December 7th, 1942 – a date that shall live in infamy until the powers that be wish us to forget the nature of evil. It’s also the opening battle of Battlestations: Midway, a new WWII combat simulator and IMHO the best combat simulator I have played to date.
Now most war games these days concentrate on a first person format, or the top-down strategy ala Command & Conquer. This game places the player in control of over 60 near photo realistic war machines from the era. Sure, other games might let you drive a tank or a jeep on occasion, in this game you attack from the sea and from the air and – dare I say it – have a wild time doing it.
Controls are set up different for each type of vehicle, and thankfully there’s an easily accessible menu which can outline, but they’re very easy to get the hang of – not complicated at all. Graphics are second to none with all the war machines, islands, oceans, in near photo realistic detail. The plot is history, placing the player in specific moments and battles along the time line of WWII.
It’s pretty easy to make a game that has great graphics, realistic models, authentic sounds, charge $60 for it and leave the player with a very expensive waste of time. Battlestations: Midway proves that the opposite is true as well. I give it 5 stars, and look forward to beating the crap out of it over the coming weeks.
I beat this game in less than a week. It was definitely fun, but I found the strategies almost became too predictable. It didn’t take long to appreciate the ability to scramble every plane I had, delegating some for air defense, some for naval defense, and some for total annihilation. The graphics were pure eye candy, and the controls were about as good as it can get for the genre. Still, at the end of the game it left me wanting. I understand breaking up the War, why put all the eggs into one game when gamers will eagerly come back for more in the sequels. Still, I found the game almost too easy – fun, but easy, and it left me wondering where the rest of the game is – but alas it’s called Midway and not Hiroshima. Lets hope the next game has a bit more depth. Still a 5 star rating but I’d recommend renting it before dropping $60.
