Nintendo DS Lite Game Review: Advance Wars: Dual Strike

If you need a game that will keep you occupied for months or maybe even years, Advance Wars is a series that will deliver. As a tactics based game, it requires thought, patience and, most importantly, strategy. Created by Nintendo, this (somewhat) new series has been top notch since the beginning of the Gameboy Advance.

The story is corny with a few funny sections; it's probably the least developed aspect of the game featuring a few factions warring against each other. However, it, in no way, hinders the deep gameplay. The graphics are cartoony but with the power of the Nintendo DS Lite, it delivers with brightness (not seen on the original DS!) and beautiful effects. There are two methods to play, using the touchscreen and stylus or using the standard D-pad and buttons. The touchscreen, unfortunately, is not very effective so I recommend just using the standard style.

When starting a new game of Advance Wars, we begin on a map with mountains, roads, rivers or maybe even a desert or ocean. Based on a grid system, you and your opponent produce and move units around to conquer each other's units and buildings, taking turns doing this. The strategy is not in simply advancing units and attacking with power as most would probably try to do, but to use every little detail to your advantage. The terrain, for example, could provide extra cover if you're in the mountains, but at the cost of moving slower (moving fewer grids per turn). So you must decide if the advantages are worth the disadvantages.

Each commanding officer (CO), the person controlling the units, also have special powers. Some are good with air units, some force opponents to move slowly, and others have bizarre specialties like gaining money for each unit destroyed. These powers can't always be used; the power bars of the CO need to be filled up and used at once (although some COs have passive abilities). Each CO (with the one exception of one) also has two powers to further enhance the strategies involved. The graphics in delivering all of these special effects is truly amazing on something as simple as the Nintendo DS Lite.

Not only can you do simple 1v1 missions, there are other combos like 1v3 or, as the name of the title says, Dual Strike. This is a new addition to the game from the previous games and only works on the Nintendo DS because of the two screens. In Dual Strike, you control two COs in two maps and fight at the same time. The "second front" (the second battle) is a secondary battle where you can lose but it will make the main battle more difficult. By winning the second front, you can use two COs in one battle. This allows the so called Dual Strike; when both COs have the power bar filled up, you can unleash your units at the enemy and then do it again, effectively giving you two turns at once. Special combinations of COs also give the units a power boost (some also hinder your units) so it's up to you to find all of them.

So what kind of units can you use to blast your opponents in Advance Wars? Infantry, tanks, bombers, battleships, submarines, the list just goes on and on. There are so many units and each has advantages and disadvantages so you'll have to spend your money producing each wisely. Some units simply can't attack others and may act as sitting ducks but against another type, it may destroy them in just one attack.

A truly great feeling comes when you beat Advance Wars on hard mode. The campaign has about thirty missions (depending on how you proceed) with unique winning conditions, many requiring brilliant strategies to get the highest score. The AI is also smart and advanced. After playing for so long, I'm starting to think it might be learning my strategies! It knows when to retreat and when to attack so even if you don't have someone else to play against, the computer will give you a real challenge regardless making Advance Wars difficult but fun.

What else is there in the game that really produces unlimited combinations? Fog of war, weather and the ability to create your own map and completely customize everything in it. Basically, there is nothing that can't be made. Want to have an all out air battle? Just make a map with only airports. A maze? Produce a map only mountains and only factories (ground units) and turn fog of war on. Make it harder to move around by adding some snow. This all seems tedious but with the Nintendo DS's touch screen, you can just drag your stylus around and make a map in minutes. There's really no limit to Advance War's map editing system.

Finally, the game can be played with just one Nintendo DS! Simply pass the system around when the game prompts you; if you've got two Nintendo DS's, then just link up via wifi and you can even chat on the systems!

Add the customization with the campaign, built-in maps and multi-player (and some other modes of play) and you've got a game that will last forever.

Unfortunately, if you're thinking of buying Advance Wars: Dual Strike, you'll have a hard time finding the game. Even on eBay, it goes up to $50 for a new cartridge. However, the game is still worth the price as it delivers endless gameplay as well as being a stress ball for the brain. But to keep your hopes up, an upcoming sequel to the game, Advance Wars: Days of Ruin will come out on January 28th, 2008.

The new game that comes out soon does not use same cartoony style as its predecessors. The same style of game play is kept but it's meant to be "darker" and more "realistic" and focus more on strategy. This means less all powerful CO powers and more on how each unit is used in times of war.

Each unit also has the ability to level up to be more powerful and many other changes have been implemented. The biggest difference is the removal of the Dual Strike ability, removing the ability to do two things per turn. New units have been added such as a motorbike and anti-tank having the abilities to move very quickly and being very effective against tanks (as the name implies) respectively.

The multi-player features the biggest upgrade with the ability to play on Nintendo's wifi system and chat through the Nintendo DS Lite's microphone. This alone will no doubt also provide the game with countless hours of game play.

As for how Advance Wars: Days of Ruin will play out, we'll just have to wait until it comes out!