E3 2008 Preview
Last year, Battlestations:
Midway came out for the PC and Xbox 360, providing a unique take on both action
and strategy games set during World War II. Now, the team behind the game is
hard at work on Battlestations: Pacific, the sequel to the game. The design
focus behind Pacific is essentially that the UI be cleaned up and easier to
understand for players, and that the scope be much larger. In that, the game
succeeds in providing a much more epic scale to the action and more intense
battles throughout.
For those who missed out on
Battlestations: Midway, think of the franchise as being a bit like Battlefield,
except the game focuses solely on the vehicle element. You can move your units
around on the battlefield on the map, and then take control of one specific
unit, either a plane or a ship, and try to complete specific objectives and
destroy certain targets.
The game has a much easier
interface over its predecessor, which is a lot easier to navigate and have a
good sense of what is going on. Another change in the game was the larger scale
than in Midway. The battles take on a more epic quality this time around, with
larger and more detailed areas and more units peppering the battlefield.
The plane controls in
Battlestations: Pacific felt quite comfortable. Using the left analog stick, you
can control your rudders and your throttle, and control the plane with the right
analog stick. The triggers would control your weapons and you had the ability to
switch between cockpit and outer views.
Battlestations: Pacific is
turning out to be a fine successor to the original game, upping the ante with
bigger battles, better graphics, and a better user interface. Look for it to
launch early next year.
