Thursday, June 9, 2011

MMO Tourist: World of Tanks

So, I have a backlog of these MMO Tourist posts, since I have sampled my way around a great deal of MMO's, but I figured I'd push this to the forefront as it is the most recent and the freshest in my mind. World of Tanks is an entirely PvP MMO that, as the title suggests, features tanks (not "holy trinity tanks" but real world tanks) doing battle in various scenarios, always teams of 15 v 15, as far as I know. It is F2P and you can buy special ammo, extra garage slots to keep more tanks, and pre-made tanks with real money. Alright, enough with the exposition and on to my thoughts.

What I Liked
The game seems very well balanced, which I can attest to, have a nearly 50/50 win/loss ratio, which is a good thing for a PvP game. The tanks move and work in a realistic way (slow and plodding, especially in a non-upgraded tank) so the battles end up being a little more strategic than just fast paced run-in-die-run-in-again-die-again of most online PvP I've experienced. Once your tank is blown up, you're out for the rest of the match (though you can exit the battle and take one of your other tanks to another match, if you choose). That was nice, as it lent real weight to destruction.

What I Didn't Like
The game was a little slow for me. Plus, since the whole thing takes place in PvP matches, there is no world to explore, no quests, no story involved, etc. . . These aren't problems from a game perspective, but they are problems for me as those are what I am looking for in an MMO. Also, there wasn't really a tutorial that explains how everything works. You just have to figure it out. Maybe there's a game manual somewhere, but I couldn't find it.

Why I Stopped Playing
This is a good game, but it i not a good game for me. PvP is my least favorite activity in an MMO. I enjoy working with people, but not against another group. Also, and maybe this speaks to the kind of person I am, I prefer a game where whether I win or lose depends on something other than being sucker punched by a tank I never saw coming. I didn't spend any money on this game, but I would rate the 20 or so hours I invested at about $5 worth. Again, it's a good game, just not a good game for me.

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