Battlestations: Midway
Battlestations: Midway is a video game developed by Eidos Hungary and released on January 30, 2007 for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The Mac version of this game was developed by Robosoft Technologies, based out of India and published in July 2008 by Feral Interactive.[1]
| Battlestations:Midway | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Eidos Hungary |
| Publisher(s) | Eidos Interactive Feral Interactive (Mac OS X) |
| Designer(s) | Györei Viktor Szalasci Botond |
| Programmer(s) | Somfai Ákos |
| Artist(s) | Nagy Zoltán |
| Composer(s) | Richard Jacques |
| Series | Battlestations |
| Platform(s) | Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Xbox One (Backwards compatibility) |
| Release | January 30, 2007 |
| Genre(s) | Action, real-time tactics |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Set in the Pacific during World War II, it is a hybrid of action and real-time tactics as the player can both command their fleet assets and assume control of any one of them at will. The single player campaign is a series of missions from Pearl Harbor commanding an Elco PT Boat to the Battle of Midway commanding an entire Carrier Battle Group.
Gameplay
In either the single-player or multiplayer game the player starts with a ship, submarine, aircraft, shipyard, airfield or a combination of any of them. The player can switch between their allocated units in order to complete objectives. Each unit also has its own unique features and controls. For example, using a carrier, shipyard or airfield, players can release carrier aircraft, ships, or land-based aircraft respectively. These units can then be used to engage in naval battles, undersea actions or dogfights and bombing runs.
Players are encouraged to work together online. In multiplayer, each player controls a different group of units. Each player has different units allocated to them, each with unique strengths and weaknesses. Each side will have a specific objective to complete, whether it being to destroy or protect a certain unit or reach a certain point on the map. The team wins when they are the first to complete their objective(s).
Single-player
The single player campaign contains 11 historically based from the American perspective and is played through the eyes of Henry Walker, an aspiring young man trying to follow in his father's footsteps of being a great Navy Admiral, and his best friend Donald Locklear, an ace in the Flying Tigers.
Battlestations: Midway offers several challenge levels where the player's skills are tested.
The game has appearances by John F. Kennedy, commanding Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109 and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Multiplayer
Battlestations: Midway supports multiplayer matches of up to eight players. Matches are team-based, beginning with each player choosing either an Allied or a Japanese starting base from a list of preset slots in the lobby. Each slot has its own unique unit or building allocation. A slot can have up to four units. Each multiplayer map is essentially a "set-piece" battle whereby all of the units on the map at the beginning of the match are the only units available to the players for the entire match. The two exceptions to this are units that can be spawned (e.g. aircraft from airfields, aircraft carriers, etc.) and the planes that respawn in the map "Air Superiority at Luzon", which is very infrequently played.
Since December 2012 GameSpy closed down all their support for Battlestations: Midway. Players trying to play the Multiplayer (Powered by GameSpy) getting only error messages.
Development
Demo
A multiplayer demo was released on the Xbox Live Marketplace on January 18, 2007. The PC demo was released on January 26, 2007, and the Mac OS X demo followed on July 24, 2008. The demos contain the multiplayer map Battle of Solomon Islands, which supports up to 8 players. The PC demo works only for LAN play. Players will disconnect frequently when attempting to play via the internet. The Xbox 360 demo functions correctly via Xbox Live online play.
Downloadable content
Eidos released the "Iowa Mission Pack" on the Xbox Live Marketplace. This update includes several new ship models, as well as the "Raid on Truk" ship challenge and the "Battle of Sibuyan Sea" multiplayer map. A patch has been released for the PC version.
Sequel
On February 28, Eidos Interactive announced Battlestations: Pacific for PC and Xbox 360.[2] In May 2009 the game became available to the public.[3] This sequel takes place right after Battlestations: Midway and has twice as many missions as the game before. It also includes 21 new units and add the ability to command troops to fight on the islands, though the player has no control over any individual land unit.[4] Naval mine and Kamikazes have also been added. A new feature includes the ability to play as the Japanese from commanding the Pearl Harbor attack to Midway. Details have been added for a more realistic effect; for example, while submerged in a sub flora and fauna are visible, as well as a sea floor. The game also provides an alternate history timeline for the Japanese, a what-if scenario that tells the story of the IJN's victory at Midway, which later considers Pearl Harbor a threat to its already overextending conquest borderline, therefore forcing an invasion of Hawaii. It is also possible to, at the start of the attack on Pearl Harbor, "kill" the two main characters of Battlestations: Midway. If the player managed to sink Henry's PT boat, the pilot would comment "His name was Henry. This is not his story." After shooting down Donald's more advanced plane, he would go on to comment that "Fighter ace, huh? At least you died in the air." pointing back to Donald's death on the USS Yorktown at the Battle of the Coral Sea.
References
- "Feral Interactive - Battlestations: Midway".
- Battlestations: Pacific press release Archived March 2, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- Battlestations: Pacific Wikipedia
- "Eidos Battlestations". Archived from the original on 2008-03-06. Retrieved 2008-03-02.