{"id":747,"date":"2014-02-17T15:20:07","date_gmt":"2014-02-17T20:20:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/?p=747"},"modified":"2014-02-17T16:37:54","modified_gmt":"2014-02-17T21:37:54","slug":"game-review-world-of-tanks-xbox-360-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/game-review-world-of-tanks-xbox-360-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"Game Review: World of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s something delightfully simple about tanks in video games.\u00a0 The \u201ctank level\u201d has long been a staple of first-person shooters, offering gamers a brief respite from the tactical stresses of infantry combat.\u00a0 Enemies that would be terrifying on foot are mere cannon fodder when you\u2019re encased in an armored shell of awesomeness.\u00a0 Be it the Scorpion from the Halo<\/i> series or the old Battletanx<\/i> games on the N64, rare is the gamer who doesn\u2019t hold a fond memory of lumbering around in a tracked behemoth.\u00a0 World of Tanks<\/i><\/a> is a game built on that armored nostalgia, and the result certainly isn\u2019t lacking in appeal.<\/p>\n

\"WoT2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Originally built as a PC game, the new Xbox 360 Edition<\/i> brings the free-to-play multiplayer of World of Tanks<\/i> to console gamers.\u00a0 Players fill a garage with a wide variety of armored vehicles, then use them to fight in large-scale multiplayer battles.\u00a0 Winning (and, to a lesser extent, losing) earns the player money and experience points that can be used to upgrade tanks or purchase new ones.\u00a0 There are five classes of tank, each with its own strengths and role on the battlefield.\u00a0 Light tanks act as scouts, artillery and tank destroyers offer long-range support, and medium and heavy tanks bring the pain at close range.\u00a0 Each class has its own style of play, and teams must coordinate their actions in order to succeed.<\/p>\n

\"WoT1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The gameplay in World of Tanks<\/i> is a mix of intuitive controls and complex tactics.\u00a0 There\u2019s a significant learning curve, and a lack of respawns means that one careless mistake can put a player out of a match within the first minute.\u00a0 Thankfully, eliminated players can quit, hop in one of their other tanks, and join a new match without penalty.\u00a0 World of Tanks<\/i> can be extremely frustrating during a run of bad results, but winning is supremely satisfying.\u00a0 Whether or not the highs make up for the lows will depend on your patience for sudden and catastrophic defeats.\u00a0 As with all multiplayer games, the experience is vastly improved by playing with friends.<\/p>\n

As far as lasting appeal goes, World of Tanks<\/i> has some problems.\u00a0 While the catalog of tanks is incomplete compared to the PC version, the bigger issue is the lack of game mode variety.\u00a0 The objective always boils down to \u201ccapture and\/or defend the base,\u201d and this rarely happens without wiping out the enemy team in the process.\u00a0 Why not have a few big tanks face off against a swarm of smaller tanks?\u00a0 How about some kind of convoy or VIP escort? \u00a0Why not introduce a co-op survival mode?\u00a0 Without more variety in its multiplayer modes, World of Tanks<\/i> runs the risk of becoming monotonous fairly quickly.\u00a0 I worry that the developers will make the mistake of relying on new vehicles and maps to add variety instead of introducing new game types.<\/p>\n

\"WoT4\"<\/a><\/p>\n

On the technical front, there\u2019s far less to complain about.\u00a0 The controls make sense, and the graphics are perfectly acceptable for a free game.\u00a0 Matchmaking is quick and painless, and makes an effort to pit tanks of similar power against each other.\u00a0 Sound is a highlight, and being part of a firing line of friendly tanks is a great way to wake up the neighbors.<\/p>\n

Since World of Tanks<\/i> is free to play, there are of course premium features that can be bought with real money.\u00a0 A Premium version offers exclusive tanks and increased income, while in-game gold can be bought and spent on special equipment or a bigger garage. \u00a0These paid features are more a matter of convenience than actual in-game advantage, and the game isn\u2019t pushy about recommending them.\u00a0 Other developers would be wise to look at World of Tanks<\/i> as a model for making money on a free game without annoying gamers.<\/p>\n

\"WoT3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

FINAL VERDICT:<\/strong> Given the nonexistent price of entry, World of Tanks<\/i> is easily worth a try for Xbox 360 owners.\u00a0 There\u2019s a reasonable amount of fun to be had, even if the replay value isn\u2019t as high as it could be.\u00a0 If the developers ever decide to add in some new modes, I\u2019ll be happy to re-enlist for a longer tour of duty.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Review by Paul Jensen.<\/address>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s something delightfully simple about tanks in video games.\u00a0 The \u201ctank level\u201d has long been a staple of first-person shooters, offering gamers a brief respite from the tactical stresses of infantry combat.\u00a0 Enemies that would be terrifying on foot are mere cannon fodder when you\u2019re encased in an armored shell of awesomeness.\u00a0 Be it the [Read more…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/747"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=747"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/747\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":759,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/747\/revisions\/759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}