"Um die Flagge kämpfen! Get this game!"

Introduction
I remember back in the days when I wanted to get UT2003. A lot of people on the boards were talking about a Battlefield 1942. It sounded like it was going to be good, even though I wasn't into FPSs at that time, so I bought it at EB. I played it, and it's been my favorite game from then until now. My favorite game for 15 months. Thats.. like.. a lot of years.

Story-10/10
INGENIOUS!! This story is amazing and very captivating! The Germans seem to have started war with Britain in 1939 and other allies, and then the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the Americans joined the Allies. It was America, Britain, Russia, France, and many many other countries against Germany, Japan, Italy, and a few other countries. The story has many twists, such as Italy joining the Allies in 1944. Very captivating, indeed.

Graphics-9/10
The graphics are very good. The only reason I didn't give it a 10 is because of POSSIBLE (but rare) problems with some video cards and setting, and that the graphics aren't anything revolutionary or breathtaking. Still enough to be realistic, though. If you don't have AA and AF on, expect a little bit of aliasing problems and the ground flickering. The effects in this game, such as gunshots and explosions, are average. They aren't very detailed, but enough to get the point across. The guns looks very nice, too. The soldiers for each country all look the same in terms of face and uniform. The skins are pretty good. If you don't set the detail level to 80% or above, the game will look bad. Be sure to do that. Also, if you don't have at least 1.5 GHz, 512 RAM, and a 64 MB video card, the game will not run as well as you want it to. Medium and high settings will run it perfectly, though. Don't expect getting 60 FPS unless you have a really good video card. Anything below 512 RAM will result in slower loading times, which will delay your action because the game already started while you are loading.

Sound-8/10
The gun sounds and vehicle sounds may not be ''realistic'' or detailed, but they are good enough. Voice commands really add to the game, because you can simply use the F keys to request, spot, command, alarm, and tacticize with your teammates. Online that is.

Gameplay-10/10
What makes a game. First of all, what you hear about constant lag is false. If you have DSL or better and only go in servers with low ping, low will be NO problem. This game is menat to be online. Singleplayer is not fun. The bots are stupid, the games slows down A LOT, and the bots won't listen to you. Multiplayer is where it's at, yo. Rutabaga. OK so onto what you do. You are put onto a map from WWII, ranging from Battleaxe to Stalingrad to Omaha Beach. The maps are historically incorrent, but it doesn't affect the gameplay, does it? NOOOO!!! You are on one of two teams, which are certain countries depending on the map. Moose me up for that! The main mode of play is Conquest. Each team starts with a certain amount of flags. If you go to an enemy flag, clear it out of all enemies, and stay there for a few seconds, you capture it. Whichever team has the least flags slowly loses tickets. Dying also loses your team a ticket. When a team gets to 0 tickets, that team loses, and the war progresses. Not really, but whatever. The countries have SOMEWHAT accurate guns. There are 5 classes to chose from to help your team. Scouts can use a sniper rifle and scout for artillery. Assaults can use a machine gun. Anti-tanks get a Bazooka or a Panzershrek, Medics get a submachine gun and can heal teammates or themselves, and engineers get a rifle, can plant remote control explosive, can plant landmines, and can repair vehicles. There are many vehicles to help your team win. There are tanks, artillery, planes, bombers, jeeps, and ships. Each vehicle has its own strengths and weaknesses, and you can use them to your advantage to win the game.

Replay Value-10/10
This game may never get old to you. With new patches and maps coming out, and many many mods to play, you may want to keep playing even if you do get bored. BF1942 is at version 1.5, from 1.0 when it came out. Mods such as Desert Combat, Eve of Destruction, Forgotten Hope, and other lesser-known, but still very fun mods can be played. If your friend has this game, you can play with him/her to lengthen the time that you play this game.

Conclusion
Buy this game! There are 2 expansion packs out: The Road to Rome, which adds new weapons, and the Italian and Free French forces, and 6 new maps. Secret Weapons of WWII adds prototype weapons that never were able to be used in the war, 8 new maps, British Commandos and German Elite forces. This game may never get boring to you! You can play with up to 64 players in game. That's moosey!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/17/03, Updated 12/18/03