World of Tanks has been insanely popular on the PC, so it’s great to see that the game has finally come to the PS4. If you’re new to the game it is set around the time of World War Two and features numerous tanks from that era.

Essentially the game is free to play and whilst it does have micro transactions these are in no way obligatory. In-game there are two forms of transactions, Silver and Gold stars, with which you are able to enhance your tank and crew, the gold costs real money. What you do with the tank depend upon which direction you go.

The game has four basic types, light, medium and heavy tanks as well as artillery. Each of these has their strong and weak points, although in general it is best to angle yourself to limit the amount of damage received. Separate parts of your tank can be damaged and disabled, so it you lose your tracks, there are some options for repair, but in the mean time you are a sitting target.

Light tanks are very much as they sound, lightly armoured, but make for some of the fastest tanks on the field. Medium tanks increase the damage you can deal and take and likewise heavy tanks have enough firepower to be considered tank killers, but all that armour and armament makes for a very slow tank. Artillery has the greatest range and the highest firepower, but is painfully slow to move. Each of the classes has its own set of tanks to choose from which can be developed through the tank progression tree.

The 15 x 15 multiplayer matches are set in a reasonably large area, which contains various well defined and detailed environments, from the centre of a city to differing countryside settings. The basic idea of the game is capture the flag, where each team can win by either capturing the others base, or by the complete destruction of their opponents. The game contains different variations on this theme.

I'm guessing that if you have not played the game your thinking: "Well, just get the most badass tank you can afford and let battle commence". In one way you would not be wrong, firepower is important, but what happens when you encounter fifteen light tanks that can manoeuvre quicker than you can turn your turret? You suddenly realise that the game has a greater depth than is first evident. There is a converse problem for those pesky light tanks when they speed around corners only to discover a tank killer which obliterates them with a single shell.

There are other element to consider. Which shells will you fire and at what? Remember I mentioned that there is a good angle at which to enter the battle. For most tanks their heaviest armour is on the front of the tank, the weakest in the rear. Although, in my experience, losing your tracks pretty much means game over. There are no respawns within each battle, if you die; you stay dead till the end of the match.

So, after a couple of matches you also will realise that all that scenery is not there just for show, it is your most vital friend. This game has almost nothing to do with engaging in tank rushes, which is a good way to short, losing matches, rather it has a greater depth of strategy than a first look would suggest. You are more likely to find yourself very slowly creeping through the bombed out, rubble strewn streets of a deserted city trying the get the drop on your opponent without making that single error which will get you killed.

If that sounds a little slow and technical, honestly it’s not. This is not a war simulation, but rather a nice blend of strategy and arcade sensibilities. In a way it reminds me of Star Wars: Battlefronts, in that the game gives you a wonderful sandbox in which to play which allows even the most novice player to jump straight in.

So what does this all boil down to? Obviously, as a reviewer I get sent games in the hope I’ll say something nice, for the most part I’ll play five to ten hours before doing the review and deleting the game. World of Tanks is staying on my PS4, so, now if you will excuse me I have some tanks to kill.

9

Charles Packer