Rating: 
Summary: A bit overhyped but still a good game
Review: To start off, I think it's fair to say that I am not in a very good position to review this game because it didn't run well on my computer. However, performance issues still should be noted. I have a Pentium 3 800 Mhz with 256 MB of RAM and a Geforce 3. I guess it's not a gaming rig with a Geforce 4 Ti 4600 with an Athlon 2700+, but it still should be able to run Battlefield 1942 decently at the lowest detail levels. Unfortunately, it doesn't. My computer chugs along at 10-20 fps at the lowest settings. Even the mouse seems laggy in the menu. The 3 minute load time is also really annoying. And no, the 1.2 patch didn't help.However, ignoring the performance issues, it's still a great game. In the past year, 3 notable World War II games have come out: Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Medal of Honor, and Battlefield 1942. Battlefield 1942 is definitely a step beyond RTCW and MOHAA. IMHO RTCW fell short on the number of multiplayer maps; it always seemed like I was playing the same maps over and over again. In addition, one of the checkpoint maps had phoney machine gun and bomb sounds that came from the same building everytime you passed by it. Yeah, the flamethrower was cool, but that was about it. MOHAA had a wide map selection, but the aging CS model of gameplay put me to sleep. On one map, the Allied forces need to plant a bomb on an Axis flak cannon. Sound familiar? It sounds just like CS. Battlefield 1942 is a radical departure from these two games in that it offers massive multiplayer maps with vehicles. It gives a different feel to the WWII gaming experience in a way I cannot describe. Simply put, it's just better than RTCW and MOHAA. However, I think the fact that there are 35 different vehicles overhypes the game. Yeah, it's nice to have different vehicles. But the 35 include tanks from all 5 sides, planes from all 5 sides, and cars from all 5 sides and everything pretty much has the same properties except that they look different. Battlefield 1942 is also hyped to be everything Tribes 2 was supposed to be but wasn't. As a big Tribes 2 fan, I find that a bit offensive because Battlefield 1942 comes nowhere close to being what Tribes 2 should've been. Battlefield 1942 is much more slow paced than Tribes 2 and is no match for Tribes 2's heart-pounding action. I'm not saying that Battlefield is not a good game, I'm just saying that Battlefield 1942 has a different flavor. Battlefield 1942 can't be hyped to be everything Tribes 2 was supposed to be just because Tribes 2 crashed all the time and Battlefield 1942 doesn't and because both games have vehicles. I just wish that I had a better computer to play Battlefield 1942 because it is just a great game. However, I think it's a bit overhyped.
Rating: 
Summary: The huge multiplayer real wwII action shooter has arrived!
Review: I heard a lot of great comments about Battle Field 1942: Awesome action, real-time war--realistic wwII hardware and equipement use, great engine, very fun play; and more. Indeed I was intrigued, and eventually after experiencing a very fun demo, i had to pick this one up. It is a must-have. Battlefield 1942 is set in the World War II stage of time, where times are most dire and demanding. The game features a rendered functional and beatiful engine, with very nice geometry, optimizations, a mix dynamic lightning maps and static bitmaps, good shadow renders, nice character detail and environment detail, great animations, realistic sound effects and the standard awesome use of hardware 3-D sound support, great interface, etc. SO on. The game is quite laggy online, but is fine on lan. IT is really fun, you can control all kinds of vehicles on wide open-ended gorgerous realistic maps, such as tanks, jeeps, airplanes, ships, etc. The maps are set on places such as islands, etc. It's a great game and well worth the price--on my 9500 pro the game performs at 1024x768x32 with all other settings maxed out averagely at 60fps, but drops while playing online and in intense combat. The game is very laggy online, even on high speed internet broadband(Cable/DSL) access. Overall I see why Battle Field 1942 won multiplayer game of the year! I seriously recommend this game...:)
Rating:
Summary: A great game for wannabe soldiers...
