Battalion Wars 2

Battalion Wars 2
Developer(s) Kuju Entertainment
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Director(s) Tancred Dyke-Wells
Producer(s) Jonathan Eardley
Antonia Cullum
Brynley Gibson
Designer(s) Andrew Trowers
Programmer(s) Richard Smith
Artist(s) Adonis Stevenson
Cumron Ashtiani
Writer(s) Paul Mackman
Series Wars
Platform(s) Wii
Release date(s)
Genre(s) Action, Real-time tactics
Mode(s) Single Player, Online[4]

Battalion Wars 2 is a real-time tactics video game for the Wii console.[5] It is a sequel to the Nintendo GameCube title Battalion Wars. The game was officially announced August 23, 2006 at the Leipzig Games Convention.[4] It was developed by Kuju Entertainment,[6] which also developed the GameCube predecessor, and was published by Nintendo. Battalion Wars 2 was released on October 29, 2007 in North America and on February 15, 2008 in Europe. In Japan it is known as Totsugeki!! Famicom Wars VS (突撃!!ファミコンウォーズVS) where it is considered part of the Famicom Wars series.

Gameplay

Battalion Wars 2 gameplay combines land, sea, and air combat in a third-person perspective, with control similar to the previous game. However, unlike the first game the sequel's addition of naval combat now includes new units for this aspect, including: Battleship, Frigate, Submarine, Dreadnought and Naval Transport (landing craft).[4] In addition, the Light and Heavy Recon units from the last game have been replaced by merely the Recon unit, which merges the Heavy Recon's defense and extra gun with the Light Recon's speed. Including the prologue, there are 20 playable missions, and six factions in the game, including the Western Frontier, Tundran Territories, Solar Empire, Xylvania, and Iron Legion from the last game, and a new nation called the Anglo Isles. The game also includes a new feature that allows troops to capture facilities for higher respawn rates (in a similar manner to Advance Wars), along with benefits (such as Headquarters, Barracks, Factories, Air Bases, and Docks) that can be used to generate more units.[4] Furthermore, the map screen is now improved, allowing players to give commands through it as well.

Battalion Wars 2 also features three separate online multiplayer modes, including skirmish, assault and cooperative. In skirmish, both sides start out with a pre-deployed force with facilities to replace units that are lost. The objective of the game is to earn as many points as possible by destroying enemy units within a specified time limit. In assault mode, one player is given a siege battalion to destroy the opposing player's assets.[7] The third mode is co-op in which two players join forces to tackle a much larger computer. They are given certain units, forcing them to heavily rely on the other.[8][9] The lack of multiplayer was among the more commonly cited shortcomings of the first game, but this was addressed in the development of the second,[10][11][12] although the game still lacks a splitscreen multiplayer mode.

Multiplayer has closed as the result of the Nintendo Wifi Connection shutting down on May 20, 2014.

Plot

Prologue

200 years ago, the Iron Legion, ruled by the fearsome Lord Ferrok, was on the brink of total conquest of the world. Ferrok, believing victory was at hand, gathered his armies at his stronghold, the Iron Tower, to prepare for a final onslaught. However, the Solar Empire, the last nation still standing after the Lightning Wars, invades Old Xylvania in a last-ditch attempt to destroy the Legion. After a series of battles, Empress Qa-len, monarch of the Solar Empire, drops a strike battalion equipped with a powerful staff deep into Legion territory with orders to take it to the top of the Iron Tower, whereby it can be used to activate a satellite super-weapon, which would destroy the Legion. Lord Ferrok, discovering the plan, sends in bombers to find and eliminate them, yet one member of the battalion survives the assault. A lone grunt quickly finds the staff just as it is about to fall into enemy hands, and quickly proceeds towards the tower, finding their rifle is now supercharged by the staff, as well as creating a shield around themselves. The Staff Bearer (as they become known) defeats many Legion troops, heavy tanks and gunships before destroying one of Ferrok's precious Battlestation. The explosion from the Battlestation destroys the protective wall around the tower, clearing the path for the Staff Bearer (who is now accompanied by three Solar grunts). After defeating the grunts guarding the tower, the four Solar warriors infiltrate the tower and activated the satellite's superweapon. After the huge blast from the satellite struck and destroyed, both the Iron Tower and the Iron Legion, Qa-Len finds the staff in the crater, and proceeds to an icy wasteland, where she throws it into a chasm, in hopes that it may never be used again, unaware this action would spark a new conflict in the future.

