Customer Reviews

World War 2 On-Line: Blitzkrieg

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(48)

 

 

Holy cow, this game is fun. WWII online has worked through its early problems and, while not perfect, is still just about the most fun I've had playing an online game. It's amazingly immersive and well modeled. Just the driving a tank, for example, is better than most tank sims I've played! And that's only one part of the game...you can fly a plane, man a gun, or attack as infantry. All the parts are modeled differently, and all the vehicles have different strengths and weaknesses. This is a tough game to get tired of since there's so many things to try.

A few warnings - you will need a decent processor and video card to play this. 512MB of RAM is also a big help. The learning curve can also be a bit steep at first, but it's not too insanely tough to get the hang of. Also, a note to FPS fans - this is *not* Quake II. I f you expect to jump in as infantry, run off by yourself and take on the enemy you will last about ten seconds. This game requires strategy, teamwork, and patience - one shot can kill, and the guy who will get you is the one you don't see.

Minus one star because of the high system requirements and a few remaining gameplay issues. The game has evolved so much since its initial release, however, that I am confident it will only get better and better.

This game rocks - go buy it!

Here's the deal: I really like this game and it's one that I continually keep coming back to (off and on for 3 years). However, I think it's only fair in a review to try to drop some of my bias. (No guarantees)

First off this is not a twitch game; although it's commonly referred to as an FPS, the term is a little misleading. The game is intended to be a simulation. It requires much more strategy, skill, and teamwork than your typical FPS. If you like to point and shoot over and over and over again, taking out 10-20 other players over the course of 5 minutes, this is probably not the game for you. With WWII online, there are times where you might find yourself spending 15-20 minutes just getting to the action.

Second, this game is frustrating and has a very steep learning curve. Anyone that spends 15-20 minutes looking for a target, only to die empty handed is going to be a "little" upset. Anyone that dies 10 or 20 times before they get their first kill is understandably going to be shouting some profane words at their monitor.

Third, the graphics are alright. Due to the realism in this game you need to have the draw distance cranked up. Needless to say if you haven't upgraded your machine in a while, the graphics are going to suck and you're going to get some lag. If you've got a decent machine (2.8 to 3.0 ghz) and a mid to high end vid card (e.g. Nvidia 6600/6800 or ATI X700/X800), you can max a lot of the settings and may be surprised at some of the visual detail you see.

Finally, as far as support is concerned: I haven't had any problems, so I really can't comment too much. As far as bugs, the game is pretty clean at this point (much better than many other MMO games I've played)

So, the question is: Why do I keep coming back. Personnaly, a lot of the newer MMORPG games I've played tend to focus on graphics at the expense of gameplay (S.W.G. - can anyone say GRIND), or involve insane amounts of levelling (W.O.W. - sorry, I don't have 20 hours a week to play). As far as twitch shooters are concerned, I get tired of playing the same 20 maps over and over again: point, click, move, point, click, move.

With that said, the main reason I still play is this: I've never played any other game that provides such a hardcore adrenaline rush. There's nothing like the experience of spotting the enemy after setting up for 10-15 minutes and knowing that a split second can make the difference between him dying or you dying. The realism of this game, is awe-inspiring. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a perfect sim; but it's the best that's out there. Where you place a shot, can make the difference between killing an enemy or being taken out yourself. There have been times where I could feel my heart beating in my chest, and I've nearly broken a sweat. Any lulls in the action, only add to the intensity. Although there is a rank system which has some effect on available equipment, player skill plays much more of a role than any other online game I've played (unless you consider twitch a skill).

And, then there's flying. Even getting a plane of the ground is a challenge. Actually killing something is an entirely different story. But, once you get used to it, to play a top notch flight sim and actually be able to stafe ground targets (all other players) and engage in dogfights (again all other players - AI is almost non-existent in the game)... it's beyond description...

It comes down to this: You'll love it or hate it; you'll rave about it, or you'll go off on how it's the worst game you've ever played; but ultimately, you won't know until you try.

I just love this game! Sure, there are many things about it that could be improved, but there is nothing like it out there otherwise, and the realism alone makes it worthwhile. WWIIOnline came out last June with a very rocky start, but over the past 7 months has improved dramatically. Cornered Rat Software is a small company that listens to its subscribers, and if you purchase this game (and pay its monthly subscription fee) you're really joining them as a 'beta tester' as the world they have created grows and changes. Right now the war is limited to northeast France and the Benelux, but over time, it will expand to include the entire globe.

If you get this one, pay VERY close attention to the required specifications. You WILL need at least 384 Mb of RAM, and 512 Mb would be even better. You MUST have a good video card, and a joystick to play all aspects of the game (tanks and aircraft), despite it not being mentioned in the list of specs.