Review: If you like to experience intense action that can change every single time you play, as well as having a good dose of realism, then this is the wargame for you! I have played many such historical action games, and this is the best - hands down - in terms of physical realism and battle experience. If you play with a team it can be simply awesome - ask any soldier! The game is not necessarily realistic when players can change roles to become pilots, medics, infantry, or engineers at their whim - but it certainly adds a fun element to gameplay. The small downside is the slight learning curve and the necessity of having some hefty computing power available to play at its best.
Rating:
Summary: The next step in multiplayer gaming.
Review: The multiplayer demo of this game, which just has 1 map, 2 sides, and not all of the vehicles from each of those sides, has already proved to be extremely addicting and fun to play. There's just so much you can do and so many possibilities, since you can jump into and out of any vehicle instantly and play as one of 5 infantry classes. Even your infantry class selection is flexible, because you can quickly drop your current kit and pick up a dead infantry's kit from the ground, effectively changing your infantry class on the fly. Also, the weapons and vehicles are all very well balanced. For example: the rocket that the bazooka/anti-tank infantry class fires doesn't do much damage to infantry, unless if it's a direct hit. This makes players have to choose the best kit for what they want to do, and ,unlike Quake and other action games, rocket launchers wont dominate all aspects of combat. They are, however, good at what they're meant to do: destroy tanks, with their shaped-charge explosives. Just the way everything fits together is so beautiful, and there's always a counter for every weapon and vehicle. The gameplay is so open ended that you can get pretty creative. I've done things throwing all my explosive packs into a japanese jeep (as an engineer), getting my detonator ready, driving to an enemy base or battle, jumping out of my jeep and letting it roll into the middle of enemies, and then blowing it up to get a few kills (especially when they get inside to drive it while my explosives are still in it, hehe) and other crazy things. The demo has already become the 2nd most played game on GameSpy, beating all others except Half-Life (which has a ton of mods since it's been out so long), so there will probably be a large playerbase, making finding servers easy. The system requirements may be a little steeper than some other games, but it is well worth it, and the game runs beautifully. (I can run the demo, all graphics options maxed at 1024x768 32bit, on my athlon 1.4 ghz 512mb ram GeForce4 ti4200 128mb at a smooth and high framerate) The models are very well detailed, you can see the eyes on the infantry moving and blinking, and their mouthes opening and closing. The level of detail system allows this by scaling down the polygon counts and stuff as vehicles and infantry get further away from you, and increasing details as things get closer to you, so there's no wasted visual performance. This game is like many games in one, and has something for everyone that likes action or war games. My favorite genres are action games and flight sims, and the way this game mixes it all together, in an accessible, balanced, and action packed sort of way, is perfect.
Rating:
Summary: Great if you have broadband + a beefy PC
Review: Battlefield 1942, with the latest patch (1.2) installed, is one of the most thrilling multiplayer games ever made (and I've been playing them since "Pong" came out). The main attraction of the game is the variety and scale of the levels. This first player shooter models various battles of World War 2, for example Omaha Beach and the battle for Midway. Two teams square off against each other and try to capture all the flags in the territory while killing each other! It's quite a rush to swarm into an area with your teammates, bullets and artillery shells raining around you, trying to survive and capture a flag. There are some other multiplayer modes, but this "conquest" mode is the most played. In the same 30-60 minute game, you'll drive tanks, fly planes, man battleships and aircraft carriers, and man all sorts of stationary weapons like anti aircraft flak guns, machine gun nests, and coastal guns. The game stresses gameplay and fun over realism, so it doesn't take that long to figure out how to play. The controls are logical and the operation of the various vehicles and roles you can play (Assault, Medic, Anti-Tank, Engineer, Scout) are easy to figure out. I haven't tried playing the single player yet because I'm having too much fun playing multiplayer ...Some people have complained about the game, but they probably have one of the following problems: 1) They haven't patched the game to 1.2. The game had lots of problems when it came out, but Electronic Arts/DICE is doing an admirable job patching most of the problems. 2) You have to have a broadband connection! 3) You need a fast computer. If you don't want to wait forever in the level loading screen, you must have at least 512 Mb of memory. You should also have at least a Geforce4 card or equivalent, and a 1 Ghz CPU at minimum. There is an expansion set coming out on Feb 4, 2003, EA already released a free level ("The Coral Sea"), and there are plenty of servers to play on, so you get a lot of value from this game!
