Iwo Jima lay before the fleet of American destroyers like an ancient South American temple that had been concealed by a sea of tropical green. In the case of Iwo Jima, however, the sight of the island surrounded by the waters of the Pacific made it seem like the hump of a mythical beast had surfaced its head just to catch a glimpse of the large number of ships heading towards it. It was a long road to get here and in America’s greatest hour it was perfect tactical planning the helped take the Pacific Theater. How you approach each scenario in many of the war’s most notably historic battles against the Japanese Empire is entirely up to you in Battlestations: Midway for the Xbox 360.

Turn back the clock to December 7, 1941 as a fresh-out-of-the-Naval-Academy recruit named Lieutenant Henry Walker is rudely awakened from his realization that his stay in Pearl Harbor will not be filled with coconuts and fun in the sun. Suddenly, this becomes the famous Day of Infamy as Japanese warplanes fill the skies and begin their assault. Quickly jumping to action, Walker joins his fellow Navy officers in fighting back the wave and soon finds himself a big part in a war that takes him into the war’s most infamous battles in the Pacific Theater and on to the Battle of Midway. Welcome to the game’s main mode of playing the game, US Campaign mode. It is here that you will jump into a lengthy campaign that will take you through various real battles while piloting various crafts along the way.

Before tackling the game’s main mode, however, it’s best to go through the Naval Academy mode that acts as a tutorial. The downside is that Naval Academy is a lengthy tutorial mode that is broken down into 11 chapters, all of which the instruction manual covers with enough detail. Still, going through the tutorial will give you a more hands-on approach to handing the various vehicles and the necessary repairs when they take damage. The most important part about the tutorials - aside from the fact that you earn achievement points for completing it - are the lessons you’ll learn during the formation and fleet commanding options you’ll use throughout the game.

The real beauty of Battlestations: Midway is the fact that you get a taste of the large number of vehicles throughout the single-player campaign mode or the extra individual Ship, Plane or Submarine Challenges that have you playing the Japanese side. In US Campaign mode you’ll be behind the wheel of a PT boat, destroyer ships and even an aircraft carrier with the ability to send out fighter planes. You will take to the skies flying Zeroes or even dive bombers complete with torpedoes or bombs. Underwater you’ll be controlling “Nautilus,” a sub that sank many an enemy ship. The best part is the fact that most vehicles control rather nicely … unless you count some war ships that aren’t terrible to control but not as perfect as maneuvering the smaller gunboats or flying a dive bomber (that, in my book, fly better than the planes in Blazing Angels for the Xbox 360).

The action does get intense in this game and thanks to the fact that you’ll be handling different vehicles throughout the game you will not be bored. In fact, the submarine levels are one of the most enjoyable ones seeing as you realistically must take into account many factors such as how far you can dive, whether you’re within the enemy sonar range and how close you can get before you deliver a number of torpedoes to the enemy nearby. The flying missions are also rather fun since there are plenty of dogfights and ordering your wingmen to join you while you dive towards a ship with guns blazing. Since this is also a strategy game, you will have direct control over your Naval fleet so you must keep many things in mind before you issue orders. Do you order your planes to circle your aircraft carrier or do you send a fleet of warships to intercept an enemy cargo ship? Do you order your battered submarine to stand down or will you send planes finish the enemy without the aid of your battleship? The choices are there and each choice you make has a direct consequence.

There is also an online multiplayer mode that makes up for the fact that there’s no offline multiplayer mode to enjoy. Through Xbox Live you can take on a number of opponents but the biggest thrill comes from the one-on-one custom matches that have you trying to outthink your opponent in a long match where one takes the American side and the other takes the Japanese side. It runs perfectly online and it’s a great deal of fun for those who have finished the single-player mode and wanted more.

Graphically speaking, Battlestations doesn’t quite look like an Xbox 360 game during the in-game action. This is too bad, really, since the game does attempt to toss in enough detail that you can make out the sailors on your destroyer ship or see pieces of your enemies’ fighter planes fly off while you’re riddling it with bullets. Unfortunately, each vehicle doesn’t look all that detailed and the backgrounds look considerably plain and that goes double for the submarine levels. The aerial combat levels can also look a bit plain as well but at least the clouds look great and the water effects look spectacular.

While the sound effects can be considerably detailed (you can hear the alarm come from your ship if it takes damage), it doesn’t sound as impressive as it should sound … this is war, after all. The attack on Pearl Harbor, for example, lacks the impact dive bombers would make and the explosions are not at all explosive enough. Yet there’s a good soundtrack that plays throughout the game and adds enough dramatic effect to make each level really come to life. There’s even some good voice acting that does the nicely written dialogue justice.

Battlestations: Midway for the Xbox 360 is a surprisingly gratifying game that effectively blends both action and strategy and thus makes this a game that fans of both genres can like. For the action aficionado, the battles are fierce and fun despite some awkward controls and for the strategy gamer there are more than enough options to please fans of tactical strategy. In the end, gamers who like the best of both worlds shouldn’t miss this game.

Gameplay: 8.2
Warships can be a wee bit clunky to maneuver and aircrafts don’t control as good as they should, the game beautifully handles the action rather intensely. The game’s ability to give you perfect control over how you handle multiple crafts during battle makes for a good time for strategy fans. Great mission scenarios - like the attack on Pearl Harbor - make for some intense battles.

Graphics: 7.5
Life under the sea might look this plain and boring but does flying the unfriendly skies have to look this dull as well? The surrounding look very lifeless during aerial dogfights (with the exception of some more than decent clouds and smoke effects) and even worst during the submarine mission campaigns. Then again, the Pacific looks wonderful during warship missions and the effects are actually quite stunning.

Sound: 7.5
The game’s soundtrack is just one of the few highlights in the sound department and it plays dramatically throughout the game. As for the sound effects, they do a great job of conveying the sounds of battle perfectly whether you’re below the surface of the water or above it. The solid voice acting is not bad either.

Difficulty: Medium
Some mission scenarios are actually very challenging and you will be considering your next move very often in this game. While your combat skills will be tested throughout the game, your ability to come up with quick and intelligent strategies will determine the success of the mission.

Concept: 8.5
Historical depictions of famous battles in the Pacific Theater are common on the PC so it’s good to see one on the Xbox 360. The blend of action and strategy is a great idea and is handled perfectly here but it’s the ability to take control of different vehicles that make this such an engaging game. There’s also online multiplayer fun to be had … for those gamers who are considerably patient.

Multiplayer: 8.0
Like a challenging game of chess, the online multiplayer aspect of the game is a lengthy affair that seems to drag on thanks to strategic planning. There’s plenty of action here and the game runs rather smoothly online, but a single multiplayer match can last for a really long period of time.

Overall: 8.0
Mixing a healthy dose of strategy and action, Battlestations: Midway is actually quite enjoyable and a wonderfully action-packed game that offers plenty of variety. While there are some control issues that feel a bit under whelming at times, the scenarios, battles and war machines to command make this a fun Xbox 360 game.