Battlefield 1942

aka: BF1942
Moby ID: 7213

Description official descriptions

Battlefield 1942 is a massive online multiplayer shooter roughly based on World War II, but with emphasis on balance and fun. Join armed forces of United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Germany or Russia, and battle up to 63 of your friends online. Have access to up to twenty different authentic weapons. Control any of the 30+ vehicles over land, on water, or in air. Combat takes place in four theatres; South Pacific, North Africa, and Eastern and Western Europe. Have epic battles with up to 64 players on the same map, or hone your skills in single-player mode against AI bots.

Spellings

  • æˆ˜ćœ°1942 - Simplified Chinese spelling
  • æˆ°ćœ°éąšé›Č1942 - Traditional Chinese spelling

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Credits (Windows version)

238 People (206 developers, 32 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 89% (based on 47 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.7 out of 5 (based on 105 ratings with 7 reviews)

Best reason to have a LAN party ever.

The Good
Battlefield 1942 stands today as one of the hottest games for massive multiplayer LAN gaming, a true gameplay fest based on the simple concept of taking the tried and true class-based fps gaming and enhancing it by making it a truly massive experience thanks to it's 64 players-limit, it's gigantic maps and it's vehicle gameplay.

Based on non-linear game types with conquest and domination-type objectives, the maps span literally miles and miles of terrain, with a spawning base for each team (axis or allied) and dozens of tactically-exploitable landmarks inbetweens, showcasing all of the major theaters in WW2, from the seashores of the pacific islands to the demolished French countrysides and the deserts of northern Afrika. These large areas serve as a way to acomodate the large number of players, yet they also need to be so large due to the other big addition Battlefield brought and which involves the gigantic arsenal of vehicles you can command. Be it a Zero fighter, a Panzer tank or a U-boat, they are all here and allow you to take part in your favorite warfare role, from tactical sniping to aerial dogfighting, blending all gameplay mechanics successfully.

As befitting a game of this type, teamwork is heavily rewarded and most vehicles perform better when separate players handle different functions, at the same time, the class limitations and abilities give another twist to the run-and-gun gameplay that diversifies the gameplay options and extends the shelf-life of the title. The resulting mix could have easily ended in a "jack of all trades, master of none" situation, however Battlefield manages to pull it all off with hardly any problem and thus ends up being a real wonder to play. I had the opportunity to play with 20+ crowds and it's an incredible experience whenever everything works fine (more on that below), I can only imagine what it must be like to play on a fully loaded 64 players Lan...

The Bad
I have one big gripe with the game and a bitching issue. First of all, the big gripe is that if you like single player gaming then don't even bother to look at Battlefield. Sure, the game has bots... but seriously, there's nothing here for single players (and the bots are the Unreal kind: y'know, stupid and predictable in the easier settings, and stupid and predictable in the harder difficulties, except they suddenly gain such a mind-staggering accuracy that causes you to drop dead the second you cross their line of sight).

Besides that, as stated above the game is made by teamplay, and it's also broken by it as another reviewer noted. If everything and everyone works correctly then you are rewarded with a spectacular warfare simulation (sans all the boring details, of course) if not, then you get a lot of idiots running around and crashing onto each other with the planes. This is why I think the game is mostly a LAN game, as it's not only where you'll find the largest amount of players without lag problems, but it's also the best way you can find of making actual teams and coordinating gameplay. Most of the online games I've played where at best counter-strike games with vehicles, exploiting none of the best features the game has to offer.

Also a lot of interface conventions and controls need some time to become used to (case in point: the control changes when entering a vehicle and the infamous default parachute key).

The Bottom Line
Basically one of the best multiplayer games in recent memory, finally the big developing houses start to learn their lessons from the mod community (in fact, Battlefield owes a LOT to mods like the exceptional Day of Defeat). Battlefield brings to the multiplayer arena the best massive team-based fps gaming in recent memory and manages to cover all the bases successfully. Problems include a completely multiplayer-only design and (as with most multiplayer games) a big dependency on the human component.

Windows · by Zovni (10503) · 2005

Medal of Honor is simply pathetic when compared to Battlefield.