Rating:
Summary: Wasting away in front of my computer...it's BF 1942's fault!
Review: I received BF1942 for an early Xmas present and have been wasting away in front of my computer ever since. Well, not really...but I'd like to.
My system is a Sony Vaio 2 GHz, 512MB RAM, and GeForce4 card running XP Home. No problems with the game running smoothly, so I'm not sure why we see so many gripes here...
This is a highly addictive game.
Positive points:
+ Online playing is FREE unlike some other games.
+ You can control virtually any vehicles you encounter. You can even steal enemy stuff!
+ Multiplayer gaming is more fun because of the unpredictable behavior of real humans.
+ The rendering of terrain and objects is quite good. Even the trees sway in the breeze!
Negative points:
- Map loading is rather slow
- Spawning and respawning is slower than I'd expect
- There are still a few annoying bugs, but perhaps a patch is coming soon Wish list:
? How about field artillary, Howitzers, cannons, etc.
? How about more initial spawn points closer to the action. Too much time spent getting there...
? How about taking POWs to collect tickets. This was a major part of WWII and is realistic. I am having dreams about some of the battle scenarios. It is THAT absorbing. I can't get the music out of my head either.
Rating:
Summary: This is my favorite First Person Shooter!
Review: My name is Christian Hunter, and I'm a complete gaming physco. I've played every popular first person shooter since Doom and Rise of the Triad (I spent collectively 2 years of my life playing Quake 2). Yes I'm sick, but you can probably trust my opinion on gaming...This one has been my favorite FPS for the past year. There are 2 very important reasons you should buy this game: 1. It's an exceptional WWII FPS Jaw dropping graphics (that don't crush the average players system), the ability to be infantry of various unique types, then jump in any one of numerous vehicles, then jump into any number of different aircraft. Totally flexible, insanely fun, very popular too (good for multiplayer gaming). 2. It's an even better modern-day-warfare FPS! What you say! Yep, Battlefield 1942 has the most popular "mod" (game modification, meaning the game has been redesigned around a new theme, etc..) of 2003; Desert Combat. Desert Combat uses the same fantastic engine as 1942 but is set in modern time. Helicopter Gunships, SCUD missile launchers, A-10 Tank Killers dropping naughty explosive goodness!!!! Why am I writing this review, I should be playing! Ok, once you own the game, you can go to www.desertcombat.com to download the free mod for it. Hope this review was helpful. Enjoy...!
Rating: 
Summary: DON'T BUY
Review: the gameplay it self is not bad but it takes to load even with a pentium 4 prossecer for missions
Rating:
Summary: An excellent 'combined arms' game
Review: This review is just based upon the demos (single and multiplayer).
