Millennial Fair – Battlefield 1942 Review

Battlefield 1942

By Bill Wixon

First of all I would like to say this is the first game to my knowledge that uses the genre of FPS with vehicles to such a success since the Tribes series.

Wonderful execution

From the creators of Medal of Honor comes this wonderful FPS based actually on battles that not just happened in 1942 but through out the war in 3 different theatres. You can find yourself in 30+ vehicles and use a variety of different weaponry. The levels are lengthy and very well detailed for those of you that have machines that can handle the high textures. The sounds also put you right into the frontlines with machine gun fire and tank shells exploding all around you.

Fly swatter not included

Along with the great execution of this game comes a swarm of bugs. It looked like to me that EA released this game as sort of a rush job rather then taking their time like they have with other games. A lot of the bugs aren’t exactly fatal but they can become a nuisance after a long time.

Multiplayer Wonder

Much like Tribes, this game is all about the multiplay. All the battles you will engage yourself in will be with either bots or human controlled players. I would recommend playing online for the ultimate experience and if your computer and internet connection can handle it try a 32 v. 32 game.

An F in History class

Most historians would have brain aneurisms if they ever signed onto a game of Battlefield and witnessed the outrageous historical inaccuracies. Major problems such as historically inaccurate guns such as the mp40 (grease gun) being able to pick off an Allied soldier more then 150 yards away, or a Panzer VI (Tiger) losing a long range battle to an M4 Sherman or bazooka.

Final Score

Enjoyability = A-, The game is very fun and has a great replay value but the lag and bugs and hinder the gamer’s experiece
Sound = B+, The sound is great but I think a lot of people would prefer the beautiful sounds of Medal of Honor rather then the frequent silences that are unusual in war.
Controls = A, the controls are simple to learn after a few short games and just require a little configuration to set it to your own comfort.
Graphics = A+, The graphics are phenomenal. Granted a lot of people’s computers cannot handle the high end graphics but those who can will be happy with the great detail they see in weapons and levels.