World War II games come and go, but Eidos Interactive has decided to go into a new direction with their latest work, Battlestations: Midway. The game combines strategy and action to fulfill fans of both genres. In the game, players go through a variety of battles across the Pacific Theater from Pearl Harbor to the Battle of Midway. The question is: does Eidos pull off the unique World War II title or is it just another has-been?

Battlestations: Midway is unique in that it allows you to play in a variety of fighting styles through the same broader storyline. In the game, players are given the opportunity to command submarines, fighter planes, dive bombers, aircraft carriers, cruisers, battleships, destroyers and more. The full variety featured in the game along with the ability to switch between various vehicles on the fly makes Midway an interesting play.

Overall the game features 60 vehicles to man and all of them are very different and, most importantly, feel differently. One nice touch is that the developers nailed the controls; whether steering planes, boats or submarines, all are very different. For example, the PT boats and destroyers are fast and move well in the water, while carriers are difficult to turn and slow. The controls for the action are terrific and just as good as you’d find in a straight World War II flying game.

That’s only half of what the game features though as there is a full strategy element in Battlestations too and this is where the game goes one step further. Players have to make decisions and command waves of forces on the fly and this creates a strategy to the entire experience. You’ll take control of a tactical map where you’ll direct ships and planes into and out of battle. Strategy goes beyond just telling forces what to do though as there’s a full micromanagement option in the game where you’ll have to delve into controlling weapons, damage and more. This game goes beyond just straight action and simple strategy which for some is a good thing while others it may be a downside. The nice aspect of this is that the game gives you free reign to control everything that happens on-screen.

With all the strategy and vehicles at hand, thankfully Midway features a solid tutorial to walk you through every aspect of the vehicles and weaponry at your disposal. That was important to include as the controls for each vehicle takes some getting used to, but after taking on various plane, ship and sub challenges you should quickly become a pro. It goes one step further though as the tutorials will delve deeper by teaching players how to attack specific enemies and direct squads.

If that’s not enough, Battlestations Midway features a full online mode too. There’s a wide variety of maps available. Most feature a combination of planes and ships, although some are focused specifically on certain vehicles. Although bare bones, online is pretty engaging and allows up to eight players to go at it at once.

While Midway has some solid merits, the game features major issues too. One such problem is the dialogue and voice-acting in the game. The single-player storyline is poorly executed and more often than not the voice-acting doesn’t sync up with the action on-screen. In fact, I felt the voice-acting didn’t really even match up well with the characters in the storyline. Even worse than that is the constant repetition from players in battles. 

I can say that the sound isn’t all bad though. The score is relatively good and features a fair amount of drama that varies depending on whether you’re fighting as the Japanese or Americans. The sound effects are also decent and feature explosions, gun fire, engine sounds and more. All of these make the battle experience a little bit more memorable. Despite those nice facts, the voice-acting really hurts the sound in this game.

On top of that, the graphics aren’t the most desirable. There is a nice amount of detail including men walking around on decks of ships, but the game doesn’t utilize the Xbox 360’s power. Sometimes the water, sun and sky look amazing, but others it is far from it and the textures are lifeless. Thankfully, the cutscenes at least look good and there is no slowdown whatsoever.

Battlestations Midway does some good things, most notably combining solid World War II action with full real-time strategy. This combination is interesting and unique, although it still doesn’t get you to overlook the mediocre graphics and sound which are simply sub par. Nevertheless, if you’re a war fan or love strategy titles, Battlestations Midway is definitely worth a spin. The only problem is that it’s more than likely going to be a hit only for hardcore gamers.

The controls are complicated, but functional. The game combines strategy and action well.

There is some nice lighting effects and detail, but the graphics are sub par.

The voice-acting is poor, but the sound effects and score are solid.

The game is fun, but at times isn’t the most engaging.

The single-player experience is solid, but online will keep you interested for awhile.

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