Advance Wars: Dual Strike: Difference between revisions
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In addition to natural terrain (grass, forests, mountains), there are also structures such as cities and factories. Cities can be captured by Infantry units; a unit on a city will be healed at the beginning of a turn, and captured cities also increase the player's funds, which are spent on new units. Land units are built in factories, sea units in ports, and air units in airports (units can also be healed at their respective spawn point). If a friendly or enemy unit is standing on some kind of factory, new units can not be built. |
In addition to natural terrain (grass, forests, mountains), there are also structures such as cities and factories. Cities can be captured by Infantry units; a unit on a city will be healed at the beginning of a turn, and captured cities also increase the player's funds, which are spent on new units. Land units are built in factories, sea units in ports, and air units in airports (units can also be healed at their respective spawn point). If a friendly or enemy unit is standing on some kind of factory, new units can not be built. |
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[[Image:Advancewarsds1.png|left|thumb|A group of Mech [[Infantry]] take on the enemy.]] |
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Missile silos (introduced in Advance Wars 2) can be activated by infantry and launched at any point on a map, which can deal high amounts of damage to enemy units. Also new to Advance Wars in this game are Towers; for every Tower owned, the player's units increase in power. |
Missile silos (introduced in Advance Wars 2) can be activated by infantry and launched at any point on a map, which can deal high amounts of damage to enemy units. Also new to Advance Wars in this game are Towers; for every Tower owned, the player's units increase in power. |
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==Demo Mode== |
==Demo Mode== |
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A demo version of ''Dual Strike'' can be sent wirelessly to other DS units; the demo will be playable until the DS is turned off. Contained in this demo is Combat Mode (see above), which can be played on three difficulty levels, a manual (explaining Combat Mode), and a multiplayer version of Combat mode for up to eight people; it can be played with other people who own the game or have the demo (although this demo can not be sent to other DS units). |
A demo version of ''Dual Strike'' can be sent wirelessly to other DS units; the demo will be playable until the DS is turned off. Contained in this demo is Combat Mode (see above), which can be played on three difficulty levels, a manual (explaining Combat Mode), and a multiplayer version of Combat mode for up to eight people; it can be played with other people who own the game or have the demo (although this demo can not be sent to other DS units by demo owners). |
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The single player mode in this demo pits the player against a multitude of enemies. Some levels contain Fog of War (where a unit can only see a set distance), or a time limit, where the objective must be completed before time expires. |
The single player mode in this demo pits the player against a multitude of enemies. Some levels contain Fog of War (where a unit can only see a set distance), or a time limit, where the objective must be completed before time expires. |
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==New Commanding Officers== |
==New Commanding Officers== |
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[[Image:Advancewarsds2.png|right|thumb|Using the DS's dual screen technology, all unit, terrain, and CO intel can be shown on the top screen, with the map on the bottom screen.]] |
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Nearly every CO from the previous Advance Wars games is present in ''Dual Strike'', in addition to some new ones:<br> |
Nearly every CO from the previous Advance Wars games is present in ''Dual Strike'', in addition to some new ones:<br> |
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'''Orange Star:''' |
'''Orange Star:''' |
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*Oozium - (Unpurchasable) - A Black Hole weapon that resembles a large pile of slime. It can only move 1 space, but does not have any weapons. However, it destroys the unit at its destination, and does not take damage from missile silos or Black Bombs. It can not be deployed from any property, though it can be unlocked at a certain point in the game and placed in Design Maps. |
*Oozium - (Unpurchasable) - A Black Hole weapon that resembles a large pile of slime. It can only move 1 space, but does not have any weapons. However, it destroys the unit at its destination, and does not take damage from missile silos or Black Bombs. It can not be deployed from any property, though it can be unlocked at a certain point in the game and placed in Design Maps. |
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==Game Differences== |
==Game Differences== |
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AWDS features several gameplay tweaks different from previous Advance Wars series games: |
AWDS features several gameplay tweaks different from previous Advance Wars series games: |
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Revision as of 19:19, 5 September 2005
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| Advance Wars: Dual Strike | |
|---|---|
| File:Advance Wars Boxart.jpg | |
| Developer(s) | Intelligent Systems |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo DS |
| Release | (JP): 06/23/05 (NA): 08/22/05 (EU): 09/30/05 |
| Genre(s) | Strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
Advance Wars: Dual Strike (a.k.a. Advance Wars DS, or Famicom Wars DS in Japan) is a turn-based strategy game for the Nintendo DS. Developed by Intelligent Systems, the "Wars" series is long-running in Japan, beginning with the release of Famicom Wars for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988. Only 2001's Advance Wars and its 2003 sequel Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising have been released in the United States. In North America, this game is considered the threquel to the Advance Wars games; although in Japan this game is called Famicom Wars DS, thus it shows no relation to the AW games, and more to the series as a whole (Famicom Wars is the name of the original game in the entire series).