Solar Empire Campaign

Following the conflict with Xylvania, Western Frontier commanders enjoy a vacation on the islands of the Solar Empire, only for it to be abruptly ended. Colonel Windsor and Commander Pierce, of the Anglo Isles, launch a preemptive strike on the Solar Empire, believing rumours that they are constructing a superweapon. An invasion force, including a squadron of fighters and bombers led by Commander Pierce and a battleship fleet led by Colonel Windsor, attack the Western Frontier Naval base situated on one of the Solar Islands. At the Imperial Palace, Admiral A-Qira interrupts Empress Lei-Qo to inform her of the Anglo attacks, but the Empress already knows and says that "history has come full circle, just as she had foreseen", leaving her Admiral to deal with the attack. Aided by the Frontier, the Empire counter-attacks the Anglo forces, and after a series of losing battles, the Anglo Isles finally withdraw their troops and return to their home country. They soon realize that the Solar Empire has no superweapon, since their attack did not prompt the use of such a device, but Admiral A-Qira, saying that "honor demands that we launch a subsequent attack immediately", prepares for a counterstrike (even though Empress Lei-Qo forbids it), calling on Marshall Nova and the Tundra Territories to assist him, with Nova agreeing to do so, after visited upon by the ghost of his father, Tsar Gorgi.

Western Frontier Campaign

After returning to their nation following the conflict in the Solar Empire, General Herman takes Brigadier Betty into the Western Frontier War Room, suspecting the recent skirmishes have a familiar sense of deja vu to it, and looks for files detailing past events in the world. When he finds what he is looking for, Herman tells Betty about the Frontier's early hostilities with the Tundran Territories, back when Gorgi was still in charge of the Tundran Territories. Back then, Gorgi had his nation invade the Frontier on the belief that they were creating a super-weapon, in the same manner that occurred in the present day. This forced a younger Herman to rally the Frontier into first defending against the assault before repelling the invasion, eventually ending the conflict with the Frontier winning, and having both sides make a peace treaty. While explaining his story to Betty, Herman mentions that he and the Frontier's troops saw Xylvanian troops within their territory, but he never found out the reason why they were there or what they were up to. However, by the time he finishes his story, Herman voices concern, believing he has a suspicion on who might have orchestrated the attack between the Anglo Isles and the Solar Empire.

Anglo Isles Campaign

A few days after the conflict in his homeland, A-Qira, having reorganized his forces, leads the Solar Empire into battle, and along with aid from the Tundran Territories, launches a counter-invasion against the Anglo Isles. Colonel Windsor and Commander Pierce find themselves forced to take on the might of the two nations, and defend several key points as a result. Although initially doing well, A-Qira is eventually pushed out of the Anglo Isles, as Windsor and Pierce successfully repel the invasion. As Anglo bombers attack the Solar Empire's naval fleet, A-Qira, witnessing this, drinks from a canteen of his, upset that he is losing the war. A few seconds later, he suddenly finds himself being confronted by Kaiser Vlad, the fugitive Xylvanian leader who escaped from the Alliance of Nations in the previous war. A-Qira suddenly realizes that Kaiser Vlad has tricked both nations into starting the war against each other, but begins coughing soon after while turning pale, realizing that Vlad has poisoned his drink. A-Qira dies shortly afterwards, while Vlad contacts his troops to see how their invasion of the defenceless Tundran Territories is coming along.

Iron Legion Campaign

While Xylvanian and Tundran forces engage each other in the northern regions of the Tundra Territories, Vlad frees Ubel from his gulag by gassing the two grunts guarding him. Vlad then proceeds to tell Ubel that he has discovered the key to their vengeance upon their enemies, thanks to the Iron Legion's defeat. He explains to Ubel about the many battles which took place in Old Xylvania during the final days of the Lightning Wars, when the Solar Empire made a final attempt to annihilate the Iron Legion before they took control of the world, and reveals that his aim to ignite the conflict between the Anglo Isle and Solar Empire was to divert forces away from the region he needed to reach, having now found the staff that can activate the Empire's superweapon.