This game will appeal to the older gamer who is interested in military history, combat flight sims, and military hardware. Don't get this one if you're a Quake fan, as the play is more cerebral and takes more patience than quick reflexes to succeed.

Finally, if you get this one, make sure to check out the related forums sponsored by Playnet. Many of the questions you have related to installation and start-up can be answered by the knowledgable player base, who are ready and willing to help you out.

One final item worth mentioning: there will be a VERY large (@ 100 Mb) initial download for you once you have stated the install. If you have a 56K dial-up like me, give it an overnight to complete, and dream of WWII while you sleep!

Good Luck!

WWII Online Screen Name: "nestorm"

500 people were on last night duking it out. This is the most immersive WW2 game I've played. Combine games like Hidden & Dangerous, Panzer Elite, Warbirds or Aces High into one game and you're getting close.

I decided to play as a trooper for the Axis powers. I started my way to Flavion. I hopped on a passing tank with another trooper and we began riding into battle. As we neared Flavion, a Spitfire appeared overhead. Fearing the Spit would strafe us, we both hopped off and ran for the bushes. After resting up from sprinting (my stamina was low) I began running from bush to bush, constantly scanning the sky for the passing Spit. I called for air support and soon Bf109's were circling overhead and the Spit was no longer a threat.

The lead tanks had reached Flavion and were attacking the defenses. I called on the tanks for a sitrep and they gave the all clear. I again rushed from bush to bush approaching the town and resting when needed. All of a sudden tracers started flying around me. I dove to the ground and crawled behind a bush. I edged out around the bush and began taking shots at my attacker. After several shots I was hit and my blood pressure started dropping. I yelled (out loud), "Clot! Clot!" but the wound was fatal. (With a non fatal wound your wound will clot up and you'll be able to continue, albeit at reduced efficiency and with a red tinge to the screen if it's really bad).

I pulled away from the screen and calmed down. My heart was racing, and I was sweating. What a trip!

There's a 60MB patch to download, and the game still has some bugs (which is the only reason it gets a 4 and not a 5), but expect more patches soon.

This is one great simulation!

First of all I must inform you that in order to play this game online you must download a 70MB 'patch' file. That is just far too large of a download for those of us stuck with a dial up connection. If you have a high speed connection 70 Megs isn't that big of a deal though.

Ok - on to the game then. I am running a P3 500 which is well within the system requirements. I also have a 32MB video card. The offline practice mode takes no less than 3 minutes to load up. Unacceptable. In trying to map the controls I found that the game would not allow me to program my joystick. Unacceptable. As a ground troop my gun would not fire. In flight the sound would cut out intermittantly (and no I wasn't blacking or redding out). The graphics are horrible and low tech in comparison to other recent games. The interface is slow and clunky. I could go on but you get the point (I hope).

Wait until this game has time to mature into a proper peice of software - this release is nothing more than an incomplete beta version. Which is a shame because most beta software is free, while this cost me 40 bucks.

First of all, the many reviews posted about WWII Online are very real! See, I am stupid, on Thursday night, I spent a couple of hours reading customer reviews on the game both here and on the game's site. All I read were horror stories about the SEVEN servers, and how it was near impossible to get any serious playtime without being disconnected. So what did I do? I went out and bought the game yesterday. I exceed the minimum requirements for the game (1.1 gig Athlon, 256 RAM, 64 MB video card, and (this is what makes me laugh) a 56k modem). Please listen to me on this! If you have a 56K Modem, please do not buy this game. After installing the game, I came to the harsh realization that I need to upgrade to a Cable/DSL hookup, and this had just become a very expensive game. First of all, you need to find a server that will actually connect you. This process took me about 10-12 minutes. When I finally got connected, an incredible feeling of joy passed through my body, because it was time to play. That lasted about 1-2 seconds. This is when you are forced to download a 70MB upgrade. That took me 6 hours!! Remarkably the file actually downloaded, and my worthless 56k modem didn't crash, and again, I felt so happy because it was time for some hard-hitting D-Day action. That lasted for about 4-5 seconds. I spawned somewhere in the middle of nowhere (I was a French foot soldier) and I didn't see a single other person (this was at 1:30 a.m PST). The gameplay was a little laggy at first, but I suppose that at the games peak it was tolerbale at best. I was able to play for about 5 minutes, and then...I was disconnected from the host.

This game has some remarkable potential, and I am kicking myself for buying it, when I knew that it was filled with problems. Don't make the same mistake I made. I predict in a month, or two,

For fans of fps's, I definitely recommend waiting. Trust me.

