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No Hard Campaign / No War room

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: March 09, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This latest addition to the advance wars game series falls far from the expected hype. If you have played 100's of hours on any of the former advance wars games you will find this game way to short with very little replay value. Overall the game was decent and probably would have been a great addition in the series so far, but the lack of a hard campaign makes campaign mode way to short. I beat the whole campaign in less than 50 hours with all S ranks and now there is not much of a reason to play any boards over. Combine that with no war room and where is any replay value ? How hard would it have been to add a hard campaign, or to score the free play boards and keep a record of them ? As for the story line be prepared to sit though page after page of silly dialogue screens. The end report, and good game for the 64 campaign boards or if you want to play against a human player. But the game has very little to offer after you beat the campaign.

Solid game that tries new things, but falls short of expectations

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: April 09, 2008
Author: Amazon User

~~~THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS, DO NOT READ THIS IF THAT IS A CONCERN FOR YOU~~~

Firstly, I'd like to say that I'm a big advance wars fan, and I was really looking forward to this game. I give the game's developers credit for trying new things in DoR and trying to take the game in a new direction. Some things that are great additions to the series include:
-Wifi! Its great to be able to play and share maps.
-Actually, thats about it.

The single-player campaign is passable, but to be honest, I did not enjoy it as much as previous installments. This game was advertised as being "darker" and "more mature." Really? Given the E rating, I wasn't expecting blood and guts everywhere, but did they have to add TWO 10-year-old-squeakier-than-ever Lashs' to the enemy team? (for those of you who do not remember Lash, she was the one who thought war was a game, and soldiers were toys.) Prepare for a lot of: "*SQUEE!* TANK GO BOOM BOOM NOW!! BoOOM!" At least previous installments were honest and straightforward about being a bit childish, this one attempts to hide its juvenile story behind more sophisticated drawings. I cannot take a game that contains any of the following seriously:
-A virus that make you *gasp* grow flowers
-Characters that have and randomly lose stereotypical accents
-"WHERE THERES LIFE, THERES HOPE!" (expect to hear that, oh, 60-70 times....per cutscene)
-EVIL, bloodthirsty villains...who decide to play(teehee.) nice and join you. (Mr.Bear said he didn't want to die!)
-Characters so flat that you can see right through them! (I'm serious. if you can't predict the story from the moment you put the game in...)
-Story lacked spirit. Really, there was nothing interesting about it.

Now, you may be thinking "Thats ok, Advance Wars was never really about the story. Its all in the awesome strategy!! I can skip the cutscenes if I want and go straight to the action!" Alright, I'll agree with you here. I could forgive the story that some developer let his 5th grader write it ,if there were a noticeable improvement in the strategic gameplay to make up for it. Sadly, I do not feel as though DoR succeeded on this count either. It is mediocre, hence the 3 stars, but nothing fantastic. Lets do a run down of in-play issues and disappointments:

-I was looking forward to gaining access to new units, but all of those added (carrier, anti-tank, flares ect) did not add much depth to the already existing gameplay.
-Lack of choice. In previous games, you had the ability to select your CO(s) when going into combat. It allowed you to tailor your team and your abilities to the challenges ahead. Upon failing a mission, you could go back, rethink your approach, and try something new. Heck, if you were completely stuck on one level, you could try a different one (typically, 3 or so were unlocked to you at a time) and take a crack at the problematic level later. It did not effect the story, but it allowed you to take a break from a frustrating level. In DoR, this is not the case, only one level at a time can advance the story. (Yes, there are side "training" levels, but they are even more aggravating and uninspired than the regular gameplay and have nothing to do with the story) This customization is sacrificed in the name of a piss-poor story that forces you to use one pre-designated CO per map.I would have loved more user customization, not less.
-The game designers advertised that CO powers and abilities were being reduced placing more emphasis on strategy. This is true for your units, not so for the enemy units. I am not complaining of difficulty here, its not that it is ridiculously hard, just irritating. You scratch an enemy unit, and then they turn around and one-shot yours. Prepare for a lot of "huh? why is my unit dead?"... For the record, simply making all of the enemy units stronger is not a satisfying way to create difficulty, try again.
