WWII games are one of the fastest growing types of gaming. Starting out with [i]Medal of Honor[/i], they’ve really raised the bar, especally for a war that’s somewhere around 60 years old. While [i]Medal of Honor[/i] may have started the whole WWII genre, [i]Battlefield 1942[/i] is probably the first to bring a quality WWII title online. [i]Battlefield[/i]’s greatest strength would be the game’s multiplayer online setup. In fact, multiplayer in [i]Battlefield[/i] would probably be the only reason to play the game, seeing as how there is virtually no single-player present in the game. Sure, there is a campain mode, but it’s basically just a dumbed down version of multiplayer, played aganst bots over real people. To really enjoy this game, you’ve gotta get online, and when you do, you’ll thank god for your broadband service. By the way, before I go on, I’d like to mention that this game is virtually unplayable on a 56K modem, (believe me, I’ve tried it…) so you’d better scrounge up the money for broadband.

The most fascinating thing about [i]Battlefield[/i] is the ability to interact with virtually anything on the play field. Planes, tanks, flak cannons, even the infamous jeep, or as most call it, a speeding bomb on wheels. The developers really did a nice job balancing every unit out. For example, while tanks are monsters that can tear through enemy forces, one shot of a bazooka to the rear, and it’ll blow. Even the common soldier with a Thompson can take down an aircraft within one clip, providing he aims at the sweet spot.

While [i]Battlefield[/i] is a masterpeice, it does have it’s flaws. It’s biggest would probably be the fact that you’ll need one hell of a computer to run it on. Expect to have a fairly decent graphics card. The ATI Radeon 8500 works decent enough. Above all, be sure to have well over 256 megs of RAM. This game sucks the RAM right out of your system. I suggest a 512 RAM minimum for best results, although 256 will work.

Another fault would be not in the game itself, but with the other many online players. I can’t begin to tell how many games I’ve gone into, only to find at least half of my team standing mindlessly on an airfield, waiting for another plane to respawn, only to have everyone race for it. Once some reaches it, other players, bent on rage, shoot the living hell out of the plane. Other faults include that for a game based on teamwork, there is actually very little teamwork going on. People often attack in scattered clusters of men, never really organizing a battleplan or anything. Many don’t even try to capture the flags on the field, which is the main focus of the game.

All in all, [i]Battlefield 1942[/i] is a great game, with very few flaws. When you get into a game with great teamwork going on, it’s a great online experience.