Not the best additon to series but an engaging game nonetheless which lets the game stand on its own merits
Unlike previous games this one decides to take the happy-go lucky style of the previous installments and instead add a dark, gloomy portrayal to the otherwise astounding strategy gameplay. The story pits you in the shoes as an up and coming commander who is pitted knee deep in a war between two rival factions. In the midst off all this a disease known as the "Green Thumb" infects people on the already dying planet (which is unspecified) adding to the already massive chaos. As this civil chaos erupts you are pit among your once thought allies and forge alliances with unlikely CO's.
This makes the game sound more like a war novel than a game and in some sense it is. It is very dramatic but can be surprisingly engaging. The more you play with the commanders the more you can grow to like them but this can go one of two ways…
The game's main character, Will, is really a hit-or-miss type with some people liking him while others finding him to be straight annoying. Captain Brenner on the other hand who is the revolution captain who takes you (Will) in is definitely the most memorable character of the game and the story does great justice to the character. There is no voice acting and the sound of weapons, etc. is the same from previous games in addition to new weapons.
The gameplay system has not been drastically revamped but it has been altered in a few ways mainly with the balance of units. The new addition are units like the duster which is an all around air unit or the War Tank which can shell out some serious damage depending on the situation or the invaluable Flare which can light the way in a "Fog Of War". It also adds to the fray the action of "Strength in numbers" which the previous games did not touch too much upon. What this means is that times where you find yourself with a large amount of weak units against a small amount of strong units you have a better chance of winning as opposed to in previous game where it was more dependant on strength than in number.
This also adds a layer of newfound strategy to original gameplay but this is not to say the battles are unrealistic an example being a foot soldier squad defeating a half-health war tank but instead 10 foot soldier squads doing enough damage to take it out in a turn or two.
Difficulty has been given a new meaning in AW:DOR as it can range from easy to down-right maddening even for veterans. In this light the game contradicts itself as the limit of Co Powers made to appeal to newcomers (making everything focus on strategy) is cut out by the game's difficulty. As to Co Power, they have been dumbed down significantly and this is not for the better but more for the worse. As the powers are not as powerful as previous installments it takes away some of the biggest highlights and most of the flavor from the game. The ability to change the tide of battle with a single button made for an amazing concept and proved to live up to its worth in actual gameplay so the idea to dumb it down will definitely come as a let down to some of the fans. There is also no motivation to really use Co Powers because they are so un-useful and many times will not do anything to turn the tide of a battle.
The graphics are different as well featuring dark, gritty landscapes and hand drawn looking templates as opposed to colorful, lush landscapes that were consistent with the other games. Of course this change was not unwarranted as it fits into the context of the story but it makes it that much drearier when CO's try to look for the best in a situation only to be reminded of the landscape.
I am a big fan of the series and have beaten every single game but this one is a bit shorter than the rest and can take a master strategist under 12 hours to complete but do keep in mind that this will be unlikely for everyone else as the difficulty is punishing in many areas. The new look and feel to the series is not unwarranted but for many veterans and newcomers alike the dark tone of the story might not be the story they were looking for, but gameplay wise Intelligent systems continues to stay strong on the DS as this is one game that strategy fans will not be disappointed with.