- One more note on COs and CO powers: they feel more like an afterthought in this game, and may as well not be there. You don't even get them til well into the game! The COs do not lend themselves particularly well to any of the maps that you are forced to play on. Don't expect fancy flight-action when you get to play as an air-specialist! Mostly its a lot of generic play with Wil. Previously, more interesting COs allowed for more creative level design that would allow them to shine. Choosing the correct CO for a level was an important part of play!
- Difficulty could have been implemented through creative level design, this is also not the case. I felt like level design produced dull, repetitive, uninspired, slam-your-head-into-the-enemy-til-he-falls-over-50-turns-later style play with only a few interesting exceptions. I wish there had been more of the interesting ones.
-Lack of hard mode and other unlockables. Part of the fun of the previous games, for me, was unlocking all the nifty stuff in the war room, and trying my luck at the hard mode campaign. This had very little to do outside the single player. Like I did point out, wifi is great, so if you have lots of friends with AW, this may not be such a big problem.

SHORT VERSION FOR THE LAZY:
Days of Ruin had a lot going for it, its still an OK game. You'll probably chug on through it and enjoy it just fine. I suppose I just had very high expectations for this game, and it fell far short. I can only hope that things improve in the future. Shinier graphics and "cooler" (see: stereotyped and boring) characters do not redeem a completely ridiculous storyline, mediocre single player game, and lack of unlockables.

Missing the character & charm of previous Advance Wars games

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 10, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I've been a tremendous fan of the Advance Wars series since I first got my hands on the original Game Boy Advance release. I have followed the series since then right up to its most recent iteration, Days of Ruin on the Nintendo DS.

Days of Ruin trades the characters and charm of previous Advance Wars titles for a much darker, grittier tone. The game play has also been stripped down to its core fundamental 'rock, paper, scissors' basics. While it is still an extremely engrossing battle of strategies, these changes along with a obnoxiously bloated story make Days of Ruin my least favorite title in the Advance Wars series.

Due to a lack of overpowering special attacks, Days of Ruin requires much more strategy than ever before. If you are used to relying on your Commanding Officer's special abilities in previous Advance Wars games you'll need sometime to adjust to the evened playing field here. I found myself double and triple thinking my moves, and planning a full battle strategy as opposed to short term attacks. While this may be what the designers intended, it ends up making Days of Ruin more difficult and unforgiving than any other game in the series.

There is an on-line mode (a first for Advance Wars) but over all the package feels 'featureless', especially when compared to Advance Wars: Days of Ruin (also for the Nintendo DS).

While Days of Ruin is still a worthy addition to any video game library, if you're only going to pick up one Advance Wars game I would recommend you go with Dual Strike. It has infinitely more personality and though lacking on-line play offers additional play modes and options.

On a scale of 1 - 5 I rate Advance Wars: Days of Ruin as a 3. It's a very engaging, strategic experience but is weighed down by an unnecessarily long story, too few options, and a lack of the character, personality and charm that made previous Advance Wars titles so great.

Much less of an SP experience than Dual Strike

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 14, 2008
Author: Amazon User

It's not bad. It gives Advance Wars fans something more to chew on I guess. But what happened to all to all that totally awesome unlockable content and all the level-up stuff from Dual Strike? Why is the list of commanders so much shorter? How come the powers just don't seem to have as much impact on the game?

The serious plot was interesting at first but they really didn't make enough changes to the overall look and feel of the game to keep it going. The first few levels had an apocalyptic feel but then it was right back to happy sunny war times on the first naval mission where everything is bright and gleaming in spite of the fact that the atmosphere is supposed to be so choked with debris that you can't even see the sun.

And I missed the music of Dual Strike. A lot. Basically more of the same minus a lot of the really good things.

The Best Just Got... Not Quite as Good

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 18 / 27
Date: February 11, 2008
Author: Amazon User

In an earlier review I declared the Advanced Wars the best games ever for the GBA and Dual Strike met or exceeded everything the previous two achieved. So Days of Ruin had a lot to live up to and.... didn't.

