Turn-Based-Strategy
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Advance Wars: Chart of Damage
The hardcore Advance Wars players among you likely already have all this data committed to heart, but for those of you still figuring out which units are the most effective for a given situation, you might want to have a look at this chart, maybe even print it out and laminate it like we have.GameFaqs poster GipFace drew up this informative table listing the amount of damage a specific unit will inflict on another, minus any modifiers (e.g. terrain, unit level, etc.). You can spot some new changes and develop a few useful strategems for Days of Ruin based on the presented data: Infantry does as much damage as a Tank when up against an Anti-Tank you can take down a Fighter with an Anti-Air/Duster combo build more Seaplanes! Remember what Major Adam Steiner used to always say in the BattleTech cartoon: "Information is ammunition!"
Metareview: Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
Intelligent Systems' latest Advance Wars game makes war look like war and not like playing with toys for the first time, breaking a tradition of jovial-looking war games stretching back to the Famicom. Did the risky effort pay off? Is it still an awesome strategy game despite, or because of, the change in tone? To get an idea, we've turned to ... people who have played it!Cheat Code Central -- 92%: It would be hard to imagine Cheat Code Central's Jonathan Marx being any happier about this game, as he finally discovers that Advance Wars games can have narrative: "As you can see, this new world is far more engaging than any of the previous titles. The base story is really interesting, although some of the conversations are still a bit hokey. However, I actually read every bit of dialogue before, during, and after battles. The same cannot be said for its predecessors. Even though the old games were all about great gameplay, it was a pure button mash to get through the mindless interactions. The vast improvement in storytelling has the effect of making the game and battles not only more interesting, but also much more satisfying and meaningful."IGN -- 86%: IGN's review found that the missing content is missed, but that the new additions are still compelling, especially in multiplayer: "Of course, for every feature that has been removed for Days of Ruin, Nintendo seems to have added something new. Units can now be leveled-up as they destroy enemy combatants. Three levels can be achieved, and each tier provides offensive and defensive upgrades."1UP -- 85%: 1UP's Dan Hsu also lamented the trimmed content, but found that online play (of course) compensated, and that the cuts at least showed thought: "Days of Ruin's new units and gameplay change, however, show that the developers are looking for a more sophisticated audience this time around. Both aspects emphasize strategy over firepower; for example, the new Bike unit is basically infantry on wheels, allowing you to capture far-off cities and bases more quickly. The Flare is a good anti-infantry tank, but more valuable are its bright-light rockets that reveal hidden units in the Fog of War. And the Rig (formerly the APC) can still carry infantry, but now can also build temporary airports or naval ports. These new units will force players to use more tactics in their matches."
Too much missing from Days of Ruin?
Unbalanced CO powers and dual-screen battles aren't the only features dropped from Advance Wars: Days of Ruin. Modojo editor Justin Davis played through the turn-based strategy title and found the lack of packed-in extras disappointing: No War Room No unlockable hard campaign No Battle Maps shop No Survival mode No Combat mode No tags/rankings outside of the medals screen Only 12 playable COs (compared to Dual Strike's 25+ COs) Before you rush to our comments section to post, "No sale," note that Justin had a lot of positive things to say about Days of Ruin, claiming that its "strategic gameplay might be the best found in the franchise yet." He went on to laud the game's balance changes and improved Fog of War experience. Also, the War Room hasn't completely disappeared, as you still have the option to play Versus maps, a collection of classic, new, and Trial Mission scenarios, minus the ranking at the end of the battle. And don't forget that you can download maps online! That almost makes up for all off the missing stuff ... Almost.%Gallery-8563%
Promotional Consideration: Quote-based strategy II
Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out.Since we bemoaned Advance Wars: Days of Ruin's lacking marketing push last week, Nintendo has kept us holed up in our bomb shelter, walls trembling and lights flickering as wave after wave of advertisements, massive shells blasted from Leo Burnett's distant dreadnoughts, pound the smoking city above.Here's every salvo we've been hit with in just the past week: an official web site launch (with new media) media-heavy previews and several interviews with Nintendo's localization team two promotional emails sent out to Nintendo's online newsletter subscribers a launch event held earlier today at the Nintendo World Store (New York City) television commercials on both network and cable channels a two-page ad running in at least three video game magazines -- GamePro, Game Informer, and Electronic Gaming Monthly We stand, crumbs of concrete falling from our hair, corrected. As we promised in our last installment, we're taking a look at that two-page magazine ad for Days of Ruin, a print piece which features flattering quotes from three online video game sites.