Tundran Territories Campaign

Having found the Staff of Qa-Len, Kaiser Vlad finally proclaims to destroy his enemies, alerting the other nations to the threat posed on them. Nova, learning of the invasion of his homeland, launches an assault on the Xylvian forces, aided by the other nations, as he and the other COs fight to reach the icy chasm in the northern region of the Tundran Territories, in an attempt to repel Vlad's expedition for the staff. The Alliance of Nations fights its way through Tundra and destroys Vlad's Mining Spider, a gigantic vehicle that he is using to dig up the staff. Vlad and Ubel manage to escape from the spider as it is being destroyed, just as Vlad finds the Staff of Qa-Len and uses it at the last possible second. The super-weapon causes massive destruction in the surrounding area, yet despite this, all the Alliance of Nations' CO's narrowly escape with their lives, while Vlad and Ubel are trapped in the ice, forced to dig their way out. With the nations successful, a parade in the Tundran Territories capitol is held, honouring the effort put to ending the recent conflict.

Reception

Battalion Wars 2 received positive reviews. IGN rated the game an 8.0 out of 10, citing an impressive story mode, addition of naval units, mostly intuitive controls, and fun online modes. Sticking points included that Kuju failed to capitalize on or misused Wii's control enhancements, the inability to play through the single-player campaign in online cooperative mode, and the lack of voice chat. GameSpot gave it a 7.5 out of 10 for drastically improved pacing in campaign, a decent attempt at online play, and excellent production values. Its downsides were the strategy is still "lite", is overly simple, and the artificial intelligence and story are rather modest.[13] Official Nintendo Magazine (UK) gave the game 90%, criticizing the lack of a "retreat" command and the occasionally fiddly controls, but commending the graphics and strong online mode.[14] Game Informer gave the game a 7.25.[5] Hyper's Dylan Burns commends the game for its "heaps of units and high production values". However, he criticises it for its "iffy motion control and being a bit too cutesy".[15] Xplay gave Battalion Wars 2 a 4 out of 5 stars commenting on the better pacing and addition of Naval units.

References

  1. ↑ Nintendo - Games - Battalion Wars II
  2. ↑ Nintendo News: Nintendo gives out massive '08 schedule - ComputerAndVideoGames.com
  3. ↑ GoNintendo " Blog Archive " Nintendo of Australia - 2007 sales info- What are you waiting for?
  4. 1 2 3 4 Captain (2006-08-23). "Battalion Wars ii announced for Nintendo's Wii". Aussie-Nintendo. Archived from the original on 14 September 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-23.
  5. 1 2 Bryan, "Battalion Wars 2: War Is Cute," Game Informer 177 (January 2008): 95.
  6. ↑ Castro, Juan (2005-05-15). "E3 2005: Kuju Entertainment Interview". IGN Cube. Archived from the original on 11 August 2006. Retrieved 2006-07-08.
  7. ↑ IGN: Battalion Wars 2 Review
  8. ↑ Leone, Matt (2006-08-23). "Battalion Wars 2 Wii Preview". 1UP. Ziff Davis Media. Retrieved 2006-08-23.
  9. ↑ Kablau, Mario (2006-08-23). "Battalion Wars 2 Hands-on". IGN Wii. Archived from the original on 2 September 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-24.
  10. ↑ IGN: Battalion Wars Review
  11. ↑ Battalion Wars for GameCube Review - GameCube Battalion Wars Review
  12. ↑ Battalion Wars Review // GC /// Eurogamer
  13. ↑ Battalion Wars 2 for Wii Review October 29, 2007.
  14. ↑ Wii Review: Battalion Wars 2 - Official Nintendo Magazine
  15. ↑ Burns, Dylan (June 2008). "Battalion Wars 2". Hyper (Next Media) (176): 58. ISSN 1320-7458.

External links

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