I consider World of Tanks none of my business. Other than a brief window over a decade ago when I dabbled in Wargaming's treads-based shooter, the free-to-play oldie has otherwise turned me off with aggressively monetized progression that favors players with deep pockets.
So it's with skeptical eyes that I'm playing World of Tanks: Heat, a new hero shooter-adjacent spinoff of the original PvP tanker that's currently running a closed beta. It wasn't on my radar a week ago, but so far it's a blast.
I say "adjacent" because, while Heat has hero shooter trappings like abilities and ultimates, it's also got World of Tanks simulation stuff running under the hood. Location damage is modeled down to the individual armor plate, with impact angle, distance, and ammo penetration determining whether a shell glances off without making a scratch or immobilizes your tank entirely.
Still, Heat's tone is fantastical—the Steam page reveals that it takes place in an "alternate post-WW2 timeline shaped by rapid scientific progress and global cooperation." That sure does sound like a fantasy these days.
The promise...
English (US)