Battlestrike

Battlestrike is a long-running videogame franchise of City Interactive, a Polish publisher well known for its steady output of short, budget-priced first-person shooters, each developed in a matter of months.

Battlestrike is City Interactive's umbrella brand for a number of World War II-themed action games, often differing in concept and developed by unrelated studios. Until the 6th title in the series, the Battlestrike name was exclusive to international releases and was not used in the publisher's home country. In Poland, the games that form the Battlestrike franchise are divided among several different franchises.

Most games in the series have been critically panned, although the most recent entries have garnered a slightly more positive reception thanks to their improved level design and the use of proven technology acquired from Western companies. AI and performance issues, as well as an overall lack of polish remain critical problems.

Battlestrike: The Siege
The first title in the series was an arcade-style shooter with an emphasis on vehicular action. The player has little to no control over his movement. In Poland, the game is known as II Wojna Światowa: Oblezenie.

Battlestrike: Call to Victory
A classic FPS, this game was developed by Canadian studio Jarhead Games and released in North America as World War II Sniper: Call to Victory. It was repackaged as a Battlestrike title by City Interactive in most European markets. In Poland however, the game is known as Rajd na Berlin: Oddziały Specjalne.

Battlestrike: The Road to Berlin
This game marks a return to the fixed and forced scrolling shooting action of Battlestrike: The Siege. In Poland it is known as II Wojna Światowa: Rajd na Berlin.

Battlestrike: Secret Weapons
This FPS was developed by Direct Action Games using Version 2 of the Unreal Engine. It was originally called World War II Combat: Road to Berlin. City Interactive bought the European rights and added the game to its Battlestrike line. Since a previous game in the franchise was already called The Road to Berlin, the title was changed to Secret Weapons. In Poland, the game was renamed Rajd na Berlin: Tajna Broń III Rzeszy.

Battlestrike: Force of Resistance
This title is an FPS developed in house and based on the Chrome Engine, a technology created by fellow Poles Techland. In Poland, this game was marketed as a new entry in the popular Mortyr series: Mortyr III: Akcje dywersyjne.

For release in foreign territories, where that franchise does not enjoy the same level of respectability, the Mortyr moniker was dropped in favor of Battlestrike.

Battlestrike: Shadow of Stalingrad
Another FPS developed in house at City Interactive, this time based on F.E.A.R.'s Lithtech engine. During development the game was known as Battlestrike: Force of Resistance 2 (international working title) and Rajd Na Berlin: Cien Stalingradu (domestic working title). It shipped under the final title Battlestrike: Shadow of Stalingrad, or Battlestrike: Cien Stalingradu in Poland. This marked the first use of the Battlestrike brand in a domestic release.

Related games
In Poland, the Kuju Entertainment-developed Pilot Down: Behind Enemy Lines was renamed II Wojna Światowa: Pilot Down - Na Tylach Wroga.

The packaging was altered to highlight thematic connections with previously released City Interactive products II Wojna Światowa: Oblezenie (a.k.a. Battlestrike: The Siege) and II Wojna Światowa: Rajd na Berlin (a.k.a. Battlestrike: The Road to Berlin), using similar layout and fonts.

Despite being casually referred to as Battlestrike: Force of Resistance 2 during development, Battlestrike: Shadow of Stalingrad is not the sequel to Battlestrike: Force of Resistance a.k.a. Mortyr III: Akcje dywersyjne.

The official sequel to Mortyr III: Akcje dywersyjne is a different game called Mortyr: Operacja Sztorm in Poland, or simply Operation Thunderstorm in international markets. Shadow of Stalingrad, Operation Thunderstorm, The Royal Marines Commando and Wolfschanze II nonetheless share many technical features, like the F.E.A.R engine and various recycled weapon models, sounds and voices.