Game - Warrock (pre and closed beta) preview (PC)
 Rufus and Scraps (an  rates it:    Community rates it:
   177 of 354 readers found this review helpful.

Scraps: War is hell, or so I've heard.

Countless games place the player in the role of the soldier, but the upcoming "War Rock" does have a unique plan - it's a 100% online FPS, and here's the kicker - it's free.

The BumsCorner crew had a chance recently to test out a pre-beta build of the game, and after shooting the hell out of each other and the faceless masses, we're here to report our findings.

Once I was able to log on and start the download, the process was fairly quick. It took a few tries to get started, but on broadband I had the client down in about 20 minutes.

After logging on, you're presented with different rooms to join, or the option to create your own (and even a password option for private rooms). You can select from either mission based rooms, where each team has to complete a task before the other team, or two different sized maps, depending if you prefer vehicular combat or on foot.

Keeping in mind that this is a pre-beta build, and an online game, and a FREE online game, the graphics were actually pretty impressive. Sort of late PS1 or early PS2 FPS quality. The environment, albeit static, was actually pretty detailed, and I didn't run into any graphics SNAFUs while fragging my buddies.

Dormouse: One of the more fun things I found on the game was the ability to upgrade weapons on your character. Its a great idea that few games take advantage of.

Scraps: I agree that this was an interesting twist, especially the "renting" aspect of it. You don't just make an uber-character and tear up noobs...you can upgrade your weapons, but for a specific amount of time (3 days, 7 days et cetera).

There was a decent balance among the player types as well, and with 4 or 5 players working together, you've got a decent team that can take out vehicles, other players, and heal your teammates.

While on the subject of taking out other players, one of my beefs with the game is the unrealistic amount of damage players can take. When I'm playing Quake, yes, I expect that I and other players can take a whole lot of damage before going down. In a more "realistic" game like this however, I shouldn't have to nail a player with multiple rockets when they're cowering in a doorway. I mean, I'm not shooting bags of flour here!

Rufus The option to change the game setting to one shot one kill, or have death shots would be great. Rumor has it, this may be an option in the future.

The gameplay is top notch with having the Stamina meter under the life bar. Sprinting, jumping and rolling will drop this meter down temporarily, causing you to rest to get it back up. Very nice.

Like you said Scraps, the graphics work just fine. My one complaint would have to be the lack of destructable environments. Now, would this cause more coding and a lot more work to be put into the game? Who knows? I'm no programmer, yet shooting a window, or the side of the building with a tank only to have no penetration is slightly annoying.

Overall I must say that while this game plays out like a mix between Counterstrike and Battlefield, WarRock adds its own flavor and twists into the mix to help it stand out. I am enjoying every minute of this. The best part of a pre-beta test is..... IT ONLY GETS BETTER FROM HERE.


Rufus: Now we’ve come to the closed Beta, and I must say that this game is getting better and better. More weapons, more levels, and more vehicles. Now we have jets, helicopters, and yes folks…..even boats. No longer are you left to only run around in a desert, but take the battle to the water. If it’s getting too hot for you on land, jump over a railing and swim away.

Scraps: Sure, you can do that, if you’re a yellow bellied coward. With my (lack of) flying skills I’ll happily plant my helicopter into any unsuspecting foot soldier. Sometimes I even mean too!

The more I play this game, the more I like it. What it lacks in graphics, it more than makes up for in gameplay, and of course a facet near and dear to my heart, the price. You cannot beat this free online game.

The new vehicles and weapons have added a lot to the game, and I really like the new maps as well. The damage is still not realistic, but for a shooter, I think I can live without it. Even in closed beta, there were always plenty of rooms to join in, and I can’t wait to see what the crowds look like when this goes live.

One thing I would have liked is in-game headset support. Having to use external software is easy enough, but the less I have running in the background on my beater machine, the better. Being able to speak to your squadmates is a must in this game, since in beta so far, typing in the chat box does not disengage the keyboard commands, so every time you hit the space bar to give an order to your troops, your character jumps up in the air. Sure, this will probably get worked out before going live, but it gets tiring.

Rufus: True enough. Let me go down some of the things I want to see.

- One shot one kill options
- Destructible environments. Hell, at least be able to shoot through glass.
- Better chat options. If you can’t use a headset, fine. Allow me to type while still being hidden at least.

Those are some things that I would love to see hashed out, and in all reality should be completed before this goes live. Who am I to complain? Every time I get on WarRock the good people there have seemed to add something new. If you like Counter Strike and shooters in general then look for this one when it goes live. The game is fun; Plain and simple. Sure it needs a few extra things added, but it’s free people!! My dad use to always say that anything fun is not free, and WarRock proves him completely wrong. I can’t wait till this goes live.

Pre-Beta: 3 cans
Closed Beta: 4 cans

Scraps: Yup, I agree wholeheartedly with your wish list. This game is flat out a blast to play, and I cannot emphasize enough how much I love the price. The methodology for healing, getting ammo and capturing the flag is brilliant, and I dig jumping in and playing for a spell. It’s a quick and easy guilty pleasure.

All you wannabe soldiers out there, keep your eyes peeled for a BumsCorner room, and get ready for Rufus and Scraps to fill you full of hot lead and stomp on your pathetic corpse.

Pre-Beta: 3 ½ cans
Closed Beta: 4 cans

Added:  Thursday, August 17, 2006

Related Link:  Official site
Language: eng[ Did you find this review helpful?  Yes  No ]
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