Battle Stations : Pasific (20009, Stratergy/Action)

A merge of Strategy and Action

Graphics - 8
Sound - 7
Gameplay - 6
Difficulty - 6
Overall - 7

Battle Stations : Pacific takes off from where the previous Battle Station games left over. The game depicts the maritime operations of both the Americans and the Japanese over the Pacific Theater. The game is true to its roots that it seems to be a nice mix of both Strategy and Action. It requires the player to make calculative strategic decisions while at the same time allowing the player to experience some thrilling action first hand.

All hands to deck.. Prepare for battle

One of the good things about this game is the fact that there are two playable campaigns. You can play as the Japanese and try to write history a little differently or you can play as the Americans to keep the history books as they are. The game graphics look great but you need a reasonably high end machine to play the game smoothly. The models are very well detailed and extremely realistic and the visual effects are a thing to cherish. Theres nothing better to watch than to see a enemy battleship blown in half by your torpedoes. The sound also are pretty good and the WWII style cinematics are a treat to watch.

The Strategic element adds value to the game

One more things that adds value to this game is the number of unique unit types that are at your disposal. From Areal Dive bombers to Torpedo boats you get to command a wide array of ships. However some of the controls are also not that great. Asking the players to fly aircraft using the mouse was not a good decision by the games developers.

The game play is the thing that disappointed me the most. The lack of atmosphere and intensity leads to boring missions that seem repetitive. And with the sheer number of units on the battle field at any given time the game can get choppy and a bit confusing.

The Bottom line

Battle Stations : Pasific is a game that does right to its predecessors. Being true to its roots it will appeal to both Statergy game lovers and Action game lovers alike.