World War II GI

Remember in Saving Private Ryan all those guys who killed the second the ramps went down? Thats who you play.

This classicer drops you into Normandy on D-Day as part of the 101st Airborne. You fight through beaches, hedgerows, ruined villages and bunkers, dodging snipers and machine gun fire. There are about 30 levels, each with varied terrain and tactical challenges. The visuals and atmosphere are rough-around-the-edges as they used to be back in the day but they do a good job of conveying fear and urgency. Today you can also play this game in virtual reality, you'll need RazeXR which you can find here: https://sidequestvr.com/app/24502/razexr-build-engine-for-quest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AahbwvQVNhM

Игра моего детства. Две главные кнопки в этой игре это F6 и F9. Если научиться профессионально ими пользоваться, то игра перестанет быть суровой :) Высадка в Нормандию прикалывает. Например тем, что союзники ху...чат тебе в спину будь здоров - не жалея патронов. Еще одна особенность - отсутствие обзора по вертикальной оси, привет Doom 1, 2. А цена в 400+ руб. - хорошая шутка от разрабов. В былые годы она столько не стоила :) В общем игра для исследователей старины, для хардкорщиков и для впадчивых в детство людэй :)

Ignore this, play NAM instead.

This can be a better game if [b]it have better player gun accuracy[/b] I cannot recommend this game due to extreme difficulty spike (even on easy difficulty) plus with a really really bad gun accuracy where you can't hit enemy even at point blank range Only buy this if you want to complete your Build Engine games collection

第二次世界大戦アメリカ兵主役のFPS。DOOM亜種の懐かしドットグラフィック。 ノーマル難易度でクリア。（やっとクリアしたのでレビュー） まず、FPSとしては緻密さがない大味な内容です。 精密なエイムはあまり意味をなしておらず、大雑把に撃つと当たり狙いをつけても外れます。 また、操作性の悪さが影響してか、銃を撃とうとしても（何度クリックしても）弾が出ないことが毎回のようにあります。（常時ジャムってる） 前進か後退を少しすると撃てるので、それで何とか進んでいきました。 ただ出会い頭や咄嗟の射撃をしたいときに遅れるため、即死することがかなりあります。 マウスエイムできますが、縦、横軸はスムーズなのに斜めにエイムしようとするとガクガクです。 （これのせいで精密射撃がしづらすぎる） 敵の攻撃も大雑把に当たるため、遠くで見えない位置から撃たれて意味のわからない死に方が多々ありました。 そもそも撃たれる前提のデザインになっているのに、１発食らうとヘルスの1/3以上減ってしまうのが恐ろしい。 また、メディキットは使った直後に移動すると無効になり消えてしまいます。（ずっと止まっている必要あり） 弾薬も最初は潤沢にあるかなと思いきや、後半なぜか少なくなり、リソース管理を余儀なくされます。 （大味な射撃バランスなので弾がどんどん消えていく） この辺りのシステムは下手をすると詰むため、大味なバランスの割に極めて慎重に進む必要があります。 （当然、体力や弾薬は次のステージに持ち越し） 舞台は（ノルマンディなど）よくありがちな戦場が多く、戦車なども出てきます。 ただ、戦車についてはかなり悪意が感じられる配置と仕様になっており、イライラを抑えながらセーブ、ロードを繰り返すことになります。 コツとしては、戦車に向かって進んでいく方が意外と当たらないことが多いｗ 懐まで来たらしゃがみ、爆薬を仕掛けて何とか離れます。（立っていると死ぬ） せめてバズーカ弾を多めに置いておけよと。（ゲーム中最初の1発しか見かけなかったのはどういうわけだ！？） とにかく見えない場所から撃たれて死ぬの繰り返しになるので、そこは覚悟して臨むべきでしょう。 ＜世界観レビュー＞ 最低限の戦場の雰囲気は出せています。 ノルマンディ上陸作戦での人数が少なすぎるとか、走っている人がいない（全部棒立ちで歩く）などは仕方ないですが、ちょっと間抜けです。 ステージの最初などに兵士が喋るのと、敵兵もドイツ語を口走るのは細かい良ポイントでした。 （死にゲー感がウルフェンシュタインを思い出した）

