First, it was Cosmo Land. Then, Macro Land. Now, it's Omega Land's turn. This is Advance Wars: Dual Strike. Black Hole has re-emerged out of nowhere and has struck Omega Land for some vengeance. Noticing how shattering this attack was, Orange Star, Blue Moon, Yellow Comet, and Green Earth have all joined forces to become the Allied Nations. Also, new COs from all armies have decided to join the war of Omega Land. Everyone's waiting for your command. The path to victory awaits.
AW:DS brings what it had from its GBA predecessors and turns it two-fold. No matter if you're an Advance Wars veteran or a recruit, this game will bring a challenging experience. The game contains four modes:
* Campaign Mode: Follow the story of the Omega Land War
* War Room: Play challenging single battles
* Versus: Stage your own war with friends and/or CPUs
* Survival: Clear a course under one of three limitations.
Campaign Mode is standard issue in AW:DS. You'll also get introduced here to the new Commanding Officers like Jake, the clubber or the sweet miss Rachel, sister of Nell. Follow the story as you try and shove out Black Hole from dominating Omega Land.
War Room is also the same as from the previous Advance Wars. Each map will take your strategy skills to the limit as you face overwhelming odds.
Versus Mode is basically plotless fighting. Choose a map, choose COs, choose alliances, choose rules, and move out!
Survival is a new mode in AW:DS. You're given a course of maps to clear. The catch? You have to follow one of three restrictions. You can either choose to move out with limited funds, limited turns, or limited time. Yes, time. As in minutes and seconds.
If you've played any past Advance Wars game, the ground should be all too familiar to you. If you're new, don't fret as the Campaign Mode's first few missions will tutor you on all the stuff you need to know. There are a few new units to tinker around with in AW:DS...
* The Megatank: The gargantuan of all tanks, this can crush anything in its path (Even Neotanks!) without breaking a sweat.
* Stealth Fighters: Basically Eagle's answer to Drake's submarine, this fighter can cloak itself and pick off enemy units without fear of being noticed (easily)
* Black Bomb: It's a flying bomb! Literally! A one time use unit, just send it out and detonate it in a field full of enemies. Anyone caught within three spaces of the bomb take massive damage, knocking off 5 HP
* Piperunner: These units, although easily destroyed, are very handy to use in a pipe map. As the name says, these units are the only ones able to trek across pipes, but nothing else. Their weaponry consists of a pipe cannon that allows picking off of units 2-5 spaces away.
* Black Boat: The only repair unit in AW:DS, the Black Boat can repair anything in its vicinity. It doesn't matter if it's a tank, a mech infantry, a battleship, or a battle copter, this sucker can fix them all. Also, they cost a mere 7500, making them very handy.
* Aircraft Carrier: This massive ship can hold onto two aerial units, replenishing their fuel and ammo in the process. They're also loaded with anti-air missiles, taking out any poor lone aircraft 3-8 spaces away.
The biggest change you'll notice is the ability to play as two COs at once. Anytime during the fight, you can tag out COs. My favorite combo is using Andy and Colin. Let Colin buy everything, then tag Andy in for no firepower loss. Although, if you tag COs, you end your turn, so there is a downside to that. Not to mention, if you charge up both COs' power meters to the maximum, you can activate the tide-changing Dual Strike. This allows both COs to use their Super CO Powers and each have a turn at the field in the same turn! If you didn't understand that, here's basically how it works. You activate Dual Strike, CO#1 uses his/her Super Power, and moves. Then you tag out, CO#2 uses his/her Super Power and moves again!!! This move will definitely change the situation entirely, being able to move twice at once.
There are also Dual Screen matches. In this mode, there are two battlegrounds, literally. You command a primary front, fighting an enemy CO, while you have a sidekick CO commanding a secondary front dealing with his own enemy. There is a difference between the two fronts. If someone loses the primary front, that team loses no matter what. If you win the second front, the loser retreats, and your sidekick CO joins you on the main front, enabling your side to initate Dual Strikes. Unfortunately, for the loser of the second front, his sidekick CO doesn't join his side, so it's like 2 on 1. But as they say, it's not over until it's over.
All points you earn in the game (minus Combat Mode) also go toward your CO's experience. 1000 EXP earns a level up, allowing your CO to gain skills that enable great things, like Sniper Guard, which provides defense from sniper units, or Combat Pay, which pays you money for engaging in combat. Skills can be changed anytime out of battle, which is nice for people who hate deciding on something permanent. Now you can make any CO worthwhile if you choose the right skills.
There is also the matter of the Combat Minigame. Combat Mode is a great break from the mind-twisting wars of the main game. This mode is a real-time war game. In the beginning, you're given some money to spend on a small army of no more than 20. You have to use it all or you just waste it. After you have your army bought, it's time to move out. Choose one unit to send out, and let the melee begin! You're a lone soldier fighting a batallion of units on the enemy side. Fortunately, you're given the ability to shoot and move freely, unlike the usually idiotic AI in this game. You have six maps to clear in this minigame. Even though there are no real rewards to this except the points you earn to spend at Hachi's shop, this game is fun just to pwn in. Combat mode is also downloadable as an entire demo (single player mode and multiplsyer mode) to any DS wanting it. You can have up to eight players take part in a Combat match, each team having two players. The result is only insanely fun and a possibly addicting multiplayer party.
Bottom line: If you love Advance Wars, the only reason you shouldn't be getting AW:DS is if you don't own a DS. Highly recommended, I give AW:DS a well-deserved 10/10!
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