Battlestations Collection

Battlestations Collection bundles the original Battlestations game with its expanded sequel, Battlestations: Pacific, giving you two entries in Eidos Interactive's unusual hybrid that sits somewhere between action game and real-time strategy. The core loop is the thing that makes this series stand out: you command a battle from a top-down tactical view, issuing orders to ships, aircraft, and submarines, then drop straight into first-person or third-person control of any unit on the field whenever you want. It is a genuinely odd design that, once it clicks, feels unlike anything else from that era of PC gaming. The WWII Pacific and Atlantic theatres are the backdrops, and the attention to unit variety is real. Destroyers, battleships, torpedo bombers, dive bombers, submarines, and PT boats all handle differently and serve distinct tactical roles. Learning when to personally pilot a Zero on a strafing run versus staying in command view to reposition your fleet is the actual skill being tested here. The sequel, Battlestations: Pacific, expands the scope significantly, adding more campaigns, playable factions, and a larger roster of historical vessels and aircraft. If you are going to play one, Pacific is the more complete game, but the original holds up as a solid foundation. What does not hold up as well: the AI, in both games, can be frustrating. Enemy units occasionally make baffling decisions, and friendly AI left to its own devices will sometimes squander advantages you spent ten minutes building. The camera during direct-control sections takes adjustment, and the controls themselves have a learning curve that feels steeper than necessary given the relatively simple underlying systems. Neither game was designed with modern UI expectations in mind, so expect some friction getting oriented. For who this is for: if you grew up with WWII games and want something with more tactical texture than a straight action game but less spreadsheet overhead than a full wargame, this collection sits in that gap. It is especially appealing if you have any interest in naval warfare, which gets very little love in gaming generally. The hybrid command-and-control mechanic rewards patience, and there are moments, particularly in Pacific, where a well-coordinated air and sea assault actually comes together the way you planned it, which feels genuinely satisfying. Just go in knowing these are older titles showing their age in the interface and AI departments. The underlying concept is creative enough that both games remain worth the time for players willing to meet them on their own terms. Alex, Scout Team