Battlefield 1942 Expansion: The Road to Rome Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)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.

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Product Description:
Battlefield 1942 is an exciting new expansion pack thatbrings you the experiences of a lifetime -- you'll enter the most crucial battles of the Second World War, and give your all to claim it as a victory!You can even take charge of a submarine or battleship for intense sea battlesEnter a global conflict and decide the future of the world in this amazing adventure!

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