GENRE
	Strategy
	DEVELOPER
	Intelligent Systems
	PUBLISHER
	Nintendo
	LOCAL WIRELESS MULTI-PLAY
	Yes
	Wi-Fi/GLOBAL ONLINE MULTI-PLAY
	No
	MICROPHONE
	No
	BUY NOW AT

There was a time years ago when I was highly skeptical of the GBA. I didn’t own an original model, and the bitter taste in my mouth from the flood of generic GBC titles was not soon forgotten. The GBA looked to continue the trend with the option of lazy companies porting over their old stuff, something Nintendo paved the way for with the re-release of Super Mario Bros. 2. It took Advance Wars to rope me in. After an afternoon with the title the GBA was more likely to be in my hands than any console controller. Now with Advance Wars Dual Strike, a staggering amount of new material is added, with new features, new modes, new CO’s, and two screens.

Advance Wars: Dual Strike stands as the perfect counterpoint to Nintendogs, appropriately released on the same day. Where Nintendogs sought the broader non-gamer audience, this is aimed directly at people like you and me, who actually read game reviews and were waiting to buy a DS when something they liked to came out.

visuals

Bright, distinguishable, and functional. All of the units remain easily identifiable, which is impressive given the number available. Many complain that the graphics are too simplistic, and while they are a step up from the GBA, they aren’t greatly enhanced. This does not merit griping, as the game really never was about graphics in the first place. Visual highlights include improved battle animations, though hardcore fans turn those off anyways. The animated reactions present in the original Advance Wars are once again curiously absent.

audio

The various bangs and booms of the series have been slightly tweaked for the better. Cannon shots sound more powerful and missiles sound like they are being launched.

The returning Commanding Officer (CO) theme songs are slightly remixed. These are mostly improvements from the original tunes. New CO’s have music designed from the ground up for the DS's improved audio capabilities, so they sound better. CO Kindle of the Black Hole army has a particularly cool tune. The track most deserving of demerit in this game is the song played when a Dual Strike is activated, as a shrill “woo” sound plays in the background.

gameplay

Turn-based strategy games are measured in my book by the original Advance Wars. This includes Advance Wars: Dual Strike. Fans of the series will rejoice in the myriad improvements and new units that still remain finely balanced. This must be tempered by the view of a gamer looking at the series for the first time.

Nintendo does a great job at providing a (mandatory) tutorial woven into the course of the campaign. All of the basics, new units, and the two-CO system are adequately explained. Also, the campaign takes longer to ramp up in difficulty as opposed to Advance Wars 2, which is a positive for a newcomer.

Veterans will care about the new units. The Stealth, Aircraft Carrier, Black Bomb, Piperunner, and Megatank all make fine additions to the lineup. Each unit has disadvantages that keep it from overpowering the old units. Recalcitrant players can conceivably win without adopting the new units, but a skilled player who uses all units has the upper hand. I’ve taken personal affinity to the Black Boat, a mobile repair platform that finally made the sea a viable solution in my strategy.

Strategy is indeed more prized now than ever before, with the two screens and two COs making things more involved. The second screen often displays unit information, but in many campaigns it is a separate battlefront that must be maintained and won. These are coordinated by a second CO. In single front missions, your two COs can swap out for their associated bonuses. For example, COs Max and Grit can team up, letting the long-range sharpshooter Grit bombard them from a distance, and then switching to in-your-face Max if they get close. The game contains many potential combinations, but some work better than others. Two COs picked at random are more difficult to win with than a planned team.

This leads me to the most controversial change in the series: the Dual Strike. While CO powers are still able to be used as they come up, the overwhelming advantage of saving them until both CO's bars are full is manifested in the Dual Strike. Where Advance Wars 2 added the Super power, many CO’s regular powers were still worth using in situations. Now virtually all incentive is lost to do anything but dual strikes because of the advantage they provide. If not properly anticipated, certain CO combinations can instantly win the game from half a map away with a Dual Strike. It doesn’t break the game; those who perform in the fundamentals and strategies will still win out over those who rely on CO power, but a close match is often decided by who gets a Dual Strike first.

Finally, there are the new modes. The Trial mode is an obvious extension of what made the War Room so great in the original and is an excellent addition. Less amazing is Combat mode, which feels underdeveloped. It is a real time strategy spinoff with an emphasis on action, but with the limitation of only a single unit at once the experience is short lived. Obsessive compulsives will still have to play it to unlock absolutely everything. That should take most gamers more than 80 hours to do, making it the best single player value for those looking to get the most play out of their purchase. With that in mind, Advance Wars: Dual Strike is a beacon on Nintendo’s handheld.

multiplayer

While multiplayer was once aspect I was hoping would dramatically improve with the DS, this Advance Wars has a blessing and a curse as far as the wireless network goes. It allows up to eight players in Combat mode via download play, which is appreciated. The real draw is in multi-card four player large scale skirmishes. Hours can pass before a true winner is decided, akin to Risk or Monopoly. Alas, this leads to a disturbing flaw: all players must stay in the game until its conclusion or the game is a draw. If you are devastated in the first five turns, you cannot yield and play on by yourself. Even if you had a group of people particularly dedicated to seeing the end of a match battery life can become an issue, and if a battery were to die the game once again is nullified. This is extremely agitating for what could have been the ultimate game for a road trip. Luckily the pass and play feature is there to rescue this mode.

overall

How better to run down a military strategy game than with a checklist?

• Improved Audio and Graphics: check.
• Several significant new units and Commanding Officers: check
• Top of its class in strategy: check
• Impeccable balance: check
• Hand drawn maps: check
• Mandatory, but useful tutorial: check
• Good use of wireless play: check
• Character upgrade system: check
• More content than you can wade through in a month: check

9.1/10