Battlestations: Midway (Xbox 360, 2007)

Gameplay:

Alot of different controls to take in at once and it's easy to feel overwhelmed if you skip the training missions. As your taking command of ships, planes, subs (each with their own control scheme mind you) and being in charge of the strategy you wish to take is indeed alot. After the lengthy tutorial though you should be doing fine with the controls.

After learning all that the game is really fun to play, as it's a strategy game you'll need to think on your toes during missions or online. Do you send out a squadron of torpedo planes to attack enemy ships or instead launch fighter planes to defend your ships and airfields? Do you risk sending your submarine to hull crush depth to avoid enemy radar and hope to sneak up and destroy an enemy destroyer or keep it with your fleet? Many decisions are thrown your way and you'll need to respond carefully if your to get that Mission Accomplished screen after each level.

Story:

As the title points out the game's setting is Midway where plenty of sea battles took place during WWII. The single-player has you play Henry Walker, a Navy man who advances from being in charge of a PT boat to eventually a whole fleet of ships. Though some parts of the game have you also play as Henry's friend Donald who's a pilot. The story isn't anything special, it never really helped immerse me more or had me all that interested. I never felt connected to the characters or their problems either. Probably the weakest aspect of this game.

Graphics:

The graphics definitely have that next-gen feel to them. The ships, planes, and subs are all accurately portrayed to their real life counterparts. When flying a plane you can really notice how real the sky looks (flying through those puffy white clouds comes to mind). Islands and the buildings that reside on them look great too. My only complaint would have to be the water itself, it's very plain and not at all that impressive to look at.

Play Time/Replayability:

The single-player by itself on Normal could range from anywhere between 8-12 hours depending on your skill. After completing the campaign there are 3 challenge campaigns for the ships, planes, and subs. They have no story, but they are tough and you get achievements for completing them. Playing through all challenge campaigns actually took me longer than the story campaign to complete.

If you have Xbox Live then this is where the game truly shines imo, there's a few different gametypes to choose from. One type has you defend your airfield from bombardment, another has you destroying an enemy fleet, some only require specific targets to be destroyed (i.e. airfields, shipyards, aircraft carriers, etc.). The multiplayer supports up to 8 players in a match and teamwork will be needed if your to win. Strategy and thought is required of you to overcome your enemy, positioning your ship the right way could make all the difference in a battle.

This review is brought to you c/o http://gnadegames.blogspot.com​. Check it out to see game videos and all our reviews.

Battlestations midway is a mix of a strategy and action game. The strategy game aspect of the game works and plays very well, while the action can be very dependent on which vehicle you decide to pilot. This game isn’t for anybody, but is definitely a title that stands out and plays different from most of the stuff out there on the Xbox 360.

Gameplay: 7/10
Pros: PT boat, submarines are very exciting to control, ships are slow and are pretty fun to pilot as well. The strategy aspects of the game are very complex and make the game deep and challenging.
Cons: The tutorial takes about an hour to complete and when it was done I definitely forgot some stuff. Planes are difficult to control and the overall controls can be clunky.

Graphics: 6/10
Pros: Battles can really pick up and look exciting, the vehicles are good looking, take realistic damage and are well animated.
Cons: This is by far the weakest area of Battlestations. The game just doesn’t look like a 360 title, but instead a nice looking PC-game. Generic and repetitive background graphics abound.

Sound/Music: 7.5/10
Pros: The sound effects are very solid and top-notch and the military cadences and themes work well with the game.
Cons: The voice work of the main character in the game is awful and laughable. I actually grew to hate the main character because he was such a philosophical pansy. It really detracted from the story.

Lasting Appeal: 9/10
Pros: There are a multitude of different scenarios and challenges both in the single player game and online. 1 on 1 online matches with a plethora of units can be a grueling chess match, while 4 on 4 matches are more action oriented. If you can live with the graphics and make it through the tutorial, there is a lot here to keep you entertained.
Cons: This type of game definitely isn’t for everybody and feels a little overprices at $60…more like a $40-$50 title.

