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Wednesday, 13 June 2007 |
Ever play a pickup football game with your buddies? You all draw up some amazing, intricate play in the huddle-something involving a buttonhook, slanting flankers, three pump fakes, two pulling guards, and a play-action pass—then you yell "hike!" and everyone just runs around randomly, trying to get open. Take that situation, throw in some battleships, and you've got the 411 on Battlestations: Midway.
It started with an ambitious plan: encapsulate the Pacific Theater of World War II in one deep but easy-to-pick-up experience. Midway attempts this by giving players the power to jump seamlessly from a tactical planning map to the controls of the ship, sub, or fighter of their choice. Its a nifty idea: unfortunately, it starts to stumble as soon as you grab the controls. For instance: Flying a fighter proves frustratinqly difficult with a keyboard and mouse, but it's equally difficult to aim a ship's guns with a gamepad. Switch back and forth a couple times, and you'll end up more confused than Dale Earnhardt. Jr. at a right turn.
Retreating to the tactical map offers scant relief. While Midway purports to employ maneuvers like destroyer screening and combat-air patrol, it's far too action-oriented to make those procedures worthwhile in practice. Moreover, the single-player missions typically put you up against such overwhelming odds that high-level tactics go out the window, anyway. |
Games 