Excerpt from latest Nintendo Power

Following up on the critically well-received action title for the GamCube, Battalion Wars 2 blends seamlessly the shooterand tactics genres; the result is more akin to playing with a handful of army men than to leading a squad in a game like rainbow six.

Where as the first Battalion Wars was more straightforward miliatary account, the sequel adds a more supernatural twist to the story. The game opens with a brief introductory lev el that features a host of mythical, orc-like characters and a tale of a strange, all powerfull weapon. When you fast forward to the future, you learn six military factions vying for some sort of special weapon, but nobody know quite what it is or how it works. Expect a ton of plot twists as the story unfolds through the eyes of the various commanders.

The Wii feels purpose built for Battalion Wars 2: You control your character by using the control stick [ ], and you use the remote to aim at your enemies. You also use the remote to tell your troops at which foes they should target their fire. You don't play as a specific character; instead you can swap members of your force by pointing and clicking on the units. You can even swap troops with vehicles. Depeniding on the unit or vehicle type, you can perform motion sentive maneuvers; for example, as a foot soldier, you can roll out of the way of enemy fire with the quick shake of the nunchuck.

Beyond the new controls Battallion Wars 2 also introduces forms of gameplay, namely nautical warfare. In one early level we played, we had to navigate the waters along the beachhead and provide cover to a landing party as it stormed a seaside base. There are plenty of new types of soldiers, vehicles, and aircraft to control, too. You don't have to go it alone, either. Co-op play allows you and a friend to take on enemy forces together or go head-to-head in a variety of multiplayer modes.