EVILNess reviews DS games

[EVILNess]

TLDR THREAD WARNING

So, I have been playing my DS to pretty much exclusion for the past 3 months, and I am the of honest opinion that the DS is the superior choice when it comes to choosing a handheld, and possibly even a system period.

With the enjoyment I have received from my DS has also come some disbelief and shock that many of you still don't own a DS, or worse bought a PSP. So to educate you guys (and for fun!) I figured I would start a thread for me to review games in, maybe with a pace of 1 reviewed game every week. Feel free to leave comments and your thoughts or additions about the games in between reviews.

Here are a two formating things you should know, the title of the game will be a link to the game's official website (If available), and the box art will be a link to a trailer, probably on Youtube (If available). I will try to keep spoilers to a minimum as this is a review thread. I ask you spoiler tag all your spoilers.

Also, my final scores will not be an average of the previous scores because I am of the firm belief that a game is more than the sum of its parts.

So without further ado, the first review.

Advance Wars: Days of Ruin

Story

Score: (4.5/5)

The game takes place in a different continuity than the previous Advance Wars titles, so say goodbye to Macro Land and all of its warring factions. Now say hello to the warring nations of Rubinelle and Lazuria. You are quickly introduced to the young officer cadet Will, who after witnessing the devastation that has happened is quickly attacked by the leader of a local group of wasteland raiders by the name of The Beast. However, our intrepid young man is promptly saved by Brenner of Brenner's Wolves, a military unit that is traveling around looking for survivors that need help. Will impressed with Brenner's ideology volunteers to join the Wolves. Feeling useless, Will goes on a search for survivors and finds a a mysterious and amnesiac girl who does not even remember her own name or past, but somehow knows detailed military secrets. Will later gives her the name Isabella, and she joins the Wolves. The Wolves are then set on a path that will lead them to save the lives of everyone that are left, and maybe unite two war torn countries to fix a shattered world.

BOTTOM LINE: The Earth has been hit by meteors, are you a bad enough dude to save the president? Err... I mean to lead the people to a bright new future?

Characterization

Score: (4/5)

The story this time around is really dark, with lots of death, betrayal, some revenge, crazy ass clones, death by flowers, and a few madmen who'd probably give Kefka a run for mayor of video game character crazy town. The characters themselves are also much darker than in previous installments, and several of them are quite flawed as individuals. They don't really grow all that much in the course of the game though, well Will and Isabelle do some, but they have enough personality to stand on their own through the entire game and make you like them.

BOTTOM LINE: Interesting characters that are likable or that you like to hate. Some have real character flaws that make them sympathetic. There is very little growth in most of the cast. They are all still likable though. Except Waylon. Fuck Waylon.

Graphics

Score: (3.5/10)

The graphical style is also a step away from the previous three installments of Advance Wars. Where in the previous three the battles took place on mostly green fields with lush forests, this game is fought in darkened wastelands where the sun never rises. It really fits the tone of the game and sets the mood for many of the missions well. The graphics are pretty clean, and convey what is happening on the screen very nicely. While the in-battle sprites are not as crisp as they were in Dual Strike, I don't think the the new art style is detrimental. Nintendo gets bonus points here for having the guts to change the art style that much.

Character designs are standard anime fare, but are well drawn and not overly annoying. The game uses many magenta, greys, and browns plus a few other darker colors as the predominate color scheme. The bright colors are there, they are just much harder to find.

BOTTOM LINE: Darker, murkier and kind of a backwards step. However, the graphics still have plenty of personality and bright colors are still there if you look for them. Also, fuck Waylon.

Sound

Score (2.5/5)

The sound effects are... well... sound effects. They server their purpose and are pretty utilitarian. The music is passable as well, and you will probably enjoy it at first. That is until you realize that almost the entire music track is techno with electric guitars and can become a little tired after a while.

There is a music player, which is a plus.

BOTTOM LINE: In a single word? Passable. Also there is a music player in the game.

Gameplay

Score: (4/5)

The game play is where any game should truly shine, and Days of Ruin shines like a beacon of pure light. The game is a standard turn based strategy game. Two-four sides face off on a map made of square tiles. The system is basic in concept but very well implemented. There is still a map room with just as many choices for maps as before.

Gameplay changes include the way CO powers work, the ability to field your CO, and some minor unit tweaks from the previous games. The CO powers are much less game breaking and subdued, forcing you to rely on your tactical skills more than just knowing when to blow your special skill. You can also now field a CO boosting a units power and giving all units within a certain range a passive bonus. They also introduced veterancy to the game.

The single player's 26 missions have varying difficulties, and the training exercises can really give you a run for your money, especially if you are going for the S rank in them all.

There is also still the option of local multiplayer that were in all the previous versions. Not only can you battle buddies on their DSes, which requires everyone to have their own system and cart (Why doesn't anyone ever use the damn download and try thing for the DS in their games? ARGH!), you can just pass around a single DS between a few friends. Its a great way to kill some time, and piss off an English teacher.