As a Build Engine fan and a history nerd, I was pleasantly surprised when I initially found out about this game. The premise is simple, yet fairly unique, and certainly held a lot of potential – using a great piece of FPS tech like Ken Silverman’s Build Engine (of Duke Nukem 3D and Blood fame) to simulate massive historical battles like those of the Second World War’s D-Day Landings. This had a lot of potential in my mind, and I enjoyed what I saw (conceptually) of how your player character is but one man among armies of dozens of on-screen combatants in the traditionally solo affair that is a Build Engine shooter, or most retro shooters period. The whole American perspective on the Allied Normandy landings is absolutely nothing new when in comes to storytelling in games these days, let alone media as a whole, but still, WWII GI could have been a fun little concept-tech demo. The problem arises from the many technical faults this game has, which, despite my best efforts to push through – between the dated controls, a really un-optimised framerate issue, and insane difficulty spikes, at the end of the day, I just can’t suggest you buy or try to play this one. There are some fan-made solutions to some of these problems floating around online – perhaps try running your files through a different Build emulator or VM instead of the native DoSBox the Steam version uses and savescum your way through the campaign if you really want to, but as it stands, this is a pretty poor representation of a Build shooter, especially when compared to the likes of Shadow Warrior ’97 Redux and Blood: Fresh Supply which are currently up on the Steam Store and run fantastically. Can’t honestly recommend. War is hell.

Recomendo, mas somente pros teimosos colecionadores da história dos FPS. Esse em particular é interessante, pois se passaram vários anos depois dos primeiros Wolfensteins que ficamos sem jogos FPS de segunda guerra mundial. Na sequencia viria Medal of Honor revolucionando o gênero. Sobre WW2GI, é bom no quesito da ambientação e armas, soube retratar bem o cenário da guerra, porém a jogabilidade é difícil... faça qualquer coisa e salve, esse é o andamento do jogo. Muitas mortes súbitas e por vezes inexplicáveis, haja paciência... Vem com uma expansão oficial, Platoon Leader, que nada mais é do que 3 níveis adicionais, só joguei o primeiro - os outros 2 são temática Vietnam - e me irritei bastante. Resumindo, quem estiver procurando um jogo fluido e leve, fique bem longe desse aqui, que é só para os fortes!

With V-J Day approaching and a military parade in two weeks, I was inspired for a WWII FPS and came across this old game. The YouTuber made it look enjoyable playing this game so I bought it, then I realized their skill masked the game’s shortcomings. The first level seems to depict the Normandy Landing, but the game feels very outdated. I struggled to step out of the boat or survive for more than 30 seconds. Amid the chaos, I discovered I needed to retrieve an explosive from a trench and use it on a cracked wall behind a wire, all while dodging relentless gunfire. Getting to the wall was nearly impossible due to the lack of cursor, clunky movement, limited ammo, and a health bar that drained faster than my wallet. Frustrated, I paused to adjust the key mappings, but when I returned I couldn’t fire. At that point, I decided to stop. I wouldn’t recommend this game, it's too outdated and unpolished. [u] [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43342176-Why-Not-Games/#browse] My curator page[/url][/u]