Average: 73.75%
Tilt: +0.25%

If you aren’t an Action/FPS only gamer, there’s something to be found in Battlestations: Midway. It is not a AAA title, but offers a pretty unique and deep experience for Xbox 360 gamers willing to give it a chance. If only the majority of vehicles controlled as well as the speedy PT boats, this game could’ve really knocked one out of the park.

Verdict: 74%

The single-player campaign opens in Pearl Harbor on that day of infamy. The story focuses on the ascendance of Henry Walker, from gunner of a single PT boat at Pearl, to captain of a destroyer in the Philippines, to commander of a carrier group at Midway. In the early missions, you will command only one vehicle at time without the ability to switch to another unit.
Where Battlestations Midway really begins to shine is about a third of the way through the campaign as you take control of multiple units and utilize different strategies to defeat the Japanese fleet. Do you launch wave after wave of torpedo bombers at an enemy ship or do you engage a cruiser, using fighter planes to ward off incoming Japanese air attacks? There is a tremendous amount of choice in Battlestations and, much like a game of chess, you will need to understand how your pieces move, how to use them in combination, when to attack and when to withdraw. As you can imagine, this takes a while to learn.
Even after a hefty and excruciatingly boring tutorial that gives you the basic ideas of how to control your war machines, there is still plenty to learn about basic naval tactics. In the air, you quickly learn to send fighter escorts with your torpedo and dive bombers to stave off squadrons of quick and nimble Zeros. You then learn to send your bombers in large groups to better their chances of slipping through dangerous antiaircraft fire. You learn to lead ships with bombs and to lead enemy fighter planes with your guns. Onboard ships, you learn to utilize the long-range guns of battleships and cruisers to take out enemy ships; you learn to fire torpedoes ahead and behind ships to bracket them. As a sub commander, you'll learn to dive beneath sonar range, to surface at just the right time to replenish your oxygen tanks, and to surprise carries and battleships with a devastating barrage of torpedoes as you silently hunt beneath the waves.

First off lets knock out the obvious. The Graphics in this game are not that great. There not bad, just not what you'd expect from the xbox 360. This game was originally designed for the xbox. Once that fell through, it was ported to the 360.

The controls take a little getting used to. Why, because this game lets you pilot any plane any battle ship, cruiser, destroyer, aircraft carrier, pt boat, submarine, you get the picture. I expect my 200,000 ton warship not to control or handle like my torpedo plane or, dive bomber.

Since the graphics took a little hit, the developers didn't waste the 360's power like you may expect. There are countless enemies in the air, on land, and on the sea. You command an entire fleet. You can swap in and out of each unit at whim, and the computer AI is competent enough to take over when another unit is on a key torpedo run and you need to take control.

The missions are long. There are multiple challenge missions. And Xbox Live play is definitely where this game is at. You command a fleet along with three other team mates. You tactically do battle with the other team of four and it isn't just simple kill everything to win. You can do that, but there are also objective game types that follow the real battles in history. If you were ever a fan of the board game "Axis and Allies", then this game is for you.

Had this game been designed for the 360, I probably of scored it a five, but due to the graphics and it's extreme learning curve, I'm giving it a four.

It's funny.........with this game I have found that either you love it; or you hate it!! I think this is one of the BEST video games I have played in a long, long time. You get to play in almost every aspect of WWII that you can imagine. A aircraft carrier commander, an aiplane pilot, a submarine captain, and captain of smaller boats like the PT boat and many others. Not only do you get to command the aircraft carrier; you get to interactively be responsible for the condition of the ship; the damage it sustains in battle and making sure repairs are made before it sinks!!! And.........if that isn't enough, as you are commanding the aircraft carrier, you get to go into different modes of flying the planes you are launching as well!! It is EXTREMELY challenging, and very life like. The "geeks" that put this one together really must have worked hard!! I highly recommend this game to anyone who likes a combination of shooter games along with the opportunity to play inalmost a "sim" mode as well!
Good luck and happy fighting!