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Showing reviews 6-10 of 39
 Solid game that tries new things, but falls short of expectations April 9, 2008
Audasis (MA, USA)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
~~~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.
 Takes the best of Advance Wars and improves it, the worst of Advance Wars and trashes it. February 3, 2008
D.L. (California)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
If you enjoyed the first three Advance Wars, there's no doubt you'll like this one too. While I did enjoy the games, I was not fanatical about it and I would eventually stop playing it after a few weeks or so.
I swapped out Dual Strike for Days of Ruin and I must say this is the most addicting Advance Wars to date. They basically took everything that I felt were flaws or problems with the series, and fixed it up and improved upon what was already good.
Some things to know:
* No more cheap AI during Fog of War! That's right! Now the computer is actually AFFECTED by the fog just like you are! This makes the game more realistic and the computer doesn't have a cheap edge like they used to!
* A better CO system. If you liked the insane CO powers, you may not be happy with it but I personally felt it was too overpowering. The powers are still there, but innovated in a way that is more realistic and requires you to rely more on strategy rather than Meteor Strike or Power of Money.
* A much better storyline. The days of "What's a tank?" and "Come on you Black Hole monkey faces!" are gone with more realistic dialouge and a much better story as a result. This game goes for a much more realistic feeling all the way, and it's great to finally have an Advance Wars game where the storyline and dialouge doesn't suck.
* A better unit balance. New additions and removal of units such as the Neotank and Megatank make everything more fair, and less reliant on building hundreds of the most expensive units. I have not seen better balance since the first Advance Wars, in fact I would say it's much better. Some new additions like the bike and anti-tank are great and come with pros and cons that even them out.
* Design maps mode is better than ever! You can now store up to 50 custom made maps and even adjust the size of the maps (from 5x5 to 30x30)! There is also an addition of a new paint tool that allows you to fill whole regions of tiles that are the same with one go making the design process far less tedious.
* The music is great too. It's mostly a mix of rock and techno and while the soundtrack isn't perfect, there are some really neat songs. My personal favorite is Waylon's theme.
Wonderful graphics, music, gameplay, storyline, and BALANCE. It's definitely worth the $30, and I would grab a copy before it starts becoming hard to find. I have yet to play the multiplayer so I cannot comment on that, but I can tell you with confidence this is the best Advance Wars to date! Just beware that you may be in for some long sleepless nights once you get hooked. ;)
 Initial disappointment, but I got over it June 4, 2008
Justin Heng (Blair, NE USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
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.
More hours I have to find to waste! February 2, 2008
A. Saunders (Virginia, USA)
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
I'm a big Advance Wars fan, having played all of the titles so far. I've been waiting for this for a while. It's supposed to be "darker", which I always thought was weird given the land is not PINK instead of green.
That's right. PINK. As in, I hope you like PINK, because you'll be seeing a lot of it. The future is full of ruined lands, and those ruined lands are PINK (e.g.: light red).
Great game though, as per usual. If you've never played advance wars, you can get any of the games and have a blast. For those who've played them, here are the differences:
-You can play ANY past mission you like after you've defeated it. I LOVE this feature.
-No more battlemaps store! :(
-Online play. Haven't used it enough to comment on it.
-No dual commanders (like the last title)
-Cannot choose COs.
-You may put COs in a unit and take them to the field. They have an effect radius, and gain CO power from enemy defeats within the radius. Then you may use a global CO power.
-Unit can get experience, 4 levels. I haven't noticed a practical difference.
Fun little game, I'd highly recommend!
No Hard Campaign / No War room March 9, 2008
Broad Street Books (New Jersey)
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
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.
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