World War II is one of the most
popular settings for video-games. There are numerous games based off this bloody
period of human history. Many of these games usually focus on the individual
soldiers on the front line, experiencing being pinned down in an enormous
firefight against numerous enemies. The other option is having an extensive
brain workout by finding ways that allows allied unites to flank enemy troops in
various strategy games. Ever-so-often there is a game that is produced that
strikes a nerve with gamers.
The latest game to break away from
the pack is entitled Battlestations: Pacific, which is a follow-up of
Battlestations: Midway. Like its predecessor, Battlestations: Pacific combines
the action of FPS games and the strategy of the RTS games to come up with
something unique that will entertain gamers for hours. Players will be able to
hop in more than 100 different airplanes, submarines, and ships to take out
their enemies in the best way they see fit.
The thing that makes Battlestations:
Pacific better than the previous game is that it now has two distinctly
different single-player campaigns. The first is the historically accurate
American campaign, which allows players to fight their way from the Battle of
Midway to Okinawa as they try to restore peace into the Pacific. The second
campaign allows players to fight as the Japanese in an alternate reality (based
on if the Japanese won at the Battle of Midway) and takes place between the
attacks on Pearl Harbor to Midway, and even an invasion of the United States.
Both of these campaigns offer more than 28 missions that will take players a
generous amount of time to complete.
Take off complete!
After players complete all of the
single-player missions, the fun will not end since Battlestations: Pacific packs
a serious multiplayer mode. This mode can be played online with other gamers or
against the computer AI. There are five different modes players can participate
in: escort, siege, duel, competitive, and island capture. In escort, players
participate in a battle where players must protect certain key units, but also
destroy the enemies units. Each player can only command a specific unit and is
limited to one at a time. In siege, players can either choose to protect a
certain spot of the map, or take part in destroying it.
If players want to find out who the
best pilot is they will go into duel mode. In this mode players will choose
between a US or a Japanese unit and they will take their fight into the skies to
see who can get triumph. Basically, this is a free-for-all mode. In Competitive
mode everyone is on the same team and they battle it out to see who can kill the
most enemies. The best mode to play is the Island Capture mode. In this mode
players spend points on obtaining ships, planes, submarines and other units to
help capture all the neutral and enemy bases on the map. This mode offers the
most variety between the modes, and also is the most fun to play.
One issue people might have with the
game is its pacing. The problem is this game is extremely linear. When in the
briefing screen it tells players all of the objectives, but most of the time
they have to be completed in that order. It would have been nice to allow for a
bit more freedom in this area. Also the actual pacing of the battle is slower
than many people might find enjoyable. It strikes a balance between the
adrenaline rush of FPS and the tactical brain benders of the RTS games.
Fire is never a good thing
The graphics for this game are
really impressive. It is a joy to see airplanes cutting through the sky. It is
always fun to dive bomb an enemy ship. It is also enjoyable to get close enough
to an island and see the actual plant life growing on it. Players can also zoom
in on battle ships and see guys actually walking around, which makes the game
even more realistic to play. The best part of the game is seeing a vehicle
getting destroyed. The animation is exactly as one might expect from viewing all
the documentaries of ships and planes being blown apart during this time frame.
The developers get a lot of credit for doing their homework for this game.
The music for this game is really
great. Players will love hearing the musical soundtrack as they are in the midst
of battle trying to take out the enemies before they are destroyed. The sound
effects are also really great, from the rapid gunfire, engines rumbling on the
airplane, to the various explosions that will occur during the mission. The only
bad thing about the sound in this game is the horrible voice actors the
developers chose to use. The Japanese have such a thick accent it is hard to
understand what is going on. It would have been better for them to speak
Japanese and have English subtitles. The American voiceovers are not much better
as they are trying too hard and end up sounding like cartoon characters.
Battlestations: Pacific is rated
teen.
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Gameplay: 7.7
Players will love the arcade-action feel of this game, since many games
of this nature usually tackle the simulation aspect of World War II, this game
give players a nice break. The missions strike a nice balance between unique and
monotonous.
The load times need serious work as
they are too long.
Graphics: 7.9
The graphic engine for Battlestations: Pacific is really good. Players will
enjoy seeing the sea and skies as they are flying around trying to destroy enemy
ships. The explosions are also a sight to behold (as long as players are not on
the receiving end of the explosion).
Sound: 7.3
The sound effects from the gunfire to engines rumbling sound great. The
music really works well for the time frame the game is set in. The voice work is
horrible and extremely irritating.
Difficulty: Medium
Many of the mission are challenging to complete, but with practice and
an unlimited supply of allies to help out, players will be able to find their
way to victory.
Concept: 7.5
The developers did a great job by giving players the ability to play
two different campaigns, and see the war from both perspectives. Some may find a
few of the Japanese campaigns to be very controversial, but overall it is a nice
addition from the previous game in the series.
Multiplayer: 7.8
There are five different multiplayer modes to choose from that can be
played with computer AI or hop online to play with/against other gamers.
Overall: 7.6
Battlestations: Pacific is a really fun game that many people will
enjoy playing due to its unique settings and gameplay. This is especially true
if players are tired of playing the same first-person shooter game storming the
same beach for the umpteenth time.
