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| | Gameplay
Sound
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Value
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| Reader Reviews
28 reviews. Average Rating: 7.64
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| | Publisher:  Genre: Action | | Mac OS X: Any Version Mac OS Classic: Not Supported
CPU: G4 @ 867 MHz RAM: 256 MB Hard Disk: 1600 MB DVD-ROM Graphics: 32 MB VRAM |
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Battlefield 1942: Deluxe Edition
August 10, 2004 | Gordon Hurd | |
Since
the game’s release on the PC in 2002, BF1942 has been hailed primarily
for its multiplayer game play. This holds true for the experience on
the Mac platform. The single player campaigns offer good opportunities
for new players to practice at driving the many vehicles, testing the
capabilities of the various weapon kits, and getting to know the maps.
But, the game’s AI is not overly challenging and sooner or later a
player with a few campaign scenarios under his or her belt will need to
test his mettle against other humans.Once hooked into a game of
BF1942 players, how much fun one can have depends on a number of
factors. Vehicle action definitely takes high priority in making a game
of Conquest or CTF an exciting experience. Each vehicle offers a
different ride and each vehicle type has its particular role and
function in a game. Tanks offer great defense capabilities but can also
be formidable aggressors, pummeling a team’s line of defense with high
caliber destruction. Jeeps offer players a fast way to get around some
of BF1942’s massive maps. Airplanes provide excellent scouting
capabilities as well as cover for slow-moving tanks. As well,
the type of troop a player chooses provides plenty of variety. Be a
medic and carry a light sub-machine gun, a medikit and a few hand
grenades. Be an engineer and you’ll carry detonation packs, landmines
and a rifle. Anti-tank troops carry bazookas. And so on. While BF1942
is hardly a strategy game, players that want to win matches definitely
do need to use their head, cooperate, and strategize about the best
combinations of kits and vehicles. Still, opportunities for plenty of
single-minded, slapdash mayhem exist in spades, and it's the choices
that make the game so much fun. Visually,
BF1942 offers an immersive experience into the different faces of World
War II battles, and this too contributes to the success of the game.
Each theater has its distinct character, while also providing
satisfying variety from map to map. The desert-based maps of North
Africa can be mountainous and expansive like El Alamein or Gazala (two
of my personal favorites) or can be small and intense like Battleaxe
and Aberdeen. Similarly, the Italian maps in the included Road to Rome
expansion pack can be of bleak, rocky, king of the hill style like
Monte Cassino, or a map like Operation Husky that offers beach, hill,
and village battle landscapes. The graphics are solid and it’s often
hard not to just stand around and look at the sky, mountains, sand, and
water.
Sound, too, plays a big role in the immersive qualities of
BF1942. Listening for approaching tanks, planes, and jeeps can be a key
function in defending a position in a conquest map or hankering down
for an oncoming assault for your flag in CTF. All the vehicles and
weapons have distinct sound signatures and the game developers should
be recognized for paying close attention to this feature.For all
that BF1942 offers in consistently satisfying game play, graphics, and
sound, there are some quirks and challenges to the game that can be
less so. If you’re not equipped with a recent Mac desktop or laptop,
you may find BF1942 difficult to play. Players in forums have remarked
sluggish performance on computers with 1ghz processors. Though there
isn’t a consensus on whether that sluggishness may be due to the
computer’s performance or lag on servers online. Either way, to enjoy
the full capabilities of the game, it’s recommended to have an 867mhz
or better processor— but 1ghz to 1.25ghz, is more realistic. Similarly,
Aspyr recommends a video card with 32mb of RAM. This may work on the
lowest settings, but 64mb is a much more capable setup, and even then
works best on the game’s medium settings. And while I applauded
the ease of use of BF1942’s server browser in my preview, I have to
call it out for some inexplicable quirks in the final version.
Sometimes the server browser just does not work--particularly, when
applying filters to weed out cheater havens, private games, or high
ping servers. When it doesn’t work the browser, just doesn’t return any
servers and you’re forced to clear your filters and start over again.
Granted, none of this requires a lot of time or effort, but it’s
annoying and can add unnecessary steps to getting into a game (where
all the fun is). In summary, it’s good to consider a few things
that Battlefield 1942 is not. This is not a strategy of the real-time
or turn-based variety. This is not a flight simulation game. This is
not a war game that thrives on technical or historical accuracy. If
you’re looking for any one of these single experiences, you may be
disappointed. But that disappointment is hard to imagine. Despite some
slightly limiting technical requirements and a temperamental server
interface, Battlefield 1942 is a game that offers aspects of many game
styles and genres in one slick, arcade-based package. Ultimately, what
contributes to the game’s success is how much variety and how many
choices it offers players. Each map can be played in a slightly
different way, each approach can be countered another. When one
considers the amount of mods available from the still thriving PC
community, Battlefield 1942 should offer Mac gamers nothing but choice
and variety well beyond the typical life span of a game title. While
I think it’s safe to say that war is indeed hell, a game like
Battlefield 1942 can definitely make hell seem like a lot of fun.
28 Reader Reviews submitted. Average Rating: 7.64
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