Well, having played through the majority of the finalized game, we can safely answer both questions: Kuju is an extremely competent development studio and Nintendo did right in letting the studio run with it. Battalion Wars, what we're now calling the sleeper GameCube title of the season, has come together and all of our preformed analyses and all of our so-called process mean absolutely nothing. Not only is the game not broken. It's surprisingly well made and addictively entertaining.
Kuju has done an amazing job of bringing different characteristics and physics to each vehicle in the game. Driving a jeep through a battlefield feels much more responsive, speedy and bouncy than piloting a slow-treading tank. Gamers can use some vehicles to catch air, jumping bridges and bumps in the road. The physics oftentimes feel reminiscent of the Warthog in Halo -- smooth, reactive, and believable, if exaggerated. Merely driving around is therefore entertaining. Oppositely, bombers feel and move like the giant beasts they are, taking forever to turn sluggishly turn around in the air.
Battalion Wars is at its very best when everything comes together, and thankfully it often does. Running through the huge worlds, shooting at enemies and simultaneously issuing commands to soldiers and vehicle units feels great and is unexpectedly addictive. This is partly true because the controls are intuitive -- merely moving infantry units around is fun. But there's a lot more to it. The units and vehicles are so varied. Each gunman has his purpose just as each tank and gunship has theirs. The vehicle physics in the game are well done, if exaggerated. And there is a strong strategic element to the experience: gamers who don't think, plan attacks and manage their units will not win. For all the reasons above and more, Battalion Wars is shaping up to be one hell of a surprise and a worthy branch-out from its Advance Wars beginnings.
Doch hat es !