The Bottom Line: Probably the best Half-Life modification. The realistic maps, voice communications, and ability to respawn after death makes for a great game.
Dbbum's Full Review: Day of Defeat: Source for Windows
Day of Defeat is an online multiplayer Half-Life modification based on the European events of World War 2. While the game was officially released in 2003 by Valve software, it actually began years earlier as a third party project. In the early years, there were fewer classes, weapons, maps, and gameplay was generally not favorable because of bugs, glitches, and lack of real-time variables. However, today the game is pure gold and one of those games that just won't go away. While other similar mods like Team Fortress Classic and Front Line Forces have fallen off the radar, there is still strong support and active servers. Unlike the Counter-Strike community, which is generally composed of immature kids and cheaters, the Day of Defeat community averages an age in the mid 30's with almost no cheating. Perhaps it's the maturity of the community that keeps this game a cut above the rest.
Day of Defeat is a first person shooter set during the times of World War 2. There are two primary teams, Allies (Americans) and Axis (Germans) with a few maps using (British) as the Allies. In this game, you must work together with your team in order to capture objectives at key points in the map. Most maps simply use flags, which are trigged by walking over them. And some objectives require two or more players to capture. Of course capturing those objectives isn't an easy task on a full 32 player (16v16) server. Teamwork is a must, with the aid of in-game voice communications. Anyone that tries to run and gun down the middle of the map will get drilled by a camping mg42. Tactics, logical thinking, and the ability to play hide n seek are also required if you want to survive.
The game provides several selectable classes for both teams, each with their own set of weapons. Allies weapons include the garand, thompson, m1carbine, bar, springfield rifle, 30cal machine gun, hand grenades and the trusty colt pistol. Axis have an equally powerful arsenal including the kar, mp40, mp44, scopedkar, mg42, mg34, stick grenades and the german lugar. Also included for both teams are knives, bazookas, and a shovel for more varied methods of player killing.
One of the best things about Day of Defeat is the wave based reinforcements. Unlike Team Fortress Classic, where you respawn immediately after death, or Counter-Strike, where you sit on the sidelines while the rest of your team camps in a corner, Day of Defeat allows players to respawn back into the game after a brief waiting period. This respawn wave allows the opposition to capture flags and set up new defenses after a player killing rush, while giving the recently spawned reinforcement a large wave of manpower to get right back into the game and hopefully destroy whatevers left of the opposing attackers. Most of the game is a sliding scale battle back and forth, playing defensively and offensively at the same time. This is why teamwork, tactics, and good communication are key. Very rarely can one lone gunner run across the map and capture every flag without encountering a large wave of reinforcement.
Graphically speaking, Day of Defeat is above par when compared to other Half-Life modifications. Because of the nature of the game, the maps are far more superior. Instead of a wide open area for spamming, the maps are laid out like small detailed cities. There are buildings everywhere, many of them broken down and destroyed by bombings, which makes for an impressive battlefield. Textures are widely varied yet still give the appearance of a war torn European atmosphere. Because Day of Defeat uses the older Half-Life engine, the graphics aren't the most appealing, but compared to games like Counter-Strike, this game provides a solid gaming experience that no other modification has yet to achieve. Also because of the complex construction, the game demands more from your graphics card. A minimum 128mb video card with fast broadband is required for lagless gameplay, however, a 64mb card will suffice if you have an otherwise beefy system. Everything about the game gives a high level of realism. Shooting guns has muzzle flashes, with ejected shells. Exploded grenades give off smoke, dirt particles, and if thrown into water, a large misty geyser. Other smaller details are also present like bullet holes, sparks, fires, scorch marks and blood splatter.
Sounds are also quite impressive. Everything has a sound, and I mean everything. Just walking down the street you'll hear footsteps, swishing of clothes, clanging shovel, and heavy panting after running. Shooting a gun generates a slew of sounds, and every gun has their own unique sound pattern when firing and reloading. Throughout most maps there are constant ambient sound effects played such as planes flying overhead and bombs being dropped in the distance. Again, because of the amount of sounds being played at once, you need a beefy system to handle all the processes. Just about everything is accounted for except pulling a grenade pin.
Overall, Day of Defeat is just one of those wartime games that won't go away, and with good reason. The teamplay aspect alone, backed by a mature community, is a great reason to check this game out. Even though it's 5 years old, it still provides the same stellar gameplay that at the time of its release. Nothing about the game has degraded over the years. Whether you intend to play public servers or leagues, both methods are still available. The number of players has decreased since the release of Day of Defeat: Source, but there is still a large community out there. I would recommend this to anyone familiar with the older Goldsrc engine, because Day of Defeat represents the best of the best when it comes to gameplay. And for a mere $4.95 you can purchase it from the SteamPowered web site. If you already own Half-Life on Steam then you should be able to access the game for free. You can't go wrong with a free game!
Day of Defeat ' Packaging: Retail Box Condition: New Publisher: Activision Platform: Windows Rating: Teen Description: Day of Defeat is the latest onl...More at eBay
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