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The biggest problem I have with the game mostly involves its style. This may not be a problem with other people, but it kept me from easily being able to enjoy the game. The art of the game and even the style and flavor of the world would seem to hint at a more anime inspired play style. The soldiers almost look like kids dressed up as army men.

The two main powers at the beginning of the game - the Tundran Empire and the Western Frontier - are thinly veiled caricatures of the USSR and the USA during the Cold War, while the "field manual" at first read through also hints at ancient evils and doomsday devices.

The back of the video game box also calls the game a "real time strategy" game but I'd hesitate to call it that. In fact, the game seems to be more of a third person shooter with tactical elements added to it. The game attempts to be fairly realistic in military combat - you will have to take cover, flank, and use the right troops in the right places to fight your way through the missions.

In a lot of ways, in terms of feel of the art and the background, it feels like a parody of the Cold War, especially with leaders named things like "Brigadier Betty" and "Major Nelly". However, coupled with the emphasis (especially in the training at the beginning) on fairly "realistic" action - taking cover, flanking, etc. - it felt to me that it was pushing the line of parody to mocking. I might be overly sensitive to such concerns, especially considering the nature of my "real job", but it bothered me enough to make it very hard to enjoy the game.

And note that what I just pointed out is simply the thematic feel of the game; I haven't touched on the rest of the game yet.

The graphics are fine. As mentioned earlier, they seem a bit anime inspired. They're definitely cartoon-ish, and with a Japanese stylization to them. While the graphics are good, they simply didn't work for me - I honestly felt with the background they were trying to give the game a more realistic feel and look should've been considered.

The physics of the game work into the same feel. Things bounce around - a lot. Vehicles all handle differently when you take direct control of them (one of the good parts about the game). The sound is nothing special, to be honest. It didn't detract from the game; but it didn't add to it, either.

The controls are unwieldy, to say the least. The thumbstick controls movement. The "A" button fires your weapon, and the "B" button jumps. The right trigger allows you to crouch, and the left trigger "locks on" to nearby enemies so you can shoot at them. Holding down the right trigger allows you to go into "free look" mode, while holding down the left trigger allows you to strafe back and forth and combat roll.

The controls are mostly due to the difference in the GameCube controller from the other console controllers. Unfortunately, it's a notably different schema than most "shooter" style games, especially in the fact that right and left on the movement stick turn you instead of strafing, and that the right trigger is not the fire button. The "lock on" mechanic is one used in some games, and has advantages of helping with the aiming but also disadvantages of making it harder to see what you're targeting or get a specific target at times.

And let's not get on the fact that commands to your squad are issued using the C stick. This is a horrific idea, at least, in my opinion. It makes it incredibly easy to issue the wrong commands. Even using the control pad would've been a better choice. There's some relief from it - using X and Y - but not enough.

Finally, there's the game play itself. There's…well…story mode. That's about it. You can unlock secret bonus missions, but that's about it. There's no multiplayer or anything of the sort.

If you're looking for a military themed third person shooter on the GameCube, Battalion Wars may be one of your best choices in this regard; because, after all, there aren't a lot of other choices.