E3: Advance Wars Under Fire

[OB1]

WOOOT!!!






Strange that it's being called Advance Wars, but I suppose that most casual gamers wouldn't be smart enough to figure out that "Cube Wars" is a part of the same series.

[Great Rumbler]

Unless this is a new GBA game?

[OB1]

I don't think so since IGN already confirmed that Kuju was working on a GC Wars game. And IS is busy with Fire Emblem and Paper Mario 2.

[A Black Falcon]

Then it should be Cube Wars! Unless it really IS for GBA, but yeah, that looks doubtful...

[Great Rumbler]

Oh well.

[OB1]

It's definitely a GC game, that much has been confirmed.

[A Black Falcon]

Well then, they are stupid...

[OB1]

Dude, we're getting a friggin' Wars game for the cube. Complain after the excitement has died down a bit. :D

[A Black Falcon]

No. :)

[Darunia]

It has potential---maybe this'll be the long-awaited follow up good GC game that I've been waiting for since I beat REMaker. :nodding:

[OB1]

You're so weird.

[Smoke]

I wonder if it will really satisfy fans of AW though. From what I've read it's an action game with "strategy elements".

[OB1]

Yeah it's not supposed to be a TBS game like the previous ones. But you know what? I don't really care since we're getting that very same gameplay with Fire Emblem. It'll be nice to see something different for AW.

[Great Rumbler]

It's supposed to an RTS. The first pics I saw look great.

[OB1]

Yeah, can't wait for it.

[A Black Falcon]

True, it would be strange to release two TBSes at similar times that play pretty similarly. As long as they keep making some Wars strategy game it should be okay...

[Great Rumbler]

I don't care, I just want it.

[Great Rumbler]

Images!!

[A Black Falcon]

The video is cool... you run around and shoot the other guys. :)

Now, how I wish it was... the guy you're controlling would be the same as anyone else -- no stronger or anything. But when he dies you could switch to other players. Oh, and ideally it'd be something like the classic PC game Muzzle Velocity (or, to a lesser degree, Dungeon Keeper -- there too you could 'take over' the monsters, but it worked differently) -- that is, with a overhead 2d map and the ability to 'take over' any unit you choose during the battle. It looks like it'll be more like a third-person shooter with lots of guys around, but I think it'd be cooler if it was a strategy title where you could choose which guy to be and switch to other guys (auto-switch to others in the squad, then if they all die to the overhead map). I thought Muzzle Velocity was cool and I still think something else should try to do that better... and given how the older AW games work this'd be the perfect universe...

[OB1]

I imagine you'll be able to switch between different units.

[A Black Falcon]

Yeah, switching between units and having the unit you're controlling not being some super-unit (like you are in so many games) are things I'd definitely want from the game. A good switching system or more focused missions (when compared to the average AW battle) could preclude the need for some kind of overhead map for switching... though obviously I'd still want some kind of nice map. But I always want one in a game... :)

[N_A]

Well we'll see, this is an interesting rendition of the Famicom wars series. Takes it one step up and makes it super gruesome with guns blazing. From what I hear its a mix of tactical shooter in Freedom Fighter style (great 3rd party game btw, one of the few on the Cube), and real time strategy. Hopefully Kuju executes Nintendo's plans well.

[Dark Jaguar]

Well it's just the wars series now, because Famicom hasn't been in the name for a long time.

This is hardly an RTS, it's basically just JFG meets Pikmin, which honestly has been done before in lots of other games as of late. On the other hand, if there's an upcoming Advance Wars (meaning GBA) game that actually IS an RTS, that's different. Honestly, it would kinda have to be there, because that's about the only way to get screens the other players can't see. Remember how much Starcraft 64 sucked simply because you couldn't use a single bit of strategy that the other person couldn't see? Same thing here. If they made it for Gamecube, it would have to allow for system link at the very least.

