By now, we all know what World of Tanks is about. The Russian gaming sensation has taken over the world many times, and yet it still seems to find new ways to make noise pull in players. The most recent of course, is its incarnation on the Playstation 4. We’ve reviewed World of Tanks several times already, so this review might be a bit short. But if you’ve been wondering how Wargaming’s flagship game performs on the PS4, we’ll give you a quick rundown.
World of Tanks, in case you weren’t aware, is a game where you fight in fantasy battles with history’s greatest (and sometimes weirdest) tanks. There are a multitude of game modes, battle types, and even different classes of tanks to use in battle. The game’s hook is that each and every one of the game’s dozens of tanks can be collected, upgraded, and customized to your liking. If you’re into heavy mobile machines of destruction, then there’s very likely no better game on the market for you.
All of the PC version’s game modes are here, including even the mini 16-bit tank game you can play while the client updates. There’s full PS4 integration, friends list, voice chat, even Platoons work here. Though you can’t carry over progress from your PC or XB1 account, the PS4 version is separate entirely from the others.
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Controls wise, if you’ve played WoT on the XB1, it’s pretty much the same. Left stick controls the movement forwards and back and turning of the tanks, while the right stick swivels the cannon. The triggers handle the firing and your lock-on aiming. The face buttons control supply shots, and switch ammo types. It all works really well, and even as a bit of a Tanks noob, I was able to pick up the controls quickly and easily.
The game’s real meat, for an RPG and MMO fan, is in the progression systems. Win or lose, you get tons of XP from each match. If you’re a gold member (the game’s version of a subscription) you get even more XP. You also gain silver and gold with each match. Gold can be bought with real money, while silver is gained easily through playing. You get bonuses to all types in coming with a gold membership, but I never felt the need to pay extra while playing. World of Tanks, in recent years, has removed the “Pay 2 Win” mentality the game initially was saddled with, and now it’s really just a “Pay 2 Progress Faster” model, which I think is one of the best ways to handle monetization. As a father and a workaholic, I’d gladly pay to progress quickly, and not feel left behind.
World of Tanks remains the kind of game you can spend a quick match with, and feel satisfied. Or, if you prefer, you can waste an entire afternoon playing the many match types, and decking out your tanks. The Clan Wars is a great way to partake in bragging rights and bigger rewards too on the PC, but as of yet there’s no announced date for the wars to come to PS4 or 360/XB1 versions. Hopefully that gets added soon, because it can bring a whole new layer to the game’s ongoing “reasons for playing”.
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I’ve had a lot of fun with WoT on the PS4. It seems, as a couch game, Tanks thrives where you can plop down and relax and play a few matches. It’s still probably best on the PC, but the visuals and ease of drop in and drop out play is a ton of fun on consoles. Considering its low price of free, if you’re a fan of World of Tanks, or just a PS4 gamer looking for a good action game with great progression and gameplay, Wargaming’s PS4 port is a no brainer.
GAMEPLAY – 9 | The same great gameplay you’ve come to expect from World of Tanks, just this time on the PS4. Addictive, deep, and strategic – the original tank combat game is still the best.
VISUALS AND SOUND – 9 | Wargaming makes fantastic use of the PS4’s horsepower, as the visuals are some of the best from the game’s many incarnations. Aurally, if you’ve got a good sound-system at home, World of Tanks will make you feel like you’re right in the thick of the war.
POLISH – 8 | The game’s running on all cylinders, but I would have appreciated more attention paid to the interface of the garage. It’s got to be hard to condense it all down from the PC version, but it still feels a bit overwhelming at first.
LONGEVITY – 7 | There are hundreds of tanks to evolve, customize, and tweak to your desire. If progression is your sort of thing, it’ll be a while before you’re bored. Still, without Clan Wars, there’s a limit to how much time you may want to stick with the game. Hopefully that part gets added soon.
VALUE – 9 | As a free game, you can’t really get much better than WoT’s model. That said, you will do better with quicker progression and being able to unlock tanks faster if you spend money. You can do that all for free, but it’ll take a fair amount more time.
