
	Platform Xbox 360 Genre Strategy Publisher Bandai Namco Developer Black Hole Entertainment ESRB M (Mature) Released September 2, 2008

- Console strategy fans should have an easier time picking up the complicated controls - No battlefield resource management

- Control memorization kicks the rest of the game in the knees because as soon as you start having an inkling of fun you forget something and the rest of the experience falls apart

Review: Supreme Commander (360) Review: Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth II (360) Review: Command & Conquer: Kane's Wrath (PC)
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Warhammer: Battle March

Score: 5.5 / 10

Console strategy games are what hardcore flight sims are to the PC gaming crowd - something for "other" people but nevertheless continue to be made and then appreciated by a very niche audience. The single biggest problem with console strategy games is that many of them are console ports of PC games, which have default controls that can be far more complex than a simple controller can handle. Because the developers appear to have an uncompromising approach to bringing the game over to consoles the result is typically a complete mess of button

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combinations that must be memorized before any enjoyment can be eked out of the game. If I was able to plug in a keyboard and mouse and direct the game that way it still wouldn't make Battle March a "10" but it certainly would have generated some goodwill toward a game that does have some entertainment value, though you must be committed to getting there through some hard work and a lot of memorization.

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It is possible that the developers in this case designed the missions to be as straightforward as possible in an attempt to offset the learning curve presented by the controls, which is appreciated, but that means there isn't much in the way of variety. Through the linear campaign, between missions players can upgrade and hire more troops, and resurrect fallen Hero units, and choose select short off-shoot missions for extra gold.

Gold and troops is the only resource to manage because during an encounter there is no resource collecting, which can so often turn into an exercise in micro-management. It definitely forces tactical troop management throughout since it's not as if you can just dip into the bag for more cannon fodder. It also eliminates wars of attrition with opponents online - there's a winner and a loser very quickly, especially if you or your opponent haven't managed to wrap brains around the complex controls.

The last game I reviewed for AE was Supreme Commander - the "Supreme" being the level of concentration it took to play it - another complicated as hell console strategy game and Battle March is probably on almost equal footing but I would actually place Supreme Commander higher than Battle March, surprisingly, because of a better control set.

If you wanted quick summation of Battle March experience it would be that it's more work than fun, which is fine if you're into that kind of sadomasochism or you're a Warhammer fan without a PC.

- D.D. Nunavut

(October 13, 2008)