Improving upon arguably the best strategy series not on a PC is certainly a daunting task, yet once again the folks at Intelligent Systems have successfully conjured up another gem in the form of Advance Wars: Dual Strike, a game which no strategy fan, nay, any DS owner should miss. Critical to the series, the basic core of game play of Advance Wars remains nearly identical to the previous incarnations. For those unfamiliar, AW follows a system of turn-based strategy in which players alternate moving their units around a board of squares and subsequently attacking their opponents units or capturing their cities and factories for valuable resources to increase their power. As always, the game is deceptively simple on the surface, but has an incredible and sometimes almost too daunting level of depth and complexity for experienced players to master. Each player is made unique by having their own Commanding Officer (CO), which modify certain unit's abilities and also grants a special ability usable at critical moments in the game as a final push towards victory. The new twist (and the main reason for the Dual Strike moniker) is that players can now choose to have two COs on their side, further adding to the depth and necessity for proper planning in order to achieve victory. There is also a heap of new units (7) and COs (9) added to this edition, most of which are very worthwhile additions to an already solid base. A couple of new game modes have been added as well, some good, some bad. On the good side is survival mode, which operates in much same function as it does whenever such a mode appears in fighting games. Players are given the opportunity to see how long they can last through a series of maps using only a pre-assigned limit on variables such as time or resources. The mode is in my opinion a long-overdue and very welcome addition to AW, and a great way to serve as a proving ground for new strategies and tactics, not to mention help to gauge your strengths and weaknesses in the game. Another, albeit not as exciting addition is Battle Mode, a rather strange spin-off in which AW goes real-time, allowing you the freedom to move one unit at a time around the map firing upon whatever enemy opposition appears. What may be a mildly interesting diversion for a few seconds soon degenerates into a rather boring and somewhat clunky bash fest which most players will easily pass over. I have to wonder what exactly Intelligent Systems was actually going for with this other than morbid fascination, but nonetheless the mode can be easily overlooked in the face of all of the strategy goodness in the main game and does nothing to take away from the AW experience. For AW veterans, you will find plenty to love about Dual Strike. The campaign, although again centered on the nefarious forces of the Black Hole Army, is easily the longest yet in the series, and should provide a decent challenge once the game gets going. Undoubtedly an annoyance for some however, is the fact that the game is built somewhat around players new to AW, meaning you will have to once again slog through a number of boring and fundamental early missions in order to get to the good stuff. The graphics and sound department of Dual Strike, the least important but still interesting aspect of any strategy game, retains a lot of the same quality of past AW titles, with just a few tweaks to take advantage of the more powerful hardware. Suffice to say if you’re looking for something to showcase the power of the DS this is not it, but really Advance Wars has been so well presented in the past its not too big of a deal, and besides if you play strategy games for the looks I think you may be in the wrong genre anyway. Control is as spot-on as always, with nothing important worth mentioning, just the way I like it. Maneuvering the cursor is quick and easy, and the dual screens make battlefield management easier than ever. On the multiplayer front, tweaks have been made to make the game more enjoyable as well. One problem I and others found with Black Hole Rising was a decidedly unbalanced CO list, however in Dual Strike, even with the addition of nine new leaders, the game returns to a more balanced state. Minor problems do still exist however whenever two COs are on one side, however, because at times certain combinations can very handedly bowl over the competition when in the hands of a skilled player. The abilities of the DS are also on full display in Dual Strike. The game has full wi-fi support for easy multiplayer gaming access and map swapping, and the stylus actually helps to make map-making and navigation easier than ever. In addition, the dual screens are very effectively used, having one screen be the general map overview while the other serves as either a unit information screen, meaning players will no longer have to constantly switch screens to review different units as they had to do in past games. You really could spend the better part of day celebrating all that is great in Advance Wars: Dual Strike, but then again that time could be better spent actually playing the game! Suffice to say if you have any interest in strategy titles you need this game, and even casual fans are recommended to give this game a look. High-quality DS games may be more few and far between then some would like, but with this game and the charming Nintendogs both recently released, it looks as good as a time as any to finally take the plunge on the handheld.
Other Helpful Reviews for Advance Wars: Dual Strike
The Good: The same formula you remember, tons of content, nice map editor, great single player or multi-player game. The Bad: Looks and sounds like the GBA versions. Introduction: Advance Wars is a strategy game th... Read Full Review
Advance Wars: Dual Strike marks the third triumphant contribution to the stellar Advance Wars namesake. A stable of endearing characters, a terrific backstory, and rock solid gameplay come back full swing, conquering a ... Read Full Review
