Battlestations: Pacific [X360]

There are duel modes that let you challenge other players to destroy a certain target first, but the most dynamic mode is Island Capture, which tasks both sides with capturing islands spread across a map. You decide what type of ship or aircraft you want to control (some aircraft and ship types are only available if you seize specific islands), and then sail or fly into battle. If you're killed, you respawn back in and can choose a different ship or aircraft. That way, you can adjust to the tactics of your enemy and vice versa. What's great about Island Capture is that it creates a Battlefield-style experience where battleships are slugging it out at sea while troop transports are trying to sneak around the edges of the battle and aircraft are battling overhead. It's pretty epic.

Island Capture battles can take half an hour or more to play out, but to its credit I wanted to jump into another battle as soon as I was done with one epic match. There are also faster Island Capture maps where both sides start with aircraft and must capture a central island to unlock ships. That means there are big dogfights while other players try to fly large, lumbering cargo planes over the island to drop paratroopers.

However, there are a couple of issues with multiplayer. First, the ability to unlock units can throw the balance completely out of whack, especially in the case of the super battleships like the Iowa. One game that I played had three entry-level Japanese battleships (Fuso class) going up against two Iowas at the very start. The Iowas outgunned us by almost half a mile, and a single salvo can inflict heavy damage on a Fuso. By the time a Fuso can even get its guns within range it's almost dead. It's not even close to a fair fight. Yet none of the players on my team had yet unlocked the counter to the Iowas. It's a crazy situation in a multiplayer game when one team can start with weapons that completely outclass those found on the other side. If you're playing with random people online, you can't predict that the teammates that you get have unlocked the better units. Then the long term viability of the online community is a big question. There just aren't a particularly large number of matches online in the evenings. It can take some time for an eight-player lobby to fill up. Hopefully a dedicated community sticks with the game.

The visuals are impressive and even gorgeous at times. Watching planes fly through a painted sky, or the splash of water droplets hitting the screen from a near miss help immerse you into the action. Zooming in on a battleship and checking out the intricate detailing, and the guys strolling on deck can be a nice touch, though when they're standing still while explosions are going off around them is a bit unnatural. Speaking of explosions, watching a ship's keel snap in two and the separate halves slip under the sea can be rewarding. I just wish the audio were a lot better; much of the voice work in the game should be sent back to the drawing board. The Japanese voiceovers are spoken in thickly accented English to the point of being incomprehensible, and I'd rather they just stick with just spoken Japanese with English subtitles. The Western voiceovers are caricatures of the worst order; one guy talks with the bombastic delivery of Duff Man from The Simpsons, and the rest aren't that much better.

Closing Comments
While interesting and engaging, Battlestations: Pacific is not for everyone. The pace of many battles might be a bit too slow for adrenaline junkies, and those looking for simple thrills should look elsewhere. But if you're a World War II fan who's tired of the endless string of shooters or you feel that you've seen Normandy Beach one too many times, then you might want to check this distinctive and engaging World War II game out.

©2009-05-19, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved