Battlestations: Pacific

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  • Flawless
    Bang-bang! Down-down!
    • Mar 2004
    • 16780

    #16
    Re: Battlestations: Pacific

    TeamXbox Hands-On

    BattleStations: Pacific obviously improves on the technology of the first game, adding in graphical elements that have real strategic implications. Clouds obscure incoming waves of bombers, and underwater geography affects the abilities of subs to go where they want. The islands are much more dense and lush in their tropical details, making bunkers and fortresses more difficult to target. Visually, the whole game has been made over, offering a great deal more detail in the world as well as the ships and aircraft that ply it. It’s a much better looking game than the original for sure, but also better looking than the Xbox 360 remake. Graphics are graphics, but with a game like this that’s full of such cool little details like sailors moving around on the decks of your ships, it really seems to mean something.

    What fans of the first game will truly appreciate is how the gameplay has been improved. None of the basic concepts behind the controls or way you play – switching between aircraft and ships on the fly, actively engaging their different weapons systems, while commanding you’re A.I.-controlled units around – have been changed in any major ways. They’ve just added features like the ability to move ground troops on to contested atolls either by landing craft or by parachute. New unit types are here too, including the terrifyingly deadly Kamikaze planes. The new content makes for entirely new ways to play the game that are just as historically faithful as the old stuff.
    There are five different multiplayer modes that can be enjoyed with up to eight players at a time. They are:

    Escort Mode: Just like it sounds, you have to escort some units and prevent them getting attacked by the other side. You’ll take turns playing assassins or bodyguards, and you can only control one pre-determined unit at a time. This mode is supported on all eight multiplayers, each map with a specific scenario for each side, making for sixteen in all.

    Siege Mode: Once again you’ll only control one unit at a time, chosen from a preset pool, but instead of protecting a moving craft you’ll be protecting an island from an incoming onslaught. Islands are dotted with artillery and AA, so its not an unfair fight whether you’re on the attacking or defending side, each of which has its own scenario.

    Competitive Mode: Sort of a co-operative mode without the co-operation. All the players are on the same side, fighting an A.I. controlled fleet, but they’re competing against one another to score the most points for defeating enemy assets. How pissed will you be when someone steals your kill in this one?

    Duel Mode: Sounds a bit like deathmatch at sea when you think about it. It’s everyman for himself, with each player controlling one unit of a specific type. So you might have eight destroyers attacking one another, or eight battleships. Cruisers and Fighters are your other two options for a mode that sounds like it could be a lot of fun, if not completely void of any historical accuracy.

    Island Capture Mode: This is the big daddy, everything-goes mode. Two teams of up to four players square off on a map that features a bunch of islands with supply points and bases on which new planes and ships can be created by spending command points (which you get for doing stuff like capturing islands and taking out enemy forces). Capturing neutral and enemy bases unlocks more factories that will allow you to build different types of craft, but you also receive victory points that will ultimately crown a winner.

    At the event on the Hornet, I played a pretty decent 2v2 battle versus some guys from the studio and PR. Playing as the Japanes side with one other guy, we quickly started thinking about dividing duties, one guy concentrating on planes another on ships, coordinating our attacks on enemy islands with paratroopers landing on freshly shelled enemy positions, and landing craft hitting the beaches after being strafed a few times by the Zeros. Of course, once my Fuso class battleship hit the lagoon, I thought it was over for the other guys. But wave after wave of torpedo bombers were too much for it and stopped it just short of its big guns being in range of the enemy command point. Then next thing you know, the tide turns and the rest of task force slowly gets chipped away at by the ridiculous number of planes they have in the air. Game over. Some may feel the somewhat realistic pace is a bit too slow, but after a 45 minute match that might have gone on even longer, I’m not complaining.

    Who knows if BattleStations: Pacific will be the breakthrough title for the nascent franchise, it might still be too wonky for many. But for this fan of the first game, and its amazing ability to blend exciting action and complex strategy, it couldn’t be more fun.
    Go Noles!!! >>----->

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    • Flawless
      Bang-bang! Down-down!
      • Mar 2004
      • 16780

      #17
      Re: Battlestations: Pacific

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      Go Noles!!! >>----->

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      • fistofrage
        Hall Of Fame
        • Aug 2002
        • 13682

        #18
        Re: Battlestations: Pacific

        Day 1 purchase sight unseen. Loved the first game.
        Chalepa Ta Kala.....

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        • Jistic
          Hall Of Fame
          • Mar 2003
          • 16405

          #19
          Re: Battlestations: Pacific

          The whole key to this game for me is XBL. If you have a group of guys that will play it consistently online. Online this game is a blast. SP is good, but I dunno it it'll be good enough.
          PSN: JISTIC_OS
          XBOX LIVE: JISTIC

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          • Flawless
            Bang-bang! Down-down!
            • Mar 2004
            • 16780

            #20
            Re: Battlestations: Pacific

            IGN: Battlestations: Pacific Hands-on

            I had a chance to play some of the multiplayer modes recently, including the big new island capture mode that lets four players battle another four on a pretty big map. The goal is for each team to capture islands and bases in order to accumulate victory points as well as build new ships and planes. Each player has an identical pool of requisition points to purchase units; what you build depends on what type of strategy you want to pursue? You could go for pure airpower and select from a wide range of fighters and bombers that are appropriate for your side (Japanese or American), and you can also select between different load outs. Maybe you want to go with sea power? Then you can select cruisers and destroyers and patrol boats (the battleship in the map I played was only available if your team captures the big island in the middle of the map). Or, you could go for a mix of the two; I built a couple of cruisers and some fighters to provide air cover above.

            As you'd imagine, this is a mode that demands a considerable amount of teamwork. This is one of those rare kinds of multiplayer games that makes distance an incredibly important consideration. In shooters, you can get from one side of a map to another within seconds, usually. In Battlestations: Pacific, it takes minutes for a warship to travel from one island to another. As such, you have to coordinate carefully, because if you get caught with your proverbial pants down by the enemy, your teammates could easily be too far away to help. (If your units are destroyed, your pool of requisition points refills and you can simply purchase replacement units, but keep in mind the distance factor; replacements may spawn miles from the action.)

            For those looking for more of an adrenaline rush there are certainly faster, more action-packed multiplayer modes; I engaged in some wild dogfights with plenty of planes on the screen. There's a whopping 96 scenarios in the game, of which more than 80 can be played cooperatively with other players. So there's little shortage of action.

            Due to its subject matter, Battlestations: Pacific reminds me of some of the classic Great Naval Battles games on the PC from more than a decade ago, but this is a series that is geared to appealing to action fans rather than wargamers. It certainly looks good, especially on the Xbox 360, though it could use a few more tweaks. (Sailors on a submarine still stand on deck at their stations even when its underwater.) Still, things are looking good; now if only Eidos includes some of Richard Rodgers memorable Victory at Sea music to accompany the action....
            Go Noles!!! >>----->

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            • ChubbyBanana
              Don't Trust Influencers
              • Oct 2003
              • 7071

              #21
              Re: Battlestations: Pacific

              That new mode could be really cool if we got a bunch of OSers together I would think...
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              • Flawless
                Bang-bang! Down-down!
                • Mar 2004
                • 16780

                #22
                Re: Battlestations: Pacific

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                Go Noles!!! >>----->

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                • ExtremeGamer
                  Extra Life 11/3/18
                  • Jul 2002
                  • 35299

                  #23
                  Re: Battlestations: Pacific

                  Keeps looking better and better.

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                  • Jet Sufferer
                    MVP
                    • Jul 2008
                    • 1347

                    #24
                    Re: Battlestations: Pacific

                    Nice, I've been waiting for a game like this. Hope it's not too complicated like a PC sim. Dogfights, subfights, battleships, destoryers, kamikaze's. Too bad they don't have the German U-boats in there too, probably see those if there's a sequel.

                    My father was on the USS Franklin in WWII, maybe I can Captain his ship.

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                    • Jistic
                      Hall Of Fame
                      • Mar 2003
                      • 16405

                      #25
                      Re: Battlestations: Pacific

                      Any war game that had an engineer named "Atilla" is ok in my book.
                      PSN: JISTIC_OS
                      XBOX LIVE: JISTIC

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                      • mgoblue
                        Go Wings!
                        • Jul 2002
                        • 25477

                        #26
                        Re: Battlestations: Pacific

                        Originally posted by ExtremeGamer
                        Keeps looking better and better.
                        Yeah, the first one was pretty fun, and I think with this one they'll really nail down the experience.
                        Nintendo Switch Friend Code: SW-7009-7102-8818

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                        • Flawless
                          Bang-bang! Down-down!
                          • Mar 2004
                          • 16780

                          #27
                          Re: Battlestations: Pacific

                          Battlestations: Pacific To Set Sail This May

                          Eidos Interactive, Inc. and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announce that Battlestations: Pacific is set to release on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Games for Windows LIVE in North America on May 12, 2009. Battlestations: Pacific is rated "T" for Teen.

                          Battlestations: Pacific takes the critically-acclaimed action/strategy gameplay of Battlestations: Midway to the next level with more intense, strategic combat. Players can take to the skies and seas through two massive, action-packed campaigns across 28 missions, featuring some of the most decisive naval battles in history.

