Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII
Encyclopedia
Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII is the second of two expansions
to the World War II
first-person shooter
computer game Battlefield 1942
. It is developed by Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts
for Microsoft Windows
September 4, 2003 in North America and September 5, 2003 in Europe. It was published by Aspyr Media
for Mac OS X on October 25, 2004.
Secret Weapons of WWII brings many new features to the original game, such as new weapons, vehicles, battles, factions
, and a new gameplay mode that focuses on fulfilling objectives more than destroying the enemy army. These new features help to bring variety to its predecessor's gameplay without overhauling the series. For example, while an Allied
engineer may still maintain his original role as being able to repair vehicles, his long-ranged rifle
has been replaced with a shotgun
, which is effective at short distances.
As in Battlefield 1942, players play the role of a soldier
in a two-sided battle and can choose what weapons or vehicles he or she wants to use in accomplishing this task. Usually, the team that works together more effectively wins by reducing the enemies tickets to zero. (A team loses tickets when its members are killed, but also when the other team holds a majority of the capture points on a map.) Even more so than in Battlefield 1942, the weapons in Secret Weapons of WWII are designed to be used in unison with other weapons in order to compensate for weaknesses and maximize strengths.
A gameplay mode introduced in Secret Weapons of WWII is an objective-based mode in which players focus on accomplishing specific objectives in order to win the battle. For example on Essen, the German forces must prevent Allied forces from destroying key portions of a weapons factory. If the Allied forces successfully fulfill these objectives, the German tickets are drastically reduced, usually winning the game for the Allies.
The default Allied (US) Army and Axis
(German) Army have received new weapons and vehicles in addition to the creation of two entirely new factions, the SAS
(British Commando) and the German Elite Troops (the SS
and the Fallschirmjager
). The accompanying update package 1.41 introduces an additional three new factions, USMC, RAF, and Luftwaffe
. Each faction has unique weapons to their faction that can only be obtained by playing as that faction or picking them off a fallen enemy soldier. They also have unique vehicles that are only available at their bases. Even with the creation of these new factions, all the maps in the expansion pack are Axis versus Allies, as is the custom in the Battlefield series.
Also of special note is the Jet Pack
, which allows players to fly in the air while firing a weapon. In order to maintain gameplay balance, the Jet Pack is very susceptible to blowing up while under fire, instantly killing the player. As opposed to other weapons, the Jet Pack is not unique to one faction, and instead, it can be found at one or more locations throughout a particular map as an item that replaces the player's current equipment. However, there are only four maps which have the Jet Pack in them.
, Harley Davidson Motorcycle, M4A1 Sherman T34 Calliope
, T95/28 Super Heavy Tank, Sturmtiger
, Flakpanzer IV Wirbelwind
, Horten 229 Jet Fighter, XF-85 Goblin Jet Fighter, C-47 Skytrain
, AW52 Jet Bomber, Natter
Rocket Plane, V3 Wasserfall
, LVT-4 Water Buffalo, Schwimmwagen and the Commando Raft.
, FG-42, Silenced Sten Mk.II, Bren
LMG, Gewehr 43 ZSF and the Mauser K98K
Gewehrgranate are also in the expansion pack. In addition to the expansion pack is a 1.45 upgrade package that gives another two weapons, the Japanese Type 99
LMG, and Soviet DP 1928 LMG.
, Hellendoorn, Gothic Line
, Eagle's Nest, Raid on Agheila, Operation Aberdeen, Telemark Research Base
and Peenemünde.
based on 18 reviews.
Almost all reviews reflected positively on the amount of variety added to the game without turning players off from the original draw of the series. Jolt UK commented that it is "A welcome addition to the Battlefield family, and has a style all of its own..." GameSpy
listed as a pro that it had "Lots of fun new vehicles; some outstanding new maps." GameSpot
said that "Its additions are extremely enjoyable to play around with and, in some cases, really change the gameplay of the original in new and intriguing ways." IGN
noted that "...the new super weapons are brilliantly incorporated in to the gameplay."
Criticisms included that the proportion of content to retail price was too low. In GameSpot's review of the game, it claimed, "However, considering how much it retails for, it probably could have offered more." Gamespy listed as the con that "Some of the maps are clunkers; $30 is too much for the limited content here." Also, some critics disliked the fanciful nature of many of the new weapons and vehicles introduced by the expansion. IGN summarized its reaction in its review of the game: "Secret Weapons of WWII, while based in historical equipment and encounters, nevertheless offers up a steroid-enhanced version of the regular game with plenty of new weapons that were on the cutting edge of technology (or merely on the drawing board) at the close of the Second World War. For some players, myself included, this extra touch of Hollywood seems a bit out of place relative to the previous games." Jolt UK commenting along similar lines that "...it also feels a little out of place. About the last expansion the game can handle."
Expansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...
to the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
computer game Battlefield 1942
Battlefield 1942
Battlefield 1942 is a 3D World War II first-person shooter computer game developed by Swedish company Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh . The game can be played in singleplayer mode against the computer game AI or in multiplayer mode...
. It is developed by Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
September 4, 2003 in North America and September 5, 2003 in Europe. It was published by Aspyr Media
Aspyr Media
Aspyr Media, Inc. is an Austin, Texas based company that specializes in porting Windows games to Mac OS. It has been in business since 1996, and as of 2003 owns 60 percent of the Mac entertainment market...
for Mac OS X on October 25, 2004.
Secret Weapons of WWII brings many new features to the original game, such as new weapons, vehicles, battles, factions
Political faction
A political faction is a grouping of individuals, such as a political party, a trade union, or other group with a political purpose. A faction or political party may include fragmented sub-factions, “parties within a party," which may be referred to as power blocs, or voting blocs. The individuals...
, and a new gameplay mode that focuses on fulfilling objectives more than destroying the enemy army. These new features help to bring variety to its predecessor's gameplay without overhauling the series. For example, while an Allied
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
engineer may still maintain his original role as being able to repair vehicles, his long-ranged rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
has been replaced with a shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
, which is effective at short distances.
Gameplay
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
in a two-sided battle and can choose what weapons or vehicles he or she wants to use in accomplishing this task. Usually, the team that works together more effectively wins by reducing the enemies tickets to zero. (A team loses tickets when its members are killed, but also when the other team holds a majority of the capture points on a map.) Even more so than in Battlefield 1942, the weapons in Secret Weapons of WWII are designed to be used in unison with other weapons in order to compensate for weaknesses and maximize strengths.
A gameplay mode introduced in Secret Weapons of WWII is an objective-based mode in which players focus on accomplishing specific objectives in order to win the battle. For example on Essen, the German forces must prevent Allied forces from destroying key portions of a weapons factory. If the Allied forces successfully fulfill these objectives, the German tickets are drastically reduced, usually winning the game for the Allies.
The default Allied (US) Army and Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
(German) Army have received new weapons and vehicles in addition to the creation of two entirely new factions, the SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
(British Commando) and the German Elite Troops (the SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
and the Fallschirmjager
Fallschirmjäger
are German paratroopers. Together with the Gebirgsjäger they are perceived as the elite infantry units of the German Army....
). The accompanying update package 1.41 introduces an additional three new factions, USMC, RAF, and Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
. Each faction has unique weapons to their faction that can only be obtained by playing as that faction or picking them off a fallen enemy soldier. They also have unique vehicles that are only available at their bases. Even with the creation of these new factions, all the maps in the expansion pack are Axis versus Allies, as is the custom in the Battlefield series.
Also of special note is the Jet Pack
Jet pack
Jet pack, rocket belt, rocket pack, and similar names are various types of devices, usually worn on the back, that are propelled by jets of escaping gases so as to allow a single user to fly....
, which allows players to fly in the air while firing a weapon. In order to maintain gameplay balance, the Jet Pack is very susceptible to blowing up while under fire, instantly killing the player. As opposed to other weapons, the Jet Pack is not unique to one faction, and instead, it can be found at one or more locations throughout a particular map as an item that replaces the player's current equipment. However, there are only four maps which have the Jet Pack in them.
New Vehicles
Sixteen new vehicles which include the BMW R75BMW R75
The BMW R75 is a World War II-era motorcycle and sidecar combination produced by the German company BMW.In the 1930s BMW were producing a number of popular and highly effective motorcycles...
, Harley Davidson Motorcycle, M4A1 Sherman T34 Calliope
T34 Calliope
The Rocket Launcher T34 was a tank-mounted multiple rocket launcher used by the United States Army during World War II. The launcher was placed atop the Medium Tank M4, and fired a barrage of 4.5 in rockets from 60 launch tubes. It was developed in 1943; small numbers were produced and were...
, T95/28 Super Heavy Tank, Sturmtiger
Sturmtiger
Sturmtiger is the common name of a World War II German assault gun built on the Tiger I chassis and armed with a large naval rocket launcher. The official German designation was Sturmmörserwagen 606/4 mit 38 cm RW 61. Its primary task was to provide heavy fire support for infantry units...
, Flakpanzer IV Wirbelwind
Wirbelwind
The Flakpanzer IV "Wirbelwind" was a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun based on the Panzer IV tank. It was developed in 1944 as a successor to the earlier self-propelled anti-aircraft gun Möbelwagen....