1. The game WAY exceeded the sales the production company thought. This means you must download a 65mb + file from online to update it. So if you use a 56k modem, hopefully you know someone with DSL and a burner. 2. It is not your standard fps. The gameplay is more like Everquest than quake or HL. 3. It costs $10 a month to play. The first month is free. This I actually think is a good thing. It will at the very least weed out the idiots who ruin online gaming by being idiots. 4. The registration serve went down because of the overload and an "incompatibility" issue. 5. The game server is down and at the present moment (6/8/01 5:35pm EST)the most people that have played so far is 600. Again, the servers had an "incompatibility" issue.

So wait till they fix all the bugs. Wait wait wait. Be patient. I am as excited to play a working title as much as you, and I already own it.

You've read it before, so this is probably not going to come as a big surprise, but this product is not finished, and guess who's the beta tester? Beta testing is fun you say? Yeah as long as you don't have to pay for the "privilege".

Pros: Potential to be a good virtual battlefield simulation in the distant future. If you're one of the people who have rated this game 5 stars ask yourself if you would still feel that way assuming it would always perform this way. You are reviewing a product AS SOLD, not based on what some random company tells you it might be some day.

Cons:

1) Apparently coded in Visual Basic by a team of rank amateurs.

2) Load times on the fastest systems are atrocious (5-10 minutes). I can only imagine some poor ... running a system meeting the minimum requirements even attempting it.

3) RAM requirements. Despite what the box says, NOBODY has enough RAM to keep this from thrashing. I have 512MB and it's not even close to what it's spooling.

4) Even if you have a 10K RPM raid system, the thrashing will bring your system to its knees.

5) Frame rates are TOTALLY unacceptable ALL of the time. Even if you crank the detail down to minimum on your shiny new GeForce 3, you can expect extremely poor performance compared to engines doing 3 times the work and handling MUCH larger textures, multiple light sources, and shaders. They suggest turning off mip mapping to solve the problem?

6)Servers are slow, unstable and overcrowded, even with the current "interim" separation into different shards.

7) Dumps are frequent and ALWAYS at the wrong time (assuming you can get in in the first place).

8) Code is not only poorly designed, but totally unstable. CTDs are common and fatal excpetions aren't an exception.

Conclusion: This product is WAY not finished. You have been sold a product purporting to be something it is not with no guarantee it will ever be satisfactory. At the very least there is no way the current codebase will ever be viable. Without a complete re-write of the engine by a professional programmer, you're hosed. There's not going to be any miracle "patch" for this disaster. Making it right will take months, and that's only if they decide to start over from scratch. You have been warned.

As noted by other reviewers, WW2O has some problems: graphics are not as good as other FPS (BF2, etc.), and there is occasional instability (CTD's are rare but happen). What makes this a Great MP game? The players. While you can run around lone-wolf style, the bottom line is that you are part of a side--Allied or Axis--and you win or lose based on your side achieving victory. The amount of equipment available is impressive--from Destroyers at sea, to 2-engine medium bombers in the air to Sherman and PzIVG tanks on the ground.

What sold me on the game was the fact that from day 1 a player can kill someone who has played for 4 years straight. The first guy I shot was ranked as 'major general'--unlike other MMORG's there are no magic doo-dads to make sure you don't get killed. Everyone is equal; rank only gives you access to the top-line equipment (Focke-Wulf 190 fighters, Sherman tanks, etc.). Players are cooperative and team-focused and extremely helpful to new players.

The new release coming out in September should bring even more players. CRS is doing a better job than in 2001 in preparing for this release, and the improvements in the game system--from up-to-date graphics to player organization--promises a game experience second to none.

When WWIIOL was first launched, it was in horrible condition. Ok, that was 2 1/2 years ago. It wouldn't be around now and have the hardcore following that it does if it were still in bad condition.

The game offers things you just can't find anyplace else.

Things like a map that is Europe half scale, Air, Sea and Land forces all fighting for a common cause on a grand scale, etc. It even has actual strategic bombing. You can fly a round trip flight in bombers that lasts 1 1/2 hours and you are nervous the whole time because you know the enemy has fighters looking for you. Sometimes they find you, sometimes they don't till it's too late and you are rewarded with the sight of their factories in your bomb-sight.

There is nothing like rolling up to an enemy town in an armored column of 20, 30, 40, 50+ tanks and forming a line formation as you approach. You are nervous because you know the enemy is laying traps for you, like Sappers hiding in bushes, Anti-Tank guns, and Tanks, all waiting for you to make a mistake. If you do, it's lights out.

Ever wanted to come to the grunts rescue in your Spitfire? Well here it is possible and the guys on the ground are all smiles when they see the enemies Stukas going down in flames. Now they can get their armored column on the move again.

In short, WWIIOL can be summed up in a word.........Addiction.