| World War 2 On-Line: Blitzkrieg | 
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| From: Strategy First
Category: Video Games
List Price: $39.99
Buy New: $1.00
You Save: $38.99 (97%)
Buy New/Used from $0.09
Avg. Customer Rating:   (162 reviews)
Sales Rank: 25166
Format: Cd-rom
Platforms: Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows 95
ESRB: Teen
Media: CD-ROM
Age: 12 - 20 years
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 7.8 x 1.5
MPN: WWII/OL-C
Model: 04-22783
UPC: 627006606069
EAN: 0627006606069
ASIN: B00005K89C
Release Date: June 6, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | This is a historically-based multiplayer battle simulation -- you decide what part you want to play | | • | Operate on a 1/2-scale map of Europe, with accurate terrain modeling | | • | First person perspective in all gameplay- the first massively multiplayer first person shooter! | | • | Incredibly accurate and detailed, from the planes & tanks to the rifles and grenades | | • | The rich RPG element allows for character advancement and slection of career paths |
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Product Description
In World War II Online, you are a soldier in real-time battle during the greatest conflict of the 20th century! The game begins at the beginning of the Blitzkrieg, and you must work with the British and French to turn back the Nazi tide! Will the Nazis be victorious again, or will history be re-written? The answer lies with you, and the choices you make in World War II Online!
Amazon.com Preview
There were prettier games at E3. There were more popular games at E3. There were even more innovative games at E3. But nothing at the show had me more excited to actually play it than World War II Online: Blitzkrieg from Strategy First. War game, simulation, and first-person shooter fans will all want to take a close look at this massively multiplayer game, as it has the potential to combine all these game elements into a cohesive whole unlike any title ever seen. Developer Cornered Rat Software is attempting nothing less than simulating the entire Western Front of World War II, letting thousands of players duke it out simultaneously. All of Europe is represented at half the scale, providing an enormous amount of terrain for players to conquer and defend. There are a number of strategic points, such as airfields, that players must take and hold to gain and maintain supremacy. To accomplish these goals, both the Axis and Allied teams have access to a variety of resources, ranging from basic foot soldiers to tanks, bombers, and fighter aircraft. A planned patch will add naval units to the game, letting budding admirals command everything from landing craft to aircraft carriers. The design team has taken pains to model everything in great detail, and the experience of flying or commanding a vehicle seemed particularly authentic. It should be noted that players can't simply jump into the best vehicle and drive or fly to the frontlines. They must earn the right to use these valuable assets. The war is always raging, whether you are logged in or not, and a player's success in missions can lead to promotions within the game. Beginning infantrymen can only gain status by successfully participating in the raids commanders order. With a sufficient amount of prestige, players can begin to plan offensive and defensive actions and allocate troops, vehicles, and aircraft. The game is designed to really reward skill, letting the most capable players become virtual generals if they choose. Of course, players always have the right to stay in the trenches with the rest of the grunts if that's how they prefer to play, but it's nice to see that talented team players will reap appropriate rewards. The game's biggest asset could become its most damning handicap. Aside from purely defensive structures and guns, there are no AI-controlled opponents. That means every plane, soldier, vehicle, and ship you see in the game has a human lurking behind the controls. It also means that if the game doesn't reach a certain level of popularity, there will be very little to do. Judging from the look and feel of the game at E3, popularity shouldn't be a problem, and I anticipate spending much of my free time helping my fellow teammates secure our objectives. Here's hoping it's worth the $10 monthly fee. --T. Byrl Baker World War II Online is a multiplayer online game you play via the Internet. A stable Internet connection is required to play. Strategy First charges a small monthly fee for this game, separate from your Internet service provider access charges. The first month of this fee is included in the purchase price of this package. You must provide a valid credit card to register and play. After your first month, you can use your credit card to buy more time.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 157 more reviews...
 Best Game Ever Made June 17, 2008
This game rocks. I have been playing it since it launched and have loved every minute of it. It never gets old due to the constant updates and it has a great player base. Buy this game.
Great Community, Great Game, Great Devs October 14, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I've never seen a game change so much over the course of a view years. It is almost unrecognizable from its bad 2001 release. The playerbase has grown some and matured quite a bit. There is no other game like it...imagine being a single soldier in the midst of the 1940 Invasion of France and the Low Countries.
 A Great Multiplayer experience in a Good game August 22, 2005
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
As noted by other reviewers, WW2O has some problems: graphics are not as good as other FPS (BF2, etc.), and there is occasional instability (CTD's are rare but happen). What makes this a Great MP game? The players. While you can run around lone-wolf style, the bottom line is that you are part of a side--Allied or Axis--and you win or lose based on your side achieving victory. The amount of equipment available is impressive--from Destroyers at sea, to 2-engine medium bombers in the air to Sherman and PzIVG tanks on the ground.
What sold me on the game was the fact that from day 1 a player can kill someone who has played for 4 years straight. The first guy I shot was ranked as 'major general'--unlike other MMORG's there are no magic doo-dads to make sure you don't get killed. Everyone is equal; rank only gives you access to the top-line equipment (Focke-Wulf 190 fighters, Sherman tanks, etc.). Players are cooperative and team-focused and extremely helpful to new players.
