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[Insaniac]

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My first "official" thread so yeah let me know what you think

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Official Website: www.advancewars.com

GameplayTrailer (Youtube)

New Gameplay/Story Trailer (Note: looks like the same as the first link, but its different.)

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General Info:

Published By: Nintendo
Developed By: Intelligent Systems
For: Nintendo DS
Release Dates-
---North America: January 21st 2008
---Europe: January 25th 2008
---Australia: January 25th 2008
---Japan: TBA 2008
Genre: Turn-Based Strategy
MSRP: $34.99
Wi-fi Compatiblility: Yes
Players: 1-4 Wi-Fi and Local. Full voice chat
Rating:

Boxart:

_____________________________________________________________

So what's going on with the new Advance Wars?

Advance Wars Days of Ruin is the 4th installment of the Advance Wars series. Fans of the series will see a new style introduced into the game . Out is the old 'cartoonish happy-go-lucky' style of the previous games and in is a new gritty and dark approach to redefine the series and give it a more "war" type feel. Past COs are now gone and a new team of COs will be introduced.

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The Story So Far...

The Days of Ruin story unfolds through the eyes of a weaner new recruit named Will who was stuffing his face in the lunch room when a meteor attack devastated the planet. With enough food to last for months, he was able to survive and dig his way out of the rubble -- only to be attacked by ruthless scavengers. The game begins when he is rescued by a hardened war hero named Captain Brenner that is scouring the land looking for survivors.

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Why should you be excited about this game?

Well, it's Advance Wars. Intelligent Systems first Advance Wars brought to the GBA a perfect formula of Turn-Based Strategy and pure fun. Little has changed through the other Advance Wars game, keeping the game play solid. New units, new maps, campaign, and map editors help keep the game entertaining for a long time and now wi-fi & voice chat will add even more replay value. In addition, there are plans for an online map-sharing database which will allow players around the world to try each other's maps.

_____________________________________________________________

What's New in Advance Wars: Days of Ruin?

Well, first and foremost, out are the old COs. In are the new. A totally new cast of characters will be introduced. The standard turn-based strategy remains and is solid as ever, but CO powers and such have been revamped.

COs still have a "innate" ability that boosts their units, however, COs must be riding with a unit in the field to give units this boost. In addition, this boost has a certain AOE radius. As the unit the CO is riding with kills enemies, your COs special bar increases. This will increase the radius of your COs innate ability. This creates a strategic choice during battles: do you unleash your Special CO ability or keep the increased radius bonus?

Units also have the ability to "level up" as they kill enemies, they advance from no rank to 1st rank, 2nd rank and Ace rank. Units carrying a CO are automatically promoted to Ace rank. This puts a stronger focus on combining units and keeping them alive, whereas before there wasn't as much a bonus to combining units.

Also in, is Wi-Fi play. You can now battle up to 4 people on Wi-Fi. You can also battle friends. The map-maker returns, but now there is a Map Center where you can upload maps and download user-created maps.

_______________________________________________________________

Also, as expected, there are new units of war:

The Bike: A motorcycle mounted infantry unit provides mobile infantry for capturing cities and reconnaissance

The Anti-Tank: A new indirect unit that has the ability to fire after moving, and counter-attack. As it's name suggests, it is probably very effective against tanks of all sorts.

The Flare: New tank that can light up 13-square areas affected by fog of war. Equipped with machine guns.

The Mobile Factory: Possibly also the APC, provides the ability to build temporary properties such as airports, and factories to produce units.

Duster: New air unit, possess the ability to fire upon both ground and air units, providing greater flexibility.

Gunboat: A transport naval unit with the ability to fire once upon an enemy naval ship

Sea Plane: Produced from Carriers, not much is known, only that they make carriers more useful now.


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Media hands on etc.

Links at the bottom!

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Screenshots of Awesomeness

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Screens of COs:

Main Character Will, and CO Lin:

Names unknown:

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Links:

IGN DS various hands on and previews

1UP Exclusive AW: DoR Multiplayer hands on and Interview

1UP Screenshots

Kotaku individual CO Artwork Gallery

IGN DS Screens and videos

Gametrailers various vids

IGN vids on new units: The Bike and The Duster

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See you on the battlefield!

 

[Amir0x]

funny to see the handheld GOTY coming out so early. cantwaitcantwaitcantwait

 

[Visualante]

Great call to make the game's art like this- it's going to be my first Advance Wars just because the old hyper kiddy art turned me off.

 

[Femmeworth]

I think we can all agree to skip this week and immediately jump to next week. I'd better contact the calendar people.

 

[Amir0x]

t's going to be my first Advance Wars just because the old hyper kiddy art turned me off.

