There certainly has never been a shortage of WW2 games. For shooters, you've got the classic Battlefield 1942, Call of Duty, Red Orchestra, and other countless WW2 games. For strategy gamers, you've got games like Company of Heroes and Men of War and hardcore simulations like Theatre of War and Cross of Iron. For roleplaying games... well I guess you have Valkyrie Chronicles but that's taking the term "historically accurate" very loosely. For MMORPGs you have Battleground Europe (or WW2 Online) and World of Tanks, the game I'm going to be reviewing today.
World of Tanks is a free-to-play, 3D MMORPG. It's like most MMORPGs, just replace the elements with more tank-centric ones. Your avatar is now a tank, items replaced by "modules", classes replaced by the different tank types, and leveling up replaced by buying better tanks. You can pimp your ride by buying new guns, tracks, engines, radios, and other parts. Combat is PvP, you press the Battle button and the game finds you a battle. Thankfully, the game pairs you up against tanks that aren't way too above your level, so you won't get steamrolled.
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| The load screen. |
Right now, there's three nations: USA, Russia, and Germany. (the French and British are coming soon) All have different tanks, so there's no recycling of content. There's also five tank classes: light, medium, heavy, self-propelled gun, and tank destroyer. Each have their own roster of tanks and playstyle, so there's definitely a lot of variety. You start off with a shitty old interwar tank, but by playing you can earn enough credits to and experience to buy a better tank. You get credits and XP by playing. Winning a battle gets you more credits and XP than losing (obviously) but the number of tanks you kill, damage, and spot also plays a factor in how much pay you get. The actual gameplay is simple. WSAD to move, mouse to aim and shoot, shift to zoom. That's pretty much it.
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| Me waiting for the battle to start. (Click to enlarge) |
Gameplay is mainly team-focused. Each player must do their part and support each other to help their team win the game. Light tanks scout, medium tanks flank, heavy tanks charge, SPGs support, and tank destroyers ambush. Each tank class has a different playstyle, so you won't charge with a light tank or flank with a tank destroyer (but you can do that if you so desire). As a tank destroyer player, I mainly hide behind bushes, waiting for an enemy to pass before I blast them with my gun. It's sometimes boring, but it's awesome when you catch someone unaware and shoot them without them ever knowing your position.
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| My Marder II sitting in my garage. |
While the damage system certainly isn't certainly at Battleground Europe levels, there is an element of realism. Each gun has its own penetration values so you won't see a 20mm penetrating a Tiger's armor. Each tank also has its own armor value so light tanks are squishy but agile targets while heavy tanks are durable but slow. Sometimes, a shot will also damage a part of the tank or disable a crew member. Broken tracks means slower tank, damaged ammo rack means slower loading times (it also has a small chance of exploding when hit), damaged engine means slower acceleration, and so on and so forth. A KO'd driver means slower tank, KO'd gunner means less accuracy, blah blah blah you get the point.
Graphics-wise, the game looks good. Of course it's not at a Crysis level but it looks good. Tank models are very detailed so the tankheads out there won't be disappointed. The game also performs very well. Even with 230ms ping there's almost no lag and the game is smooth. There's the occassional discnnect, but I can reconnect quickly. The music is good the first time you hear it, but it definitely becomes repetitive. I recommend muting the in-game music and playing your own songs in the background. I recommend Dragonforce, Pantera, or any other fast-paced metal music. I'm running the original Red Alert's soundtrack and KMFDM as I play.
The game doesn't feel too grindy, as you can usually buy a new part every 5 games or so. However, it does feel a bit tedious as you play game after game to get enough cash to buy the better tank. On the free to play thing, the game is free to play but there's a microtransaction system involved. You can exchange real money for "Gold" which can be used to buy premium tanks and parts or be converted into credits. A piece of gold is equal to about 400 credits if I can recall correctly. Paying real money will help you get better stuff faster, but it's not imbalancing the game. It's still a blast to play even if you're not paying.
All in all, World of Tanks is a fun and free MMORPG that's a blast to play. Whether you like to charge the enemy head-on or stay in the back supporting them, WoT has a tank for you. Since it's free, you have nothing to lose by trying it. Maybe except bandwidth and time. Seriously, this game will suck you in.
Pros:
- Free
- Fun gameplay
- Large amount of tanks
- Varied gameplay due to the different tank classes
- Tanks! Who doesn't love them?
- Good performance
- Friendly and helpful community
Cons
- Can feel tedious at times
- Can take up way too much of your time
All in all, a solid 5 out of 5!
You can learn more about the game here: http://www.worldoftanks.com/
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