Battlestations: Pacific Preview

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.

For All E3 2008 GZ Previews