Battalion Wars
polycounter lvl 19
Awesome game. The little comments of your other soldiers are hilarous. I dig the control scheme, even though it took a little getting used to. After playing this version, I can tell I'd never like advanced wars. I need/want actual representations of the limitations and strengths in a visual form, not text of a turn based RPG (which is what I think advanced wars is from what I can tell).
My one complaint, and I had this for psychonauts too, is that it looks like they had a very strong concept artist, and then mediocre model/texture artists. The fact the game still looks good is a testament to the good concepts, but I just wish that the execution was as inspiring as the visual ideas themselves.
My one complaint, and I had this for psychonauts too, is that it looks like they had a very strong concept artist, and then mediocre model/texture artists. The fact the game still looks good is a testament to the good concepts, but I just wish that the execution was as inspiring as the visual ideas themselves.
Replies
Beefs:
1) The voice actors are neat and help bring the game to life, but the 4th time thru a mission I think I know elite rocket guys work well against gun ships you don't need to keep telling me after I heard you the first three times...
2)The camera and the hud. When anyone sends you a radio message it covers the top 3rd of the screen which is where you are looking to see what is coming. Also overhead mode is almost useless as it doesn't let you see far enough out in front of you.
3)Controls. Since the camera is locked horizontally you have to hit R shoulder to look up and down, which means you stop moving... The camera is also sluggish. You can only strafe if you are locked onto something. Sometimes (when in tanks) when you lock onto something it starts to strafe when you don't want to.
C-stick should control look, and D-pad should control troops.
Tapping the L shoulder button cycles thru enemy targets, unless the courser is closer to one of your units then it cycles thru your units. by the time you hit R and move it to an enemy unit everyone is toast or they where all run over by your tanks that can't seem to get close enough to you.
4) Collision, especially in the scout buggy the terrain seems to bounce the buggy and cause it to rotate while in the air. This makes going over big hills and small bumps in a straight line, kind of hard. It is also hard to tell when your buggy left the ground in a small hop so you may over steer while in the air even tho it looks like you are still on the ground.
5) Team AI isnt all that bright. You tell them to come back to you after they run off chasing a rifle guy, and they get stuck under your tank. I can't tell if they lose heath when they run into or in front of the tanks, but you can sure as hell blow up your own guys buy telling everyone in your battalion to attack, so I think they do.
6) For the love of god when I replay a mission after getting a certain rank say C or above shut off the tutorial radio chatter. I can't tell you how much this limits the replay value of the missions. Even worse there is not option to ever shut it off.
Over all its a fun game and I'm sure I will play it more and beat it. The art is great, especially the manual art. The overall design of the game is really good I think it just needed more polish. I personally would say it just saved my Cube from being traded in as a down payment on a 360, which is why I think the game was rushed to the shelves without taking that extra time to polish it up. pity its on a console, a patch would make this a perfect game.