                          A historically accurate U.S. campaign puts players in command of the U.S. Navy's Pacific fleet through the Battles of Guadalcanal and on to Iwo Jima, Okinawa and victory. For the first time, players have a chance to rewrite history, commanding a Japanese campaign as the Imperial Japanese Navy from Pearl Harbor to Asia, Australia and beyond, expanding its empire throughout the Pacific Rim.

                          Battlestations: Pacific takes the battle online with a massively enhanced multiplayer experience, offering five new and innovative co-op and team-based modes for up to eight players. 'Siege' and 'Duel' offer an all-out action experience, allowing players to control a selection of war machines as each side battles to turn the tide of war; joining forces for 'Competitive', players compete side-by-side against the opposing AI forces; 'Escort' allows for a mix of action and strategy, with players escorting or attacking a key naval unit as it heads to its destination; and 'Island Capture' offers a compelling strategic experience, with players not only battling for supremacy of the seas, but also capturing and controlling the island archipelago.

                          "With over 100 authentic air, sea and undersea units, a compelling mix of action and strategy and an extensive multiplayer game, Battlestations: Pacific lets players participate in the Pacific conflict like no other game before it," said Lee Singleton, General Manager of Eidos Game Studios. "With direct control over fighters, bombers, kamikaze planes, destroyers, aircraft carriers, submarines and many more, including powerful prototype units, they will experience a level of immersion that truly brings the conflict to life."
                          Go Noles!!! >>----->

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                          • ChubbyBanana
                            Don't Trust Influencers
                            • Oct 2003
                            • 7071

                            #28
                            Re: Battlestations: Pacific

                            Good news indeed.

                            I'll be patiently waiting with baseball games and others until this one drops.
                            Not A Moderator
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                            • Flawless
                              Bang-bang! Down-down!
                              • Mar 2004
                              • 16780

                              #29
                              Re: Battlestations: Pacific

                              Eurogamer Live Q&A

                              I'd just like to mention, I really enjoyed the first game. My only issue was that to be really effective, especially in multiplayer and later single player levels, I often found myself spending 90% of my time in the map screen directing units without actually seeing or getting involved in the action myself. Has anything been changed in the sequel, that allows you feel more involved in the action this time round?

                              Alastair Cornish: Good question! Something the team spent a lot of time on was trying to keep the user in the action as much as possible. To give some concrete examples in Midway in order to trigger repairs you needed to go to a separate screen, taking you out of the action - now in Pacific you can trigger repairs from a small pop up that sits in the HUD so you are still in the action, able to see what's going on.

                              Of course the map screen is still a dedicated screen and if users want to they can spend plenty of time there ordering units. However for those users who prefer action they will be able to spend more time in the thick of things! The Battlestations games are all about a balance between the two (Action / Strategy).
                              Hello! I'm just curious about the kamikazes. Do you select from the airport, that you will load the plane full of bombs? And about the Ohka, can you control the Ohka from cockpit view? How long can you control it? And the last question. Do the Japanese speak Japanese or English in the game? Thanks!

                              Alastair Cornish: Kamikazes are one of the most interesting new class of units. You do choose to specifically launch as a kamikaze (so it's not something you do spontaneously while in the air), so you are effectively launching an explosive packed plane, yes. As for the Ohka yes you control it all the way into its target, at first you glide and try to line up on your target, then you kick in the rocket engine and scream down on the enemy (there's no turning back once triggered). You control it until destroyed. As for power the Ohka's are extremely potent war machines!

                              ...

                              Oh! I realised I missed an earlier question. The Japanese forces are voiced by Japanese actors, however the actors speak in English, this is to ensure that users can understand important info like they are about to lose an island or a battleship! We didn't want it to be unfair and have Japanese players needing to read subtitles, ie people playing for the Japanese side.
                              Will Pacific allow the use of bots so you can play multiplayer games in co-op? Playing a game of Midway without a full amount of players was not ideal and lead to myself, and a lot of my online friends, giving up on it fairly quickly.

                              Alastair Cornish: Yes you can play co-op against bots. Or have bots fill in and play alongside human players.
                              How many hours of gameplay can we expect from the campaigns? And, er, when's that demo due again?

                              Alastair Cornish: Nice try! As for playthrough times it's a rough guesstimate but I'll say about 18 hours just for the single player campaigns, and lots, lots more in Skirmish and Multiplayer. It depends on how good you are really, and if you go for all the gold medals, and if you go through on harder difficulty levels.
                              Go Noles!!! >>----->

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                              • Flawless
                                Bang-bang! Down-down!
                                • Mar 2004
                                • 16780

                                #30
                                Re: Battlestations: Pacific

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                                Go Noles!!! >>----->

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