War Thunder

Pip pip, bally ho, chocks away!

War Thunder. Put simply you get a old-timey plane, you get to fly about and yell "neeeeeyyooooo - abakka-bakka-bakka" It's like every young gloss eyed kids re-enactment of aviation combat, but neatly packed into a computer game.

I've not been playing this very long, and was persuaded to play by my pals... otherwise this would have fallen completely under my radar and I'd be none the wiser about what has turned out to be a pretty nicely made game.

The general fear of any game in which players can pay for advancements etc is one that sits uneasily on most players ideas of 'well-balanced' or 'fair' game-play. I too am hesitant of such freemium style games, but War Thunder avoids this, and while players are given options for buying in game bit's and bobs, I've yet to see any imbalance or unfairness.

The game is played generally from third person, although you can swap the view about and the controls are concise well thought out and very easy to play with.

The game plays out in mini scenarios, either within an arcade or more realistic game setting, generally the idea being blow up the other guys before you get shot down. Each game scenario only lasts about 15 minutes and, so far, every game I've played has been quite exciting.

The Graphics are really pretty good there's certainly not much to shout about but the little touches like visible damage and bullet ricochet make it quite immersive. The Sounds are likewise similarly fitting, machinegun fire, flak explosions and engine noises, I could easily be suckered in given a darkened room and a good sound set up

Have A Go...

Really you have nothing to loose but the time it takes to download, and really that time can be used to grow a handlebar moustache and make a cup of tea in preparation for your approaching avionic adventures.

You can grab the game via Steam (which I did) or check out their homepage for more on their 'open beta'

Gaming Review summary:

Graphics 4/5
Audio 4/5
Gameplay 4.5/5
Features 3/5

Weighted Score: 79%

Bladdy hell lads, what a hoot!

Very easy to pick up and play, the menus can be a little frustrating, but this isn't a game about menus, it's about warplanes and explosions.