World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition – tanks in the box

World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition, Microsoft announced at E3 and Wargaming 2013 , has become a challenge not only for developers who needed to maximize the transfer PC-oriented gameplay WoT on the console, but also for platformoderzhatelya, until recently, not to engage in Free-to -Play games. It seems, Wargaming, and Microsoft managed to adequately pass this test.

Wargaming West, past Day 1 Studios, acquired Wargaming 20 million in January 2013 . Firstly, the studio already had enough experience in developing for consoles, including the Xbox and Xbox 360. Secondly, in their possession had multiplatform engine own manufacturing Despair Engine, which at one time was developed shooter FEAR 3. , released in 2011. Third, briefcases Day 1 Studios had projects and MechAssault MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf, except where bipedal robots have the ability to manage and tanks. And finally, fourth, at the time of purchase studio just working on Free-to-Play project with session fighting – Reign of Thunder. Find the best candidate would be difficult.

So, changing the name to Wargaming West, Chicago studio enthusiastically took up the porting and in early 2013, the world saw the closed beta version of World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition, and after E3 2013 began open beta testing. February 12, 2014 everyone got access to the game. That is porting a project of this level was just over a year – an impressive result.

What you need to start playing World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition? Microsoft Xbox 360 console, and certainly not modified (ie unable to run pirated games), and paid subscription Xbox Live Gold. “Gold status” will take part in other online games, as well as monthly access to free games, including AAA-class. The subscription price Xbox Live Gold – $ 10 a month. Xbox Live Gold card for 12 months can be purchased for $ 40-50 depending on the provider, and it is really very good offer. How to start sorted out, move on to the World of Tanks.

Play on the big screen, sitting in a chair, it’s not the same as playing sitting at table, looking at the small monitor. It would seem that the same game, but it looks and feels very different. It is clear that influences here and banal picture size, and field of view, but most importantly – still control. If the classic World of Tanks management essentially shuternyh – WASD plus mouse, the World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition quickly simulyatornoy – left stick is responsible for moving, right – for the rotation of the tower. This scheme is familiar to many tank Arkadia and Sims 90s, but in fact it is closer to the real tank management (rychagi!) than the keyboard-mouse.

Actually “ride” on the controller is very comfortable. Developers moved the camera a little closer to the tank and lowered it. By and large – a full third person view, turning into FPS when zooming sight. The controls are very natural and comfortable, you get used to it in just a couple of fights. But there are some nuances.

If you play on Fri ACS, medium or heavy tank – speed and turn the tower in which small, no discomfort from the junction with the mouse / keyboard to gamepad you will not experience. The same applies to the “arte” – in aiming mode is no difference at all. But if your favorite vehicles – light tanks can be a problem. The inertia of the gamepad, input lag, delay TV, high speed turret rotation seriously hamper aiming. Ie work “firefly” succeed, but even harm hulking howitzers will be difficult, though not impossible, when competent tactics can neutralize such management features.

Needless to aim in World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition also somewhat simplified. Unlike the PC version, which hover just highlighted silhouette enemy tanks, sight here also changes color, showing the base chance to penetrate the armor. White – past, yellow – 0%, orange – 50%, Red – 100%. But this is only the base chance, can cause damage and yellow crosshairs.

Another aspect that is taken into account – for a long time loading the game on the Xbox 360 seems to affect architectural features consoles and high resolution game levels. Although the delay in a couple of seconds there when loading tabs research, shop, hangar, etc. But when loading levels much worse – you can watch the cog 30-50 seconds. And we would have blamed the problem on the specific features of the console, which happened at our disposal, if not a large number of rollers Let’s play with the exact same long-term loading. Wait boring and tedious, but not the problem, and that you may well appear on the battlefield when all your teammates are already engaged in battle with the enemy. And therefore have to catch up, lose the advantage, etc. Especially a lot of trouble it gives all the same fan light tanks, like the inertial control them was not enough. The appearance of late means that the main task “Firefly” in this battle, you will not perform – fighting began, “lit up” went. We hope that this bug is corrected in the near developers patch, otherwise light tanks in World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition will be put an end.

Despair Engine technologically inferior BigWorld Technology, especially after the change in the final render. By the way, according to rumors in the PC version is planned another update graphics. As a result, World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition version of the game loses visually for Windows, especially in terms of special effects, shadows, shaders. This is not surprising, given the difference in performance of a modern PC and Xbox 360. However, in general graphics look quite organically and holistically. Explosions are good models of tanks quite on the level. Again, it is worth considering that the game console you sit away from the TV and a lot of things, too, anti-aliasing, is not so critical.

Some simplification appeared in World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition and noncombat parts. So not at all in the game crews and new guns and engines have not set individually, and a kind of packages according to a modification of tanks. Personally, I console version lacks the advanced statistics, but it eventually can be viewed on the website of the game. In general, the interface hangar optimized for gamepad, get comfortable and straightforward, although sales procedure tank and change package was not the most obvious. All the nuances of the game buying gold, translation experience, acquisition premium, premium tanks, etc. remained unchanged. Plus added items avatar Xbox Live.

Has not changed and the economy. At low levels, you can fight for fun, pump tanks, open new. At higher without gold status you will be working at a loss, so will have to either bring themselves premiumnyh tanks for earnings or grind. That is, we all the same World of Tanks.

To date, the game features a full line of German and American tanks, plus part of the English. One of the first tasks the authors set themselves entering Soviet technology. Speaking of maps, most of them moved from the PC version of the game, having undergone minor changes, but some acquaintances cards missing, although there are a couple of new ones. Plus, the game has not yet implemented the daily tasks, clan wars, etc. obviously, it will all be incorporated into the next patch. General procedure for frequent updates of games, it is also something new for Microsoft, recently laying out patches for console games turned into an insurmountable for many companies bureaucratic quest.

In World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition, in fact the first Free-to-Play project for Xbox 360, already a lot of players. Of course, in line for a fight are not thousands of tankers, as in the PC version, and hundreds, but wait for the selection of teams do not have more than 15 seconds.

We can say that World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition very high quality and the most accurate port on the Xbox 360 popular Panzer MMO-action. Some nuances of management and console architecture still exist, but they are not very critical and will hopefully be fixed soon. Although predicting the same widespread popularity in our country the console version of the game we will not. Unfortunately, not hacked console in our reality is very rare, as players who have purchased a subscription Xbox Live Gold.