User Reviews (1 - 11 of 24)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

Great Upgrade to a Fantastic Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 34 / 34
Date: February 08, 2003
Author: Amazon User

BF:1942 Road to Rome (RTR) is a satisfying, well-priced upgrade to an already top notch multiplayer first person shooter.

Don't be put off by the seemingly few additions to the game. The 5+ maps, additional weapons, and new vehicles add TONS of new strategies, tactics, and of course replay value. You're not just getting re-skinned variants of BF:1942 tanks, planes, and fortifications - you're getting a whole new battleground experience that significantly alters the way you approach each objective.

BF:1942 has never been a strong single player game, and this expansion is no exception. Like the original, if you don't enjoy online gaming, this is not something you should buy. There has been some single player "bot" improvement in this expansion, but the game's forte is multiplayer. Gamespy Arcade is included but I would recommend to ignore it and immediately download All Seeing Eye for your BF1942 game matching. DSL and Cable modem users should stick to games with less than 40 players, regardless of Ping, or risk choppy gameplay.

This expansion (especially the vehicles) focuses much more strongly on teamwork. Many of the new vehicles are only effective when you have multiple people inside, each manning a position. When on a public server, finally you have a chance of NOT being ignored when you "Request a Pickup". Friendly aircraft camping is still too common, and some vehicles, such as the stationary artillery cannon, look great but have very limited use in most battlefield situations.

The maps so far are a mixed bag. All are interesting and have multiple and creative ways to conquer flags. I have noticed that most game outcomes lean heavily on the team that somehow grabs the most flags in the first couple of minutes of gametime. It's far too easy to grab a few key flags, overwhelm the opposing team, and then spawn camp until the rest of the enemy tickets count down.

At least half of every new game I've joined has resulted in this overwhelming inbalance - very different from the original BF1942 maps. The number of vehicles available in each map compounds this problem, and it's not uncommon to find a talented and patient enemy team constantly bombarding your only spawn point with two artillery guns, four tanks, and three bombers. It grows very tiresome to wait out a 20+ second respawn on a public server just to be immediately destroyed by campers - who you really can't blame too much, because they currently have no other flags to claim or objectives to meet. Additionally, many flags have a *very* small capture radius, and it sometimes seems like you need to practically wrap your legs around a flag pole for 20+ seconds in order to capture it.

RTR's aircraft have been significantly enhanced, while flak and normal hand-held gun damage to planes has been reduced. Most of RTR's aircraft seem to take as much damage as a BF:1942 B-17 bomber, thus making an adept pilot a ridiculously overpowered force. Enemy planes now do more damage to other planes, increasing the need for dogfighting.

However, a very common tactic is to continually bomb and strafe an enemy airfield, reducing a losing team's effort to launch interceptors to defend against the bombers. AA guns are also relatively scarce in the expanion maps. Unlike the original game, aircraft are truly a force to be feared. This may sound more realistic, but in the balanced, arcade-style gameplay of BF:1942 it doesn't work well. On most of the new maps, an above average pilot can just devastate the opposing team. Hopefully this inbalance will be addressed in an upcoming patch.

Many users have reported sound problems (Audigy cards especially) wth this expansion, and many sounds (and some graphics) have been replaced. Personally, I like the new sounds, but many others in multiplayer do not, and expect to hear them complain. Graphics remain fantastic, and although RtR does not play as smooth (or load as fast) as the recent, 1.3 BF:1942 patch, chances are it will soon.

Despite the above listed gameplay issues, you can't go wrong. It's a great priced, solid expansion to a wonderful multiplayer game.

an upgrade worth the $$

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 19
Date: February 13, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I strongly recommend spending the [$$] to purchase Road to Rome. This is an unusually strong add-on for what is already a fantastic game. The maps on RTR are meticulously crafted and challenging; they are, on the whole, a more complete package than the set of maps in the original BF1942. Husky, in particular, is a blast--extremely balanced and conducive to intense play by both sides, making it very difficult for one team to quickly take over the map and dominate the other side. The 1.3 patch that comes with RTR (which can also be downloaded without buying the RTR expansion) is also a strong reason to buy--the tweaks to existing maps, weapons, graphics, and gameplay in general are very worthwhile.

Road to Rome

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 44
Date: January 05, 2003
Author: Amazon User

If the expansion is anything like the original then this game will kick some serious .... Battlefield 1942 is one of those hidden gems of a game that people have never heard of but once they play it, they are hooked forever. BF1942 has been voted Action Game of the Year by many sources and this expansion is looking to really take its place next to its bigger sister.

