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Monday 11 February, 2008
Gamelog entry #1:
SUMMARY
For this gamelog, I decided to play Advance Wars: Days of Ruin. The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, devastated
by a cataclysmic bombardment of meteors to the earth's surface. You play as a small battalion on a mission to help as many
survivors as possible. The game is a turn based strategy game, in which you have several different units that you send at
your opponent in a chess-like fashion.
GAMEPLAY
This is the third advance wars game I've played, and as such, I was already very familiar with the combat system and general
strategies going into it. However, my first hour of play turned out to be unusually exciting, with a much different and more
realistic feel than it's predecessors.
The game begins with you as Will, a confused teenager stranded alone after the meteors hit. As bandits rush to kill you,
Captain Brenner comes to the rescue. You control several different military units while attempting to save Will- like infantry,
bikes, mechs, and recon units. By sending a unit to attack another in it's radius, you deal damage to the enemy unit. Terrain,
unit type, and unit health all come into play in determining how much damage a hit returns. By dealing 10 damage, a unit will be
destroyed.
The strategy comes into play in determining when you should attack an enemy unit, how best to protect your own units from enemy fire,
and what sacrifices you are willing to make in your own units in order to kill an enemy. The game is one of emergence, and the
possibilities for strategies are almost endless. By utilizing terrain, capturing cities to acquire money, and preparing defenses to counter
an opponent, you can lead yourself to victory.
After completing the first mission, I decided to try out some regular battles and see what was different about this installment.
The game features several new units, like anti-tank units, bike infantry, and dusters that all lead to different gameplay decisions.
The 2 screen system was a big improvement as well, as important information about unit types, terrain, and map locations are always
visible.
With all of the new improvements, this game seems to be the best Advance Wars yet. The music in particular is amazing, much more
dark and sinister than it's previous counterparts. The characters are more three-dimensional and realistic, and the storyline is
appearing to be excellent. I couldn't keep a smile off my face the entire hour I played- everything just felt so nostalgic and
yet so new at the same time. I was reminded of how great a game Advance Wars was- and just how much strategy was required to win.
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"The characters are more two-dimensional and realistic"
I'm not sure that two-dimensional (ie, flat) characters is exactly praise for this game. :-) Having loved, and played, all the other Advance Wars, I really look forward to this one...
Monday 11 February, 2008 by jp
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