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RATING: (weak) 1 2 3 4 5 (awesome)
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IN BRIEF
Pros: The online virtual battlefield eliminates the need for Artificial Intelligence and raises the standards for first person shooters and strategy games alike. Cons: The developers were not prepared for the immense success of the game, rendering the game nearly unplayable until the lag issues and server problems can be solved. In a nutshell: With thousands of people playing both with and against you, this is the most realistic strategy game to date. Multiplayer: No *ESRB rating: T |
FACTS
Game Title: WWII Online Platform: PC Developer: Cornered Rat Software Publisher: Strategy First Accessories supported: Mouse, keyboard, joystick Release Date: 6/5/2001 Price: 39.99 |
THE REVIEW by Tom Oberheide for Gamers Today
Up until now, video games have served as a means for people to take a break from their lives. WWII Online not only lets you take a break, but also enables you to create a whole new life in cyber space.
WWII Online puts you on the frontline of the most disastrous conflict of the twentieth century. Escaping the confines of Artificial Intelligence (AI), this alternate reality provides the ultimate staging ground for thousands of gamers to test their skills and strategies against people just like them. Here we can forget life's banalities and become fighter pilots, or snipers on our last legs trying to keep our base from falling to the enemy. Here we can be heroes, or just go crazy and get killed.
Once you've created your alter ego at Playnet, you start the game in the first person. Through a series of menus, you choose your nationality and which weapon will carry you into the battlefield. There are a slew of aids to choose from, including guns, trucks, tanks, and planes.
From a list of current missions, you can choose either to defend an area or try to push the front further into enemy territory. Then, on with your helmet and say your prayers as you enter a world where the strategy is real but the pain is not (except that it takes twenty minutes to re-enter the game if you get blown away -- a great incentive to stay alive).
While on the battlefield, the bottom of the screen is reserved for radio traffic. Here, communication is made possible with your brothers in arms -- essential for relaying strategies and organizing troops to demolish the enemy.
This cyber war rages on 24 hours a day, everyday. The subscription cost for Playnet is around $10 a month. The first month is free -- luckily, since it will take at least that long to work out all the bugs. There are some terrible lag issues. For instance, the screen will freeze for up to a minute even though you might still be running, so you can't tell where you are. I found that disorientation was not necessarily alleviated when gaming resumed from a freeze up. Once, when the screen came back I found my player lying in a pool of blood. Game over.
Historically accurate weapons, tanks, and planes, combined with the action-packed online experience makes this a thrilling lesson in WWII history. However, if you value your sanity, wait a month or so to let the developers squash the online bugs. After that, get together with your friends and rewrite history.
*For a complete explanation of ESRB ratings, check out the official ESRB Web site.
