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Battalion Wars

Posted November 2nd 2005 by Matt Crowl.

Originally dubbed Advance Wars: Under Fire, Battalion Wars is a game that brings a nice mixture of real-time strategy to third-person action. The change of series title was a logical move; Battalion Wars has little in common with the handheld Advance Wars because it is a strategy/action hybrid. Even though Advanced Wars fans may be disappointed that this title is not a true console sequel, there is still plenty to like in Battalion Wars...that is, while it lasts.

Apart from the real-time strategy elements it provides, Battalion Wars distinguishes itself from other military-theme action games with its light-hearted take on war. Like the Command and Conquer series, stereotypes and political incorrectness run rampant through these war-torn battlefields. For instance, the faction you'll fight for, the Western Frontier, is commanded by over-the-top personalities who resemble those of sports coaches rather than military commanders. The game will pit you against the war hungry Soviet Union-like Tundren Forces early on, then against the pointy-toothed German-accented Xylvanians. Of course, since the game is presented in a silly, cartoon fashion, it's hard to imagine anyone being offended.

The persona you'll assume in Battalion Wars is a nameless, faceless officer in the Western Frontier army. Unlike most strategy games where you just order your units around from a god-like perspective, here you're able to order your units from the perspective of a soldier. So in a sense, you're like this disembodied ghost, who can instantaneously change between any of the units under your command. All in all, this is a great feature that sets the game apart from the crowd. But be warned, when the battle heats up you may find yourself occasionally struggling with the interface. However, with practice it's doable.

Serious strategy fans may be more concerned about the lack of interaction with the map, rather than the learning curve of the interface. Here's why: it would be nice to be able to plot waypoints for different groups of units in order to flank the enemy. If this feature were added, the interface would be more intuitive. Then everyone would agree that fortress stomping would be smoother.

Under your control is an impressive array of infantry, vehicles, and aircraft. Since the C-stick is used for switching between units and the main analog stick is for general movement (forward, back, turning), the combat is somewhat like a 3rd Person Metroid Prime experience. In other words, you can target-lock an enemy and proceed to circular strafe around him. So rest assured, there are no worries about the controls; they are solid! In fact, the vehicles are quite fun to drive because realistic physics don't apply as you power across a battlefield in Starsky and Hutch fashion.

Since the game provides many different types of units at your disposal, the real challenge is in how well you can manage your forces. While it is possible to go "gung ho" commando with one of the units under your command, you must still manage the rest of your forces to be truly successful. The AI is smart enough to take advantage of your tactical blunders. For example, if you make a push with rifleman to take out a group of rocket troopers protected by tanks, the troopers will fall behind the tank, and the tanks will decimate your rifleman. In short: the AI can be unforgiving, so make sure your moves are well calculated.

Just like the units under your control, the missions are also varied. Across this well paced 20-mission campaign, the usual bombing runs, beach assault, escort missions and other standard tasks are present. Sadly, you can't save mid-mission and once you've completed this 12-hour campaign run, there's not a whole lot left to do. The game does however provide a grading system that pushes you to complete mission with higher scores, which in turn allows you to unlock a few bonus missions. However, it would have been nice to see extra gameplay modes, like skirmishes or customizable maps. Multiplayer fans will be disappointed also, as there are no multiplayer modes available.

Battalion Wars carries a unique art style, which is reminiscent of those hordes of little green army men or something from a comic book. Despite the cartoonish look, the sounds of guns and cannons firing are forceful effects, and add to the tension of a heated battle. The game also sports a decent sound track, which does the job. However, the voice work is hit or miss. Most of the voice acting is good, including the amusing quips the soldiers in the fields have to say, but some of the COs' voices can be quite annoying.

This game gets an N-Philes score of B.

It's always hard to find a good strategic experience for a console. However, with Pikmin and Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, the big N seems to be pulling the right strings with the GameCube. Battalion Wars is no different, in that sense. It contains solid gameplay, which involves a great amount of tactical decision-making. Sure, it has its share of flaws, but action and strategy-starving GameCube owners can't go wrong by picking up Battalion Wars.

Posted in: Reviews