World War
II Online is the latest pop culture homage to one of the bloodiest and
disturbing conflicts in the history of man. However the amount of work put into
this project creates a new level for simulation games. Unfortunately it is a
level I think many people are unwilling to play on.
WWII Online features a
scaled but topographically accurate map of Europe. At first this would seem
like a great idea. It brings the user deeply into the world of the game and by
implication the world of real WWII soldiers. Unfortunately it also means that
the distances are accurate as well. Even in 1/2 scale it literally take hours
of gameplay simply to get to and from targets. This is of course assuming your
in a plane and not simply a grunt walking your way along the dirt roads on your
way to the next offensive.
Not only are the distances
and the topography accurate (to 1/2 scale) but so are the vehicles. This is
obviously a WWII buffs dream but for the rest of us it raises a host of
problems. How many people going out to buy this game have attended flight
school? I know I haven’t and I’d like to think I’m not in the minority on this
one. The amount of technical skill required is astounding and obviously far
more than a casual gamer is likely to have. While less technical vehicles such
as tanks, trucks and cars require less outside knowledge to drive or fire many
of them are as in reality designed for more than one person thus making them
exceedingly difficult to use when not attended by a full crew.
While the sound system is
impressive in its ability to relay the sounds of a constantly changing
battlefield the graphics barely make the grade. Though for the most part decent
the 2 dimensional feel or poorly done polygons pervades most of the scenery.
World War II Online is a
great game for the soldier while in reserves or the history buff but for the
everyday gamer it may be too technically challenging with two little reward.
Install: Easy
I had no problems
with the installation
Gameplay: 5
Realism to the
point of difficulty.
Graphics: 6
Better than average
but not by much. Less effort on some of the games unseen aspects and more on
its makeup may have helped.
Sound: 8
Tell the difference
between German an French tank fire without ever turning to look.
Difficulty: 8
Difficulty comes
from mastering the vehicles after that its up to your opponents
Concept: 9
Great concept if a
little tired. WWII has been capitalized in the past few years but this is a
great adaptation of one of the most terrible wars of all time.
Multiplayer: 10
Puts a new meaning
to the words massively multiplayer.
Overall: 7
An incredible
effort hampered by its meticulous clinging to detail.
***PLEASE NOTE: Since this review was written, there has been many
patches and updates, which according to some of our users has really improved
the play of the game.
Per the 10/24/01 Strategy
First PR:
"The update, available at
no additional cost to everyone who purchases a retail copy of the game, brings
new player-controlled strategy, character advancement systems, an all-new
version of the 3D game world and many other features."
For a complete list of improvements and to read the full Press Release
please go here
http://gzdev.wpengine.com/news/10_24_01_11_14AM.htm
Click here for All Recent Patches and Updates
