Previewed: July 14, 2005
Previewed by: Brice Boembeke

Publisher
GMX Media

Developer
Cornered Rat Software Studios

Release Date: Fall, 2005
Genre: MMO War Game
Players: Online
ESRB: Teen

Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)

I have been a military history buff since I was a young child, with a particular interest in World War II, so hearing that Cornered Rat Software was developing a Massive Multiplayer Online game based in Western Europe during World War II using a first-person shooter interface, where you could fight for Axis or Allies, and not only take part in the war as infantry, but you could drive tanks and trucks, fly fighters and bombers, and control sea-going vessels like battleships, I was, needless to say, extremely interested.

Battleground Europe, which is going to be released for purchase in a few months, and is available now for people to test the beta, will take place entirely on a single server, so the feeling of taking part in a large-scale war will be easily achieved when you are surrounded by all of the other people taking part in the game.

The to-scale land area that is covered is all of Western Europe that was involved in the war between the Allies (French and British) and the Axis (Germany) during the years of 1940-42. I had been impressed when another soon-to-be-released game showed me its 15,000 square mile map, which they claimed to be the largest in existence. The area in this game is a whopping 354,000 square miles of European countryside, including towns, villages, cities, and army-bases.

The game is a simulation of World War II. For anyone who enjoyed Battlefield 1942, but felt that it was too unrealistic, they will be glad to know that WWIIOL is much more realistic. One shot equals one kill, if you hit your target in a vital area. There are no health-meters with the ability of grabbing a med-pack and being all better. If you get hit and don’t die, your performance will be seriously hampered.

The game is played from a first-person perspective and the controls are similar to most other FPS-style games. Unlike many other MMO’s, your character doesn’t level-up as you play. You do gain rank, which gives you access to different equipment and allows you to form attack or defend missions of your own, but your ability to kill an opponent relies strictly on your skill. Think Rainbow 6 meets Battlefield 1942. And, instead of only getting to play against a handful of other opponents in a restricted area, you’ll be playing against a literal army of opponents fighting over strategic locations across your constantly shifting front-lines all across Europe.

Strategic and Tactical decisions will have to be made in order to be successful in the game. Pulling out of a battle when you know you’ve lost it, instead of fighting to the bitter end, may end up saving you supplies and resources that will allow you to put up a more concentrated effort later on and push your opponent back. Likewise, a coordinated effort between land, sea, and air forces will overwhelm a force of lone-wolves all trying to Rambo their way through the enemy line.

Specific players chosen at the start of each new campaign to be members of the High Command, will be in control of the ongoing research and development for their country’s war-effort, so it will be up to them which new technologies will be implemented as the war is fought. Good decisions based on the demands of the situation will augment the effort, while ill-informed decisions may hamper the country’s momentum.

Featuring a vast array of historically accurate weaponry, tanks, aircraft, and ships, the game will be appreciated by history buffs for its faithful depiction. Every aspect of the game is extremely realistic. Flying a plane is difficult, especially the landing part. Even taking off isn’t that easy, and keeping the plane in the air once you’re up there is exciting and challenging in itself. Driving a tank is difficult as well, if only for the limited visibility through the view port.

The game includes multi-crew vehicles, such as tanks, ships and certain aircraft, which means that you and your buddies can all pile into a bomber together and one will be the pilot, one the bombardier, and the others will man the several gun emplacements around the craft. Also, recently implemented was the addition of paratrooper forces and the troop transport aircraft to carry them and drop them into battle. So, if you’ve ever wanted to know what it was like to parachute into battle, now’s your chance.

The community in the game is very helpful and very knowledgeable about the era. They are also a very mature group, since the game is a simulation and impatient people who want instant-action will quickly get discouraged and quit playing the game. Success in this game means the ability to be patient. Sometimes, you will drive or walk or even fly for 10, 15, even 30 minutes before you get to a battle zone, and if you don’t take your time and stay smart, you’ll get picked off before you even know what hit you.

The game has set up a system to quickly enable players to find a group of people and join up with them on the front lines to help with the effort where the fighting is the hottest. Because of this and the fact that you need to work together to be successful, there is a definite feeling of camaraderie among the players in the game, and people quickly get to know each other and there is constant communication about enemy positions, strategic information, and so on.

Graphically, the game is only average, but with the sheer quantity of things being calculated simultaneously, I don’t think it would be fair to expect it to be visually dazzling. The models of weapons and equipment are extremely detailed and accurate, but the buildings in the cities are lacking detail and flat with the textures being slightly chunky. With the scope of the game, however, I feel that the developers focused their priorities in the right areas, making the game balanced and historically accurate first, leaving the atmospheric details, flash and glamour for later.

I am very excited about this game. From what I’ve experienced so far in beta, I have a feeling that Battleground Europe will be extremely exciting, especially with a large player-base. The more people that get involved in this game, the more it will have the feeling of an actual war with thousands of people fighting each other at the same time. Not to say that it doesn’t already have a large fan-base. Since the game has been in beta for at least two years, there are already a few thousand people that play the game on a regular basis. And when I say regular, I mean, when I log on, any time of day, I consistently see the same people playing.

World War II Online is addicting and very fun to play and it has the potential of becoming even more so. It is a solid game with a strong foundation and few bugs and I think with the committed efforts of the developing staff, this game will continue to become even more exciting, with more bells and whistles, making for a constantly unique and new experience that will never get old.

Since Battleground Europe is skill-based and not level based like most MMO’s, you will never feel that you have absolutely no chance of winning, nor will you ever get bored with being the best, because all it will take is one other person that gets the drop on you to bring you back wanting to do even better the next time. Also, with the shifting front lines and the ability to actually win the war, players are given the feeling that their efforts are actually having an impact on something important and that they can achieve something great.

If you’re intrigued in World War II Online: Battleground Europe, like I was, go to http://www.wwiionline.com and check it out. With a $20 download and free 30 day trial, you won’t be sorry to at least give it a whirl to see if it is something you’ve been waiting for.

While we wait for more details on this exciting new title, check out our collection of great screenshots in our Preview Gallery.