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Desert Thunder

39%Game Brain Score
optimization, replayability
story, graphics
39% User Score Based on 102 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
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About

"Desert Thunder" is an arcade-style action tank game where players operate the experimental M1A6 Advanced tank, battling through desert, urban, and industrial settings in a mission to overthrow a terrorist faction in a Middle Eastern country. After a compromised mission and a devastated battalion, the player must complete the mission alone and reach the capital city to meet allied forces. The game features various armaments and heavy armor, providing an intense and destructive experience.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Desert Thunder screenshot
Desert Thunder screenshot
Desert Thunder screenshot
Desert Thunder screenshot
Desert Thunder screenshot
Desert Thunder screenshot

39%
Audience ScoreBased on 102 reviews
optimization1 positive mentions
story7 negative mentions
  • The gameplay offers a fun and arcade-like experience, allowing players to destroy a variety of objects and enemies.
  • The destructibility of the environment is impressive for a game from 2003, providing satisfying explosions.
  • The game can be enjoyed as a nostalgic trip for those who played it in their childhood, offering a simple and straightforward tank driving experience.
  • The controls are awkward and unresponsive, making it difficult to maneuver the tank effectively.
  • The graphics and overall design have not aged well, feeling outdated and lacking in detail.
  • The missions are repetitive and often tedious, with a lack of variety in objectives and enemy types.
  • story
    54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in the game is criticized for being generic and clichéd, lacking depth and engagement, with players describing it as dull and forgettable. The missions are repetitive, often revolving around simple objectives like driving to a location or defending a point, which contributes to a sense of tedium throughout the gameplay. Overall, the narrative fails to enhance the experience, leaving players feeling unmotivated to progress through the limited eight missions.

    • “Each mission is followed by a briefing telling you how far you've made it into enemy territory and how heavy the resistance from the opposing force will be and a run through of your objectives.”
    • “Desert Thunder is a tank battle game where you go through missions that require getting to the end of the level or defending a base.”
    • “The story and voice acting are there but nothing special.”
    • “The minuses are everything else, from a stupid plot and absurd missions to poor physics even by the standards of the time.”
    • “The story is very cliché with no redeeming qualities.”
    • “The story itself only exists in the loading screen.”
  • graphics
    34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have been widely criticized for being outdated and reminiscent of the PlayStation 1 era, with many reviewers noting that they have not aged well since its 2003 release. While some acknowledge that the visuals were decent for their time, the overall consensus is that the graphics are mediocre, with bland environments and poor textures that detract from the gameplay experience. Despite a few positive remarks about the graphics being acceptable for the era, the majority of feedback points to a lack of visual appeal and innovation.

    • “A desert-like graphic environment through which dunes, cities, refineries, or airports follow one another, a few enemies, a slightly overpowered physics of the soldiers, several effects of explosion and tanks or planes to fight.”
    • “Speaking of which, the graphics are pretty good for 2003.”
    • “The graphics and the textures are decent, hence for 2003 they are pretty nice.”
    • “Visuals haven't stood the test of time and most of the levels are just boring desert maps with a few trees and rocks scattered throughout.”
    • “The graphics look like cardboard cut-outs and the 'driving' feels like sliding cardboard too.”
    • “The graphical quality is reminiscent of the PlayStation era, and the control handling is fraught with override problems.”
  • gameplay
    30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game is largely criticized for being repetitive, basic, and lacking depth, with players noting issues such as awkward controls, bugs, and unrealistic mechanics. While some enjoy the straightforward tank-driving experience, many find it dull and unengaging, with little variety in missions or tactics. Overall, the gameplay fails to impress, leaving players disappointed with its execution and design.

    • “The gameplay of Desert Thunder is like an arcade shooter, but instead of using a gun, you wield your tank.”
    • “Gameplay is easy enough to learn: move with WASD and aim and shoot with the mouse.”
    • “The gameplay is pretty straightforward; you go from point A to point B while blowing up bad guys along the way.”
    • “The software suffers from several gameplay bugs; we often rail against the commands, the lifespan being average, and we complain about the speed with which the game ends. The set is ultimately of no great interest, and we really wonder why we spent money to buy this title.”
    • “The gameplay is boring; all you have to do is literally fire at enemies and shoot at tanks. Also, did I mention that a small plank can stop your entire tank?”
    • “The result is sadly a very arcadey game with dull gameplay, awkward controls, and little variety.”
  • music
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it generic and out of place, while others appreciate its energetic heavy metal tracks that enhance the gameplay experience. Overall, the soundtrack is often described as forgettable or mediocre, with a few standout moments that some players enjoy.

    • “To my infinite surprise, this short, fun title has an equally short yet banging soundtrack, with three or four glorious little heavy metal tunes that really add to the explosive and lightning fast pace of the game.”
    • “The soundtrack to me totally fits the game and is a plus.”
    • “Riveting gameplay and gripping soundtrack!”
    • “The music, on the other hand, is not good.”
    • “It's just generic rock music, which sounds out of place, but it beats the generic vaguely Arabic music these games usually have.”
    • “To top it all off, the 'soundtrack', if you can even call it that, sounds like it came straight from an early 2000 game.”
  • stability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is a significant concern, with users reporting frequent crashes, occasional freezes, and buggy AI behavior across enemy types. Overall, players feel that the game is not performing reliably.

    • “The game crashes very frequently, and it occasionally freezes.”
    • “The game itself feels a little buggy.”
    • “The AI is pretty buggy within the five enemy types (including mines).”
  • grinding
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and monotonous, particularly criticizing the holdout missions for lacking engaging objectives, which leads to a quick loss of interest.

    • “The game gets boring really fast as each objective is tedious for no reason, especially the holdout missions.”
    • “Grinding becomes tedious quickly.”
    • “The repetitive nature of the tasks makes the game feel monotonous.”
  • optimization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game generally runs smoothly with a well-optimized user interface free of bugs, though players have noted that the tank controls are subpar.

    • “The user interface is well-optimized, with no bugs and a decent design.”
  • replayability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users feel that certain elements of the game negatively impact its replayability, suggesting that this diminishes the overall enjoyment and fun factor.

  • atmosphere
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere is generally considered satisfactory, with some users finding the expansive environments appealing, while others feel they may be overly large.

    • “The atmosphere is immersive and captivating, drawing you into the game's world.”
    • “The sound design and visuals create a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience.”
    • “The atmosphere is rich and detailed, making every moment feel alive and engaging.”
    • “The atmosphere is okay, but it feels a bit too large for some users.”
  • humor
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the humor in the game to be clever, particularly noting that the most challenging adversary is humorously portrayed as the mines themselves.

    • “Funny enough, the hardest enemy in the game is the mines!”
    • “The witty dialogue and hilarious character interactions kept me laughing throughout my playthrough.”
    • “I love how the game uses absurd situations to create humor; it never fails to surprise me!”

Buy Desert Thunder

2h Median play time
2h Average play time
2-2h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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