Battlestations: Midway

K. Fields
2020-02-18T13:55:23-05:00
Video Games

Years ago, I played a fair number of combat simulation games such as 688 Attack Sub, Red Baron, Chuck Yeager's Air Combat, Task Force 1942, Comanche: Maximum Overkill, and Falcon 4.0. That type of game doesn't seem as popular today, however. I hadn't played one in many years. That changed recently, however, when I installed Battlestations: Midway. It was a very nice change of pace and brought me back to the days of some of the aforementioned titles. Battlestations: Midway offered a nice mix of map-based tactics and hands-on action. Unlike most of the other games I listed, you have the ability to directly control surface ships, submarines, and aircraft. There are even aircraft carriers, which provide a mix of air and sea control, as well as airfields and shipyards.

The game's campaign follows the career of Jack Hawkins during World War II. Hawkins starts out as a navy lieutenant and works his way up to captain as the story progresses. There were a total of eleven missions, starting with Lt. Hawkins on a PT Boat and ending with Capt. Hawkins commanding the USS Enterprise at the battle of Midway. I played all of the training missions before tackling the campaign, which certainly helped. After a few campaign missions, I felt pretty comfortable with the various controls. In general, I preferred controlling the ships over the airplanes. I was never very good at dogfighting although I did enjoy piloting the bombers (particularly the TBD Avenger torpedo bombers).

I completed the campaign but there are several standalone aircraft, ship, and submarine challenge missions to play. Before moving on to my next game, I will give a few of those a try. I also own the sequel, Battlestations: Pacific, which I look forward to playing down the road.

B-17 Flying Fortress Passes Over the USS Lexington

Aircraft Carrier with Escort