Gameplay
In Advance Wars: Dual Strike, maps are laid out in a grid-like fashion. Each cell has a certain type of terrain (grass, road, city, etc), which affects the movement of the various types of units. Units are built at factories (which costs money), or are automaticaly given to the player at the start of a given mission. Units range from infatry to various types of tanks, as well as air and sea units. Each has a set amount of attack power, movement (the number of spaces it can move in one day) and fuel (the number of spaces it can move before it stops). Most units have two weapons, such as the Tank which has a cannon as a primary weapon and a secondary machine gun used when the cannon is out of ammo.
In addition to natural terrain (grass, forests, mountains), there are also structures such as cities and factories. Cities can be captured by Infantry units; a unit on a city will be healed at the beginning of a turn, and captured cities also increase the player's funds, which are spent on new units. Land units are built in factories, sea units in ports, and air units in airports (units can also be healed at their respective spawn point). If a friendly or enemy unit is standing on some kind of factory, new units can not be built.
Missile silos (introduced in Advance Wars 2) can be activated by infantry and launched at any point on a map, which can deal high amounts of damage to enemy units. Also new to Advance Wars in this game are Towers; for every Tower owned, the player's units increase in power.
Fog of War is a term for certain maps that are covered in fog, which prevents combatants from seeing the entire map; vision is limited by individual units' lines of sight (some can see farther than others). Some terrain types offer vision bonuses, such as mountains that infantry are standing on; cities, factories, airports, ports, and headquarters all have a set line of sight visible to their respective owners. Fog of War is an optional setting in multiplayer battles.
Weather conditions can also affect gameplay; when it rains, a map without Fog of War becomes foggy as long as it rains; snow causes units to burn more fuel as they move; sandstorms decrease the range of long-range units such as Artillary Tanks. In multiplayer, weather can be set to change randomly, fixed to a specific condition, or turned off entirely.
Armies are lead by COs (Commanding Officers) who have control over units. A given COs units may have special advantages or disadvantages, such as extra firepower or a longer unit range. Over time, a CO's Power Meter fills up, by capturing cities or defeating enemies. When it is full, a CO can unleash his or her CO Power, which gives a temporary stat boost of some sort, or a wide-spread attack on the enemy. Super CO Powers take longer to charge, but have better power-boosts or more devastating attacks.
New to the Advance Wars series is that two COs can be on the same team. The two COs in these missions can combine their CO Powers to unleash a Dual Strike (hence the name of the game). Some COs when paired have more devastating Dual Strikes than others.
The story, which takes place in Omega Land (previously called Wars Land), follows the struggle between five armies: Orange Star, Blue Moon, Green Earth, Yellow Comet, and Black Hole (the main anatagonists). In most missions, the player is given an option on which CO he wants to be (selected from a pre-detirmined list). Objectives range from conquering enemy HQs to destroying certain units, or (new to this game) completing a mission before a time limit expires, and something such as a missile detonates.
The DS's new hardware features such as the second and touch screen come into play in this game. The stylus can be used to navigate menus, order units, and in Combat mode, to fire. As in previous Advance Wars games, buttons can be used as well versus the stylus. The second screen is generally used to display terrain, city, or unit intel, although in some missions, the top screen shows a second front, a sky. Airborne units can be sent to the second front (but not vice versa). In some missions, something such as an enemy satelite must be destroyed on the second front in order for units on the first front to be able to capture an enemy headquarters.
In the Campaign mode, COs gain ranks depending on how well they perform a mission. When COs reach preset levels, they can purchase upgrades, such as extra firepower for their units, or increased vision in Fog of War.
Combat Mode
A new game mode in AWDS is Combat Mode, which was meant to be a multiplayer game. Instead of taking turns with various units, in this game mode players engage each other in real time, controlling units such as Mech Infantry, Recons and Tanks, and shooting each other. Before a battle, players must spend a limited amount of funds on units to use in the game. Each player may spawn with one unit; when that unit dies another may be spawned.
