Tuesday has rolled around once again, meaning it’s time for Retro Ad Replay, the series where we take a trip back in time in order to reminisce and celebrate the anniversary of the biggest moments in gaming. If you find yourself wanting more content like this, be sure to visit Mandatory.com.
In this, our September 10 edition, we’ll be traveling back 17 years to September 10, 2002. This is the day that Battlefield 1942 launched for the PC.
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Developed by Digital Illusions CE (DICE) and published by EA, Battlefield 1942 was a dream PC shooter for many, implementing features that were only possible on more powerful hardware. Console shooters couldn’t come close to what was being done with Battlefield 1942, and they wouldn’t for quite some time.
Battlefield 1942 was the game that started it all, and its success is one of the reasons why the franchise is still kicking around today. It might not look like much in 2019, but the trailer embedded below blew minds in the lead-up to launch:
It was the incredible online multiplayer that secured the game’s place in the gaming history books, with 64-player Conquest servers offering the perfect home for PC shooter fans. Battlefield 1942 encouraged working together as a team to beat the enemy back.
In the GameRevolution review (posted September 1, 2002), Battlefield 1942 was commended for its amazing game engine, great vehicle choices, being addictive and genuinely fun, boasting massive maps, and “feeling like war.” It achieved a score of 4.5.
Besides, once you’ve gotten sucked into the incredibly fluid, dynamic experience that is BF 1942 online, you won’t care much about the single-player letdowns. Instead, you’ll be sucking down pints of coffee to keep you awake as you test out more strategies late into the night. This is a very, very compelling game and shouldn’t be missed by those with good rigs and plenty of time to kill.
The latest game in the franchise, Battlefield 5, still managed to present “one of the most engaging multiplayer modes around” with Frontlines. You can read that GameRevolution review here.