It really depends on the size/scope of the game and the gamers preference.
Doing this game in the thread with minis wouldn't be terrible. Doing minis in an operational scale attack of Army Group Center in 1943 would make me shudder.
Personally I prefer counters... most of the games I collect are hex and counter wargames.
But I do play a lot of games with minis with my brother, Blood Rage being one of them. Sometimes the game does indeed "look better" than with counters, but perhaps it also functions better with minis instead of counters. Also, the unit density is low with minis games. Meaning, a minis game comes with, say, 20-30 minis, which represent the "units" taking part in the action being represented by the game. You simply couldn't play a wargame that has two countersheets with minis. The cost would be too high, and the footprint too big.
It's all about scope/ scale and personal preference.