Seems as though war is a hot button topic around here.
I don't think anyone could possibly be offended by Advance Wars: Dual Strike, unless they've been bothered by every irreverent take on war ever made (and must have just lost their minds while watching Stripes). Basically, this is one of the most upbeat, positive and effervescent takes on war I've yet seen, and its goofy charm has kept me coming back again and again. Call of Duty this ain't.
For someone who basically lives and breathes strategy games, it came as a big shock to me when I finally got around to picking up Advance Wars: Dual Strike that I had never thought to invest some time in this series earlier. Developed by Intelligent Systems, the same brilliant folks behind Fire Emblem and Paper Mario, Advance Wars represents everything that I love about turn-based strategy. Namely, this is a genre that emphasizes intelligence and careful planning above all else, and as someone who occasionally flounders with a controller when trying to play a more action-oriented type of game, it's a boon.
Whereas the Fire Emblem series has always tried to present a well-crafted storyline and characters that you can identify with (or in the case of the latest installment in the series, heady themes to tangle with), Dual Strike is much more in the vein of classic tabletop strategy games like Risk. The characters are all broad anime types, although it is somewhat refreshing to have a complete absence of melodrama in a game like this. And having kooky kid characters in a war situation is infinitely more appealing to me than, say, Soap McTavish.
As for the actual mechanics of the game, this is the type of game that the DS's touch screen was invented for. As the field general, you're in control of various different types of units, ranging from air, sea, and land units in both heavy and light varieties. The game eschews any sort of realism in this regard, though, and has cartoony vehicles and grunt soldiers performing the dirty work. Like in Fire Emblem, every turn, you're tasked with moving your units a certain number of squares on the grid and, naturally, attacking the enemy. If this was all it was every mission, though, it could get pretty boring. Fortunately, there's a number of different types of missions, ranging from capture the flag types to a particularly nerve-wracking type where you have to get in and get out before a giant missile hits the field. The range in mission objectives keeps the game challenging and fresh.
Everything about the actual gameplay of this game is perfect. While some SRPGs can feel almost like puzzle games, given that you have only a set amount of characters to deal with and that that genre often requires perfect execution to get to the next level, Advance Wars allows the player much more leeway in determining how to deal with the enemy. You could very well attempt to fortify, building defenses and capturing cities, and try to launch a gigantic counterattack; or you could try and hit the enemy fast and hard before they've had the opporunity to build up their own army. In many regards, the strategy that is required is akin to something out of Command and Conquer, except with much more time to consider your actions. Not to mention that because of the challenge level and the actual, physical mechanics required, the game is just immensely satisfying and fun.
If I had any complaints, it's that they perhaps didn't make the game outlandish enough. I've been playing Battalion Wars 2 on the Wii lately as well, and even though both series are from the same "universe" of Wars games, Battalion Wars 2 really exaggerates and in the process satirizes war. Advance Wars is a game that allows you to perform "special commander moves," and yet it still feels a little bit reserved. Maybe my expectation was that it was going to be completely off the wall, and that expectation was unrealistic.
Still, this game makes a strong case for being one of the best strategy titles on the DS, and it almost made me forget my love of tabletop strategy. Wait, Advance Wars IS a tabletop strategy game? Holy shit, but you're not going to be seeing me around for awhile.