Post by Brian-RN on Aug 23, 2005 21:41:10 GMT -5
Advance Wars: Dual Strike Impressions
Well, I picked up my copy of Advance Wars: Dual Strike this morning, and I haven't had much of a chance to play it yet, as I was working all day. But I have briefly skimmed over all of the options that I could (no multiplayer yet, sorry
) But, I can speak to those things, as I've read about some of the options I haven't yet looked over. So, some parts of this mini-review will be opinion, while other parts of it will be fact.
First things first, if you're too lazy to read my mini-review, let me sum it up for you: Nintendo and Intelligent Systems have made one of the best strategy games of all time even better. Dual Strike takes place in Omega Land, where the Black Hole, once again, have managed to take over. You play as Jake, a cocky teen ready to take on the masses. Although Jake may seem like a regular main character at the beggining, well, it's because he is. He has catch phrases which get are funny at first, but get old quick. (I never thought I'd get tired of hearing "Owned!") Besides Jake, you can play as numerous other COs in an attempt to capture back OmegaLand from the Black Hole army.
Besides a new storyline, Dual Strike plays like the previous Advance Wars, with some minor, but ideal upgrades. Attacking and moving is now easier than ever with the touch screen. Owning your enemies has never been easier. Commands that once took a long time, now take mere seconds to complete. Also, instead of having to press start to view your stats, their now on the top screen, very easy to access.
The campaign is pretty much the same, but there are a slew of other new modes for you to tinker around with. One of the new modes is called Combat, which pits Dual Strike units againts each other in real time combat. The mode is fun, but can become difficult at times, because it's you against an army. Although, you do have an army to choose from, but you can only have one unit on the field at a time. This is one of the major reasons I bought the game, because it adds some new flavor to the turn-based strategy.
Also, fans of customization will be glad to hear making maps is now easier with the stylus and touch screen. While it still requires some creativity and some time, you can make much better maps much quicker than before.
Graphically, Dual Strike doesn't look much better than Black Hole Rising. It's still in 2D, and all of the characters look pretty much the same. To sum it up, Dual Strike pretty much polishes up the GBA graphics, but it doesn't even begin to use the DS's 3D potential. Also, the sound pretty much sticks with the GBA. Presentation wise is nothing spectacular, but it's still good none-the-less.
Besides these modes, I haven't gotten around to much. I'll write a more in-depth review when I complete the game. So, until then...well...you can read other reviews!
Rough Score: 9/10 (This score isn't final.)
Well, I picked up my copy of Advance Wars: Dual Strike this morning, and I haven't had much of a chance to play it yet, as I was working all day. But I have briefly skimmed over all of the options that I could (no multiplayer yet, sorry
) But, I can speak to those things, as I've read about some of the options I haven't yet looked over. So, some parts of this mini-review will be opinion, while other parts of it will be fact.First things first, if you're too lazy to read my mini-review, let me sum it up for you: Nintendo and Intelligent Systems have made one of the best strategy games of all time even better. Dual Strike takes place in Omega Land, where the Black Hole, once again, have managed to take over. You play as Jake, a cocky teen ready to take on the masses. Although Jake may seem like a regular main character at the beggining, well, it's because he is. He has catch phrases which get are funny at first, but get old quick. (I never thought I'd get tired of hearing "Owned!") Besides Jake, you can play as numerous other COs in an attempt to capture back OmegaLand from the Black Hole army.
Besides a new storyline, Dual Strike plays like the previous Advance Wars, with some minor, but ideal upgrades. Attacking and moving is now easier than ever with the touch screen. Owning your enemies has never been easier. Commands that once took a long time, now take mere seconds to complete. Also, instead of having to press start to view your stats, their now on the top screen, very easy to access.
The campaign is pretty much the same, but there are a slew of other new modes for you to tinker around with. One of the new modes is called Combat, which pits Dual Strike units againts each other in real time combat. The mode is fun, but can become difficult at times, because it's you against an army. Although, you do have an army to choose from, but you can only have one unit on the field at a time. This is one of the major reasons I bought the game, because it adds some new flavor to the turn-based strategy.
Also, fans of customization will be glad to hear making maps is now easier with the stylus and touch screen. While it still requires some creativity and some time, you can make much better maps much quicker than before.
Graphically, Dual Strike doesn't look much better than Black Hole Rising. It's still in 2D, and all of the characters look pretty much the same. To sum it up, Dual Strike pretty much polishes up the GBA graphics, but it doesn't even begin to use the DS's 3D potential. Also, the sound pretty much sticks with the GBA. Presentation wise is nothing spectacular, but it's still good none-the-less.
Besides these modes, I haven't gotten around to much. I'll write a more in-depth review when I complete the game. So, until then...well...you can read other reviews!
Rough Score: 9/10 (This score isn't final.)
