This game is missing many things, yes, but not enough to make it a terrible experience, if you have the god code on.
I agree with the majority, budget games are mostly bombers and it's always a risky purchase when getting one. Major horrible games such as the Navy Seals and Marine Sharpshooter games are an example of the usual time waisted. Some turn out to be great, such as WW2: Sniper and Army Ranger: Mogadishu, Task Force 121 and now WW2 Combat: Iwo Jima, are examples of games that could surprise you or still dismay you.
I admit it, I enjoyed one of the supposed worst games of all time, and for probably the reasons people hated it. In my opinion, Iwo Jima was just plain fun. More than likely, I would have dispised it if I had played it without the god code. Before you decide to burn it with complete hate, try it over again with the god code and set it to the easy mode difficulty.
Direct Action Games have pretty much created a title that is quite similar to Task Force 121, but it handles pretty well on its own. The graphics are terrible? Yes. The friendly A.I. sucks? Yes. There are a heap of glitches? Kind of. The enemy A.I. stinks? No. The multiplayer is trash? No. There's nothing to it? (variety of gameplay) Heck no!
Iwo Jima can be great fun at every turn. The most fun in this game is contained in the levels where you are situated as a motar commander. Placing explosives on ammo boxes is cool. The maps are open and often believable in look. Destroying tanks never gets old. There is definatley a lot to do in the shamefully 10 level lengthed campaign. In all, there's many things happening around you, visually and with sound.
The first level completely gives it a bad start though, because you're only equiped with a pistol and a sniper rifle, which takes too long to load. Otherwise, the rest of the game is pretty cheap fun. The sound is not bad at all, but the score is as cheap as the game's price. The Japanese also make believable foes with their acceptable A.I. and realistic sounding weapons. Each level is lengthly with a handful objectives to fill. What was the most lame about Iwo Jima, was the ending. You finish shooing off swarms of Japs and it cuts right to the credits. There was so many interesting videos in between levels, so shouldn't they have made an ending video?
Still, I can't recommend this product to many of you hardcore gamers out there, because you'll easily see it as cheap, which is not hard to believe. I'm more than likely, one of the few who enjoyed. WW2 Combat: Iwo Jima, ends up with a lasting value at the end with it's impressive multiplayer.
Like I said, it is missing some crucial things, such as a story and wonderful score and graphics, but it's an experience I wouldn't mind playing again, with the god code though. It is overly difficult with no health upgrades during play, so the code is completely necessary to be able to appreciate the game World War 2 Combat: Iwo Jima, really is.