To eliminate a participant from a match, all of their units must be eliminated, or their headquarters captured. The four available units are based off units from the main game: the Mechanized Infantry, the Recon Jeep, the standard Tank, and the Mobile Artillery. Each unit has its own stats, uncluding attack power, rate of fire, capture speed, and movement speed. Also, the Mech Infantry is the only unit that can traverse mountains, although mountains can be shot with bullets.
There are also several power-ups, usually found in mountains, which give units temporary speed, power, or defense boosts. Also as power-ups, Stars can be found, which fill up a COs Power Meter. As in the main game, when a CO reaches four stars (aquired by either killing other opponents or finding star power-up), a CO can use a CO Power (although there are no Super Powers or Dual Strikes).
This mode can be played with up to eight people; computer-controlled bots take over teams with no human combatants. Combat mode is playable between players that own the game, and demo recipients (see below).
Demo Mode
A demo version of Dual Strike can be sent wirelessly to other DS units; the demo will be playable until the DS is turned off. Contained in this demo is Combat Mode (see above), which can be played on three difficulty levels, a manual (explaining Combat Mode), and a multiplayer version of Combat mode for up to eight people; it can be played with other people who own the game or have the demo (although this demo can not be sent to other DS units by demo owners).
The single player mode in this demo pits the player against a multitude of enemies. Some levels contain Fog of War (where a unit can only see a set distance), or a time limit, where the objective must be completed before time expires.
New Commanding Officers
Nearly every CO from the previous Advance Wars games is present in Dual Strike, in addition to some new ones:
Orange Star:
- Rachel: Repairs 3 HP instead of 2 at properties. Her CO Power (Lucky Lass) increases luck, and her SCO Power (Covering Fire) launches 3 missile strikes at the enemy.
- Jake: Has higher firepower on plains. His CO power (Beat Down) further increases strength on plains, and gives indirect units +1 range. His SCO Power (Block Rock) does this as well, and also gives vehicular units +2 movement.
Blue Moon:
- Sasha: Receives 1100 G (Instead of 1000) from allied properties. Her CO Power (Market Crash) decreases her opponent's power gauge by the amount of funds she has, and her SCO Power (War Bonds) gives her funds equal to half the amount of damage given to the enemy.
Green Earth:
- Javier (Grimm in JP version): Higher defense against indirect units, and gains a defensive bonus (as well as the default offensive bonus) from Towers. His CO (Tower Shield) and SCO (Tower of Power) Powers increase the effictiveness of both of these skills.
Yellow Comet:
- Grimm (Javier in JP version): Has high attack and low defense. His CO (Knuckleduster) and SCO (Haymaker) Powers increase his offensive ability.
Black Hole
- Jugger: He has variation in offensive strength. His CO (Overclock) and SCO (System Crash) Powers increase this.
- Koal: Has increased offense on roads. His CO Power (Forced March) increases it further and gives him +1 movement. His SCO Power (Trail of Woe) further increases his offense on roads, and gives him +2 movement.
- Kindle: Has increased offense of cities, bases, etc. Her CO Power (Urban Blight) increases this skill further, as well as inflicting 3HP of damage on enemies that are on cities, bases, etc. Her SCO Power (High Society) increases strength on cities, bases, etc. and all of her units receive an offensive increase of 5% for every allied property.
- Von Bolt: Has stronger offense and defense. Has no CO Power, and his SCO Power, Ex Machina, deals 3HP of damage to many of his opponent's units. All units damaged by this are forced to wait during their next turn.
New Units
There are six units new to Advance Wars: Dual Strike:
- Megatank - (28,000 G) This tank is several times bigger than a Small Tank. It has large treads and five cannons. Extremely powerful, but poor Movement Power (4 spaces) and low ammo (only 3 rounds for its primary weapon). It only sees 1 space in Fog of War.
- Stealth - (24,000 G) An aircraft that has the ability to "cloak", similar to a submarine's "dive". When cloaked, the Stealth can only be seen by adjacent units and can only be fired on by Fighters and other Stealths, and uses 8 fuel a day instead of the usual 5. It sees 4 spaces in Fog of War, and can move 6 spaces. The Stealth can attack any unit.
- Aircraft Carrier - (30,000 G) A sea-based craft that can carry two air units, and can attack air units 3-8 spaces away. It can move 5 spaces and see up to 4 spaces away in Fog of War.
