World of Tanks US Game Review 2022

World of Tanks crashing into each other and exploding is much more restrained than the bombastic trailer. It's a considered action game that creates moments as quietly intense as explosive brawls. And these fights are dramatically different depending not only on what class of tank you play, but also on what level you're duking it out. At early levels, for example, you'll be fighting mostly low-damage light tanks, and occasionally SPGs, like and against artillery classes. Later, medium and heavy tanks began to appear along with Hunter tank destroyers and battles became more complex as a large number of tactics were employed.

Each class has different priorities. SPGs usually hang back, finding a perch or hiding spot from which they can safely pick out targets with their bird's-eye view of the battlefield. The light tanks push around, spotting the enemy, helping the SPG in particular, but also the entire team. Tank destroyers roam the map like deadly hunters, looking for heavily armed enemies to destroy.

Every class has exceptions, and a tank's class doesn't always define its role. There are beefy tank destroyers that are designed to square up to their quarry, head on, tanks, but there are also tank destroyers that can attack from longer ranges, especially near bushes where they can hide. This means there are many reasons to enter a new class, even if you think you won't enjoy it.

I've become rather partial to supporting tanks since I started playing again. Despite its importance, teamwork isn't as common as you'd expect in World of Tanks combat, at least not randomly. There's a minimap and an alert system, both of which prove to be extremely useful, but only if people pay attention to them. Playing a support role, then, can be simultaneously rewarding and frustrating.

Although there are usually at least a few players interacting and that makes some games like SPG more engaging. That extra-long range and wider view of the battlefield means you can react a little quicker, and rescue a friend if necessary, even if you're on the other side of the map. And since you're not on the front-line, it really helps people highlight problem areas where you can help.

Destroying enemy tanks is not as simple as shooting and shooting. Tanks are versatile, modular machines and no two models are alike. Their weak spots, heavily armored areas, and the thickness and angle of that armor all depend on the tank, so it takes a bit of homework. The reticle turns green when you hover over a weak spot, but in the heat of battle, you don't always have time to search. Know your goals before you start. And even then, you have to consider the performance of your own gun and ammunition, your tank's weight and engine power, and of course your accuracy. If you're moving, for example, or trying to fire quickly, your shots are going to be much more likely to go wide.

The result is that a single 15-minute fight can have almost all kinds of misses, close calls, tense standoffs, explosive charges and calculated attacks. With so many different types of tanks, a lot can happen. And if you get out of a fight, you can go straight back to your garage, pick another tank and jump right into another game. When the battle you quit is over, you'll gain access to another tank again. There's a lot of faffing around in World of Tanks, but it's remarkably good at getting you back into the action as quickly as possible.

Much of the faffing involved World of Tanks' complex progression system and business model. A boot camp tutorial that takes new players through a series of battles, combined with progression and currency walkthroughs, makes the first 30 minutes of the game surprisingly breezy. By the end you'll understand the basics, and a bit more, as well as have access to all three tier tanks. You'll also have some extra experience and credits that you can use to upgrade tanks you've already unlocked Then the training wheels come off and it's a little messy.

The problem is that, once systems are defined, they are over-complex and inflexible. Take, for example, the process of unlocking a new tank. First, you have to unlock the previous tank in the tree, then you have to use that tank to earn battle experience points -- slowly -- which you can then spend on upgrades and later tanks. But you don't own that tank yet. You just research it. You then have to spend credits to buy the tank, and then spend a few more credits to fill it with ammunition and consumables, such as fire extinguishers and medkits so your crew doesn't get killed by fireballs.

And that's just the simple explanation. There is also a separate free experience that can be gained slowly by any tank, which is then performed in a pool. Battle experience from other tanks can be converted to free experience by spending premium gold coins. If you don't have enough combat experience to unlock the next tank in the tree, you can use free experience to get there. After doing so, you will have the choice to spend more credits to train the crew inside your tank.

It's a terrible system that makes World of Tanks seem a lot harder than it is. It's a hassle at early levels, but you'll be able to fill your garage with tanks and even have your first level V car in a few days. Once you reach the final few levels, however, you'll start to feel the grind of playing low-level matches to maintain your high-level tanks, saving up to buy fancy ammo that will allow you to stay competitive. You can even win a match and lose credits while racking up a repair bill. The alternative is to spend cash.

A premium account gives you more experience and credits after a fight, but big spenders can also splash out on fancy premium tanks. They have been a point of contention within Wargaming and its community since day one. Wargaming argues that they are different but not more powerful, but that they are properly pressed to remove certain tanks that were demonstrably overpowered. The problem goes beyond balance, though. In any competitive game, the mere introduction of premium-content divides the community into haves and have-nots. And in this case, letting everyone play together only increases the feeling that some players have an unfair advantage, imagined or not.

This only becomes more apparent at higher levels, where the game becomes more competitive and premium facilities become more necessary. The message is: You can play with the big dogs if you want, but you should probably stick to low-level fights. If World of Tanks 1.0 is going to bring in new players, not just laps, the message needs to be different.

Despite its eight-year evolution, I still feel the same way about World of Tanks as I did back when I first decided that bashing armored vehicles seemed like a fun way to kill an evening. The big changes are mostly positive, even if not every patch is successful, but Wargaming's flagship is a great game that often gets in its own way. Reaching higher levels should be considered an achievement and source of more exciting battles; It shouldn't leave me thinking about bills and grinding. I prefer to leave it to real life.

judgment

World of Tanks may have a silly name but it does something impressive. It manages to combine pure tank simulation and shooter action to create something that is flawed yet genuinely fun. The time required to research new tanks can be excessive, and elements of chance (including matchmaking) can make games unnecessarily frustrating. The lack of in-game instructions can make even basic mechanics like sight and cover mystifying, but if you can look past the issues, there's a lot to like.