The Good
Nearly everything about this game is perfect.

Vehicles- The amount of vehicles in this game is simply outrageous. You can use any vehicle that you can see, fighters, tanks, jeeps, and even U-boats. It is simply satisfying to drop a missile on some idiot who wasn't paying attention, or blow five infantry into the air with a tanks cannons blast.

Music- There is no music in the game other than on the pause/main screen, and trust me that is definitely a good thing. With no sound, in-game, you can hear the whiz of an airplane overhead, just before it razes you with machine guns, you can hear every bullet, right before it kills you. Somehow being slaughtered by an enemy that you didn't even now was there is satisfying.

A.I.- The bots on this game are quite smart and extremely good in any type of vehicle. While some people might consider an enemy that is good enough to kill you stupid and annoying, I like it simply because it gives me a challenge, and forces me to get better at the game. When put on the highest level they will be very good, but like any game, they will be semi predictable, and eventually simple to beat.

The Bad
The only bad thing about this game is that because of the so many vehicles, it kind of takes away the feeling of a good first-person shooter. That is my only complaint.

The Bottom Line
This game is great and try to buy the deluxe pack if you can as it includes the expansion pack The Road to Rome. Buy this game.

Windows · by Jester236 (34) · 2004

WHERE ARE YOU FROM SOLDIER?!

The Good
1) This game defines the world "Multiplayer".

2) The plethora of vehicles adds a whole new dimension to the word “freedom”.

3) The boundary system is very clever: instead of having an invisible wall, you have a deserter’s line.

4) The SP isn’t shabby, contrary to popular opinion, and should be defined as a very rough diamond.

The Bad
1) The single player needs buffering.

2) You will need a meaty system and internet speed to fully enjoy this game.

The Bottom Line
This game has a great multiplayer and a functional single player. Highly recommended

Windows · by James Smith (1) · 2005

[ View all 7 player reviews ]

Trivia

1001 Video Games

Battlefield 1942 appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Cancelled Xbox version

An Xbox version of Battlefield 1942 was planned, and was also going to support the Xbox Live feature. On January 15, 2003, EA declared that the game was cancelled. The official reason was that they wanted the developers to be able to focus on the expansion Battlefield 1942: The Road to Rome instead. However, people speculated that the real reason was that EA felt they couldn't make any big money with a relationship with Microsoft.

Online servers

The game's online servers (which were hosted on GameSpy) were scheduled to shut down on 30 June 2014, like for other Electronic Arts titles in the wake of GameSpy's total closure.

Awards

  • 4Players
    • 2002 – Best PC Multiplayer Game of the Year
    • 2002 – #8 Best PC Game of the Year (Readers' Vote)
  • Computer Games Magazine
    • March 2003 (Issue #148) - Co-Winner of of the 2002 Game of the Year Award
  • Computer Gaming World
    • April 2003 (Issue #225) - Multiplayer Game of the Year 2002
    • February 2006 (Issue #259) – Introduced into the Hall of Fame
  • GameSpy
    • 2002 – Multiplayer Game of the Year
    • 2002 – PC Action Game of the Year (Readers' Choice)
    • 2002 – Best Two-Song Soundtrack (PC)
    • 2003 - Best Mod of the Year (for Desert Combat)
    • 2011 – #15 Top PC Game of the 2000s
  • GameStar (Germany)
    • February 13, 2003 - Best Multiplayer Game in 2003 (Reader's Voting)
  • Golden Joystick Award
    • 2003 - Online Game of the Year 2002
  • PC Gamer
    • March 2003 - Best Game of the Year 2002
    • March 2003 - Best Multiplayer Game of the Year 2002
    • April 2005 - #9 in the 50 Best Games of All Time list
  • Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (Entertainment Software Association Germany)
    • 2002 - Gold-Award for selling more then 100,000 (but less then 200,000) units in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Information also contributed by PCGamer77, piltdown man and Xoleras.

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  • MobyGames ID: 7213
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by JPaterson.

Additional contributors: Unicorn Lynx, Grov, Corn Popper, Paulus18950, Patrick Bregger, Plok, FatherJack.

Game added September 13, 2002. Last modified March 6, 2024.