Advance Wars
With the addition of Game Boy Advance to the established family of Game Boy handhelds comes a rich game lineup of new software to play on the go. Nintendo's long line of Wars series is returning to the limelight on the Game Boy Advance. However, this will mark the first time that North Americans get to see a Wars title on their own shores. The new title is dubbed Advance Wars (previous versions of the series were called Famicom Wars and Super Famicom Wars respectively). The game follows in the footsteps of the previous releases with a tried and true formula for strategic fun. N-Sider was able to go hands on with this gem of a title, shown in playable form for the first time at E3 2001.
As opposed to taking a frantic real-time control approach, Advance Wars is a turn-based strategy game. Using a cell-based game engine for the world map, you navigate and maneuver your units through thick combat. After selecting "Unit" from the main menu, you are open to choose a group to move or do combat. Once you have chosen your unit, you are shown their moving range. By using the digital pad you can make an arrow that represents where you want to go within that range of movement. Now, this is where the game gets interesting; if you choose to make a beeline to your opponent but fall short, your adversary could retaliate on his next turn since you are now in his movement range. However, if you move your unit to an adjacent space to your opponent's unit, you are given the option to "Fire" or "Wait".
Every time somebody chooses to fire at an opponent, the action is switched to a zoomed-in graphical display of the attack. A vertical split screen shows the units of both sides using anime style art. This feature is a treat to watch, since it's a great break from the menu and pointer system, and gives you a chance to catch your breath as you watch your enemy's units blow up in front of your eyes. The graphical attacks are a fun feature that wasn't necessary, but makes the war seem more immersive. If you don't feel like attacking a unit for strategic purposes you can just choose "Wait" and the unit will rest.
To add to the common unit attacks is a "Power" system. This lets you perform power moves, whereby you cast spell-like actions on others. For instance, you can cast a tsunami, which will inflict damage on all enemy units within your range. There are other power moves such as Lightning Strike, Morale Boost, and Hyper Repair. Using a balance of power and unit attacks will get you to the front lines of the war. Learning how and when to use these power moves is key in becoming victorious in your campaign.
One of the features that must be in "tweak" mode right now at Intelligent Systems is sound. Accompanied sounds for different moves and menu selects are spot on, but one element seems to be missing: the music. There was no music present in the build of the game on the show floor, and it remains to be seen if it will be added in at all. However, the sound for the action on screen is still nothing to scoff at. For every time you move a unit, the appropriate sound will be used for it. For instance, if the unit in question is a helicopter, you will hear a roar of propellers as it moves to the area you specified. The final version should contain all these great sound effects and hopefully some dramatic music to accompany it.
The terrain in Advance Wars is something that can either make or break your army. Using your surroundings properly will give you a great advantage over the enemy. For example, if you position your units on a mountainous patch on the landscape, the enemy will have trouble defeating the unit. Sometimes when things look bleak, a terrain advantage can turn the tables in a matter of minutes. Also, the images for the landscape have been completely overhauled from the Game Boy Color incarnation of GB Wars. Using the GBA's extensive color palette, the game feels more rich and realistic. The landscape now resembles a role-playing game like atmosphere with interconnected cells. Rather than obvious tiles for each section of land, the terrain feels more smooth and natural. The units also now animate accordingly once moved to a new position. This coupled with some great anime styled animations for power moves makes a very complete package visually. Graphically, there are no major complaints.
The proposed release date for this war simulation is September 10. From what was shown in the current build, the game looks to be a very promising title. To top it all off, you can look forward to waging war on three of your friends as well since the game supports four players. I think it goes without saying that it's good to see Nintendo taking an active approach in diversifying the North American line-up with once-Japan-exclusive games like this one. America goes to war in September, so saddle up, lock'n load.