World War II in a box!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: February 28, 2005
Author: Amazon User

** Get the most complete Battlefield 1942 Game with add-ons by choosing Battlefield 1942: World War II Anthology. If it is not available then you need to get the three games in this pack - Battlefield: 1942, Battlefield 1942 Expansion: The Road to Rome and Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII Expansion Pack that work out a little more expensive. Battlefield 1942: Deluxe Edition has 1942 original and Road to Rome. So all you need with the Deluxe Edition is to get Secret Weapons. To be honest the steepest it works out at is. The Anthology is $30.00 and is the same price as the Deluxe Edition plus Secret Weapons. Getting all three separately will cost you nearly $40.00 so get the best deal in bundle packs.**

Want to play the best war simulation? Go play the old Operation Flashpoint and pray that the spring 2006 Operation Flashpoint 2 deadline will be met with the best war multiplayer simulator ever conceived. Want to play a single player war game that matched the experience of Medal of Honour: Allied Assault? Then go play Call of Duty and get the expansion pack Call of Duty: United Offensive. Want to the play the best SWAT type tactical one on one? Then go get Half-Life 2 and play Counter-Strike. Fancy a futuristic sci-fi multiplayer with huge maps? Then get the latest Unreal Tournament. So what else is there? Well to be honest Battlefield 1942 is straight up probably one of the best multiplayer games I have played, but be warned, the simulation experience does call for infinite amounts of patients and the game is extremely buggy to install. There is very little good technical support except for what the community offers, updates can be patchy, people end up can't playing it, and it suffers from fatal spawn point easy target syndrome that has rendered many of the maps unplayable... however new maps are updated, but just don't expect the BF1942 community to be as responsive as let's say STEAM. The bottom line here is that even single player mode is not supported. The game comes pretty much as it is served so expect to spend more than a day, maybe a week, to get it to work on your machine with lots of google searches for your problem. The solutions should be found in forums troubleshooting guides. Be prepared for discs that don't appear to like firewalls, anti-virus checkers and other background processes. This is the game of games in terms of installation bugs and crashes. In short - Requires broadband INTERNET.

Single player like we said is not supported. Multiplayer is one big CAPTURE THE FLAG, but what a game of CTF! Problem right away is the lack of classes that looks restrictive but it is actually okay, with five types of soldiers to choose from - sniper, machine gun, rockets, medic, engineer... so it is closer to Team Fortress than Operation Flashpoint that allows full configuration of up to twenty classes. Having said that it does not reduce the impact of the game, but does leave the realm of simulation, deviating into more Unreal Tournament territory where there is very real possibility of just leaving your team behind and going on a frag-a-thon across the map. If you are into that sort of thing then maybe the more recent, but certainly not as good, Battlefield Vietnam, can offer you that type of solo bush mission multiplayer experience like Far Cry with lesser graphics, but if it is Pearl Harbor, Petersburg, German Forests, French Country, Operation Overlord, multiplayer style, where you can pilot lots of vehicles, and use a little team commands, then sir, Battlefield 1942 is really what you should be playing across that 1MB connection you got jacked into that modem.

So limiting by its nature of being a multiplayer only game, with a difficult install, that is quite old'ish by today's standards, still manages to provide the best World War II multiplayer entertainment you have ever seen with Operation Flashpoint beating it for realism and detail as a simulation, but this is the war game that people play online, and it still has quite a large community, meaning plenty of 60 (30/30) servers are still up and running with Battlefield 2 coming out sometime in 2005 (hopefully early) you can still live with getting this just because it offers world war II as you want to play it, on-line. I must say that even though I am an avid CS:S player, this one has stolen it for a bit. Battlefield 1942 really is worth it, after you get it running, and after you have the patients to actually play it like a solider ---- crawl for 2 minutes before sniping 3 enemy over the space of 10 minutes with guys above you on a score of 44... patients is the virtue while playing this if you want to win.... Or if you have the skill, grab a bomber and go drop some bouncers on a spawn building for mass kill. Personally I prefer to play to the sneaking sniper. You know I 0wned u. 

Pros:
- Multiplayer must-have.
- Fairly realistic simulation experience that you will play again and again.
- The only World War II simulation worth playing on-line right now.
- Good game engine. Solid playing.
- Replaces Operation Flashpoint as best on-line war simulation game.
- Really big player numbers of servers.

