Advance Wars (DS)

What comes to mind when you think of the words "video game"? Perhaps mindless shooting of unnamed enemies, long, involved role-playing games, or high-speed racing through city streets at night. Does thinking come to mind? Probably not. Well, Intelligent Systems, one of the most respected names in game development, is going to change the way you think about video games. Advance Wars, released in 2001, was a huge hit, and soon a follow-up game was released. Now, Intelligent Systems provides for us mindless gamers a third installment in the beloved franchise-Advance Wars: Dual Strike. The most stand-out characteristic of this game is the fact that it ...  Read the complete review

This game was a pleasant surprise. I hadn't heard of it before I got it for Christmas. Since then it has taken up a lot of my time. You start off as controlling Jake, a young gun who thinks he knows everything about warfare. You use him through some basic levels before getting to control other characters. Each has their own special move which is very handy in later missions. You get to control a whole range of vehicles which cause destruction. This include aircraft, ships and land vehicles such as tanks. The campaign is pretty long and fairly hard. I am guessing it would be easier for more experienced gamer who was used to playing with tactics. Each unit that ...  Read the complete review

Firstly, I should say that this is a fantastic game and possibly the best strategy game I've ever played, certainally on a hand held console in any case. The reason it doesn't get the full 5 stars is because inevitably (unless you're some kind of genius), you'll hit a wall at some point. What I mean is that you'll progress in the game until you get to a point where you simply can't get any further and you can't work out how to win (unless you get the answers online). Advance Wars works like this - you are in control of some form of army. Displayed in a grid like may consisting of various terrains. One army unit will take up one square on the map and each turn ...  Read the complete review

The first Advance Wars title to be released on the DS platform. Advance Wars: Dual Strike takes everything that made the first two titles so great and adds new units, buildings, Commanding Officers and tactical powers (including the devestating Dual Strike) all of which combine to make AW: DS perhaps the greatest game of the series. Several new modes of play such as dual screen battles and the real-time 'Combat' mode keep the replayability value astronomical and provide an often welcome relief from the instensive and high-stakes campaign mode. Many Commanding Officers (COs) from previous titles make welcome appearances and there are many new faces ...  Read the complete review

Advance Wars is a great fun, challenging and stylish military strategy game. As you make your way through the game you get a greater choice of weaponry and commanders to use (each with their own special military skills) in different scenarios. You must use power and brains to defeat the evil opposition and win through. But while the backstory is engaging enough and holds the many different battle scenarios together, it's the gameplay and tactics of each individual battle that grips the attention. There are some predeployed battles, but you choose what to deploy, whether it's direct/indirect combat units, attacking or defensive strategies, land, sea or air ...  Read the complete review