Wii Fanboy Review: Battalion Wars 2

On the whole though, Battalion Wars 2 is easily deserving of a place in anyone's library and one of the best games on the Wii so far. Even if Nintendo hasn't acted like it is from an advertising standpoint.
Gallery: BWii
The game picks up where the first game left off, with the world in a relative state of peace. Funny how that never lasts, though, as the many empires of the world (6 to be exact) soon find themselves choosing sides in a new war. Making up these 6 different empires are the Western Frontier, Tundran Territories, Xylvania, Solar Empire, Anglo Isles and the nation that almost conquered the world, the Iron Legion.
Each of the territories differ in look, but basically offer up the same types of units. The sheer variety of available units, however, is more than you might expect. Each force has a plethora of units for land, sea and air combat. Your basic infantry is made up of rifleman, flamethrower soldiers, bazooka units, assault units, anti-air soldiers and mortar units. As you can imagine, each of these units is best used to handle another type, such as the bazooka soldiers against vehicles on the land. Land vehicles include tanks and roving battlestations, with air units such as fighter planes and transports keeping things in check above the battlefield. Naval vehicles range from frigates to submarines. This only touches on the available vehicles in the title.So, as you can see, the game demands you utilize strategy in your match-ups between units.
Controlling the action is handled through a combined use of the Wiimote and nunchuk, as you would imagine. Pointing your Wiimote at your TV will present an aiming reticle and pointing it at your enemy, while simultaneously pressing the Z button will allow you to lock-on. Hitting the B trigger fires your weapon. Using the Wiimote's d-pad will allow you to switch between the types of units you want to highlight. The only problem we had with this control scheme was the incredible difficulty we had in effectively using the camera. Especially when there are air units to be taken care of.
Using the A button, you can give basic combat orders to your squad. You can lock on to an enemy and hit A to make them focus their fire on that unit. You can point to a location and hit A to make them scout ahead. You can even use the d-pad to issue orders to specific unit types. For example, if you have some infantry giving you trouble, along with a helicopter, you can tell your flamethrower infantry to attack the ground troups and order your anti-air men to take on the helicopter. It's simple, but very effective.

The title's online mode allows for both competitive and co-operative play. In the co-operative play, you can (with a friend) play six different missions. Within these missions, you control a squad, while your buddy controls another, tackling objectives set forth in the game. Communication is limited, however, allowing you to only call for help and accept a plea for help, with the 1 and 2 buttons, respectively. In Assault, one team must defend a hardened structure, while the other must successfully destroy it in a certain amount of time. Finally, there is Skirmish, which is just all-out war, with the victor being the one left standing.
We've said, this is one of the best Wii games available. It may not have Metroid Prime 3's flashy graphics or WarioWare: Smooth Move's accessibility, but it does have a fun single-player campaign and a passable online game mode. The replay value is there and this is certainly, as we said, one of the best Wii titles available.
Final Score: 9/10





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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Malik @ Nov 5th 2007 2:06PM
A million kudos to David Hinkle. You rock, man!
mark richardson @ Nov 5th 2007 11:24AM
I cant beleive BWii have been pushed back till 2009 in the uk i cant wait to get my hands on a copy!
BlackholeStormtrooper @ Nov 5th 2007 11:27AM
Is there any kind of two person per console mode? I've heard co-op works that way, but I don't have any confirmation.
Sam Fletcher @ Nov 5th 2007 11:42AM
@2: Nope.
I love this game. I think it is like playing Command and Conquer, but from the the soldier's perspective. The game plays much more like an RTS than an action game, and the balance of units is perfect. I've been exploring single-player, and I can't wait to get more into multiplayer.
The two things I lament are 1) no option for multiplayer communication, and 2) the inability to direct troops to a geographical location, to set up ambushes and guard a strategic portion of land.
Digital_Hero @ Nov 5th 2007 11:48AM
I bought the game, and was a bit dis-appointed to find out that co-op was just one person per console. And it isn't actually 2 vs. 2 online. Co-op is actually two people at separate consoles playing against AI objectives. It's still fun, but was a bit of a let down. Also there seems to be no sign of the capture the flag mode that has been talked about in previews. It must have been axed. All in all though, it's still a really enjoyable game.
Mr Khan @ Nov 5th 2007 11:44AM
And the first Wii game to utilize LAN play over Wireless
A feature we need to see more of
Jay @ Nov 5th 2007 11:59AM
I couldn't agree more with your score.
I was very surprised with this game. I mean, I enjoyed the one on the cube, but I wouldve given the cube version a 7. This game is a solid 9 all the way and I would say, a must have for just about anyone who has a wii.
The first thing I noticed is how awesome the cinematics are in this one. I got into the story way more than I did in the last one.
I also enjoyed the controls. They are really intuitive. Sometimes I would get into a scramble going from watching the enemy on the ground to changing my focus to the sky, but I found that careful management of the "C" button zoom controls can remedy this. For general play, I keep it at a medium zoom, if i want to focus on the ground I'll pull back to a far zoom and if I want to see the sky, I bring it in to a close zoom. Doing that, I never lose sight of the enemy.
And although you can't communicate in online play, I really think they did a great job with every other aspect of it.
Suiname @ Nov 5th 2007 1:31PM
This game is a welcome addition to my wii library. This and Zack & Wiki have me neglecting halo to play the wii. Can't wait for Mario.
student @ Nov 5th 2007 2:12PM
After lukewarm reviews, I had moved BWii from "must buy" to "on the fence" but hearing the excitement here has pushed me back over the edge.
FX-1 @ Nov 5th 2007 3:09PM
I just got this game and it's awesome! The only part I don't particularly care for is the way they did the combat roles and jumping. The nunchuck doesn't seem to react very well to that.
Joe H @ Nov 5th 2007 4:31PM
No, what's really the biggest problem with this game as far as I'm concerned is that the aiming reticule doesn't stand out at all, and blends into the background, making it very difficult to see what you're doing.
flameofdoom666 @ Nov 5th 2007 4:52PM
This game rocks my socks!
haseeb @ Dec 21st 2007 10:38PM
are they making battlion wars 3?????
Cthulhu @ Nov 5th 2007 6:10PM
Already finished it, and it's great fun. Definately worth the money!
FX-1 @ Nov 5th 2007 8:56PM
Ok, 11 has a point, but it's still an awesome game.
haseeb @ Dec 12th 2007 8:16PM
i want u for the army
haseeb @ Dec 21st 2007 10:41PM
are they making bw3 please somane tell me