Battlefield 1942 offers you the ability to run wild on the battlefield. The multiplayer demo offers a taste of each of the types of combat: Infantry, air, armor, sea. Infantry has several basic classes, and the other three categories offer a variety of vehicles to steal...er...use. First off: The game looks and runs fantastic. I have a PIII-800 and it runs well. I know people with better machines, and they report it runs fantastic. The first person shooter aspect runs fine. It isn't groundbreaking when compared to other contemperary FPSs, but it performs well. The 'flight sim' aspect also runs fine. It seems geared more towards close air support, as high altitude winding air battles ain't happening...but I still feel like I'm 'flying' an aircraft. Strafing and bombing can't be described easily in words...dropping a bomb on an unsuspecting enemy ground troop was a priceless first in my gaming experience :) The tank/armor/vehicle portion is STRONG. It isn't fancy, but it is fast and furious action, and provided (for me) the most nerve wracking and exciting moments of the game. The sea aspect of the game scores a little lower than the rest. It just feels a little 'cheesy.' It is hardly a surface warfare game, but then again, it never claimed to be. There is ample opportunity to put sea power to use. The destroyer in the demo MP game made for an excellent bombardment platform. Once you get over the fact that a single man can control a destroyer/carrier, it is rather fun. However, most players tend to ditch the ships for tanks/planes, as they offer more exciting ways to smite your opponents :) For sheer gameplay, BF1942 scores all 5 stars easily. I have wasted many hours online, every moment of which was exciting and fun. The gameplay is fast, balanced, and easy to jump right into. It also runs great online, and I played in games with a server ping up to about 170, and it was hardly noticable. My *ONLY* negative comment on the game is the 'realism' claim. In order to make it a fast, furious and easy game to get into, EA had to (understandably) simplify things quite a bit. Clearly, and engineer can't repair a destroyer in 20 seconds (as I was able to do in the Demo). Aircraft in real life can't buzz airfields and pickup teammates on the fly. There are several other examples, none of which take away from the game at all, but are hardly realistic.
The other realism complaint is the weapons and vehicles inventory they are advertising on the webpage. There was a missed opportunity to provide more historically accurate weaponry...specifically, the Russians had plenty of potential weapons that aren't reflected in the game (i.e. the PPsH40, a superb SMG). The final game isn't out yet, so they may very well have added more specific weapons/vehicles (or do a patch later). Overall, my minor complaints have nothing to do with the actual gameplay. Grab hold and hang on for a gameplaying experience you'll not soon forget!
Rating:
Summary: Best 1st person multiplayer out
Review: Battlefield 1942 is by far and away the best multiplayer game out. Counter-Strike held this title and paved the way for a game like this, but the immense maps and multiple options (Driving tanks, jeeps, APCs; Flying fighters, dive bombers, heavy bombers; Manning ships, coastal guns, anti-aircraft) Including the option to be different types of soldiers (assault, engineer, medic, scout, anti-tank), this game blows away all others. Teamwork is the name of the game, if you are really interested in winning the maps. You can go RAMBO and try to wipe out the enemy by yourself, however you will usually only result in eliminating more of the enemies then you, and most of the objectives (IE: strategic markers) will fall to the team playing in unison. Gameplay is excellent, especially taking into account all the simultanious action going on in such a large map. Realism is right there with the fun factor, just the right blend. The only real drawbacks are the components necessary to run the game. If you are thinking of buying this game, seriously consider purchasing a new video card first. The GeForce MX cards are compatible, however you will need to make some tweaks to the configuration of the game and/or the card itself in order to have satisfatory play. That means you miss out on some of the features that you could have, like full detailed textures and shadowing, etc. Its not a major difference but big enough in my opinion to suggest upgrading your video card. Get a GeForce Ti card (IE: GeForce 3 Ti 200, or better) or an ATI Raideon card. Also if you are running Windows 98/Me, you should consider upgrading to 2000 or XP. The machine should realisticly have at least 256MB of Ram and be running a processor speed of at least 1.0Ghz. Those are baselines, my machine is 2.0Ghz and has 1.0GB of RDRAM with a GeForce 3 Ti200. Many people have also complained that playing with dial-up (56k) is a waste of your time. I cannot say one way or another. I have a cable modem and have never tried dial-up. The game claims it will support dial-up, although I would doubt it could be anything but laggy. If you want to play this game on dial-up, try to get your computer specs as close to what I wrote, then at least your not lagging out on both sides (your connection, and your system). You can still play effectively with a latency of less than 300ms, however your gameplay will seem choppy at times. Battlefield 1942 was just was I was dreaming for, and then it came. I am very happy with this game!
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