WWII Online: Blitzkrieg

There are some critical things that this article does not cover. The main points about the game I might made are:

Ugly

1. Do not try the game on Steam based other's reports. One can create a free account easily @ https://www.wwiionline.com. They might've made the steam version more stable but I this game can be played without it and it's not difficult to try.
2. The very old age of the game and the long list of the present and past devs it has had has left a few features unexplained on the website (and sometimes in-game). Links are dead, site details missing or inaccurate, and there are definitely shoddy areas. There is improvement in this area but it has a ways to go before it's seamless for the prospective customer.

Good

1. The developers seem to be really trying to improve this already great dated game. Vehicles have been added and towns and cities have been added for the first time in years, and they appear to be willing to make somewhat radical changes to improve playability without further compromising on the game's realisticish feel.
2. Though I don't know of Windows 10's operation with it (I heard there were hiccups in the past but they should be resolved by now), the game is so stable at that veterans run two copies of it can be run at the same time.
3. The campaign map, with a persistent world, is a massive (low-resolution) 1/2 scale of NW Europe, with multiple levels of equipment which increase for all countries as time goes on. The French and British attempt to stop the Germans from eating France or even attempting a makeshift invasion of the islands. The US arrive later into the game, if the Campaign gets that far (it often does). Cities and towns vary in size and there is strategic flow as High Command players try to direct offensives in one or more areas. Some campaign have lasted months, and others just around two weeks.
4. The tactical depth to the game is significant. It's not grognard level but far more realistic than most games. Infantry combat can vary but is usually within 200 metres, but someone like myself can push this distance out if he's patient-- the skill ceiling is pretty high for this game! Capturing depots (which leads to the capture of a city with an attack objective on it from High Command) or defending them so that more allies can spawn in, and establishing an effective counterattack to rid the area of opposing forces, is quite an experience. Whatever your feelings about the game balance or the relative strength of equipment (tanks are a bit too vulnerable IMO), the game's tactical/strategic depth are greater than most any game. It totally wrecks the newer game Heroes and Generals, at last check.
5. This term of developers is trying hard and they too are current/previous customers of the game. From adding those new weapons and cities to auditing the very difficult file structure of this nearly 20 year old behemoth, there clearly appears to be a push to improve it without losing its appeal. When you can do that and not lose your veteran players-- some of them there from the beginning-- it does show no small degree of competence. They appear to have actual targets for development, including implementation of such features as in-game area based voice chat. I think it does have promise and it's certainly worth their free account if you think it's worth checking out.
6. Though the community can be butthurt sometimes, and there is a sense of segregation amongst some of them in which some allied players think dedicated axis players are neonazis and some axis players think dedicated allies get developer favour, the community overall is quite pleasant. Many of the players are helpful, patient, and while many regulars get whiney from time to time it's certainly not the toxicity expected from most game communities today.

Bad

1. The long list of devs with different personal goals and control/competence over the games code means that it shows evidence of their many varied tenures: some weapon types or classes are significantly better than others, and until recently the allies were commonly favoured in terms of same-tier equipment (I would know, I played them). The main thing to consider for most players, though, is that the developers now in control seem to be ironing alot of this out.
2. The game mechanics, and how much a new player needs to know to play, are not very well explained. One can spawn in and not know what in blazes is going on, walking for 1000 metres when they could've used a mobile field spawn, getting killed by enemy town AI defences, or (like me) walking right into a panzer's hull machine gun and becoming swiss cheese without knowing the tactical situation. Fortunately the community that this game filters usually ends up being very helpful. And the tutorial explains tactical matters adequately. I HIGHLY recommend doing defensive missions first to get a feel for the game's flow and the player's lingo.
3. This is subjective (from a person without alot of personal income to throw around) but 8/15 USD per month is quite a bit. On the other hand, one can play as a truck/rifleman/airborne infantryman (it varies with updates, it seems) perpetually for free, and I ABSOLUTELY recommend this first as it allows the player to see the game under no pressure before they choose whether it's favourable to them. They also have free months from time to time.

I really am boiling the game down to the most major details I can think of, but even with its hiccups and finer points it is not a game to pass up at a time when multiplayer games of similar or greater expense end up having a bad community or no real depth to them.

So, though it isn't my type of thing, and certainly not given away, this game is very detailed and enjoyable and is also controlled by veterans from the game, who do seem to be planning to improve it through further updates.

The game is worth much even for the free account you get, and it does have further potential despite its age. If you want some multiplayer gameplay a few steps up in the realism department, and a large world with players of ALL ages [and I mean that], I'd give this game a try.

And consider it: One can scout, on foot or in well represented vehicles such as the Daimler scout car or SdKfz 232 armoured car... trying to find the enemy mobile spawn to stop their towns infantry assault, all while trying to take care not to run into reinforcing tanks or anti-tank guns possibly out there in the brush as well... or one can play with han solo's DLC blaster for the same cost and possibly have the game replaced by another Triple F title within a short span.

Remember: Just to make sure, if you try it, unless someone clarifies otherwise here, try it first at their website, https://www.wwiionline.com, as opposed to Steam.

Review By tornado155