*E-PUNCHES VISUALANTE IN THE FACE*

 

[Gamecocks625]

This will be my first Advance Wars game, as well. Great OP!

Looking forward to seeing what the all fuss has been about for this series. Quick question though. I know there is a campaign/story mode, but is there a mode where you can simply play a map without the story and just improve your rank/medals?

 

[OliveJuice]

Awesomeness.

Good thread too.

At first I was wondering why the land looked so bad and plain but it looks like you get to battle on top of some fortress or something named Great Owl?

 

[Defcon]

Great call to make the game's art like this- it's going to be my first Advance Wars just because the old hyper kiddy art turned me off.

Too bad the dialogue is still ridiculous. But yeah, much improved art style.

 

[Insaniac]

I really love the new CO designs, and the new sprites and everything. Even the environments look better

 

[Alts]

The diagonally facing units on the map look strange.

Anyway, psyched. I generally dislike new units, but these seem to have nice uses (as opposed to say a new even stronger tank).

I believe there is a flare tank, which temporarily eliminates fog of war in a certain region. Might want to find something on that and add it.

 

[Teasel]

funny to see the handheld GOTY coming out so early. cantwaitcantwaitcantwait

well apollo justice doesn't get released until february

 

[lastendconductor]

Simultaneous European release? AWESOME!
So close to February, aka the exam month on my college? OH FUCK!

I agree with the handled GOTY thing. AWDS is still the best DS game to date.

 

[flipping_heck]

Man, i can't wait for this game, i can't remember what happened in the last game but the gameplay has always been superb. I shall get!

 

[Jammy]

This game is looking nice! Great thread, too.

 

[A Link to the Past]

So I'm thinking that the image with all those characters shows the good guys, or at least most of them.

 

[crowphoenix]

Really looking forward to this game. The new characters and story are looking interesting, and plus I've needed a grat new DS game.

 

[Visualante]

Too bad the dialogue is still ridiculous. But yeah, much improved art style.

As long as I can skip through it I'm happy to put up with a little cheese.

well apollo justice doesn't get released until february

Oh, as if.

Spoiler

PSP probably has it this year tbh

 

[traveler]

Nice thread, insaniac. Can't wait for this.

Also, somebody mentioned an adaptor in the locked thread that would allow me to go online with my DS despite not having Wifi- does this adaptor work for the Wii too or is there something else I can get (A Wifi-extension for my laptop perhaps?) that would allow me to go online with both? (Thinking ahead for Smash Bros.)

 

[Amir0x]

well apollo justice doesn't get released until february

lolol *wipes tear from eye*

AnyWAY, this looks like a whole bunch of effort for what will probably end up considered a 'niche' game... online play, voice chat, distinctive and attractive visual style, tons of substantive gameplay upgrades. Gotta love IntSys.

 

[OliveJuice]

well apollo justice doesn't get released until february

As much as I'm looking forward to Apollo, I doubt it will be Handheld GOTY over AW.

 

[MutFox]

Most anticipated DS game for this year so far...

 

[gabe90]

Lin is very hot.

Otherwise, this will obviously be really really awesome. I can't help but think that the graphics are actually a step backwards though. I know they are going for a different style, and I don't mind that, but it looks less detailed than I remember.

 

[platypotamus]

Wow, this snuck up on me. I didn't think I was spending any more money on games this month. Awesome as hell, I've been needing a new handheld game.

 

[Insaniac]

Lin is very hot.

Otherwise, this will obviously be really really awesome. I can't help but think that the graphics are actually a step backwards though. I know they are going for a different style, and I don't mind that, but it looks less detailed than I remember.

naaaah

 

[A Link to the Past]

lolol *wipes tear from eye*

AnyWAY, this looks like a whole bunch of effort for what will probably end up considered a 'niche' game... online play, voice chat, distinctive and attractive visual style, tons of substantive gameplay upgrades. Gotta love IntSys.

Professor Layton doesn't come out till Feb

And of course, DQIV.

 

[Gamecocks625]

naaaah

I really like this new style. And yes, the graphics do look much better in DoR.

 

[DjangoReinhardt]

This sounds like exactly what the series needed. The new units address so many of the gameplay issues.

 

[Flynn]

Advance Wars: Days of Ruin -- now with 70% fewer smiling characters

 

[KittenMaster]

Advance Wars: Days of Ruin -- now with 70% fewer smiling characters

Let's hope they know what airports are.

 

[Bishman]

Next week needs to hurry up and end.

 

[Femmeworth]

New avatar time.

 

[Amir0x]

Professor Layton doesn't come out till Feb

And of course, DQIV.

a collection of really cheesy low-grade logic puzzles and yet another cash-in version of DQIV.

I think this game is safe.

Lin is very hot.

