10/06 Update: Since we no longer write for the Edmond Sun, this section is temporarily housing our podcast links for our iTunes feed. All of the columns are in the archives menu if you feel like exploring.

These columns (as well as the 'releases') come from weekly content that we write for the Edmond Sun, out of Edmond, OK (though we live in Chicago). This page contains the archives for said column, many of which are in their pre-published, unedited state. Some titles and editing by Brendan Sinclair.

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Battalion Wars review
Thursday, October 06, 2005

All this time I thought I didn't like war games. But then along comes Battalion Wars - with the most wholesome take on the whole war thing since General Chaos on the Genesis - and I find myself composing strategies during class and envisioning what a sequel would play like. This is the best console RTS I've played since Herzog Zwei. Sadly, while Battalion Wars is top notch in almost every regard, the lack of a multiplayer mode makes this a must buy for an incredibly small population of gamers.

When you consider that I spent most of the 3 days of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) inside Nintendo's own booth, it's shocking that I probably only played Battalion Wars for a minute - and it was a distracted minute at that. With the pull of so many big name games yanking at my feeble attention and the overly complicated controls making my hands grow sleepy, I found myself walking past it many a time only giving it enough attention to shake my head at its grainy graphics.

But now it's October, the Gamecube slate is barren, and I need something to fill my gaming needs. And you know what? The game is actually fantastic. When Nintendo first revealed the game it was titled Advance Wars: Under Fire. AW is an amazing turn-based strategy series for the GBA and NDS. Battalion Wars, though its still chuck full of strategy, is also an action title. Consider this more of a spiritual successor to the portable classics - the graphics and many of the vehicles are the same - but strategy fans wouldn't dare have their franchise name spoiled with an action title.

The concept of this game is actually very cool - you don't actually play as a specific character. Rather, you can take control of any of your troops at any time. The C Stick acts as an inventory selector. Flicking it left and right highlights the various types of troops at your disposal. By pushing up on the Stick you can single out a specific member. Using X (to stop or have them follow you) and Y (to order an attack) you can control your entire platoon, all the members of a class or a solitary soldier with ease. By hitting Z you can switch into whatever body looks to have the most killing power.

Chances are the most appetizing body will be a vehicle. With tanks, jeeps and even planes at your disposal, half the fun in Battalion Wars is cruising around and looking for trouble. The vehicles feel really light, which means you fly off hills and tumble when you hit the ground. Certainly not for everyone, but quite fun when you get the hang of it. Just use the stick to drive and A to shoot. Easy as pie.

The rest of the controls are just as simple - A fires your weapon, B jumps and dodges, L and R aim (you can thankfully lock on to enemies) and the control stick moves you around. There aren't any hand-to-hand moves or grenades to throw as matches are won with a quick mind, not the biggest arsenal.

And that little nugget is what can make or break this title. You see, if you are a lover of pure strategy, such as the already praised Advance Wars series, the non-stop action in BW could frustrate you. Conversely, if you love action titles, having to think your way through every mission will leave you stuck on level 2, cursing the evolution of the human mind. There are very few games that tread a line as fine as BW does. You have to thoroughly enjoy both action and strategy and love mixing between the two on the fly. You also have to love silly Russian accents and a 50s Pin-up model look-alike named Brigadier Betty.

As far as violence goes, I should probably expand on how a war game could possibly be so family friendly. There was a time, maybe twenty years ago, when games contained guns but there were no parents groups decrying their existence. Games like Contra and Mega Man 2 overran the gaming landscape, yet no politicians were crying out for censorship and no lawsuits were being filed over real-life shootings. Why? Because even though the games contained death and violence, it was presented in a cartoon like way. It was almost comical. There was no sadistic cry of glee when you killed a soldier because there was no blood. It simply disappeared right away.

That is the world Battalion Wars inhabits. Enemies simply disappear when you kill them. The actual act of shooting is not the visceral experience many newer titles offer because shooting is not the point here. Taking control of a variety of soldier types while matching wits with an uncaring enemy AI is where the enjoyment lies.

So if you want to push your mind along with your thumbs, enjoy over-the-top physics, cartoony graphics, and always wanted to team up with the Russian (sorry... Tundran) Army to defeat the Transylvanians, this is the only game that will fill your void. If you're still hesitant just remember - this might be the only exclusive Gamecube game worth buying for the rest of the year. Oh Zelda, I miss you already.

- Tom


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