How are the controls? That question always leads the way in any review of a real-time strategy game on a console system, given that guiding hundreds of units around battlefields with a gamepad can be about as pleasant as herding cats. And, unfortunately, the answer in regard to Warhammer: Battle March is: Not so good. This Xbox 360 take on the 2006 RTS Warhammer: Mark of Chaos is a straight rehash of the original PC game with gamepad controls tacked on--bad gamepad controls. This system doesn't even come close due to convoluted button combos and an unforgiving fast pace. Although the game mirrors its PC predecessor in bringing to life the armies of Games Workshop's tabletop miniatures phenomenon, too much gamepad fussing gets in the way of scrapping it up with the Empire, Orcs, and forces of Chaos.
It's a shame that the controls are so unwieldy, because the core game is a solid, if simplified, translation of the Warhammer universe and its rules for tabletop warfare. As with the miniatures tabletop games, the focus of Battle March is, of course, battling. Three campaigns tell the story of an invasion from the North, and you can of course play all three factions involved in that conflict: the evil Hordes of Chaos invaders, the defending troops of the Empire, and the Greenskin tribes of the orcs and goblins (a new campaign just added to the PC's Mark of Chaos in the Battle March expansion). Each side features units drawn solely from the tabletop game, from the companies of grunts that serve as shock troops to heroes that lead your armies. They aren't all depicted entirely accurately, although the attention to detail is thorough and deep enough that you won't notice unless you have a rulebook open on your desk while playing.
