Introduction

  • Title: World of Tanks
  • Developer: Wargaming
  • Release date: August 12, 2010
  • Play on Steam
  • Tags:
    • Massively multiplayer online game
    • Strategy Video Game
    • Third-person shooter

Gameplay

World of Tanks is a 15v15 tactical shooter game. The goal of the game is either destroying all enemy vehicles or capture their base. The battles are fought on a multitude of maps with different layouts, scenes and bioms.

There are light, medium, heavy tanks as well as tank destroyers, artillery and wheeled vehicles. Each class is designed to hold different tactical positions and objectives. As a light tank you are required to scout passively while sitting in a bush, with wheeled vehicles you either scout on the move or get into ambush positions. Heavy tanks on the other hand are the brawlers who soak up damage and hold/push the front lines. Medium tanks are support tanks for heavy tanks but can take virtually any role. Tank destoryers and artilleries sit at the back and create supportive fire.

There are several nations each with several tank lines (types). You start of playing with tier 1 tanks and earn experience to unlock module upgrades and higher tiered vehicles (up to tier 10) as you play. Each game has a limit of ±2 tiers.

Graphics

The visuals in World of Tanks are top notch in my opinion. From the way sunlight shines down upon your tank to the way your shots make enemy tanks explode this game excels at making you feel immersed.

The physics in world of tanks are also very impressive. From tracks left on the ground, walls breaking when running them over, grass swaying in the wind to craters on shell impacts and crumbling houses. The amount of detail put in the destructive nature of this game gives you a feeling of actually driving and manuvering a several ton heavy vehicle.

It is also very impressive that they use real life tanks for sound as well as scanning them to get accurate 3d models. In recent years they also added 3d skins to the game that enhance the visuals of the tanks

Sound and Music

The tank sounds such as gun fire, engine, explosions and shell impacts is very immersive. Every time you shoot you can definitely feel the destructive power behind the shot sound. There is also some voice acting for tank crew members announcing battle information. The crew sounds are different for each naction of tanks though you can set it to always use your preferred language.

If you like epic ensemble works, then you will love the music in this game. Every map has a different fitting work that gets you hyped to dominate the battlefield.

Replay Value and Content

There is so much content for a player to discover that it is near impossible to have a 100% completion rate. There are over 400 vehicles with multiple modules to research, tank crew skills and euipment to further improve your combat power.

Special events are also something players look forward to. From discountet vehicle lines, one-off tanks or even special game modes there is never a lacking event.

Multiplayer

The game is played mostly in 15v15 thought there are other gamemodes from 7v7 up to 30v30. As you probably guessed - interaction is mostly limited to clan battles or if you play in a platoon of up to 3 players.

On some rare occasions you form a platoon mid battle and have therefore the ability to also use the in-game voice chat. Mostly that platoon forms to get the Brothers in Arms medal (each member killing 3 enemies or more) and not for any tactical reason.

The matchmaking is honestly not the best. It is quite often that one team is a lot stronger compared to the other team.

pay2win?

Short answer: probably yes

Long answer: You can definitely play as a free2play gamer but you will have a disadvantage compared to players that spend their money on upgrades or special equipment. The grind will take longer to complete and therfore it would be best to play a select few tank lines instead of spreading out to get all of the tanks.

Did I myself spend money? - yes

Do I regret spending money? - no, because this is in my top 3 games I ever played and I love playing it.

Technical Performance

The game runs smoothly on mid-range to high-range hardware. I personally had a hard time playing before getting my first gaming pc but since then it was easy to run the game and there are not often bugs that have hindered me from enjoying the game.

Conclusion

World of Tanks is a great game for anyone who likes strategic warfare shootes. The game also features stunning graphics, an epic soundstage and a lot of unlockable content. I would personally give World of Tanks a rating of 9/10. The one point deduction just because sometimes the matchmaking is not fair whatsoever.

Pros:

  • Great gameplay
  • Great graphics
  • A lot of content to unlock
  • Fun games

Cons:

  • pay2win
  • Time it takes to reach tier 10