When confronted with the task of reviewing Battlefield 1942’s newest expansion pack, Secret Weapons of World War II, I was a little worried; part of me said, “Great, another expansion….” and the other said “Great! Another expansion.” I have to admit I was a little worried that this new multiplayer expansion was simply made to milk some more money off an already established name, but thankfully I was proven wrong.
Graphics:
Every expansion pack for this game has improved on the graphics engine, and EA followed suit on this title as well. The graphics are crisp and clear, and look more polished then ever. The vehicle models have been improved upon and seem more fluid and realistic than previous models that looked like a big box that shoots. A major improvement took place in the look of the weapons. The weapons are, well, flawless. The metal shines as the sun overhead reflects off it, and the character animation of reloading looks better then it ever has before.
Sound:
Audio in the game has always been top notch, and nothing changed with the expansion pack. Bullets can still be heard flying past your head, explosions in the distance warn you of eminent conflict, all immersing you in an entire World War II world. A flaw I found, just to be picky, was the fact that calls for help or commands, come in too crisp, and I think making the commands cut in and out like say a walkie-talkie, would have brought the battlefield even closer to your living room. Overall however the sounds in the game are flawless, and are an integral part of why the game is so enjoyable.
Multiplayer:
The tried and true formula that made the first Battlefield 1942 game so great is again brought back in this “new” game. The expansion provides the player with new weapons, characters, vehicles and maps. The new weapons in the game consist of throwing knives, which when used are thrown at a target and cause a considerable amount of damage. Also new to the game are the shotgun, and some modifications to the previous guns to better equip the player for those oncoming battles. What makes this a game to die for though, are the new vehicles; from small jets to amphibious transports, this edition of Battlefield 1942 has all the bases covered.
The first new “vehicle” that I just had to see was the rocket pack, and it was pretty impressive; it allowed the player to “fly” for short bursts which could be used to completely confuse the enemies, or just place you in some prime locations to make short work of opponents. The small planes, McDonnell F-85 Goblin (Allies) and Natter Rocket Plane (Axis) are two completely different jets, but are aimed at the same purpose: quick attacks, then leaving the scene of the crime. The Goblin uses its light machine gun and its amazing speed to make short work of ground troops, but isn’t much help in any effort to rid yourself of the cumbersome tanks blocking your team from the next flag. The Natter on the other hand, uses rockets to completely annihilate anything on the screen, as long as you are pretty accurate, the only drawback is the fact that it relies on fuel, and once the fuel is gone, it's time to ditch the ship and land in the fray of the mess you've just made.
Then there are the “stealth” planes: the Armstrong Whitworth AW-52 (Allies) and the Horton Ho 229 (Axis). These planes are also very fast, but come with a little bit more bunch, and are great for bombing runs or air-to-ground combat. The allies’ new jet uses missiles and bombs to completely bombard the Axis and create large scenes of havoc on the ground below. The axis jet on the other hand uses a machine gun and missiles; it’s not as strong as the allies' jet in terms of wiping out armored units, but when used against troops can be just as deadly.
The last new air unit, and possibly one of the coolest parts of the game, is the addition of the C-47 Cargo Plane: it provides a mobile spawn point, which is just amazing as it allows for more fights to take place by placing troops exactly where they are needed. The only problem with this unit just like with all all planes, they can be shot out of the sky, so just cross your fingers that you don’t spawn just as your transport gets blown to smithereens.
The addition of new water/land vehicles provides another new twist to the conventional Battlefield game play. Lakes and rivers that used to stop your progress across the map are quickly forgotten and simply crossed. The LVT-2 Water Buffalo is similar to a convertible tank, with two machine guns and some room for extra passengers in the back. The other land/sea vehicle that is just gracing the landscapes of Battlefield is the Schwimmwagen; this jeep hybrid is a two-seater with a passenger side machine gun to make short work of oncoming troops. The only other new vehicle that is used solely in water is the Commando Raft. This dinky rubber raft with a front mounted machine gun, glides through the water at an astonishing rate, and makes short work of its sole job, placing troops right where the action is.
To enhance the game play further, DI, implemented the use of motorcycles with a side car equipped with a machinegun to make blazing through the countryside a little easier. The bike's speed, handling and small size enable someone to sneak from one corner of the map to the other very fast; but it is very weak, and leaves the player unprotected against almost all fire power.
Secret Weapons adds 4 new “tanks” to the works, in the shape of the Sherman Tank with T-34 Calliope, Flakpanzer, T95/T28 Super Heavy Tank with AA Gun, and Sturmtiger. The first tank, the Sherman, comes with your standard tank specs with the addition of the T-34 Calliope, or rocket launcher. This machine is a sight to be seen when both the tank and rockets are firing simultaneously. It easily blankets an area with explosive firepower and levels some of the most formidable armies. The Flakpanzer is simply a tank with a quad-gunned AA gun on a turret. Great against enemy aircraft and some light vehicles (see motorcycle) and infantry, this is a great addition to any mobile battalion. The Russian T95/T28 Super Heavy Tank is quite the machine, although unfortunately its lack of gun mobility leaves something to be desired. The top mounted heavy machine gun though, makes for a great backup unit against enemy troops, if put in the back of a unit, this tank can easily demolish quite a bit. And, last but not least comes the Sturmtiger. The Sturmtiger is a tank with a huge hole in the front that shoots some incredible explosives. The tank is great as an answer for the Super Heavy tank, although unfortunately it’s a little slow, and the incredibly small ammunition hold limits this tank heavily.
As stated earlier this expansion also comes with eight new maps to try all the new vehicles on. The new maps take place in a variety of different locales anywhere from huge mountain terrains to one team having to cross a large expanse of water before battling the opponents. Some of the maps, six to be exact, use the new objective based mode that makes the players takes one flag at a time to ensure the ultimate in team unity and to make it a little easier for the opposition. While the other two maps are simply go shoot the enemy and take the flag style maps.
The most important aspect of this expansion, is the game's ability to deliver an amazing multiplayer game that gets you entrenched deep into enemy territory. Secret Weapons, delivers just what everyone needed by still providing the all important multiplayer mode, but with a new twist. With the addition of Secret Weapons, players now have the ability to play maps where certain objectives must be met before the map can be won. This new addition according to EA Games, is supposed to create a more team oriented feel, and (hopefully) provide more gunfights along the way. While these new maps and vehicles are being discovered and explored to their fullest, I have seen a better sense of teamwork already and hope to see it remain as high as it is. The entire feel of the multiplayer aspect of the game already seems to have shifted just a little for the better.
Conclusion:
In the end I have to give this game an incredible score, only because it makes a game that is already exceptional that much better. Immersing the player in an online World War II game is no easy task considering the market out their for FPS WWII games, but keeping players immersed in a game for more then a year and not charging a monthly fee, makes the entire Battlefield 1942 series something to put on the shelf right next to Doom.