4) Advance Wars
Last Title: Advance Wars: Days of Ruin (Nintendo DS, 2008)
Fire Emblem has been getting all the love lately, but Nintendo’s other strategy series shouldn’t be condemned to slumming it in the used games section. Advance Wars first appeared on people’s radars way back on the Game Boy Advance, and its last installment was the gritty Advance Wars: Days of Ruin on Nintendo DS. Advance Wars is similar to Fire Emblem, but also different in many key ways. The setting is modern, revolving around the military exploits of the Allied Nations against the evil Black Hole army. A turn-based strategy game, the player commands multiple units during battle, claiming territory and using resources to build up their army with new tanks, troops, and more. The series also features popular CO powers, moves unique to the leader of each battalion of the Allied Nations that enhances different attributes during gameplay. Advance Wars is also beloved for its quirky, cartoony visuals and whacky characters.
The chance to see Advance Wars go to the next level with a new sequel is irresistible. Days of Ruin introduced a solid online multiplayer experience, so there’s no reason not to carry that component over and expand on it, perhaps with the inclusion of DLC missions. A return to the cartoony aesthetics of the first three games would be welcome, as the grim tone and realistic look of Days of Ruin didn’t mesh with the traditional vibe of the series. Pushing production values up and adding more features to the single-player campaign would also make the game more alluring than ever. Advance Wars might benefit from the inclusion of more customization, too, perhaps in the form of selecting squads of COs or developing new units between missions for deployment during battles. Advance Wars is easily as fun as Fire Emblem and deserves a shot to shine again!
I can’t agree with you more on Advance Wars and F-Zero. I distinctly remember Days of Ruin ending on a cliff hanger, and it’s been far too long since the last Advance Wars entry. I also can’t help but feel that F-Zero is perfectly suited for the 3DS, which is currently in dire need of good racing games.
I’d also add Star Fox to this list. Not only has it been a very long time since the last Star Fox game (excluding the 3DS remake), but there has yet to be a game in the series that matches the quality of the Nintendo 64 entry. They didn’t just remake Star Fox 64 for no reason…right? :o
I was within inches of sticking Star Fox in. It’s ironic you mentioned the 3DS remake, because it was the main reason I excluded it; I guess it gave me too much hope when I played it that something would be coming eventually. I actually grappled back and forth over it a lot. I put Excitebike on here despite it getting a 3D remake, too, but I kept it on because it felt like such a minimal tweak. IDK =/
Haha well it was a really good list, so I really have nothing to complain about :)
I’d love to see a return to the Custom Robo series sometime. I only ever played the GameCube game that came out in America, but it was still interesting. It was really a good concept that suffered from some subpar execution. Think about Custom Robo on Wii U: Hundreds (if not thousands) of robot parts could be made available. You could duke it out in online HD robo battles! And the customization could mean millions of different robots!
Great list Robert. Couldn’t agree more with your choices.
Hard to believe it’s been almost 10 years since we’ve had a new entry in the F-Zero franchise.
You touched on a franchise near and dear to my heart: Excitebike. Everything about the original brings on a wave of nostalgia. The original is still fun, but I couldn’t agree more with your ideas about updating World Rally for the Wii U.
I love that you included Waverace. I would love me some HD wave physics.
Makes me wish they’d also update 1080, in the original style, not the trick based Gamecube sequel. The gamecube game was one of those rare Nintendo games that actually copied what every one else was doing at the time (making racing games all about tricks! Thank you very little Tony Hawk.) In my opinion, this made 1080 Avalanche inferior to the N64 original.
Lastly, how about Forgotten Nintendo “Services” that need sequels (or updating.) I’m talking about the virtual console. It is a disgrace. Only 21(?) Nintendo 64 games on the North American Wii version, and ZERO N64 games on the Wii U eShop?! The virtual console just doesn’t live up to its potential. To me, the virtual console is defined by what games it doesn’t have, not what it does have.
The reason I’m mentioning the virtual console here? Because your list made me wish I could play Excitebike 64 again. In my opinion, this was an underrated, and probably underplayed game which was also released (much like the wiiware title) at the wrong time… a little late in the N64’s lifecycle after years of almost constant racing game releases.
Again, great list!