After literally dominating the handheld market for the past couple of years, the Advance Wars series has now made its way onto our home consoles. Although not a direct sequel, nor sporting the same name, at least in the States that is, Battalion Wars takes all the tactical action we know from the handheld games, and attempts to mesh it with some strategic 3-D mayhem. Nintendo and Kuju aren’t the first developers to attempt this difficult task, as the team at Westwood tried nearly the same thing with their Command and Conquer series when they released Renegade, which many fans will tell you didn’t work out so well. Thankfully, although showcasing its fare share of problems, Battalion Wars stays true to its strategic roots, and offers up a difficult but exciting experience.

If you’re not familiar with Advance Wars, don’t worry, because Battalion Wars serves as an entirely new project, and starting with this game might not be a bad idea for people looking to dive into the series. The story, although lighthearted at first glance, really takes the act of war seriously. The game starts with you being a Commander within the Western Frontier Army, where you soon discover a Tundren (obviously Russian) spy, and it’s later revealed that Tundren leader Gorgi is planning an all out assault on your forces . After a few brief tutorial missions, both sides soon realize that the biggest threat is not each other, but rather the viscous Xylvanian forces, which also bear a striking resemblance to one of the most deadly forces in our real life history. These gas mask toting soldiers are so powerful that both forces agree to work together in order to save the rest of the world. Even though the story isn’t necessarily the game's strongest point, a few plot twists throughout the experience help keep you playing until the end.

Actually defeating the Xylvanian forces isn’t as easy as it sounds, however. Although this is a strategy game at heart, you still only control one soldier, where you have the ability to jump, strafe, shoot, lock-on, and move around the level. Keep in mind, though, that Battalion Wars is not a turn-based game, and the action unfolds in real-time, which means it never stops, especially when you need it to. Although you can take control of almost any of the units on the battlefield, you also have the ability to control them separately via C-stick, which is where most of the strategy elements come into play. Those of you looking for variety will be glad to know that there are numerous vehicles and infantry’s to choose from such as flame, rifle, helicopters, tanks, and bazooka just to name a few, all which have their own strengths and weaknesses. For example, trying to attack a group of tanks with a battalion of rifleman isn’t going to go over too well at all, as you would probably be better off using an artillery unit, or by attacking them through the air. Even though the balance system is really the backbone of the entire experience, and adds most of the strategic value to the game, I did find it very easy to punish opposing forces once I figured out which units have an advantage over the other.

As I stated earlier, the C-stick is the main catalyst when it comes to everything squad based, as it gives you access to the in-game menu, where you can dish out orders to every unit in your army. You actually have quite a bit of control when it comes to deciding which units can do what, as your orders can range anywhere from all out attack, follow closely behind, or sit back and defend just to name a few, and if you wish to take on the task yourself, you can press the Z button and physically take over that particular group of soldiers.

One thing you have to consider, though, is that since the gameplay unfolds in real-time, you have to be quick about shelling out your orders, or else most of your army will be annihilated before your done. In fact, this is the biggest problem found in the entire game, as navigating the clunky menu system takes a while to do, and in the meantime the opposing force is pummeling you into submission. Throw in the additional fact that your own army can be targeted when trying to lock onto enemies, and you’re left with enough annoying control issues to make the game frustrating. This does get easier over time, and eventually you will get to the point where there is a happy medium between your ability to issue orders, and the computers ability to attack you in a mad frenzy. Still, a little refinement within the in-game menu could have served this game well, and eliminated much of its control problems.

Although the visuals appear to be on the cute and cuddly side, once you see this game in action, nothing could be farther from the truth. Some of the soldiers do look kind of pudgy, and have slightly rounded body parts, which definitely fits into the look of the series. However, most of the childish appearance goes away very quickly once all the mayhem begins, and it’s very apparent that this game just wouldn’t be the same if the developers didn’t stay true to the series roots.  Seeing the soldiers on the field act with merciless fury when fighting really reminds you that you are playing a war game, no matter what it may look like on the cover.

The sound in Battalion Wars is somewhat repetitive, but what music is there really sounds good. Each battle is filled to the brim with explosions, gunshots, and even deflected bullets can be heard whizzing through the air, all which add to the ambience of the game. There is also some notable voice acting found in the game, and although some of it is a bit over the top, it fits that respective character very well, and really plays into the visual style perfectly.

Many people will obviously come into Battalion Wars expecting it to be very similar to the Advance Wars series, and that’s just not the case. Even though some nasty control issues take their toll on your frustration level before too long, I really think that if you spend time with this game, and get used to what it has to offer, you’ll find plenty to be happy about.
 

Gameplay: 7.8

A few annoying control issues do indeed hurt the flow of the game, and also puts a damper on your desire to keep playing. Still, anyone who can overcome this issue will find an intense, but rewarding strategic filled experience. Just don’t go judging a book by its cover, because no matter what you think, this isn’t Advance Wars, nor was it intended to be.

Graphics: 8.6

While the visuals found here won’t exactly blow you away, they are aesthetically pleasing, and really provide the basis for the entire game.

Sound: 8.7

The sound effects are very well done, and help immerse you into the battle completely. Some of the tracks repeat themselves just a little too often, though, but at least the voice acting fits their appropriate character fairly well, even if they are a little too flamboyant.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard

Concept: 8.4

Anytime you take a strategy game, mix it with some 3^rd-person style gameplay, and set it loose in a 3-D environment, there’s more than likely going to be some issues. Ill give credit where it’s do though, because despite a few glaring control issues, Battalion Wars turned out to be a rewarding experience.

Multiplayer:

It’s hard to judge a game on the multiplayer aspect when it doesn’t have it. The only saving grace is that the campaign lasts about 15 hours, and once completed, you’re rewarded with a few reasons to play through again, like a few bonus missions for example.

Overall: 8.0

My experience with Battalion Wars left me with a few mixed emotions. First of all, I really like the concept behind the game, and the ability to play a strategy game in a 3-D environment has always intrigued me. Sadly, the in-game menu really made it hard to issue commands at first, and was almost the deciding factor, but in a negative way. Finally, though, once I got a convincing handle on the control scheme, that’s when the fun really started, and once that happened, it was hard to put down.