Customer Reviews

Day of Defeat: Source

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I'm a little ashamed at having to admit that I'm old in gaming years, well over thirty, so my reflexes are not what they used to be. Playing games like "Counter-Strike: Source" expose my degraded skills all too readily: I can see the enemy, I can predict where they pop up, and I can't seem to get my shots off quickly or accurately enough to save my life. So I usually spend much of a level watching as a dead spectator. Not fun.

"Day of Defeat: Source" offers people like me a better alternative. It relies more on strategy than CS:S because it's based solely on team-play and objectives. You have to capture five flags, and while it sounds easy, you have to keep them captured long enough to call it yours.

The result is that I can leverage my years of experience (and my years of gaming experience normally surpasses the ages of my fellow players). I can work in coordination with others to set up fire bases, provide cover, assault a position, and so forth, knowing that the objective is flag caps and not personal victory.

Granted, you will find games where personal glory is more important, and you will find games where cheats occur (spectators calling out positions to players, as one), but overall you'll likely find a good three hours of tactical and strategic play. It's easy to learn, you have enough variety of player class to attempt to master them all, and playing against people ensures you compete against the best possible opposition.

To the negative reviews, I would grant them their own experiences are valid, but I would tell readers to consider this: younger players have more time on their hands to master a game. Old folks with fulltime jobs just can't commit to 80 hours of study on a video game anymore, so while this game doesn't offer the fastest gameplay (Quake 4 apparently has that title), it does offer a load of fun. For the price, you can't lose.

-Fred

Day of Defeat: Source (DoD:S) is not a port of the last pre-Source version of the HL-based mod-cum-retail-release of DoD. It is a complete, from the ground up, build of the game on Valve's (Half-Life 2) Source engine.

For those unfamiliar, Day of Defeat is a WWII-based FPS (first person shooter). You choose either the US (Allies) or Germans (Axis) and fight it out online, choosing from 6 classes. This is purely an online game. There is no single-player mode and there is not (yet) official bot support.

While not as nearly as popular as fellow Valve title, Counter-Strike, DoD:S is a lot of fun. The visuals are absolutely stunning and take advantage of the latest technology that Valve has made, most notably, HDR lighting. The gameplay is quick and the weapons are more lethal than the typical WWII shooter. The game has a very authentic feel, but if you're expecting a realistic shooter, look elsewhere.

So far there are only 6 official maps released, but at least 2 more are in the works and there is a strong custom map (and other content as well) community.

Overall:

Pluses
*Great graphics
*Fun gameplay
*Wide-ranging options for players to choose from in terms of classes and roles.
*Well supported by a company (Valve) that will continue to put out content for the game
*Price: Under $20 for a new game that uses state-of-the-art graphics
*Good community: There is a good DOD community on the official forums, there is a good amount of custom content, and many great community/friendly servers
*Relatively easy to learn. There are a couple classes that are good for new players to start with and learn and come along.
*as opposed to other WWII-oriented games that have poor online play, DoD:S has great online play.

Minuses
*State of the art graphics = will not run so well on older PCs.
*Limited list of stock maps
*While, overall, the community for DoD is a good one, its not being adopted by the competitive community. This is for a variety of reasons that I'll leave you to read elsewhere as they're lots of theories on this.
*online play only

Overall, I'd give the current state of the game a 4, but I think the potential is there that with continued support from Valve, it could be a 5.

For the price, its a good buy.

Too be honest... I hated this game at first. I played the original Day of Defeat for about 4 years non stop and it quickly became the most exciting and addictive game i ever played. I heard a lot of bad things about DOD source when it came out and didnt immediately buy it. When I did, the physics were so different to the original DOD that I didnt play it much. Also, my computer needed a bit of upgrading to make it run smooth. After putting it off for monthes, i upgraded my computer and uninstalled the original DOD so that i could focus on DOD source. It was the best thing I ever did! This game kicks A$$! It is one of the most intense experiences you will find in a game. The graphics are incredible and the source engine physics are sweet. I still miss some of the little things from the origal DOD, and a lot of the maps! But overall DOD source outshines DOD in every way. Its even more addictive than the original! Just be patient...this game is a work in progress and it will only get better. New maps will come and new teams/weapons will be added. Buy this game now! I guarentee it will be the best $20 you ever spent!