World War II GI is a late-1990s first-person shooter developed by TNT Team and now preserved on Steam through Ziggurat, and it serves as both a time capsule of Build-engine design and a reflection of how early PC shooters interpreted historical warfare. Released during a period when military shooters were still discovering their modern identity, it presents World War II through the lens of fast, arcade-style action rather than scripted cinematics or realism. The game loosely follows American soldiers fighting across France after D-Day, using brief mission text and transitional screens to frame each level. There’s no cinematic storytelling or character development—narrative functions mostly as thematic backdrop—but the immediacy of the premise establishes the necessary context and keeps the pacing brisk. The gameplay structure clearly inherits its DNA from Duke Nukem 3D, NAM, and other Build-engine shooters. Movement is quick, weapons fire rapidly, and levels become miniature mazes filled with enemies, switches, explosive hazards, hidden stashes, and keycard-gated objectives. Combat prioritizes reflexes over tactical planning, and firefights can become chaotic as enemies swarm from unexpected angles. While the environments reference real-world locations—trenches, occupied towns, bunkers, factories—they are designed with 90s FPS abstraction rather than strict historical layout, creating an exaggerated battlefield that rewards exploration and spatial awareness. The game offers little hand-holding, leaving players to decipher level progression, locate keys, and survive without generous checkpoints or regeneration. Weapon variety anchors the experience. The arsenal includes recognizable World War II firearms—pistols, rifles, automatic weapons, grenades, and flamethrowers—each exaggerated for arcade impact. They lack the weighty recoil and sound design associated with modern shooters, but their simplicity fits the game’s pacing. Enemies, meanwhile, consist mostly of German soldiers with hitscan attacks, making encounters punishing if players remain exposed for even a few seconds. AI is basic and sometimes unfair, but in the context of classic FPS design, it contributes to the tense, twitch-based rhythm. Health and ammo management become essential resources, especially on higher difficulties, and careless rushing can cause abrupt, surprising deaths. Level design remains one of the game’s most interesting elements. TNT Team built environments filled with destructible props, ambushes, interconnected passages, and optional secrets that offer meaningful rewards. The maps strike a balance between linear combat routes and exploratory diversions, encouraging players to search for medkits, armor, or hidden supply caches. However, some levels include obtuse progression blocks or visual clarity issues—switches that blend into walls, maze-like layouts lacking guiding landmarks, or objectives communicated only through trial and error. These quirks speak to the era’s design philosophy—rewarding persistence and memorization—but may frustrate modern players expecting more navigational guidance. Visually, World War II GI reflects both the strengths and limitations of the Build engine near the end of its technological life. Character sprites, environmental textures, and weapon artwork are functional but lack the artistic detail of contemporary shooters like Half-Life or Unreal. Yet the gritty, low-resolution aesthetic unexpectedly enhances the tone, capturing a grim wartime mood despite technical constraints. Lighting remains mostly static, and animations are minimal, but the environments carry a surprising sense of atmosphere thanks to rubble-strewn streets, barbed wire, explosions, and ambient battlefield clutter. The soundtrack consists of tense, militaristic compositions mixed with silence to increase suspense, while weapon and enemy audio provide sharp, recognizable feedback even if they sound dated today. As a Steam release, the game benefits from preservation rather than reinvention. Ziggurat’s version focuses on compatibility—ensuring the game runs smoothly on modern hardware—rather than adding enhancements, high-resolution assets, or accessibility features. This means players receive an authentic experience, complete with its rough edges, sudden difficulty spikes, and occasionally clunky controls. For genre enthusiasts, this authenticity is appealing, as it allows the game to be appreciated within its historical context. For others, especially players discovering it without nostalgia, the lack of modernization may feel limiting. World War II GI’s weaknesses stem mostly from age and ambition. The enemy variety is limited, mission objectives rarely evolve beyond reach-the-exit or retrieve-the-item tasks, and the storytelling lacks emotional engagement. The hit detection and movement can feel inconsistent, particularly compared to smoother Build-engine shooters. Difficulty balance fluctuates wildly between levels, sometimes overwhelming players without proper preparation. These elements reveal the game’s budget constraints and the transitional state of FPS design during its release era. Yet despite these flaws, the game possesses enduring charm. Its earnest attempt to translate World War II into a high-energy shooter predates the cinematic realism of Medal of Honor or Call of Duty, offering instead a uniquely retro interpretation—one defined by mechanical urgency rather than scripted spectacle. For fans of classic shooters, the combination of fast combat, puzzle-like level navigation, and unapologetically old-school design creates a satisfying challenge. As a historical artifact, it provides valuable insight into how developers approached war storytelling before the genre matured. Ultimately, World War II GI succeeds as a preserved slice of FPS history rather than a modern reinterpretation of wartime action. It rewards players who appreciate retro design, Build-engine experimentation, and the raw, unpolished energy of 90s shooters. Those seeking realism, narrative depth, or contemporary production values may struggle to connect with it, but enthusiasts of classic PC gaming will find a scrappy, nostalgic, and surprisingly engaging experience. Its existence on Steam ensures that a lesser-known chapter of shooter history remains accessible—and for players interested in tracing the evolution of wartime FPS design, that alone makes it worth exploring. Rating: 5/10