The new release coming out in September should bring even more players. CRS is doing a better job than in 2001 in preparing for this release, and the improvements in the game system--from up-to-date graphics to player organization--promises a game experience second to none.
Addicted June 8, 2005
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Here's the deal: I really like this game and it's one that I continually keep coming back to (off and on for 3 years). However, I think it's only fair in a review to try to drop some of my bias. (No guarantees)
First off this is not a twitch game; although it's commonly referred to as an FPS, the term is a little misleading. The game is intended to be a simulation. It requires much more strategy, skill, and teamwork than your typical FPS. If you like to point and shoot over and over and over again, taking out 10-20 other players over the course of 5 minutes, this is probably not the game for you. With WWII online, there are times where you might find yourself spending 15-20 minutes just getting to the action.
Second, this game is frustrating and has a very steep learning curve. Anyone that spends 15-20 minutes looking for a target, only to die empty handed is going to be a "little" upset. Anyone that dies 10 or 20 times before they get their first kill is understandably going to be shouting some profane words at their monitor.
Third, the graphics are alright. Due to the realism in this game you need to have the draw distance cranked up. Needless to say if you haven't upgraded your machine in a while, the graphics are going to suck and you're going to get some lag. If you've got a decent machine (2.8 to 3.0 ghz) and a mid to high end vid card (e.g. Nvidia 6600/6800 or ATI X700/X800), you can max a lot of the settings and may be surprised at some of the visual detail you see.
Finally, as far as support is concerned: I haven't had any problems, so I really can't comment too much. As far as bugs, the game is pretty clean at this point (much better than many other MMO games I've played)
So, the question is: Why do I keep coming back. Personnaly, a lot of the newer MMORPG games I've played tend to focus on graphics at the expense of gameplay (S.W.G. - can anyone say GRIND), or involve insane amounts of levelling (W.O.W. - sorry, I don't have 20 hours a week to play). As far as twitch shooters are concerned, I get tired of playing the same 20 maps over and over again: point, click, move, point, click, move.
With that said, the main reason I still play is this: I've never played any other game that provides such a hardcore adrenaline rush. There's nothing like the experience of spotting the enemy after setting up for 10-15 minutes and knowing that a split second can make the difference between him dying or you dying. The realism of this game, is awe-inspiring. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a perfect sim; but it's the best that's out there. Where you place a shot, can make the difference between killing an enemy or being taken out yourself. There have been times where I could feel my heart beating in my chest, and I've nearly broken a sweat. Any lulls in the action, only add to the intensity. Although there is a rank system which has some effect on available equipment, player skill plays much more of a role than any other online game I've played (unless you consider twitch a skill).
And, then there's flying. Even getting a plane of the ground is a challenge. Actually killing something is an entirely different story. But, once you get used to it, to play a top notch flight sim and actually be able to stafe ground targets (all other players) and engage in dogfights (again all other players - AI is almost non-existent in the game)... it's beyond description...
It comes down to this: You'll love it or hate it; you'll rave about it, or you'll go off on how it's the worst game you've ever played; but ultimately, you won't know until you try.
Fun, but at a price April 12, 2005
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I was shocked to find this in the list of games offered by Amazon, until I remembered that the game format disc was available by both retail sales and online. This is a game that I have VERY mixed feelings about. You end up with two reviews here: one of the game and one of the online server, playnet.
The game is actually very good, and I don't just say that because one of the developers is a friend of mine. It really is a fun game. I used to despise first person shooters before WW2OL came out. The original game enigine was simple : Pick infantry (rifle, sub-machine gun, or demolitions expert), armor (there are a multitude of tanks and it was interesting to learn that the Allies had better armor than normally thought at that time), pilot (again, numerous planes), artillery (mostly anti-tank and anit-aircraft), and transport (a truck driver; sounds boring but was fun as heck during big operations). Take that soldier you picked and guide him through a recreation of early WW2 Europe and try not to get killed. Ended up tough at first. You never knew who killed you and never saw it coming. (There are AI guns, but they are mostly just town defenses) It was, well, war. And fun. Squads were formed and it was a matter of pride to have your squad take a town without assistance. Everything was fun and wonderful, until they decided to make it better. Numerous upgrades began coming down the line. It seemed that everyday I was having to download an upgrade. Finally they started to adversely interract with my firewall and the game crashed at a regular rate. The fun was gone, the frustration was in and I was out.
I did come back to WW2OL a few years later (Last year, in fact) and they HAVE improved the interface, but yourcomputer needs to be the top of the line to handle the graphic load of this game. Mine isn't and rather than get it upgraded, I left the game again. However, there is more to this story.
Playnet is the online provider for the game. They have a lot of problems. Oh, no problems taking your money, just providing any back up/suport at all. i would e-mail them with a problem and never get a response. So, I would try again. Still nothing. I wrote letters, sent certified. Nothing, other than a receipt that the letter was received. Calls to CRS were pointless, as they are not part of Playnet. I finally just cancelled my account (which they waited to process until AFTER the billing cycle began) and decided there are other games to play. Granted WW2OL is one of the better games online, but the hassle is not worth it for me.
So, if you have a really good computer, don't mind crappy support, and have the patience of Job to learn this game, go for it. At one time it was the best thing online. Maybe it will be again.
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