, Horten 229 Jet Fighter, XF-85 Goblin Jet Fighter, C-47 Skytrain
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
, AW52 Jet Bomber, Natter
Bachem Ba 349
The Bachem Ba 349 Natter was a World War II German point-defence rocket powered interceptor, which was to be used in a very similar way to a manned surface-to-air missile. After vertical take-off, which eliminated the need for airfields, the majority of the flight to the Allied bombers was to be...
Rocket Plane, V3 Wasserfall
Wasserfall
The Wasserfall Ferngelenkte Flakrakete , was a World War II guided surface-to-air missile developed at Peenemünde, Germany.-Technical characteristics:...
, LVT-4 Water Buffalo, Schwimmwagen and the Commando Raft.
New Weapons
Seven new weapons, including throwing knives, Auto-5 ShotgunBrowning Auto-5
The Browning Automatic 5, most often Auto-5 or simply A-5, is a recoil-operated semi-automatic shotgun designed by John Browning. It was the first successful semi-automatic shotgun designed and remained in production until 1998...
, FG-42, Silenced Sten Mk.II, Bren
Bren
The Bren, usually called the Bren Gun, was a series of light machine guns adopted by Britain in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1991...
LMG, Gewehr 43 ZSF and the Mauser K98K
Karabiner 98k
The Karabiner 98 Kurz was a bolt action rifle chambered for the 8x57mm IS/7.92×57mm IS cartridge that was adopted as the standard service rifle in 1935 by the German Wehrmacht. It was one of the final developments in the long line of Mauser military rifles...
Gewehrgranate are also in the expansion pack. In addition to the expansion pack is a 1.45 upgrade package that gives another two weapons, the Japanese Type 99
Type 99 Light Machine Gun
The was a light machine gun used by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. -History and development:The Type 96 Light Machine Gun, an improvement over the previous Type 11 Light Machine Gun was introduced into combat service in 1936, and quickly proved to be a versatile weapon to provide...
LMG, and Soviet DP 1928 LMG.
New Maps
Eight new maps are included in Secret Weapons of WWII. Notably, altogether the maps provide every possible Allies versus Axis combination given the factions in the expansion pack. This includes Mimoyeques, Kbely Airfield, EssenBombing of Essen in World War II
During World War II, the industrial town of Essen, was a target of Allied strategic bombing.The Krupp factory was an inmportant industrial target, Essen was a "primary target" designated for area bombing by the February 1942 British Area bombing directive....
, Hellendoorn, Gothic Line
Gothic Line
The Gothic Line formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence in the final stages of World War II along the summits of the Apennines during the fighting retreat of German forces in Italy against the Allied Armies in Italy commanded by General Sir Harold Alexander.Adolf Hitler...
, Eagle's Nest, Raid on Agheila, Operation Aberdeen, Telemark Research Base
Norwegian heavy water sabotage
The Norwegian heavy water sabotage was a series of actions undertaken by Norwegian saboteurs during World War II to prevent the German nuclear energy project from acquiring heavy water , which could be used to produce nuclear weapons...
and Peenemünde.
Development
The expansion pack was officially announced on April 2, 2003; although, there was significant speculation preceding the announcement that Electronic Arts was making a second expansion pack to Battlefield 1942. Nearly six months later Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII began to be sold at stores for thirty dollars, ten dollars more than the originally conceived twenty dollar price tag. This sometimes negatively affected reviews.Critical Reception
Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII was received generally favorably. While not winning any awards, it received a compilation score of 82% on GameRankings based on 36 reviews and 79% on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
based on 18 reviews.
Almost all reviews reflected positively on the amount of variety added to the game without turning players off from the original draw of the series. Jolt UK commented that it is "A welcome addition to the Battlefield family, and has a style all of its own..." GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
listed as a pro that it had "Lots of fun new vehicles; some outstanding new maps." GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
said that "Its additions are extremely enjoyable to play around with and, in some cases, really change the gameplay of the original in new and intriguing ways." IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
noted that "...the new super weapons are brilliantly incorporated in to the gameplay."
Criticisms included that the proportion of content to retail price was too low. In GameSpot's review of the game, it claimed, "However, considering how much it retails for, it probably could have offered more." Gamespy listed as the con that "Some of the maps are clunkers; $30 is too much for the limited content here." Also, some critics disliked the fanciful nature of many of the new weapons and vehicles introduced by the expansion. IGN summarized its reaction in its review of the game: "Secret Weapons of WWII, while based in historical equipment and encounters, nevertheless offers up a steroid-enhanced version of the regular game with plenty of new weapons that were on the cutting edge of technology (or merely on the drawing board) at the close of the Second World War. For some players, myself included, this extra touch of Hollywood seems a bit out of place relative to the previous games." Jolt UK commenting along similar lines that "...it also feels a little out of place. About the last expansion the game can handle."