Game Review: Battalion Wars 2 (Wii) Videos and Pictures

Battalion Wars II is an extension of the popular handheld strategy-RPG franchise Advance Wars, a series best known as a simplified form of the strategy-RPG genre with a distinct, anime-inspired presentation. Battalion Wars takes the turn-based formula and turns it into what I've dubbed an "on-the-ground RTS": a strange concoction of third-person shooting and RTS elements that results in a fun and lighthearted war simulation. An intuitive context sensitive "order" command allows for some neat and tidy unit manipulation that, while somewhat dumbed down from a true strategy game, offers a good amount of thinking man's gameplay to go along with the shooting.

You can play as any single unit of your choosingâ€”be it a grunt soldier, a tank, a plane, or a naval vesselâ€”and you'll be required to participate in different war-related scenarios both from the unit level and while acting as a field commander, ordering around your remaining collection of units. The typical "rock-scissor-paper" approach to strategy, wherein certain units are effective against certain opposing units, is in full effect, and it's up to you to effectively complete objectives while keeping your army intact.

The formula has been expanded a bit from the original game, with a brand new multi-act campaign that features six different armies, new objectives, and more units. Naval combat units mark the biggest addition, and thankfully they fit the mold pretty well. Part of what makes the Battalion Wars games fun to play is that all of the vehicles are enjoyable to use, and the battleships are no different. Graphically and aurally, the game has been tuned up as well. It won't blow minds, but the game easily ranks in the upper echelon of Wii titles when it comes to presentation; voice acting, a solid orchestral soundtrack, and some pleasing-to-the-eye visuals make for a good package.

Wii motion control has also been thrown into the mix but, sadly, doesn't fare all that well. While the IR-based aiming is definitely a nice improvement over the original, the same can't be said for the spotty nunchuck controls. Various nunchuck motions allow you to side-roll, jump, and control the pitch of planes but, unfortunately, the responsiveness just isn't there. Rolling is perhaps the most reliable, as you tilt the nunchuck left and right in conjunction with the analog stick to perform a side roll, but the other maneuvers are far more spotty. This hinders the enjoyment of some vehicles in the long run, but thankfully it doesn't completely destroy the entire experience. It works, just not all that well.

The best addition is easily the online play, which really makes the title worth owning. With cooperative missions, competitive objective-based assault missions, and a "versus" mode with no-holds-barred skirmish battles, the online mode packs a pretty big punchâ€”the multiplayer is a blast, which in and of itself is an achievement for a Wii game. Sure, there's no headset support or even basic text messaging, making the co-op a little troublesome unless you're playing with someone who knows what they're doing, but the versus is a blast and it's enough to keep my otherwise-dormant Wii humming.

Though the holiday season is packed with tons of games, Battalion Wars is a Wii title that shouldn't be missed. The action is fast and fun, and there's enough depth to the gameplay to keep your interest throughout the course of the campaign. What's more, the game boasts one of the best online offerings the console has seen yet. There's a few control issues, and the campaign isn't extremely long or difficult, but the game is still a joy to play. Don't miss this one.