Reasons why people "hate" this game....
1. People fear change. Those who are extremely confortable with the original DOD dont want to come over to DOD soure and get slaughtered. There is a HUGE learning curve if you are used to the original! I would compare it to playing Resident Evil 4 after being a huge fan of the originals. Resident Evil 4 is totally different and takes a while to get used to but in the end is completely better than any previous RE game. Or take the Star Wars franchise. Some people love the origninals and not the new ones, not because chapters 1,2, and 3 are really bad but because they are different. In fact Revenge of the Sith IS the best one!

2. Your computer sux. This game is a bit of a powerhouse. But well worth any upgrades you need to make. Just check out the water reflection/textures for proof! Plus the scattering pieces from objects in the middle of the fire fights are rediculous!

3. Your Clan/teamates dont play DOD Source. I have noticed that a lot of regulars that i always played with wont switch over to DOD source because not all of their clan members or buddies can afford to upgrade to Source.

4. Not as many mods. Just be patient...this game is a work in progress and it will only get better. New maps will come and new teams/weapons will be added. The original DOD was the same way when it was released.

Buy this game now! I guarentee it will be the best $20 you ever spent!

I have been a long time DoD 1 fan and never got the chance to buy the Source version until recently. The things I like about this new version is that the gameplay still feels right and the art style is improved. The only things I don't like is the player's footfall audio is not silent when walking slowly and some of the maps feel too small or reorganized from their originals. However, for its easy to learn gameplay and nice price, DoD Source is totally worth it.

p.s. - Donner is my favorite map - feels like playing in a Band of Brothers episode.

The older versions of DoD remain in my heart some of the best online titles of all time. This new version does not disapoint. A visually stunning frag fest. For the 16 bucks that it is offered here you will find no better entertainment for your dime.

It is a pretty hardware intensive game. But if you were able to play Half-life 2 or the recent Counter-Strike: Source you should be up to par. The online community at www.dayofdefeat.com has some fixes, too, for those on slower machines.

By the way it looks as if you can demo this game for free this weekend of the Feb 9th. see ya in game.

aka Col.Krust

NOTE(July 18,2008):do to a recent update and some practice I have had on DOD:S i will try to edit this reveiw when I get the chance(for some positive stuff has happened to DOD:S)


I really enjoyed this game, however it had some probloms:

Pros:
1.Its the best multi-player WWII game i've seen-in short it's way better that call of duty 2 mult-player mode.
2.realism-the realism can be turned buth ways, if your one of those gamers who likes to play their games with the true super long reloading and the machine gun with the huge backfire and the no realoading till you've used all your ammo on the rifle, then it could be a pro to you.(but it defeinatly is a con for me)
3.the seanrey and water are nice.

...and heres the cons:
cons:
1.it takes a long time to load.(if you have a pc that ran hl2 you will run this with about the same speed as my pc ran it.)
2.the game gave you this nervis feeling that you don't get with counter strike:source or other multi-player games thus making the mormal player suck like hell.(don't block this HELL IS NOT A CUSS WORD!)
3.most of the maps felt pointless and the goal of most of them were to walk over to a flag or a tank with a flag and stand there till the area is "captured" though there are a two maps that I know of that have to do with blowing up a tank or some other machine.
4.the servers are slowly dying.
5.the people you play as look stupid(if you play it you'll know what I mean)

in short if you love WWII you'll be a fan of this game. But of you want a game with capture points play team fortress 2. If you want a game were you plant exploseves then play counter strike: source

I've been playing Day of Defeat since it's original release SO many years ago. And since its release SO many years ago, I've been a fan. Remember the crappy little tanks on Cean that you get in and shoot a machine gun out the turret? I was there. Remember the "bleed" feature where when you were shot you had to bandage yourself? I was there. Remember when there was NO machine gun class? No British faction? I was totally there. This was truly a great game. Through countless updates and upgrades Day of Defeat grew into THE perfect online, squad-based, World War Two shooter.

And then they did THIS to it.

Now... it's not a BAD game. It's just not good.

The gameplay in Source is decidedly more fast paced than its predecessor. And this by itself is not a bad thing. The weapons in this version however seem to have taken a serious hit and when combined with the faster gameplay make the game rather frustrating, especially for players new to the series. They just feel sluggish and unresponsive. It's a lot more difficult to hit anything with the automatic weapons this time around (especially the StG44 which feels near worthless now) given that the recoil is much more severe and the bullet spread is much wider than the orginal DoD. And the rifles have lost much of their potency. Not only do they no longer kill in one shot, but given the faster pace of the gameplay, the obscene down time between shots on the German K98 is way more impacting on the riflemans effectiveness. This also leads to another aspect which effects the game. An unfortunate phenomenon that I call, the CounterStrike effect. In this Day of Defeat you find that actual teamwork is very rare. You all know those games (CounterStrike) where most of the time one or two people dominate and everyone else just runs around doing their own thing? Well, that is basically the name of the game here. Now on most servers, rather than the team which works together best wins, it's the team which simply has the best player. It's not EVERY server, just a lot of them. And it's rather dissapointing.

