World War Online

With Half-Life mod Counter-Strike apparently more popular than Quake 3 Arena and Unreal Tournament combined, and upcoming first person shooters like Tribes 2, Halo and Team Fortress 2 seeking to push online team-play to new levels, it's beginning to look like multiplayer tactical combat games are the way of the future. Digital Illusions certainly think so, as they are hard at work on an ambitious game called "Battlefield 1942" which, as the name suggests, is aiming to bring World War II to life on your PC.

"Battlefield: 1942 will be a tactical first-person shooter set in World War II. It introduces the player to all-out war, with every aspect of warfare accessible to players and bots", lead designer Ola Holmdal explained to GameSpy in a recent interview. "In order to defeat your enemy, you will use combined arms tactics in the true sense of the word, combining tanks and dive-bombers, submarines and carriers, and machinegun nests with AA-artillery. Every aspect of WWII warfare will be accessible to a player and his friends from an FPS perspective, and the ultimate goal is to win enough campaigns to win the war."

Having played the travesty that is Codename Eagle, we're a little wary of games which try to mix first person shooting with a variety of driveable vehicles, but Battlefield 1942 is certainly looking promising so far. With four single player campaigns, six player classes and no less than fourteen driveable vehicles, as well as support for up to 64 players to fight it out over the net, it may just surprise the better known team-play titles due out over the next year...