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Advance Wars: Dark Conflict follows in the
footsteps of the highly acclaimed
Advance Wars: Dual Strike. Arriving within weeks of
Europe’s second home console offering from the title’s
sister-series, Battalion Wars 2, Nintendo have certainly
stood-up and taken notice of the success of the series since its
first European outing on the Game Boy Advance.
This western influence is even more noticeable when
factoring the style of the latest release. Gone are the pastel
colours and cheery outlook; war torn wreckages of industrial
cities, military bunkers and lifeless desert filled with murky
browns and greys and stern appearances from characters see the
likes of Gears Of War and
Dark Sector claiming
influence over a title that previously denied the need for any
realism. This dramatic visual change, however, does not detract
from the perfectly-balanced, insanely addictive nature of the
Turn-Based Strategy title.
Advance Wars: Dark Conflict proceeds almost
identically to its’ forbearer. The Single-Player Campaign invites
the player through a series of story-led Missions (with a few
hidden tasks dotted about for additional depth) slowly factoring-in
each basic command and new unit. New unit’s aren’t plentiful; but
make for great changes in strategic direction. Flare Units, for
example, create a fantastic new balance and pacing to battles
covered with Fog of War – a line-of-sight limiting technique as
seen in most Real-Time Strategy titles. For each new addition,
however, something from old has been removed. Bikes create a
speedier alternative for scouting and Capturing Buildings, but
arrive at the cost of Dual-CO attacks. These exchanges become
more-and-more evident through-out the title, and while some may see
this as a limitation, the majority of the series’ fans will
acknowledge this as a requirement for progression. The gameplay
remains Turn- and Grid-Based, and controls remain identical to
Advance Wars:
Dual Strike.
The wealth of modes too has not differed. Online play
now being a necessity, but appears without compromise as one of the NintendoDS’s best online titles, and the typical First-Party
demo-in effect Single Card Download. Skirmishes and Custom Battles
and Maps are padding to an already rather full package.
Visually, the title advances on its’ predecessor in
terms of clarity, but the visual style will depend on individual
preference. Whilst there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the
striking change of pace, it could be seen somewhat as the
typically-eastern series bending to western perceptions; a theory
that may leave many long-term fans feeling a little cold. The sound
quality of the title is far in excel of its’ predecessor, and in
fact could be considered one of the best offerings thus far on the
NintendoDS. Featuring fully orchestrated anthemic tunes and your
classic videogame Prog-Rock, and pitch-perfect sound effects,
Advance Wars: Dark Conflict shows just how far the use of sound
on Nintendo’s handheld has come over the last three-years.
Advance Wars: Dark Conflict is a title that
holds few surprises. Fans of the series will love it, even if some
may feel it suffers in comparison to the first NintendoDS outing,
while newcomers will either become hooked or think the title
shallow upon their first play. One of the NintendoDS’s finest
titles for the hardcore, and a possible stage of graduation for the
casual, Advance Wars: Dark Conflict completes its’ agenda
with style and grace.
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