"This IS war."

-Intro-
I got this game for Christmas, and I have loved it since then. They simulated the war, perfectly. It looks very real. The gameplay is very fun, and the graphics are mesmerizing. This game is intense and one of my favorite games.

-Story-
9/10
The setting is World War II. You play on the Allies side, and fight the Axis to the death. Different levels are played, mostly, all over the world. Some are in Europe, Africa, and the Pacific theater. Play as medics, engineers, bazooka men, and more! This is war...

-Graphics-
9/10
Wonderful graphics. Some of the best I've seen on a computer game. The lands look so real, the ships look fantastic, tanks look big and strong with artillery, and the planes look more real than ever! I was amazed by this. I didn't know the graphics would be this great. When firing a gun, you can see the smoke coming out, and when they hit the ground, smoke also shoots up from it. The only reason I didn't give this a 10, was because the explosions didn't really look like explosions. Just a lot of dust and smoke. But still, it's nothing really to complain about, because everything else is breath-taking. The guns look like guns from Medal of Honor, and you can see the person reloading, and looks so cool. The environments you are in look so detailed and alive. There are hilltops, deserts, forests, and they all look like real ones. I just loved looking at all of this. I didn't know how the developers did it, but they did a very good job.

-Sound-
10/10
Firing a gun and hearing the bullets is like music. I could hear it again and again. Sometimes, I'd just keep firing for no reason, to hear it. When on a tank, and firing a turret gun, it sounds fast and how a real turret would sound. It's like someone actually went into World War II, and tape recorded all this sound. You can hear the cries, when someone is it, and when on a battle ship, you can hear from faraway the bullets and explosions. It was amazing. There's no real music, because it's in the middle of a war! Nobody plays music during a war. So, it's either real silent, or loud when your attacking. When starting a level, and your on a battleship, you have to go across the waters to the land. So, you get a motor boat and it sounds exactly like one. While driving in the waters, you can hear the splash of the waves hit the boat. I was wowed. This is THE best sounding game... ever.

-Gameplay-
9/10
Fight the Axis. Bomb them, shoot them, cut them... pick your poison. Playing is so much fun. It's hard, but fun. You can play in a tank, plane, battle ship, and use a lot of different weapons. When planes fly overhead, you can either shoot it with a machine gun, or (the smart thing) use an anti-aircraft gun. That gun is very powerful, and will take down a plane in seconds. The Allies and the Axis have their own bases. Our bases our huts with ammo and medicine inside of them. So, if you're running low on ammo, and you need to heal, then go in those huts. You can also take over bases. You can tell which base is yours, and which one is not, by the flags hanging over the bases. If you want to take over a base, all you have to do is go up to your enemy's flag, and replace it with yours. The enemies might chase you down and try to kill you, but... this way you can have more allies and less worries about your enemies! You can play as snipers, bazookas, machine gunners, medics, or engineers. Each has a different weapons with them. But each of them all have a knife. The knife isn't a better choice over using guns, because if you try to sneak up on a guy, he'll just turn around and kill you. So, I advise all of you, to keep the knife in your pocket, and have your guns out. It's not so easy controlling an airplane. (At least, I can't) But if you can, you can use bombs or turrets. If you don't feel like walking, you can take the fast vehicle, the GP. During gameplay, there's a LOT of people on the screen. So many that the computer sometimes freezes up and moves slower, because there's so many graphics. So, it gets harder to aim. But when and if that doesn't happen, the game is fun and always exciting. Also, there's a top bar that lets you make out requests and other stuff like that. For example, if you wanted reinforcements, you could just call it in, and usually you get it. It's so cool. This game isn't just copying World War II. This IS World War II.

-Replay Value-
9/10
High replay value. Even if you beat the game, you'll still want to play it. It has everything you ever wanted in a video game. Even if you're not a fan of violent, war type games, this will still please you. I guarantee it.

RENT or BUY??
Buy it. I already beat the game. I'm not saying it's short, it's just I played it all in one sitting. That's how good this game is. There's a lot of different levels to keep you hooked. It does a good job at that. This is the best war game I have ever played. Also, the best looking. It can have so many people on the screen, it scares me. Playing this will keep you up for hours. It does a terrific job on the sound. I haven't played the other Battlefield games, and I think that's what I'm going to try out next. So, have fun playing!! You won't be disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/05/03, Updated 01/05/03