Let me start with what I didn't like. After three iterations of Advanced Wars I grew rather fond of the cast of Commanding Officers but DoR ashcans them all replacing them with a whole new cast of characters. It reminds me of when Capcom decided to swap out almost all the Street Fighter characters in SFIII. It just doesn't feel right. There is also a much smaller selection of CO's compared to Dual Strike and you don't even get to choose your CO during the main campaign. There are no more dual commanders, commander advancements and even the shop is gone. Another thing I have to take an issue with is the music. It's a blaring beat on a short loop that grows maddening after a while like Chinese water torture. At some point I had to completely turn the sound off on my DS or go crazy. Finally, this is the most verbose Advanced Wars ever and it can get tedious. I just want to fight not read a novel.

On the plus side there are some great new units including motorcycles to get troops to cities faster and flares to temporarily get rid of fog of war for a section of the map. My worry is that the more units they add the more complicated the game gets and the whole allure of Advanced Wars is in its simplicity. The Duster, for example, is a new aircraft that can attack both air and ground units. Isn't that what the helicopter is for? There are also additional training missions during the main campaign that can be a lot of fun. Actually the training missions are sort of a replacement for the purchasable missions. In this case you have to earn them rather than buy them. The CO powers have been toned down and made more difficult to use. Whether this is an improvement or not is debatable but I think the CO powers had become more annoying than useful. The single best improvement is the addition of unit advancements. As a unit destroys enemy units it can advance up to veteran level with slight increases in power.

Days of Ruin takes a departure from the previous three games with few improvements. The world differs, the commanders are new, and even the style of art has changed dramatically. What remains the same is the gameplay which continues to be excellent. My feeling is that games in a series should always improve and unfortunately, in almost every way, Dual Strike was superior to Days of Ruin. Because of this I cannot in good conscience give DoR anything higher than four stars.

A change of direction for advance wars

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: February 13, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Buy this game it's a lot of fun with very high replay ability. If you are new to Advance Wars this is a good place to start because of the completely new story and characters. Fans of the series will fall in love with this new edition. The new story is in depth and adds to the addictiveness of the game. The units and structures are similar to the old ones but with a few twists. The new maps and controls are a nice improvement. My only disappointment was that there wasn't as many CO's in comparison to Dual Strike, so it's a good idea to get that one too or keep it if you already have it . The long awaited wifi capabilities are awesome too.

A fun, but short, entry in the series

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 18, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Overall a Fun new advance wars, however the campaign mode is fairly short and you do not get to use the new CO system until the game is more than half over. There are a large number of free play and trial maps at least, but the game is obviously set up to be more focused on Wifi play this time around with story mode essentially acting as a tutorial.

The story line is fun and there are quite a few cutscenes in the game (semi-hidden in the info menu)that add to the character development.

Great game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: March 15, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I've only had the opportunity to play some of the original Advance Wars on GBA and as far as I can tell Days of Ruin sticks to the well-working formula. Like the other game (and from what I hear of the others in the series) this game gets HARD. Definitely good for those looking for some strategic challenge. The graphics and sound quality are great for the DS and the story has a nice dark overtone to it that doesn't take away from the game. Recommended for any SRPG fan.

Initial disappointment, but I got over it

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: June 04, 2008
Author: Amazon User

At first, I hated this game completely. But after a while, I grew to like it. First, I'll explain the bad parts.

They got rid of ALL the old COs and powers of the previous game. There is now only one generic CO power (still varies from CO to CO); no Super Power. Powers can now only be obtained through the use of a CO-occupied unit. If you don't have a CO in a unit, you don't get your CO power. Simple as that. The COs also don't have distinguishing differences between them (like stronger close range units, etc.) They are all basically the same except for their power and CO presence.

They also got rid of the ability to use 2 COs at the same time (which means no more Tag power), the CO skills, and Hachi's shop. You now have to UNLOCK everything, which is really stupid. But oh well. Maybe some of you like it better that way.

They get rid of a LOT of units from the previous game, Dual Strike. A complete list of what they termed follows:
- Neotank
- Megatank
- Black Bomb
- Stealth Fighter
- Black Boat
- Piperunner (and pipes!)
- Oozium

However, they DID add units as well.
+ Bikes (basically an infantry that can move farther)
+ Antitank (basically an artillery that can hit units that attack it directly)
+ Duster (basically a sucky fighter)
+ Gunboat (actually really cool; carries one infantry and has a good attack against other naval units)
+ Sea plane (basically a fighter and a bomber combined, but not quite as powerful as either)
+ Wartank (basically a less powerful and costly version of the Megatank)
+ Flare (nothing special; just shoots flares that reveal fog of war; worthless in maps without fog of war)

They also changed a few of the units. Infantry cost 500 more, while mechs cost 500 less. Medium tanks now cost 12000, but are less powerful. Missiles' range is increased by one. Cruisers and Landers each cost 2000 less. Carriers can no longer shoot anti-air missiles, but can now produce Sea Planes. They also cost 2000 less. Battleships can now move AND shoot in the same turn. Anti-aircraft now cost 1000 less. APCs are now called Rigs. They can build temporary airports and seaports. These ports can repair and resupply their respective units, but can't build anything.

Maybe I'm just weird, but I liked how infantry would "hop" on buildings to capture them. Anyone else like that? Well, they don't do it anymore. Probably part of the whole "more serious" thing.

They also got rid of a lot of the other assorted things like the War Room and Battle Mode and whatnot, but I really didn't care for those much anyway.

Now for the good.

The campaign is probably the highlight of the game for me. The initial plot may be overused, but it's pretty engrossing after that. I love all the interpersonal relationships that Dual Strike lacked. I'm a sucker for anime romance, which IS present in the campaign. The thing with the flower virus was pretty cheesy, but it's WHAT THE VIRUS DOES that matters. It also gets a little lengthy, but it's awesome. Other reviewers complain about one of the characters that slightly resembles Lash from Dual Strike, but she really doesn't. There's really nothing similar about them at all, except for the fact that they both think war is a game and soldiers are the playing pieces.

The graphics in Days of Ruin are WAY better than those in Dual Strike. The battles are much more entertaining to watch (as if they weren't already). It's surprising how good they are. Everything from the terrain to the explosions to the animations looks a lot better.

Ships can now go on/through/under bridges.

I'm not sure whether this is good or bad, but they added a building called Radar. It just reveals an area of fog of war. Like the Flare unit, this is worthless if there is no fog of war. At least it gives you money.

I like how they made the units look much more serious and realistic. Some people don't, but I think it's a good change of pace.

I like the ability to put your CO in a unit to make it more powerful. The unit with the CO also will have a "sphere of influence" that makes everything nearby more powerful as well. I also like how units can gain experience: First Level I, then II, then Veteran - getting more powerful each time they kill a unit.

I also like the new "Ruin" terrain type. It also has some new terrain objects: Pillars of flame, ruins, wastelands, roughs, mists, meteors, and electrical fields. They changed the name of shoals to beaches, but whatever.

In map making, you can change the size of the map, but it's limited to 30x30. This may sound small, but it appears larger since it's more zoomed in than Dual Strike. You also have the option of saving up to FIFTY maps! Personally, with Dual Strike, I'd always be trying to decide which 3 maps I wanted to keep and which to delete. This gives map-maker junkies a lot more freedom. Now you know where all the memory from lack of COs, skills, and other things went.

It also has Wi-Fi capability, but I haven't used that yet either.

All in all, it's actually a mixed bag.

Hardcore Dual Strike fans: Prepare to be disappointed. This game gets rid of all the COs, CO powers, units, and other things that Dual Strike was made famous for. If you decide you MUST get this game, keep Dual Strike just in case. I'm glad I did, so you have the option of playing either.

If you're new to Advance Wars: Go for it. Days of Ruin is a great strategy game with almost infinite replay value - especially when you have 3 other friends to play with. It will push your strategic mind to its limits. This game is definitely worth the money.

Change of Pace

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: July 11, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Advance Wars: Days of Ruin is the latest entry in the Advance Wars franchise. However, unlike the previous three titles (Advance Wars [GBA], AW: Black Hole Rising [GBA], and AW: Dual Strike [DS]) this game is set in a totally different universe. It's a change of pace to be sure; the question is whether this is for the better or worse.

Those familiar with the previous AW titles shouldn't have much trouble getting used to this one. The general play is quite similar: turn-based, capture cities for funds, capture production facilities to make units, commanders with powers, etc. There are, however, many changes to familiar units, plus some units that are entirely new. For example, battleships can move AND attack in this game, and APCs (called 'Rigs' here) can build temporary airports or naval bases that can repair but not produce units. You'll also see a first in the anti-tank unit, an indirect attacker that can actually shoot back if directly attacked. Combat tactics are somewhat different as a result, but nothing that will take a veteran too long to get accustomed to. Additionally, you can zoom the map in, though I haven't found much use for this feature since it's quite easy to see all the icons in regular view mode.

