Posted by: Aaron Lockard on February 28, 2007 3:17:33 PM
Tomorrow , the fast growing community of Xbox 360 Battlestations:
Midway players will get the chance to engage in fresh new Pacific
battles
as two new historical battle maps and brand new vehicles become
available on Xbox Live Marketplace for the Xbox 360 video game and
entertainment system from Microsoft.
The new battle maps will
re-enact two epic battles from the Pacific war: The Battle of Sibuyan
Sea and The Raid on Truk. Both maps and five new vehicles will be
available to download from March 1st.
The Battle of the Sibuyan
Sea provides a new multi player experience based on one of the major
battles of the Leyte Gulf Campaign, the greatest naval warfare battle
in history that effectively destroyed the Japanese fleet in October of
1944. Players command either the US Fleet featuring the USS Iowa and
USS Enterprise or Japan's finest fleet, Kurita, featuring the super
battleships Yamato and the ill-fated Musashi.
The single player
battle, The Raid on Truk, is based on Operation Hailstone, a massive
naval air and surface attack launched by the United States Navy against
the Japanese naval and air base at Truk. The devastating attack took
place in mid-February 1944. Players command the US Fleet in a four
phase battle starting with a P-38 air strike and leading to the command
of the USS Enterprise and her screening force.
The new battles
will also feature a new and unique set of air, sea, and undersea
vehicles that will challenge the player's skills and naval strategies:
P-38 Lightning A
fast, powerful and distinctive twin-engine interceptor and one of the
most important American fighters of the Second World War. Its long
range and twin engines made it well suited for duty in the Pacific.
Nakijima J1N1 Gekko The
first Japanese aircraft designed and built specifically to intercept
and destroy other aircraft at night. It was deadly against Bombers and
as a powerful kamikaze plane against ships. USS Iowa (BB-61) The
lead battleship of its class. Nicknamed "The Big Stick", this famous
flagship fought in numerous and significant battles in World War II and
the Korean War.
IJN Shimakaze The IJN
Shimakaze ("Island Wind') is considered to be the fastest and most
powerful Destroyer of World War II and she was the only one of her
class built. Type A mini-sub The Type A
mini-sub was a two-man submarine. Difficult to detect, the Type A
submarines were used during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and
throughout the war.