Otherwise, this will obviously be really really awesome. I can't help but think that the graphics are actually a step backwards though. I know they are going for a different style, and I don't mind that, but it looks less detailed than I remember.

Sheesh, this is definitely not a step back graphically. I mean, they've got some cool new effects and it's not like a leap but it's certainly a step beyond what they had in AWDS and the GBA titles.

 

[Koren]

The Mobile Factory: Possibly also the APC

Lord, I hope not... I's a very expensive unit IIRC, and I find APC really useful for early deployment. Mobile factory wouldn't be the unit you want on scouting. APC is left ? (if anyone has the complete list of disappearing unit, I want !)

I wasn't aware of new CO system, I really like it so far. I'm really eager to try this...

Thanks for your thread !

 

[GDJustin]

It's a big step forward in style, but I agree that it's a step backward in in-game graphics. I'm not a fan of the isometric, diagonal look the units on the grid were given.

 

[Amir0x]

It's a big step forward in style, but I agree that it's a step backward in in-game graphics. I'm not a fan of the isometric, diagonal look the units on the grid were given.

Even if you dislike the unit diagonal positioning, the units themselves still look slightly nicer/more detailed and the actual battle scenes are waay better.

 

[JohnTinker]

I have an Amazon gift card lying around that I think I'll put towards this, instead of Smash. I want Brawl at midnight (or at Toys R Us when some dope puts it out early).

 

[Graphics Horse]

naaaah

Great screenshot there.

The way the tiles in DOR don't seem to fit together as nicely as they did in DS. There were nice touches like each piece of scenery casting a shadow onto the adjacent tile, and shadows of clouds drifting across.

I've only seen the shots from the zoomed in view though, it might look better on the zoomed out one. There's some kind of gourad shading on the tiles now, which might be put to some interesting uses.

Even if you dislike the unit diagonal positioning, the units themselves still look slightly nicer/more detailed and the actual battle scenes are waay better.

Battle scenes look great, I love the focal blur look the closest units have.


Main reason it looks less detailed is the tiles are 50% bigger in this one (more stylus friendly?)
I'm guessing zooming out makes it looks close to the previous games.

 

[Cynar]

next week needs to hurry up already

 

[Koren]

Battle scenes look great, I love the focal blur look the closest units have.

Focus Blur is the new name for blur due to upscale of fixed-resolution bitmaps ? :lol

I agree, that sound far better !

 

[nli10]

I'm still skeptical about this, mainly because whenever they update my favorite game series I get a little worried that it won't actually come out or that they tried too hard and ruined it.

The style looks very different, mainly because of the angles, zoom and the 'darkness' of it all.

Looking forward to it, 25th in the UK according to current press. Was 18th last time I looked...

 

[Fredescu]

http://games.nintendo.com.au/title.php?id=1544

Is this game really renamed Dark Conflict for PAL? It sounds so generic. Where did the OP get the Australian release date from? I can't see that confirmed anywhere.

 

[Graphics Horse]

Focus Blur is the new name for blur due to upscale of fixed-resolution bitmaps ? :lol

I agree, that sound far better !

Focal blur LOOK, I said

I know each size vehicle uses the same image, but they've heavilly smoothed the source bitmaps, including antialiasing the edge transparency, I think, which makes it look really nice.

(The DS cannot blur images by upscaling them)

 

[Neo Child]

A weeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkk

#arggh wowozzoz

 

[Firestorm]

I can't wait for this. Although I probably won't do much online. I suck at multiplayer AW

 

[Jaagen]

Didn't get into the first DS one that much, since it was too much for me to take in on(dual co-powers, dual screen battles etc, etc) But I soemwhat feel that this may be easier on me, because it looks refreshing, The style is awesoem, and I love the possibility to share maps online, so now that both this and Brawl have that functionality, I see no reason that MK Wii can't have it as well. Brin it on, Nintendo.

 

[nli10]

http://games.nintendo.com.au/title.php?id=1544

Is this game really renamed Dark Conflict for PAL? It sounds so generic. Where did the OP get the Australian release date from? I can't see that confirmed anywhere.

Lol never even noticed the name change!

UK PAL Game Page

 

[Femmeworth]

Lol never even noticed the name change!

UK PAL Game Page

My reaction to the new bomber animation: :O~

 

[Manabanana]

Pre-ordered the hell outta this. My only concern is the stability of Nintendo's network to handle 2-hour matches. My friend and I played tons of AWS and those games would sometimes go on for that long. Love the new art style.

 

[nli10]

My reaction to the new bomber animation: :O~

Yeah - is that a new Video?

I just pre-ordered it for £25 from GamePlay.com and they usually get the game to you the day before general release

 

[Graphics Horse]

Cool vid!
Is that gradient thing just the edge of the map then? I'd been thinking it was some sort of sidebar