- Piperunner - (20,000 G) An indirect unit that moves 9 spaces along pipes, and can attack anything 2-5 spaces away. It sees 4 spaces away in Fog of War.
- Black Bomb - (25,000 G) A missile that can be controlled and detonated, dealing 5 damage to units up to 3 squares away. Though it moves 9 spaces, it suffers from its poor fuel of 45 and vision of 1.
- Black Boat - (7,500 G) Moves 7 spaces and sees 1 space away in Fog of War. Carries 2 infantry or mech units, and repairs 1 HP to and resupplies adjacent units.
- Oozium - (Unpurchasable) - A Black Hole weapon that resembles a large pile of slime. It can only move 1 space, but does not have any weapons. However, it destroys the unit at its destination, and does not take damage from missile silos or Black Bombs. It can not be deployed from any property, though it can be unlocked at a certain point in the game and placed in Design Maps.
Game Differences
AWDS features several gameplay tweaks different from previous Advance Wars series games:
- Advance Wars DS features the return of CO facial expressions, which Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising had gotten rid of.
- This game also features a new pseudo-3D viewpoint, with vectored sprites instead of the old "flat" viewpoint.
- Helicopters now appear to fly low during the animated engagements with the enemy, so you can see the terrain they are flying over. Planes, however, still fly high and as such only have a background of clouds.
- Cruisers can now attack other boats, instead of only subs and air units. However, their attack power against boats is low.
- In addition to Color Edits, every CO now has an alternate costume, unlocked when he/she reaches Rank 10.
- There is now a third Design mode. In addition to Map and CO, there are also interchangeable backgrounds for the main menu.
- New "History" option allows you to see everything done in the game, eg. units lost, points earned, etc.
- New Mode: Survival. You are challenged to complete missions in either a set amount of turns, time, or with a limited amount of money.
CO Changes
Some COs from previous Advance Wars games have been changed:
- CO Sami: She has lost her extra movement for transports. Her infantry's offense has been lowered to 120%.
- CO Max: SCO Power Max Blast no longer gives +2 movement, but now boosts his direct units to 190% offense.
- CO Olaf: He now has 120% offense in snow, and snow caused by his powers lasts 2 turns.
- CO Eagle: Instead of boosting the power of his Air Units, his CO Power Lightning Drive allows his non-infantry units to move again, but with only 50% offense power. His air units now have 120% attack, while his Sea units have 90% offense.
- CO Drake: He has lost his Sea units' extra movement and defense. Sea units' offense has been boosted to 120%, and air units' offense has been boosted to 90%.
- CO Jess: Her infantry have been increased to 100% offense and her land units have been increased to 120% offense.
- CO Sonja: While she is attacking, enemy units have one less defense star.(Note that, during the enemy's turn, this ability is not in effect). In addition to their previous effects, her CO Power Enhanced Vision now drops the enemy's terrain defense by 2 stars (20%), and her SCO Power, Counter break, drops the enemy's terrain defense by 3 stars (30%).
- CO Sensei: His Infantry have been lowered to 110% offense, but his vehicles are now at 100% offense.
Awards
A list of various awards this game has received.
Review Ratings
Game Rankings page (review aggregator)
Gamespot - 9.2 / Editor's Choice
IGN - 9.0 - Editor's Choice
HonestGamers - "10 - Brilliant" (10/10)
Planet GameCube - Graphics: 7, Sound: 7.5, Contol: 9.0, Gameplay:9.0, Lastability: 10.0. (9/10)
Famitsu Weekly - 9, 9, 8, 8 (34/40)
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 9.0, 8.5, 9.0 (26.5/30)
Game Informer - 9.5, 9.25
Game Informer - Game of the Month (September 2005)
Electronic Gaming Monthly - Awesome (E3 Awards)
See also
External links
- Official Advance Wars: Dual Strike Homepage
- GameFAQs Advance Wars: Dual Strike section
- Nintendo's official AWDS Page
Fansites
- Black Hole Headquarters - Strategies, statistics and general discussion about all the games in the Advance Wars series.
- Advance Wars Revolution First Advance Wars website to deliver Advance Wars: Dual Strike campaign guides.
- Advance Wars X Complete DS Coverage - "Change is good"
- Advance Wars Net Currently has information, artwork and music as well as a discussion forum.
- Advance Wars Bunker A Quality AW DS message board.
- AdvanceWorld (French Website) - The largest French Advance Wars site on the web.