Promotional Consideration: Quote-based strategy
Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out.Given the anticipation for Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, at least among hardcore gamers, it's surprising that Nintendo hasn't launched an advertising offensive by now -- bombing strongholds with print ads, ambushing our television sets with commercials, and running its usual propaganda campaign.But with less than two weeks away from Days of Ruin's release, we've yet to find the game advertised in any of the magazines we've cracked open, and the only commercial we've seen so far is the poorly thought-out one embedded past the post break.%Gallery-8563%
New Advance Wars images show off new COs, new belly buttons
Supplementing its latest preview of Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, GameSpot has posted over twenty screenshots, faction emblems, and commanding officer portraits for the turn-based strategy title. Among the new cast of COs are two similarly designed gothic lolitas (possibly sisters?), a nefarious scientist with watercolor stains on his labcoat, and what could possibly be Advance Wars' first black CO. Also worth noting is the leather-clad redhead who looks a lot like an older version of Sami. The darker palette, reportedly "heavier" soundtrack, and serious expressions on the COs really reflect the series' new mature direction. -- we can't wait to see how much further away Intelligent Systems will take the game from its lighthearted roots after having killed off 90% of the world's population. You can preview the new images and COs yourself with the convenient gallery we've embedded below. As promised in our headline, there are plenty of belly buttons -- both male and female -- for you to appraise.%Gallery-8563%[Via AWN]
Joystiq hands-on: Advance Wars: Days of Ruin (DS)
The "Days of Ruin" addendum to the standard "Advance Wars" title is more than a surprising acronym that doesn't stand for "DS." (DR? What?) Days of Ruin marks the bleak setting and style for the latest version of this turn-based strategy game. The plucky Advance Wars characters have been retired in favor of an all-new, more tempered cast. And while this is still a Nintendo game -- don't expect anything too edgy -- the company anticipates it'll earn a T-rating for the game's language and tone. The plot is about a more serious, war-decimated planet, after all. More than just the setting, this Advance Wars was described as an Intelligent Systems relaunch of the series. CO powers have been reduced; don't expect them to let a losing side suddenly win the game. And the dual-screen gameplay from the previous DS version has been removed; the top screen shows dedicated battle info, while the bottom screen shows the game area. We recently played a few levels of the new title, and we're looking forward to an Advance Wars game again. We never liked the dual-screen battles, and the CO powers seemed to have gotten out of control in the previous version. Days of Ruin felt like a much needed course-correction for the series. Features like Wi-Fi play with voice chat, and map creation and sharing, remake the title while keeping its addictive strategy gameplay. %Gallery-8675%
Square Enix release dates: RoF due next spring?!
Square Enix spent the morning revealing its lineup of "fresh new faces and timeless classics" that the company plans to exhibit this week at E3, attaching US release dates to its upcoming titles: Heroes of Mana - August 14 Front Mission - October 23 Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker - November 6 Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings - November 20 Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates - Spring 2008 We're jumping on our beds with glee over the fact that we'll be receiving Front Mission so early after the localization was announced, but several disappointing details failed to escape our attention -- Final Fantasy Tactics A2: The Sealed Grimoire, It's a Wonderful World, FFIV DS, and Dragon Quest IX's absence; and Ring of Fates' distant date. The multiplayer ARPG and its DS Lite bundle are scheduled to hit Japan this August 23rd. [Via NeoGAF]
PC Gamer takes on weeks-long GalCiv battle
People on the internet generally don't enjoy reading long articles. We understand. You've got places to go, people to see, episodes of Heroes to watch. Who has time to actually scroll through several screens worth of writing when there's so much to do?That being said, we heartily recommend that you set aside a few minutes and read through PC Gamer's epic account of what is likely the longest game of Galactic Civilizations 2 ever played.How long exactly? The "Gigantic" sized match has been going on for 16 days now and is just beginning to show signs of an imminent ending. Besides being routinely laugh-out-loud funny, Tom Francis' running account captures the intricacies of interstellar diplomacy, taxation, genocide, despotism, popularity rankings, and extremely foolhardy military planning in a form that even people unfamiliar with the game will find interesting. Go ahead and read it. That status report will still be there in fifteen minutes.[Via Kieron Gillen]
FFTA2: Preparing ourselves for disappointment
You'll find no truer supporters of the Final Fantasy Tactics franchise than the DS Fanboy staff. We've spent far too many hours with the PS1 and GBA titles to ever turn our backs to the series. Reading IGN's recent interview with Yuichi Murasawa, the director of Final Fantasy Tactics A2: The Sealed Grimoire, however, left us scratching our heads over Square Enix's handling of the upcoming SRPG. What was supposed to be a hype-building preview of the new FFTA game sounded more like a list of unimplemented features and expectations that the development team didn't meet. FFTA's simplified, adolescent plot was one of the biggest complaints that FFT veterans had with the handheld sequel. The original game's story, in comparison, was rich with political intrigue and complex characters, enthralling players with its narrative. When asked about FFTA2's plot, Murasawa admitted that his team's goal was to once again "keep things light." Wonderful. Though we've become accustomed to Square Enix's inadequate Nintendo WiFi support, what with Mario Hoops 3-on-3's promised-but-not-delivered online matches and Final Fantasy III's half-hearted MogNet, we were really hoping to see the FFT series' multiplayer mode expanded for internet play. According to the IGN interview, FFTA2 not only lacks online functionality, but waives the multiplayer system away altogether. Instead, we'll have a "feature that makes use of the local connection" to look forward to. Great. The final insult lies in FFTA2's nonexistent touchscreen functionality. This feature seems perfect for the SRPG genre, enabling players to quickly maneuver units and navigate menus with a stylus, but Murasawa must not have found it to be essential. He offers this comfort towards the end of the interview, at least: "Of course, if there is ever an FTA3 [sic], we'll definitely think about it." Looking forward to it!
Shelley on the history of Civilization
Ensemble Studios' Bruce Campbell Shelley has been a force in strategy gaming for over 20 years (PC Gamer proclaimed him a "Game God" in 1999). Anyone who's ever played Civilization I and II, the original Railroad Tycoon, or the Age of Empires and Age of Mythology titles should be familiar with his work. What you may be less familiar with is the iterative design process he and former MicroProse colleague Sid Meier used to craft the very first Civilization game. In a recent interview, Shelley offered a little history lesson on the "design by playing" methodology -- a process he and his design teams still use at Ensemble today. The strategy pioneer fondly recalls being the second person ever to play the first Civilization prototype on a 5 ¼" floppy disc, and also describes how working with Sid Meier is like going to a game design university. In discussing the influence of Civilization on AoE, Shelley had this to say: "There is certainly some Civilization in the Age of Empires series. The vision for the original Age of Empires game was something like the historical and economic aspects of Civilization merged with the gameplay of Warcraft and Command & Conquer."See also: Metareview - Age of Empires III vs. Civilization IV
