Preview: Battalion Wars 2 (Wii)

Gamestyle loved Battalion Wars; despite some issues with the title's longevity, we awarded it an impressive eight out of ten in our review. However, arriving at Christmas 2005, Battalion Wars was largely ignored in favour of the 'safe' Christmas sales. Although it has had moderate success since (appearing regularly in the release-starved Gamecube chart), the title has never really enjoyed the success it deserved. This is something we hope will change with news that a bigger, better Battalion Wars is coming to the Wii next year. Kuju have been busy working on the sequel, with initial programming being completed on a Gamecube development kit, before moving the whole lot over to a Wii kit when they became available - a clear indication of the similarity of the developing processes for the two formats.

Plot details are thin on the ground at the moment, but Gamestyle has discovered that Commander Pierce and Colonel Windsor of new race, the Anglo Isles, are tricked by those pesky Xylvanians into declaring war on the Solar Empire, mistakenly believing that they are building a super weapon, provoking more global warfare. Looks like the first game's racial stereotyping has made it through intact.

Kuju are promising bigger battlefields to slug it out over and the ability to take control of each of the warring nations at different points in the story. Each nation will have new units as well as those that appeared in the original Battalion Wars. The first game's ingenious trick of allowing you to take control of any soldier on the battlefield remains and, in addition to ground and aerial forces, Gamestyle is pleased to note the inclusion of naval units in Battalion Wars 2. No fewer than five vessels have made it into the game, including battleships, submarines and transports which provide the rather useful ability to ferry troops around and make amphibious assaults on enemy positions. Some battlefields will also feature facilities that allow the production of new units, if the player can obtain control of them.

It also seems that Kuju have been listening to criticism of the first game's lack of longevity by increasing not only the length of the main story mode (which now spans over 20 missions), but by also including a plentiful 15 maps for online multiplayer frolics. That's right, to Gamestyle's excitement, Battalion Wars 2 is one of the first games to confirm use of the Wii's online capabilities with three different modes of play provided.

The Wii's unique control system appears to have been used wisely as well, with early reports suggesting that ordering troops around will involve simply pointing the Wiimote at the desired area of the screen and pressing the appropriate button to attack or move. Flicking the nunchuck will make soldiers under your command jump, whilst flicking it to the side will make them perform a roll.

With the announced improvements over the first game, as well as the better graphics the Wii's extra power is sure to bring, and plenty of time left before release to get everything just right, Gamestyle is looking forward to Battalion Wars 2 with a smile on our face. Expect our definitive verdict next year.

Words by Andy Lucas