I am new to the Advance Wars series and just picked up a used copy of this game. Of note... if you want to clear all save data (using DSI XL) then hold L, Select, and right on the control pad while STARTING the game and it will load up and ask to clear all data. The instructions were written for the old DS system).
Being new to this series, I have not had the opportunity to play the previous games and so the characters, story, and, well, everything is new. The game makes a nice point of separating itself from previous games. You really don't need all of the back story since most of the characters are treated as being new (they are new to your commanders at least), so you get to learn about them as you play. Since this story is set in a distant land from the previous titles, you really don't need that connection of story lines.
The campaign mode starts slow and the missions are rather easy at first. You don't really need to read the manual, but it is nice to scan through. Some of the tutorials are rather vague about what some units do or what they are effective against.
Around the 8th mission or so things begin to get more interesting. Despite being my first time playing AW, I was grabbing S rank on many of the first missions. Later missions I was regularly struggling to finish off the more persistent enemy COs. There are later missions where you have a finite number of units and once they're gone, they're gone. Other maps you can build and create units. Again this is in Campaign mode).
I also enjoyed that many of the maps require different tactics to win. Not every map has the 'kill all enemies' victory requirement. Some maps will have you taking out specific units, or capturing the enemy base, or destroying a particular fortress.
The music changes based on what commanding officer is currently controlling the action. Each ally and enemy has a unique score. Some are more mellow, others more intense. I like the variety though. I could see many players choosing their favorite COs based on the music (I kind of did!).
The enemy AI is actually pretty smart most of the time. This makes for a good challenge, without the AI being 'cheap'. Instead it seems the AI will select effective units to use against your units. They don't seem to send infantry to attack your tank units too often...
The real treat with this game is all of the amazing additional content. There is the online wifi vs mode of course. But there is a mode where you can battle the computer AI on a number of pre-made maps. The best extra is the ability to create your own maps and then battle on those. You get combat points to spend in the shop where you can buy extra maps and COs to use in these extra modes (as well as to change their clothes/hair color if you want).
I have only been playing for about 8 to 10 hours so far (mission 18), but I plan to continue updating this review as I progress deeper into the game. But so far I can see many happy hours spent playing. And then I can't wait to open up my copy of AW4 Days of Ruin!
What do customers buy after viewing this item?
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 19, 2011
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 4, 2009
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 8, 2015
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 11, 2007
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 6, 2013
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 11, 2021
Top reviews from other countries
Luke Haugh
Fantastic gem, and a great sequel to the 2 ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 15, 2017rafal kosz
This is the greatest strategy title of all times.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 30, 2017