The units, COs, and animations have a more realistic look to them, and the general theme and plot of the game is more grimly realistic than playful. Most of the music is some form of rock/metal type track that sounds like it belongs in Command & Conquer, and the post-apocalyptic setting brings back memories of Mad Max and the likes. Themes are generally more mature, with not-so-funny plot twists and some profanity. In general, it won't take you long to realize that this is no Omega Land, and likely never was.

Probably the most interesting new features in Days of Ruin are the veterancy system and the reworked commanding officers (COs). Units that destroy other units get promoted up to two ranks, and become more powerful as a result (merging units grants the higher veterancy). It's not overpowering, but enough that if you have mostly veteran forces you'll have a substantial advantage. Additionally, COs no longer just hang around the HQ- they can actually take to the field in any unit, deployable one at a time from the HQ or any production facility. The chosen unit is granted immediate maximum veterancy. Additionally, instead of granting their bonuses to all of their units, as in the previous AW games, COs only affect a 'radius' of units around them. For example, Brenner provides a global defense boost to any kind of unit. However, for units to enjoy this boost they must be within 3 tiles of his unit. Additionally, the CO powers do not charge at all if you don't have your CO deployed and in combat, and the power meter will drain to zero if the CO unit is destroyed (you can deploy them again at no penalty if this happens). To top it all, there is no 'super' CO power, no 'tag' as in Dual Strike, and most of the regular CO powers are nowhere near as strong as those enjoyed in previous titles. In short, COs don't play nearly as major a role as they did in the past games. Is this good or bad? That really depends on how much you enjoyed the varied CO abilities and powers in the previous games. If you're one of the folks that preferred tactical play to marshaling stars for a super attack, or thought that some COs were overpowered (bit hard to deny this, even though I loved them), then this is obviously a good change. If your whole reason for playing AW was the COs, then obviously you're not going to like this. Personally, I think I'd be happiest with something in the middle: maybe keep the CO zone idea, but make them all bigger, for example. It's quite difficult and often undesirable to keep your units clumped up inside such a small area.

The campaign is quite linear, with no bonus objectives or branches. You can play bonus tactical challenge maps, but these don't present any reward, so unless you're just bored there's not much point. Playing the campaign from start to finish unlocks everything. Yup, you heard that right- there's no Battle Maps or grinning Hachi looking for your credits in exchange for spiffy CO color arrangements. You can still change CO colors, but this and all playable battle mode maps are automatically available. There is also a music room and wireless play, which is probably the only reason to do free battle mode at all.

In terms of customization, Days of Ruin has a ton of space for you to make your own maps. 50 maps, as a matter of fact- probably more than anyone will ever need. You can use these in online mode, and in general this is a good improvement over Dual Strike. In addition to wireless play, you can play using Nintendo WFC- a first for Advance Wars. Maps can be traded online, if you choose to do so.

Dual Strike added a lot of interesting new features, such as the dual front battle, tag, CO experience, plus some new units (most of which aren't in Days of Ruin). Days of Ruin adds some more- particularly the Internet play- but also takes out many of the best new things in Dual Strike. In particular, Days of Ruin relies very heavily on its multiplayer for replay value. The campaign and versus mode offer nothing in the way of rewards for the offline player, and the COs aren't especially fun to experiment with.

In conclusion, Days of Ruin is definitely a change of pace for Advance Wars. It's similar enough to its predecessors that fans of the originals will probably like it. How MUCH you like it depends heavily on what your favorite aspects of the past games were. If you were addicted to unlocking things, really liked the old COs and their powers, and mainly play offline, then Days of Ruin will probably be less attractive. If you were in it for the tactical play, want to see what happens when a battleship can move AND fire, and mainly play online matches instead of versus mode, then this game will be more fun. Personally, I don't think Days of Ruin is much better or worse than the previous games- it's simply different. I'm not big on multiplayer, so I found Dual Strike to be more fun. However, it also introduces some interesting new game aspects that I hope will be integrated with the best features of the others, and I can't wait to see what Intelligent Systems has lined up for the future of this awesome series.

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