Released in 2012, as an open beta it was not until 2016 that it was officially released. War Thunder has enjoyed several awards including Best Simulation Game (2013 Gamescom Awards) Best Game, Best Developer and Best Technology as well as Best Sound at the 2013 KRI Awards. More recently War Thunder was voted as one of the most played games on the Steam platform with 25,000+ players. The story plot which encompasses War Thunder is a combined arms strategy format, which is unique to a game which utilizes both land, sea and air experiences.
There is a wide range of vehicles and time eras to choose from in War Thunder as well as factions to represent. The primary objective of War Thunder is to capture and retain strategic vantage-points or annex enemy bases. War Thunder actually achieved a Guinness World Record in 2014 for most planes in a flight simulator game as well as Most players online simultaneously on one Flight Simulation server the same year.
HOW IS THE PLAYER EXPERIENCE?
Regarding the user interface, it is very user-friendly to gaming veterans, but first-time gamers may need to play a few times to get to grips with it. Although it does come with some handy UI features. The graphics in War Thunder are generally exceptionally good, especially the armaments- Tanks, Planes etc. with the background features taking a noticeable backseat. With a unique and very well-suited score theme it blends very with gaming genre. In contrast, the special FX and foley audio is a little disappointing with muted gun and blast sounds which struggle to sound realistic.
The gaming experience when playing War Thunder though is very engaging and enjoyable to play, although there are some holes in its manufacture and server connection issues which can be quite frustrating. As a flight simulator it is up there with the best and its choice of flight craft is eye-boggling, Bombers, Dive Bombers, Spitfires you name it its in here. Attention to detail and an option to relive some of histories most famous naval and airborne battles is a unique way to let the player experience authentic combat.
The lack of a health meter can be a bit confusing and just judging by eye how your doing can be a bit frustrating. But makes up for it as the further you advance the more you are rewarded, with customizable options such as skins and upgraded machinery. Although for the average user it does take quite a bit of head-scratching to figure out exactly how to use the tech tree. The user does not have to spend a dime but is instead rewarded with experience points. Combat realism is a strong suit of War Thunder with its many tactical situations, unfortunately through-out most scenarios and interludes you are left to your own devices (especially during deaths and relaunches) where information is scant at best. The division of three distinct gameplay options allowing for difficulty settings is ideal for the first-time user as well as access to the online server for multiplayer mode is another great option available.
HOW DOES IT LOOK?
The incredible 1080p graphics lend themselves to great character detail as well as never dipping below 50fps, making the planes, tanks, ships, and everything else look totally authentic. To make the game easy to control and learn Gaijin have decided to make each of the game types a unique control set up and they pull it off for a number of reasons, not least of which each scenario gives the feel of a totally different game. The user is given a tutorial to run through as to familiarize themselves with how to utilize the various vehicles, the damage aspect to your selected vehicle is very realistic for example if you have been hit and sustained damage certain mechanics will not operate properly depending on how badly you have sustained damage. War Thunder has three different types of modes: Simulator Battles, Arcade Battles and Assault Battles. Simulator Battles are the most realistic and require a slightly higher degree of skill to manage the mode successfully.
War Thunder offers a massive array of terrain, water, and air vehicles to choose from. Upgrades can be purchased by micro-transactions and War Thunder currency although it really isn’t necessary to make purchases to enjoy the full experience, although it does put you at a distinct disadvantage if playing someone who has significantly upgraded their weapons and assault arsenal. War Thunder is jam-packed with psychological emotional euphoric highs that keep you coming back for more, the thrill of shooting down an enemy war plane or sinking a destroyer.
WHAT DO I NEED TO PLAY WAR THUNDER?
For PC War Thunder operates on Windows 7,8 and 10 and requires at least a Dual Core 2.2Ghz Processor. At least 4GB of memory is needed to run it successfully and a Direct 10.1 level video card for graphics detail the minimum supported resolution is 720p and a Hard Drive with at least 17GB to spare.
For Mac users the Catalina v.10.15 is the baseline OS required to support War Thunder and a Intel Core i5 with at least 6GB of memory, and a Intel Iris Pro 5200 or analog from AMD/Nvidia for Mac video card to support graphics and as with Windows at least 17GB of Hard Drive space is a requirement.
For those using the Linux OS most modern 64-bit Linus distributions are ample with a Dual Core 2.4GHz processor and at least 4GB of memory. A NVIDIA 660 with latest propriety drivers or similar AMD drivers video card is needed, and likewise with Windows and Mac the minimum supported resolution is 720p (with Vulcan support) and again at least 17GB hard drive space.
So, check out War Thunder for yourself and play it free by just clicking on the link here.
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