World of Warplanes

Give it a year or two and this will be a high flyer. For now it's more Goose than Maverick. [Feb 2014, p.70]

Simplified flying is not even remotely as grabbing as tank battles. [Dec 2013]

As something to mess around with for no money down, World of Warplanes offers a wonderful arcade flying experience even if the richness of the gameplay modes is about ankle deep.

Not only will World of Tanks fans enjoy Wargaming’s new game. The gameplay is simple yet satisfying – you can feel the differences between planes, but some crude elements distinctive to hard core simulators were avoided. [01/2014, p.44]

Another problem is the lack of variety. I had a lot of fun playing Warplanes, but if you're not keen on going in for dogfight after dogfight (constant team deathmatches, basically) you're going to get bored a lot quicker.

Ultimately, it's the variety of planes and unlockable goodies available for each aircraft that keep you pushing through the more limited, recycled stretches of this airborne assault freebie. There's room to grow here, but World of Warplanes leaves the runway with a sound foundation intact.

World of Warplanes delivers fast-paced and comprehensive gameplay, aeroplanes overflow, and short intensive combats to fill your free time. However, to get ahead of War Thunder, the game's creators have to try really hard, and they have to deliver plenty of content in coming updates.

Wargaming.net delivers yet again a solid free-to-play experience.

Planes for tanks, not much else has changed. Enjoy hundreds of lovingly recreated planes, just don't expect a simulation or the plethora of features of its time-tested precursor and you'll find this to be a worthwhile package with a fair business model.

Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, World of Warplanes is lacking the features to keep players coming back for more. With only one game mode, early adopters of the game will have to wait for a little while until Wargaming begins supporting it with more content. That said, it’s an inevitability that this will happen, and at its core WoWP is a very fun, addictive game,that is destined to carve itself out an ardent fanbase.

World of Warplanes‘s is a decent game, but its ultimate undoing is its leveling system and its economy, turning what could have been a competent, if limited, arcade flight experience into an expensive trial that can only be overcome with time or money.

Those who fully appreciate the fast-paced, arcade action may not be fully appreciative of the attention to detail paid to the planes on show. Likewise, those who fully appreciate the attention to detail, may be disappointed to not be given a deeper flight simulation with which to fly their historical birds.

After months of tests World of Warplanes still looks unfinished. Gameplay balance allows for enjoyable matches with machines up to level V, an old engine delivers mostly choppy framerate even on powerful machines and the game itself isn't easy or accessible. The developers have a long way ahead of them to create a truly great aviation online shooter. Right now the game is only "ok".

World of Warplanes will continue to evolve, now let’s await the third and final game of the World trilogy, Battleships.

World of Warplanes is a fun, arcady game with quick and exciting battles. It should have a bit better presentation and immersion even though the game isn't about that. Its easy action, and hopefully a small taste of something that the developers will add with more functions.

World Of Warplanes is a neat addition to Wargaming’s repertoire, but it all just feels a little too shallow to really make waves.

An okay way to kill time, with inevitable changes looming on the horizon, just as it was with World of Tanks. It’s dubious though that the retail version struggled to get off the ground, while War Thunder, still in beta, soars. [Issue#237]

World of Warplanes is not bad, but it's not nearly as exciting as World of Tanks. It's a sometimes enjoyable, occasionally tiresome arcade shooter that's forgiving to fly and a challenge to master. Compared to its smart, successful older brother, it's not nearly as sophisticated and, most importantly, it's not nearly as much fun.

We would have loved to like World of Warplanes but wargaming.net's title misses its target. From a small margin indeed but the aiming system that hesitates between arcade and sim ruins the experience. It's even more sad because the rest of the game is pretty neat. Nicely made and plentiful, the aircraft are the true star of the show, and the environment does its job. And the economic model is very nice for a free-to-play. You can actually play for free, without ever feeling you can't compete with paying players. Do not hesitate to try this imperfect but nice game, and the devs swear they would improve it in the coming months.

The start of World of Warplanes is promising: the dogfights are intense, the graphics are impressive and in-game purchases are not necessary to win. However, we would have liked to have gotten a cockpit view and more content.

World of Warplanes is a P-51B Mustang; out-turned, out climbed and outdived by the superior P-51D that is War Thunder. [Nov 2013, p.82]

World of Warplanes is a solid game, but one that suffers from poor controls and a lack of options. If there is one thing that Wargaming has shown us, it is that they support their games with post-release updates. That is promising. In the future, many of the issues currently plaguing the game may disappear entirely. Others, such as its soft-edged art style and poor sense of speed, are likely here to stay. But, as is the case with all free-to-play games, your best bet is to try it for yourself and see. There is a good game here, if you can get past its wrinkles, and one that will only get better with time.

It's a collector's dream. But more than anything, it needs a better camera, and better, more accessible controls — especially for gamepads. Without fixes and more diverse gameplay, my squadron is grounded until further notice.