[A Black Falcon]

Um, DJ, making statements that strong based on one video? Doesn't seem smart. What N_A says is perfectly possible. Sure, the combat is action-heavy. But it certainly could have strong RTS elements -- like, along the lines I described in my post... why not? There are clearly lots of troops. You control one at a time, but how do the rest get controlled? Do you have the ability to give the other guys orders in some fashion? Can you switch around between the units and give them orders, or have AI settings, or set objectives for units and then go to the one you want to control... overview map? Who knows, we'll need to see more. But it certainly could have RTS elements and I'd be dissapointed if strategy game parts weren't in the game.

[OB1]

From N-Philes:

By Vincent Goodwin
Nintendophiles

Wait...why isn't it called Cube Wars?

The Advance Wars series is by far my favorite franchise on the Game Boy Advance. Because of its portable success, rumors had been floating around that a Gamecube version would be coming around sometime in the near future. These proved true, as this morning Nintendo announced Advance Wars: Under Fire for the Gamecube and tonight the N-Philes staff got their hands on a demo of the game.

I would be lying if I said that I was entirely pleased by Advance Wars: Under Fire. The first thing to be noticed is that the turn-based strategy traditional to the series has been abandoned in favor of a real-time battle system. Why the hell did Intelligent Systems choose to do this, you may ask. Funny story. Intelligent Systems isn't making the game. Instead, Kuju Entertainment, developers of Reign of Fire for the Gamecube, have been signed on to make this game.

At the beginning of the E3 demo, I found myself in full control of one small infantry unit in the middle of a large 3-D environment. I hopped inside a tank with the simple push of the B-button (as guided by the ever-so-helpful tutorial lady), called a pair of friendly tanks to my side by pushing X, similar to summoning Pikmin, and made my way down the battlefield. Another battalion joined up, expanding my party to about twelve. From my post in my tank (which can be easily switched to any other unit by pressing Z), I could call upon any of the units with the D-pad and assign them a task with the Y button. It took a while to figure out the controls (as every button is used), but I quickly got the hang of it.

During this level, my troops and I stormed the beaches, Normandy style, as we attempted get the upper hand on the enemy. An allied transport copter flew by, so I took control of it and deployed its cargo, which just happened to be about eight to twelve infantry troopers (far more than any chopper could hold in previous Wars games). Let me tell you, these units are tricked out. My personal favorite is the Flamer. Now, some people may protest to flamers in the military, but personally, I'm for them. I mean, he shoots, a flame-thrower that is rather effective against enemies. Other interesting developments are also starting to show up, such as the fact that multiple units were required to fulfill all the functions of my tank, such as the bazooka on my gun turret.

The demo we played did not feature any way to construct reinforcements, but past Wars titles did not allow players access to any bases, airports, or seaports in many of the early missions. I'm sure that they will all find their way into the completed version though. There is also an entirely new cast of Commanding Officers, but no word on whether or not CO Powers will appear. At this point, I don't know exactly how they would function in a real-time environment. We'll see when it gets released sometime next year.

ABF and NA are correct, it's an RTS of some sorts. You control more than one unit, just like IGN said a few weeks ago.

BTW Derek, you might want to correct n-phile's information there as they list Intelligent Systems as the developer of this game, not Kuju.

[A Black Falcon]

My first post was more a 'I liked Muzzle Velocity', but when I looked at the shots I realized that a realtime strategy game was actually likely behind that 'run around and shoot stuff' action in the movie -- the list of units on the bottom. I'm sure that has something to do with switching between them or something. So I'm happy... :)

Well, it's not like Muzzle Velocity (which is basically a realtime wargame where you can take control of any unit -- and then switch to a overview map. It has some annoying things (ordering units on the overview map is a pain -- they often don't seem to go where you tell them to, for one), but I haven't played anything exactly like it...)

Anyway, this looks like it's more squad-based. If you want a game with strategy that keeps the action moving, that makes sense... faster pace than setting up a system to have multiple groups. They clearly want that. So you can add groups to your squad and, I'm sure, remove them... and switch between your units whenever you want and give them orders. Sounds good.

[OB1]

Too bad it won't be out until next year...

[Great Rumbler]

Sounds like a combination of Pikmin and Command & Conquer, which means that it sounds awesome.