News
New Battlestations Pacific Trailer Goes Kamikaze
Zeroing in on Victory
by Sean
A new trailer for Eidos's upcoming World War II naval battle RTS Battlestations Pacific has hit the internet today, highlighting one of the more memorable, if not horrible, facets of war in the Pacific Theater: kamikaze pilots. Beginning on October 25, 1944, the Nipponese Navy began the practice of sending pilots on suicide missions, ordering them to crash their Zeros into the sides of American warships. And, for as many games as have been set in the Second World War, this may mark (to my memory) the first time that we've seen gameplay footage from inside the cockpit of a kamikaze pilot.
Check the trailer:
Although I have no problem with Eidos incorporating these kinds of missions into Battlestations Pacific, I find it a bit odd that they've chosen to build an entire trailer around them. I know, I know, it's a game about an actual historical period, and as such should feature all of the realities of the day. But choosing to highlight first-person footage from inside the cockpit of a Zero, as American sailors scramble for their lives, seems tacky to me. How does everyone else feel about it?
Battlestations Pacific hits store shelves for Xbox 360 and PC on May 12th, and a playable demo will be available on those same platforms beginning on Thursday.
Comments
I can see how many people would find this in poor taste. And I'm sure that opinion is held on both sides of the Pacific. But as far as historical accuracy goes, it looks pretty much how it was described in grade school.
However, I feel that it is not only rare to see a game put you in the perspective of the "enemy" (aka: side that lost) but also in the role of a soldier whose aim was to not make it back for the victory parade. I can't think of any other games like that.
One other interesting thing to think about. Eidos was just bought by a Japanese company. Awkward.......
Ehhh, I think this is crossing the line a little bit. Would you play a game where you fly planes into buildings?
Crash a small prop-engine plane into a battleship - yeah, that cracks it in half.
"Crash a small prop-engine plane into a battleship - yeah, that cracks it in half." If you weren't lazy enough to find information about the kamikaze-planes, you would know that the planes were packed full of explosives.
"Ehhh, I think this is crossing the line a little bit. Would you play a game where you fly planes into buildings?" We're the kamikaze-attacks done against civilian buildings? Were there civilians in the planes??
@werewolf - do explosives literally crack ships in half? I've never known about this phenomenon....
Sean, yes they do. If you hit the right spot, the ship is done.