Man the battlestations!
Although not that well known, Battlestations: Midway, and its successor, Pacific, are fine examples of an unusual genre and provide some entertaining action and strategy shenanigans. As the name suggests, this one takes place in 1941 during World War II and places you in the role of a young lieutenant in Pearl Harbor, shortly before it becomes involved in one of the most significant moments in recent history. The game effectively begins as the Japanese assault kicks off and through the course of the single-player campaign you'll defend your home country before moving on to the Pacific itself. What follows is no Call of Duty clone though, and instead this is a strange mix of vehicle-based action and strategy, as you jump between planes, ships and submarines that are all involved in the conflict. You play this as an out-and-out action game if you want, taking control of whatever takes your fancy and blowing merry hell out of the enemy or you can take a more considered approach, issuing orders and working towards a grand strategy. It's this flexibility that is perhaps at the core of the game's appeal and it certainly makes it more rewarding than a straight up action or strategy game might have been, thanks to the ease and style with which everything is implemented. The various missions are both challenging and exciting, thanks to some smart design work and excellent AI, while the whole thing is well presented, with slick visuals and stylish interface and which make this a worthy addition to any collection.
