WWI: The Great War

 PC
Metascore
57

Mixed or average reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 6
  3. Negative: 2 out of 6
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  1. GameBiz
    68
    The Entente is a fairly big game with dozens of missions to complete, so if it turns out you like it, you may spend several weeks churning out all possible opportunities that this game has to offer.
  2. IGN
    64
    Multiplayer adds a dose of enjoyment, but the small amount of gamers playing over open servers will have you begging your friends to buy their own copies in order to squeeze a few drops of fun out of this mode.
  3. Computer Games Magazine
    60
    This isn't a quick play, and games can drag out for ages, making the battles either a labor of love or just plain laborious. [May 2004, p.68]
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  5. PC Gamer
    58
    But unless you prefer games that you watch and don't play, there's simply no reason for either history or strategy buffs to waste the coin. [May 2004, p.75]
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  6. GameSpot
    48
    Sadly, like the war it's based on, WWI: The Great War is an exercise in madness, frustration, helplessness, and human folly. This is a mess of a real-time strategy game.
  7. Computer and Video Games
    39
    Everything from the AI to the interface to the laughably inappropriate resource system is basic. Admittedly, there are thousands of troops to command, but controlling them is a nightmare and the whole experience is best forgotten. [PC Zone]

User Reviews

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User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 5 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 5
  3. Negative: 1 out of 5
  1. Dauntless07
    Dec 9, 2011
    0
    You may say "Go easy on this game, it's the first of its kind, where else are you going to get an RTS set in WWI?" but no, it just sucks, andYou may say "Go easy on this game, it's the first of its kind, where else are you going to get an RTS set in WWI?" but no, it just sucks, and I don't hesitate to say it's one of the worst games I personally have played. The inferiority of this game to superior rts games set in WWII is astounding. It's based off the Cossacks engine, and by that I mean it's copy and paste. Literally there is no difference between this and Age of Empires style gameplay, except this is far worse. Pathetic AI, no trenches, building models and units that are only cosmetically different, extreme lack of realism (poping the archer out of the archer hut style gameplay,) ineffectiveness of any type of tactical nowhow, and confounding all these issues, the scale. This game is just too big. The most units that can be fighting in any of WWI's huge maps is 50,000, yet I only managed to get up to about 10,000 in my army in one of my battles vs the comp, and even at that scale it's unforgiving. Thousands of men can be mown down in seconds, and with such huge armies, the only thing you can really do is put the "Military Advisor" on to let the Comp take care of the army and focus on the economy. Likewise, economy is equally impossible to micromanage, and any attempt to do either without the comp will result in your quick defeat. It's lucky this game can play itself, because I didn't have the patience to sit though the entirety of these battles, which can go on for hours. Avoid this game at all costs, a war that killed 17,000,000 people deserves more justice than this piece of crap. critics are absolutely right.… Full Review »
  2. SamT.
    May 7, 2004
    8
    Don't read any of the above reviews: They're practically all wrong. They must have reviewed a Beta. All the things they are Don't read any of the above reviews: They're practically all wrong. They must have reviewed a Beta. All the things they are complaining about have been fixed (or added). Buttons are translated pretty consistently (except food sometimes shows up as "Provisions"--not too bad a leap if you passed fifth grade), officers give troops bonuses, resourcing is reasonable, and soldiers have buttons that set stances and if they fight hand-to-hand or shoot (or even use anti-personell grenades). Also, you can assign more than one 126 man squad to a hotkey--it's easier to manage on your own than they say if you use that little tip. As for my own comments: This game is all right, not "great" but all right. Gameplay: If you read the small instruction manual and play the tutorial you'll be fine. My one gripe about game mechanics is that you have to do both the tutorial and fully read the instructions, because details about the game are omitted from one or the other: you have to do both before you can really get going. Oh well, at least this gives you something to do while it installs. Also, the "Museum" in the main menu is the tech tree and unit descriptions for each nation--read these also before choosing your nation. Resourcing: Resourcing in this game will be problematic unless you come from a solid Cossacks background. You're going to need more than one farm to support your army, and you're going to need more than a handful of Iron and Gold mines and Oil Derricks to finance your WWI escapades--fortunately, the maps actually have more resources than you'll ever need if you upgrade the buildings you have. Also, there is a building called the "Mint." Build one, staff it with ten workers, and research the "Mint Coins" upgrade and it'll multiply your gold intake by 100% per worker in the Mint. Combine this huge fortune with a Market, and there is no venture you can't finance in a reasonable amount of time. Just don't forget Power Plants!! Unit Management: Again, this will be problematic if you haven't come from a Cossacks background. You'll need more than thirty units to win this game. Heck, you'll need more than three hundred. And you'll need more than two barracks to produce them. In a typical MP game players build up to a dozen barracks---maybe half a dozen each tank factories and hangars and artillery depots. This is the only game that boasts "Thousands of units battling it out!" that actually has thousands of units battling it out. You'll NEED to assign more than one squad to a hotkey to manage it, but mercifully, the path finding is excellent. Graphics and Sound: The graphics are a little outdated, but not so much so to detract from your experience. For some reason the game default speed it so slow the unit animations seem choppy--speed it up a few notches and you'll be in WWI paradise. The music on the otherhand is WAAAYYY out of place for a war game, but there'll be so much going on that you won't notice. The sound effects for your units are varied and realistic. Like I said, this game is all right, but not "great." It's worth as much as it costs and will keep you entertained for months.… Full Review »
  3. RebelS.
    Mar 9, 2004
    7
    The game is cool reminds me of cossacks but I think that a patch is needed to fix graphics. Sometimes units become invisible!
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