Battlestations Midway
Preview
Back to hell, and Midway
by CrazyCanuck
previewed on PC
Not for Aquaphobics...
Water [waw-ter, wot-er] ?noun. A transparent, odorless, tasteless liquid, a compound of hydrogen and oxygen, H20, freezing at 32 degrees F and 0 degrees C and boiling at 212F or 100C, the liquid content of a body of water (i.e. ocean.).
One would think that with a definition such as above that you would be dealing with a harmless substance but Eidos Interactive has other plans for this environment when it releases the high-seas Strategic Action-Adventure Battlestations: Midway for the PC and Xbox 360 later this month.
Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble...
In development since 2004, Battlestations: Midway is set in World War II?s Pacific theatre, and provides a unique take on the strategy and action genre. Instead of either just planning attacks and watching the results from 10,000m or directly controlling a single unit during battles, Battlestations: Midway allows you the uncommon ability to guide each conflict with a Bird?s Eye view. At a time of your choosing, you can jump right into the fray by switching to whichever individual vehicle you prefer. It has something of a Battlefield flavour to it although in this title you will never set foot on land. As you switch between control of specific units, the game?s Artificial Intelligence will kick in to carry out your orders and react to the battlegrounds. The mix of direct action and tactical play leans more towards the action end of things, but the fact that you can control your global tactics from an overhead, nautical-style map definitely adds a strategic component. Additionally, you will be able to control resources on each vessel to fight fires, man weaponry or flood compartments in order to balance a sinking ship so that you can carry on the fight. You can immediately see that this 'action' title still has some tactical teeth to it as well.
Each of the eleven single-player campaign missions will play out simultaneously in the air, sea and undersea. You will be able to take advantage of a variety of highly-detailed Aircraft (including Dive Bombers, Torpedo Planes and Spotters), Ships (from tiny Patrol Boats to huge Battleships and Aircraft Carriers) and Submarines. In total, there are more than sixty vehicles at your command. The single player track sees you following sixty days in the life of naval recruit Henry Walker whose first assignment is as a Gunner at Pearl Harbor on that fateful December day in 1941. You will follow his career from Pearl Harbor to the Philippines, on to Java and finally to the Battle of Midway while also playing a number of historically significant missions along the way (the Battle of Coral Sea and Operation Bluebird among others). In addition to the eleven campaign missions are twelve bonus 'challenge' missions as well as a training experience at the naval academy. The 'challenge' missions are of interest in their own right ? they allow you to test your skills in more difficult situations and also allow you to play the Japanese side of the fight to see how you might be able to change the outcome of battle. Your knowledge of the equipment available to you will prove invaluable as you try to exploit the weaknesses of each type of vessel. It is a unique experience that looks to offer a lot of depth as a single-player experience.
Let the Engine Roar...
The engine that is used to power Battlestations: Midway was developed in Hungary and is specifically designed for sea battles. It is tailored to handle the instant jumps in command from air to underwater and render the highly detailed vehicle and ocean environments. Being able to render dozens of planes in the air as well as the raging sea and undersea battles in the 'free-control' environment is no easy task but the engine appears to be up to the task.
The war will also continue to rage online as huge, multi-unit battles can be played out among up to eight players controlling over 100 units via the Gamespy network. Each player will be responsible for a portion of the fleet and audio chat will enable you to coordinate your assault so that you and your online friends can successfully take direct command of multiple warships, planes and submarines. Ten specific multi-player scenarios will be available at release although additional levels and vehicles are planned for post-launch. According to Eidos, bandwidth shouldn?t be an issue for players ? those who are hosting the games will definitely benefit from a wider pipe but those without should still be able to fight the fight!
Interest peaked!
I learned two things in the preparation of this preview. The first is that the fear of water is really aquaphobia (and not hydrophobia which originally is the fear of rabies although enough people seem to confuse the two so they?ve given it a double-meaning). The second is that Battlestations: Midway?s mix of strategy and action set in the high seas has really peaked my interest. The game looks to offer a refreshing take on the two genres and if they can pull off some reliable AI and a steady frame rate, then the subject matter and environments should extend to us a very interesting and entertaining gaming experience! Look for Battlestations: Midway come January 30th, 2007.
