Hands On: World of Tanks Xbox Edition

World of Tanks is perhaps best known as the PC game with over 70 million registered users, but the Xbox edition is currently running beta testing, and I’ve spent some time trying it out.

I fired up World of Tanks with a fair amount of apprehension and scepticism. Tank-based warfare is something that I always have high expectations for, yet the reality always turns out to be somewhat of a let down. As I start the tutorial, I can’t help but be taken back to the earlier iterations of the Call of Duty games, back when World War II was the setting and the games would throw in the occasional tank mission for my gaming displeasure.

To me, those missions somehow turned something that should have been a novel and exciting experience, into a monotonous dull-fest that I was forced to endure – a low point in an otherwise great gaming series – and World of Tanks wasn’t doing much to alleviate those fears at first.

However, after a short, almost pointless tutorial – a tutorial that explains stuff that doesn’t need to be explained, while seemingly overlooking more beneficial guidance – I jumped straight into a game and was actually pleasantly surprised.

World of Tanks throws two opposing teams of “tankers” (technical term) onto large, sprawling battlefields that afford the players room to manoeuvre and tactical options to consider. You’ll find natural choke points, hilltop vantage points and various routes to flank your enemy on these maps, plus a variety of terrain which can hide you in cover or leave you dangerously exposed.

The aim of the game is simple, either take the enemy base (a circular area of ground that can be captured like a flag in conquests) or annihilate their entire team – leaving no operational enemy armour on the field. The means in which you carry that out though are vast and varied, with two games rarely playing out in the same way.

Both teams take to the field with an abundance of tanks (15 vs 15) but the important bit to remember is that in World of Tanks, there is no respawning. This adds a greater regard for the value of your life and weight to your decisions. Rush head-first into the fray and you’ll no doubt spend the rest of the match in spectator mode, as your smouldering metal husk litters the battlefield.

Instead you will want to err on the side of caution and think about not just what you’re doing, but what your team mates are up to as well. Pressing select at any point will bring up your tactical map. I refer to it as tactical map, because it’s not just a birds eye sketch of the battlefield, but it also shows you your allies positions, the positions of any spotted enemies, as well as grid references which you can use to issue orders to your team mates.

In one game me and team mate were in a bit of a bottle neck and clearly out gunned. I noticed that a group of allied tanks were moving up the flanks, so I used the radial command menu to tell my team mate to pull back. As we pulled back, drawing both the enemies fire and attention, our allies moved in from the side and wiped the opposition out. It’s at times like these that world of tanks really shines and, with the right group, teamwork can really be the key to winning.

When it comes to tanks, the game boasts an impressive range, categorised into light, medium, heavy, tank destroyer and artillery. You start out with a basic light tank and as you play you gain experience and money that you can use to unlock the higher tier vehicles. Even this introductory tank can prove to be quite the twin-tracked terror if you play to the vehicle’s strengths.

Each tank has its own strengths and weaknesses, be it fast and agile, slow and powerful or somewhere in between. Vehicles can also be upgraded and customised to make it look and feel more to your individual specification. This is all unlocked using in game currency and experience points, which are earned by playing the game – a process that can be made faster by using real world money to gain XP boosts.

The game generally plays very well. It’s quick and easy to get into a match, and despite being a beta, I experienced no connection or lag issues. The controls are very intuitive with the left stick for movement and right stick to aim. Be aware though, as you frantically scan the horizon for enemy tanks, your turret often lags slightly behind, so make sure it’s caught up before you take your shot.

The tanks all tend to have a slight clunky feeling to them, which actually feels just right and the terrain you’re traversing effects your tanks performance in ways that feel correct – so be aware of those hill climbs when you’re trying to fall back.

Graphically, the game may not be the next Crysis, but it does do a respectable job at modelling the vast array of tanks that are on offer, while creating varied maps that feature some nice little touches. On one map for example, you can see bomber aircraft being engaged by triple A fire, as you roll into battle.

Also of note is that the environments feature a level of destruction. Trees, walls and fences will succumb to your tank tracks as you roll over them, adding a nice sense of weight and power, while tank shells will blow holes in buildings that get in their way.

The audio is fairly unremarkable. Tanks sound, well, tank-like, shells whoosh past with alarming frequency and the audio commands sound authentic enough to get the job done. It’s not in anyway a problem, but its certainly an area where there is room for improvement.

Overall, World of Tanks looks like a very promising game that manages to strike a balance between action and simulation. Although I personally can’t see it reaching the dizzy heights of success that it’s had on the PC, it could well be among the pioneers of free to play games that pave the way for a new model of gaming on console.