Played on:
Windows
For the last couple of months, thousands of players have been going at the multiplayer demo for Battlefield 1942. This is another of those games that had little hype and managed to gain its popularity solely based on sheer fun; the initial demo release had some pretty major bugs, but people played the hell out of it anyway. Now that the full game is out, everyone is wondering if the full game is as fun as the demo was. Is it worth the $50?
Digital Illusions created a brand new engine specifically for the purpose of doing this game - Battlefield 1942 sports great visuals, lots of weapons and vechies, as well as some very easy-to-get-into World War 2 FPS action. It's very multiplayer-oriented, and while there is a single player mode thrown in, it's exactly like the multiplayer mode (with some fairly stupid bots to shoot). But that's not a big problem, as the multiplayer is where this game's strengths most definitely lie.
Battlefield 1942's game engine is definitely impressive to look at, although it has comparatively steep video requirements - the requirement for Hardware Transformation & Lighting leaves out some older ATI cards, as well as the Riva TNT/TNT2 line. There aren't a whole lot of avid gamers with those cards, but other recent first person shooters do have more lenient requirements.
There are some problems with the game that are still unresolved, a couple of weeks after the game's release and the v1.1 patch. Namely, there are some sound cards (or on-the-motherboard sound setups) that will result in some lousy, jerky frame rates. Sounds strange, having sound cause bad frame rates, but in many of these cases, turning off sound, or sometimes just merely adjusting it, fixes these problems. There are few solutions for some users save buying a new, BF1942-compatible sound card.
Once you get the game going at a consistent frame rate, though, BF1942 shines. The viewable distance is pretty large, allowing you to pick enemies off from a distance. The urban maps replace the huge view distance with plenty of detail in the buildings and streets, and give players plenty of nooks and crannies to fight from.
BF1942's interface is a bit disapponting. The in-game browser is quirky and a little strange, and the game engine seems to insist on loading and unloading game data every time you even try to get onto a server. Then it unloads it if the connection fails - this translates to pretty long load times, which are frustrating when you're trying to get the last slot on an almost-full server. Being that this game is multiplayer oriented, there are a few things missing that you'd expect to see in a game of this caliber; you can't paste an IP in, and entering passworded games is a hassle. A new patch with an interface & server browser overhaul would be welcomed.
Once you get into the actual game, though, BF1942 gets much better. All the control options you would expect are there, with little tweaks and settings for each different piloting mode (land, sea, and air). Switching positions in vehicles is a snap, and will allow you to use some sneaky tactics as well.
While I'm not particularly fond of the game's "feel" of moving around, it's not bad. The game's network code seems to leave a lot for the server to decide, especially with client-side movement - this is most noticeable if you spawn on a battleship or aircraft carrier that someone else is piloting at the time. As of this writing, a v1.2 patch is supposed to be out soon to address client-side prediction issues.
One of the unique things about BF1942's control is that there are interfaces for your standard FPS mode, driving vehicles, and piloting boats and planes. Each type of vehicle has a unique role, and will require you to learn the basics as well as maybe a few tidbits about your specific model (especially the planes). Speaking of that, flying a plane in this game is definitely tough to do, but there are plenty of options; you can use the keyboard, mouse, or a joystick to fly, and it's recommended that you try them all and find which one you like best.
BF1942 definitely has a lot going for it in the graphics department. Player models are nicely textured and modelled, and have a full range of animations. All the vehicles look great, from the Army jeeps to the huge aircraft carriers. On top of that, there's a wide range of maps to choose from, including the Western & Eastern European fronts as well as the Pacific Theater. As you can probably expect, the Pacific maps have a tropical island feel to them, while the European maps range from broken, shattered cities to battles out in the countryside or forest.
One of the most visually impressive things about Battlefield 1942 is how the actual combat looks. Explosions are big and very satisfying, which is an important part in getting some feedback for the vehicles and big guns you get to use. Tanks lurch when they fire or are hit, and jeeps spin out of control when an explosion is near. Everything looks fairly realistic, and it all comes together for a WW2 experience never seen in a game before.
Battlefield 1942's single player campaign is downright boring. It's based exclusively on the multiplayer mode that Digital Illusions set up, and it's pretty obvious that they didn't spend a whole lot of time on it. You'll play with and against computer-controlled bots that are just plain dumb, although they have great aim once they get into vehicles. Your teammates will hog all the vehicles and then completely misuse them, which only makes it worse.
While there is a bit of a mission structure set up in the game's interface, there is very little deviation in goals for each mission. On top of that, most of BF1942's fun and satisfaction come from decent teamwork and killing other human-controlled opponents. It's just plain no fun to kill bots in this game, not when there are real opponents out there to kill.