Cons:
- Harsh reality of enduring install problems and updates.
- Expensive.
- Needs broadband.
- Spawn points have exploit bugs.
- No voice-com.
- Not much of a team communication interface either.
- 2002 graphics... but still nice. Models need work.
- There is a bit of a learning curve.
- Not as vast as Operation Flashpoint.

Too many things in no depth

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: February 14, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I'm not saying this is not a good game. But certainly this is NOT one of the best WW2 games. Yes, it has almost everything you want to see in battle. Infantry, tanks, bombers, fighters, aircraft carriers, jeeps and so on. But it fails to make players feel the thrill of battlefield and experience WW2. In BF1942, all weapons and equipments are too simple and unreal. Moreover, it is ridiculous that you can identify friend/foe with name tags from a distance. Well... enjoyable if you don't know about WW2 and don't care the reality of battlefield. But this is not for WW2 fans like me.

More of the same, plus some bonuses.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: February 09, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Since the only other review here is a "I haven't played this, but..." review, I figured I'd stick my two cents in here. First off, if you haven't realized it yet, this is an expansion pack and you'll need to have Battlefield: 1942 to play this expansion. If you already have that, you should have some idea of what you think of the game. This expansion is a little more of the same, plus a couple bonuses. There are six new maps included in the expansion, all enjoyable to play. There are a lot more maps like the original's Omaha Beach map; maps where one team has a very tough battle, but the pay off if they win is great. There are also quite a few maps which are completely balanced, in which neither team has an advantage when starting off. There are a couple new light tanks and some twin engine planes which are just way to powerful (they can drop more bombs/minute than the B-17 and fly much better/easier). If you enjoy BF:1942 and think you'll play more than 10 more hours of the game, this expansion is worth your cash in my opinion.

Oohmygod!! It rocks!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: February 10, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I dont really have the time to write this because I got to get back to that Italian hill to decimate the number of Germans hindering me and my French brave soldiers way up to Monte Cassino!

For those of you who don't know what I am talking about, BF42 is a revolution in online gaming, a revolution which is enhanced by this expansion pack. After having bought this, you will probably put away your old games for a while. This game sets a new standard when it comes to total liberty in a game. It's a feeling that anything is possible. You drive a tank, steal a plane, blow up a jeep and all this while enjoying the beautiful scenery of Italy and listening to hectic commands on the radio from your fellow soldiers and the agonizing cries of your enemies dying around you...

Come join the battle!

its battlefield 1942 and more

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: February 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game is everything you ever would want in battlefield 1942 and more. EA has included a handful of new planes, armies and weapons. a fun little weapon they included was the bayonet which is fun to turn a corner and find an enemy and get him. If you have a beefy computer and the original battlefield 1942, buy this expansion pack. if you dont have the original battlefield, buy it and road to rome. Trust me it's well worth your money

A great expansion to a great game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 15, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Battlefield 1942 Expansion: The Road to Rome is an expansion to the hugely popular game Battlefield 1942 - bringing new maps, new units and new vehicles.

This is definitely a great expansion, providing real improvements over the already engrossing Battlefield 1942 gameplay. The new maps include Operation Husky in Sicily and Monte Cassino, where you're assaulting a hilltop monastery.

There are new vehicles too, many which help emphasize teamwork. There's the British Mosquito and the German BF-110 plus the M3 Grant tank and APCs. There are two new unit sets too - the French Legionnaires and the Italian Army.

There's an upgrade included in the set which you can get for free on the web, which for dial-up users might be a big benefit. Definitely an expansion to buy for any Battlefield 1942 fan!

Endless Wartime Possibilities...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 22, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is a truely entertaining game. It is a very open ended game. Wanna land on an enemy aircraft carrier? Well, you can. Think landing is to risky? Try the parachute. Or perhaps it might be better to just torpedo the ship. All of that assumes you want to fly a plane of course. Perhaps tanks are more your thing. Or how about sniping? Grab a tank or hitch a ride as a gunner.

This game probably implements the best multi-player experience that is currently available. It's only up to 64 players per game, but that makes things even better. In fact, I personally enjoy the game with less than 20 players the most (otherwise waiting for vehicles - if you are interested in them - can be quite taunting...).

Great maps. Greap game mechanics. Great performance. Great fun. I give it 5 stars.

Review Page: 1 2 3 Next 

Actions