That is perhaps the biggest complaint against this game. There are other, probably trivial grievances as well. The number of maps is still rather small. Though there ARE user made maps out there, not many of them can compare to the quality of developer made maps. There will of course be updates which include more maps in the future, but at the moment that does not apply. And the absence of the British class kind of sucks as well. They were a nice addition to the original that changed up the gameplay from map to map a little, and surely they will be included in later patches. But as for now... eh :-/

There are of course good things about the game as well. One of those good aspects, are the games graphics. The models look a bit to polished and clean for a war game(you'd expect soldiers in world war two to look a bit more haggard and dirty, and they have a dumb hunch-back look to them in this version), but the enviroments and physics model are amazing. The Source engine can squeaze a lot of detail into the world and the physics make for some awsome effects during a fire fight. Grenades blow apart wodden barrels or furniture and send pieces of wood and scraps of metal flying, and it's cool to see your bullets rip a room apart. The sound in DoD: Source is equally amazing, and probably under-rated. Machine-gun fire and explosions echo through a level and if your on the other side of the map they genuinely sound distant. It's a very cool effect. Weapon fire and the shouts of your teammates all sound really nice and compliment the atmosphere of the game immensely.

All in all I have a hard time recommending this game. My prejudices given my history with the game aside, the original is still far far superior and I would suggest you buy it before this. Lots of people still play the original, and it's a real solid experience(given how long its been out, they've had time to make it perfect). The Source game has potential (as any game does really, through updates), but right now... It's just not worth your twenty bucks. If you absolutely need a modern World War Two shooter get Red Orchestra (The best online WW2 game out right now), or one of the Call of Dutys. You'd be better served then.

When I think about Day of Defeat: Source, I think about how it heavily emphasizes teamwork in a level far different then run and gun games like the Call of Duty series. Day of Defeat is all about teamwork, strategy, and clear understanding of different classes. I've also found that while the game is excellent, the intensity and focus required in this game makes is exhausting (in a good way) to play for more than 1-2 hours straight. One could say this game is fun to play, but puts limitation on gaming because of the nature of the game.

Sounds. graphics, items, voice commands, all little details of this game makes for an immersive war experience. Many of the maps take place in a war torn European landscape.

The different classes - sniper, machine gunner, support, infantry - all have clear advantages and drawbacks. You'll be having lots of fun getting the hang of all these classes and eventually finding your niche.

Fortunately, many gamers are still playing this game. Albeit there aren't as many busy servers and people flooding to play this game, but you'll be able to some good servers. Highly recommended!

P.S. You'll probably find this game cheaper on Steam.

I am a huge fan of the original and can understand why some of the other reviews rip on this game, but it is still great. DOD:S has excellent graphics, quick and realistic gameplay, expanding and increasing game content, and it is a game that never gets old no matter how much you play it. It is probably the most team based online game I have played, you simply can't win all by yourself.

My favorite part of the game is how it doesn't take twenty hits to kill a guy and it is definitely not a "spray and pray" style of gameplay, it is all strategy. You learn that maps and build your reflexes and you can be great at this game.
The only thing that bothered me was the removal of a couple classes from the previous game and some of the changes in the weapons there. I didn't like how the K98 didn't always get the one shot kill, or how from a long ways off you couldn't pick someone off with the thompson. In the end the game is better for these changes though, it adds to the realism. The people complaining about the lack of maps are also out of place. While there are only 6 standard maps out, more will come and there are a lot of custom maps out there already.

Overall this game is fast-paced, strategic, team-based, and realistic. The graphics are great and the game never gets old.

I like this game for the realism factor. If you were to run and gun like a crazed lunatic with no regard for your life trying to slay everything in your path, you probably wont live too long. Although it is possible, playing smarter and more realistic is safer.

However, this is not a realism mod and imo it is the perfect mix of realism and fun gameplay. Improved from it's free days, it is worth the 20 bucks especially if you liked it in its free days.

Its mostly capture the flag style...territorial with 5 flags having to be captured to win. Two new maps were released recently with one side attacking and one side defending. The other is a dual bomb and defend map with 2 targets per side. Gameplay on these maps appear to have been well tested before release, however they were only released a few days ago.