompanying any subprograms, please install your own mask before assisting them."
190** And finally, your weapons and sub-routines are named normally enough, but they couldn't help but sneak in a subroutine called "Megahurtz" that increases weapon damage and name your sniper rifle the "LOL".
191* StoryBreadcrumbs: The in-game emails and video archives Jet finds tell most of the story of what happened between the events of the film and the events of the game, or what's going on in the analog world while Jet's fighting through {{cyberspace}}.
192* SwissArmyWeapon: Four of them! The Disc, Rod, Mesh and Ball primitives each have several different forms, on top of the use of the Rod for lightcycles;
193** Disc: Disc Primitive (Standard Disc), [[MoreDakka Sequencer Disc]], [[RecursiveAmmo Cluster Disc]], [[MundaneUtility X-Box only Charger Disc]]
194** Rod: Rod Primitive [[PunnyName PRod]] [[ShockAndAwe (Dual Shock Batons)]], [[ShortRangeShotgun Suffusion Rod]], [[SniperRifle LOL]]
195** Mesh: Mesh Primitive [[MoreDakka Blaster]], [[LifeDrain Energy Claw]], [[{{BFG}} Prankster Bit]], [[InterfaceScrew X-Box only Blast Cannon]]
196** Ball: Ball Primitive [[ThrowDownTheBomblet Grenade]], [[GrenadeLauncher Ball Launcher]], [[MoreDakka Drunken]] [[MacrossMissileMassacre Dims]], [[StuffBlowingUp Ball Storm]]
197* TakesOneToKillOne: Why Jet was uploaded in the first place. Humans are ''very'' powerful inside the computer world, and the only chance any Program had was the correct bet that Jet was going to help.
198* TakeThat: The names of the Resource Hog type enemies include many thinly-veiled references to real-world applications, such as image_shop.exe, morton_disk_scan.exe and netscope.exe.
199* TechnologyMarchesOn: [[invoked]] In-universe, the old program I-No in the ENCOM mainframe [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84wJ8-KfesM brags about the machine's specs]] that a modern handheld console would be embarrassed to have.
200-->'''I-No:''' [=EN12-82=], top of the line mainframe. Capable of 16 bit processing, full monochromatic display support, and a local storage of 128MB! I challenge you to find a more robust system!
201* TechnologyPorn: Not quite at the level of the movies, but still enough to make the nerds {{Squee}}.
202* TerribleTrio: Crown (the sociopath), Popoff (the psychotic), and Baza (the coward)
203* TimedMission: The PDA mission, of sorts. The player must activate all of the PDA's functions to cause a power drain so that the AI will decide Jet is too much of a hassle and give him the info he needs. To do this, the player has to find the quickest paths to each node, because a repair bot will turn off the nodes if he's too slow.
204* TotallyRadical: The DJ, naturally. Music/DaftPunk, he's not.
205* TrappedInAnotherWorld: Just like the films, no protagonist takes their first trip into {{cyberspace}} willingly. Also Deconstructed as F-Con's attempts to buy out Encom are just a means to an end; what they really want is the digitizing tech so that they can send in mercenaries to conquer the digital realm and exploit it for themselves.
206* TronLines: Again, see the universe we're dealing with. The circuitry patterns are more elaborate than ''either'' film's (but it comes closer to the first film's). Jet before and after digitization provides the page picture.
207* UnfinishedUntestedUsedAnyway: Thorne saw Alan using the laser, but was warned that the correction algorithms were not completely tested. Thorne didn't buy it and told F-Con to use the laser anyway. Alan Bradley ''does not bluff'' when it comes to the need for safety measures as Thorne found out the hard way. Alan was still running the tests when F-Con kidnapped him, meaning [=Ma3a=] invoked this trope herself when zapping in Jet. F-Con then subverts it by [[spoiler: making Alan the guinea pig for the laser to test it before sending in the wraiths, since that will get rid of him either way.]]
208* TheUnfought: The mysterious CEO of F-Con (WordOfGod says he's Dillinger from the first film)
209* VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: Kill any civilian program or ally, and your game immediately ends with "Illegal Program Termination."
210* TheVirus: Thorne, the original BigBad; [[spoiler:attempting to digitize himself without Alan and Lora's correction algorithms [[GoneHorriblyWrong left him as Patient Zero of the virus corrupting Encom's network]].]]
211* WellDoneSonGuy: It's heavily implied that Lora's death put a huge wedge between Jet and Alan. Alan even grumbles during the game's intro that Jet is "as bad as Flynn." It's obvious that they do love one another, but there's not a lot of understanding on the part of either party.
212* WellIntentionedExtremist: The Kernel. Everthing he does is for the security of the server.
213* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: What about the mysterious leader of [=fCon=]? [[WordofGod The developers]] once said that it would have been Dillinger, the human villain of the original movie (supported by an email where the CEO claims he "lost this company once before").
214* WhatIfGodWasOneOfUs: Thorne gets uploaded and becomes The Despot. F-Con plan on being even ''worse'' Despots. In-game, Jet doesn't get a lot of time to think over the issue, but is more a Self-Denouncer, willing to ''take'' orders from Programs, work with the ICP forces on Thorne's server instead of taking command, and tell Mercury that humans are the ones too crude to exist in the digital world. In the comics, he has a full-blown mental breakdown, but settles on a cross of Self-Denouncer, Reluctant Messiah, and Savior; he may hate being a User or some of the things he has to do, but he does feel humans have an obligation to protect and care for the Programs they create.
215* TheWorldIsNotReady: After seeing the devastation Thorne and F-Con caused, and their plans to conquer the world from cyberspace, Jet and Alan appear to come to this conclusion, locking up the laser algorithims so no one can access them again.
216* ZombieApocalypse: What the Thorne virus does on the other side of the screen. It kills sentient Programs, making them single-minded Z-Lots whose sole function is to corrupt or destroy healthy ones. Parlock lampshades this in his Let's Play.
217
218----
219'''End Of Line.'''

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