Graphics 8/10

Graphics are pretty standard fare, but do provide some great action. Cutscenes are animated well and the characters are cartoony. The environments, surprisingly, are varied and the battlefield action is smooth. The cartoony looks of the characters is charming and makes your soldiers look like little toy soldiers you used to play with as a kid. Vehicles are equally unrealistic and never cut corners in the slick Wars style of the battlefield. Sadly, camera was an issue, as it got caught on objects and jostled around in the heat of battle. But overall, looking at the game is a treat, and really does bring new ideas to war games.

Audio 8/10

The characters’ voices, both in cutscene and in-game, were pretty entertaining to say the least. Your advisors in battle are full of character and provide some interesting dialogue when they deal out the do’s and don’ts. The enemy leaders will cue in during gameplay to speak with their accented tones, but this also remains entertaining. In-game, your soldiers will make funny quips about the area around them, saying if it’s too quiet, when to charge, or just to take out the enemy. This really never gets annoying and is pretty nice to hear when overwhelmed in battle. Sound effects are great, with solid gunfire, loud explosions, and massive clamor in the high-heat world of war. Audio is absolutely solid in this title.

Gameplay 8/10

Battalion Wars blends the real-time strategy element with action shooting to create a downright satisfying strategy game for the Gamecube. When two warring nations begin their battles, you as commander in the Western Frontier must defeat the opposing Tundran army. Controls are simple and accessible. Shoot with A, jump with B. You can command your troops by unit, type, or all of them with a quick tap of the C-Stick. Follow and sentry are executed with X and is fluid when on the fly. A lock-on targeting system allows you to shoot at enemies, while simultaneously commanding your squad to attack that enemy. Manning vehicles is also used with the lock-on system. Using a map, you can transfer your control from one unit to another all the way on the other side of the battleground. Battalion Wars provides a great amount of infantry types and vehicles to use. One of the best parts about the game is that while the game is linear in mission direction, you can choose how to fight. Go in alone with only your gun and a prayer, or launch a sneak attack. Command your squad for a surrounding move, or execute a powerful frontal assault. The Story Mode offers some very diverse missions to play, with the Western Frontier advisors always giving you a heads-up with what to do when the opposing forces surprise you. The diversity in missions always offers some pleasant surprises. In one you’ll be defending a base, in another you’ll race across in a recon vehicle. The game is successful because it constantly throws new challenges in the heat of battle, while keeping the resource management down and the action always on. Some problems did arise though. Camera is a major one, being that there is no direct control and it tends to get wonky, especially in the vehicles. Also, vehicle control is a bit wacky when going through rugged terrain. You move the vehicles with the Control Stick, but the vehicles can get caught on rocks or trees. But the biggest problem is the lack of any multiplayer. The frantic fun of the single player is brought down, knowing of how cool it would be in co-op commander style or even a simple deathmatch. But overall, Battalion Wars is a game that surprises on many levels, bringing a simplistic and accessible command engine and a tankload of war action.

Replay Value 6/10

No multiplayer hurts, it really does. There are unlockable missions, if your rankings are good, but the campaign is brutally short. Battalion Wars has an awesome gameplay setup, but only being able to go through the game for a bit is a letdown. It just screams rental.

Final Verdict 8/10

Battalion Wars is not very similar to Advance Wars, but it does offer some of the best war gameplay you’ll find on the market. The story mode is short, there’s no multiplayer, and there are some camera issues, but the game is just plain fun. The simple controls make commanding your units easy and fun and give Battalion Wars a special place in the Gamecube’s library. If you love strategy and don’t mind trying out something new, definitely pick this game up. If not, Battalion Wars is an excellent rental for anyone who has a Gamecube. It’s explosive action, and it’s great.