The original PC version of World of Tanks has evolved and grown quite a bit in the three years since it first launched, with a sweeping array of updated visual flourishes, fresh battlegrounds, and lots of extra tanks added to the pile. While this steady drip of enticing new content goes a long way toward keeping longer-time players in the fight, it's the strong foundation that's most important. It's easy to imagine armored-warfare history buffs salivating over the attention to detail found throughout the game design. From the authentic look of each tank model to the way each one functions and handles on the battlefield, the little details are meticulous.
What's cool, however, is that World of Tanks is anything but stuffy and overcomplicated. Grabbing your first tank and rolling into battle is effortless, and a streamlined control scheme allows for lots of maneuverability without bogging you down in an overabundance of commands. In essence, you drive, aim, and shoot. It's simple, though the tactical nuances of battle run far deeper than that, and this accessibility carries over into the flow of combat.
World of Tank's 15-on-15 matches are often epic in scope but short and explosive once munitions start flying. It's not long before skirmishes erupt at key choke points along each map, as the front lines clash and pave the way for the artillery duels and heavily armored pushes not far behind.
Getting blown up sidelines you to watch the battle unfold as a spectator, though you can jump out of the match and start a new one with a different tank too. This staggered approach to matches keeps you close to the action, and each encounter is as thrilling as the last.
Players who are interested in venturing down deep in the rabbit hole of munition types, armor possibilities, and crewmember training will find that these systems add interesting depth to the combat. But they're just as easily left to the periphery if your focus is on the action and strategizing on the fly. With an emphasis on victory through killing or capture, battles rarely bump up against the 15-minute time limit anyway. Sweeping wins are as common as narrow ones, however, thanks to good matchmaking that balances the types and levels of tanks in each conflict.
A few of my favorite wins even boiled down to last-tank-standing affairs, which is an intense way to win the battle for your team. Losses can be spectacular fun too, like that priceless moment I drove my damaged Panzer full speed off a cliff and came crashing down onto an enemy tank below, destroying us both in the process.