However, there is one place this game really stands out.

Online multiplayer. Not to mention the fact that there is voice support over your DS's microphones and the ability to trade maps created in the map room. Also, periodically a map is chosen and put up for download for everyone to sample. Imagine my surprise when one of my own maps was available for everyone to download!

This gives the game a very high replayability, which is a plus for any game.

The score does lose points for the loss of several game features from Dual Strike, such as combat, survival, the CO customization, and the total lack of secret outfits.

BOTTOM LINE: A strategy game on a handheld with a challenging and fun single player campaign and Online multiplayer? Why are you still reading this? Go buy and/or play this game now. Why aren't you playing it yet? Go play it. I'll wait.

Overall Score: (4/5)

While not very innovative (Which is probably the worst thing about the game.), it is a very solid game that will keep you occupied for a long time. The only reason this game didn't get a 10/10 from me was the removal of some of the features that were in Dual Strike. Still, not owning this game is like saying you hate happiness.

[Pip Boy]

Nice. You should make a Chrono Trigger DS review when you can. I want to know if they added any worthwhile bonus material or if they're just releasing the same game again.

[Kerensky287]

My name is Kerensky287 and I support this thread.

...But seriously, very nice review. You pretty much nailed most of the issues I had with the game (What the hell happened to the different music for each commander? That was part of the charm! Now it's just electric guitar riff 1 or electric guitar riff 2). I would be in favour of seeing more of these!

[Regulus Tera]

This thread won't get the Regulus Tera's Seal of Approval™ until it reviews Elite Beat Agents or Bangai-O Spirits.

Nice review, anyway. I kinda hate the */10 system since it seems too arbitrary. What makes a game a 7 instead of a 6? I prefer a five star rating, but hey, it's your thread.

[EVILNess]

Originally Posted by Regulus Tera

This thread won't get the Regulus Tera's Seal of Approval™ until it reviews Elite Beat Agents or Bangai-O Spirits.

Nice review, anyway. I kinda hate the */10 system since it seems too arbitrary. What makes a game a 7 instead of a 6? I prefer a five star rating, but hey, it's your thread.

Then divide my score by 2 and you get the number of stars. Its the same thing. Also, I was grappling with reviewing Elite Beat Agents next. Right now its that, Dragon Quest IV, or Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure.

You'll find out which on next Wednesday.

[Mirai Gen]

That's kind of what RT is saying though. The ten-point system basically has a bunch of even numbers which do the job of a five-point system, and then the odd numbers don't even matter. Sometimes people end up using 9 instead of 10 because ten would be 'too good.' I really think that a five or four point system is better. You know, minimalism and all.

And if this is going to be a series? Seriously man, just get a blog account.

[EVILNess]

Putting this on a personal blog would kind of defeat the purpose of this being an interactive exercise, now wouldn't it? Besides, I don't wanna. I like posting here, and unless a mod tells me to GTFO, I think I'm gonna do this for a little while.

[Mirai Gen]

Fair enough.

But I really think you should consider revising the 10 point system. I'm pretty sure me and RT aren't the only ones who really hate it.

[EVILNess]

Rondo of Swords


Story
Score: (3.5/5)

The story in Rondo is definitely above average, however everything story and character wise is a clearly not so subtle tribute (IE blantant rip-off) to Fire Emblem. I mean this wholeheartedly. The game developers hired ninjas to infiltrate Nintendo HQ and stole a script to a future Fire Emblem game. There were no ninjas lost on the mission, but one did lose an eye. He now has a part time job as a pirate on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

If you have played any Fire Emblem game you basically can see all the plot twists and character development from miles away. There are a few differences and surprises though.

Another step away from Fire Emblem is the presence of a branching storyline. Its nothing like in Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones where you can pick a different main character halfway through the game, no this game has one of my favorite things about multiple branching paths. An Evil Path.

The basic premise of the story is you are the prince of a country that has been over taken by the enemy forces and had his holy sword cursed.You must assemble a ragtag army of spirited individuals to take it back. However, the prince has a secret that you learn soon after the first battle! However, you have little time to worry about that. All you will focus on being Beltwelde's new king, and lifting the curse off the holy sword the main character wields, all the while gaining help from other smaller nations. A story that is well done and unique in it's own place.(Despite the obvious similarities to Fire Emblem.)

BOTTOM LINE: Its Fire Emblem plagiarized with a few minor story tweaks to keep Nintendo from crying foul, but that doesn't make it bad.

Characterization
Score: (3/5)

While the majority of the character development is handled through in battle conversations, you do not have to have the characters stand next to each other to develop a relationship, and most, if not all, of the conversations are available as long as the units are standing next to each other. So experiment and see who talks to who.

I am taking points of for the rather generic nature of some of the characters however. This game even has the Red and Green knight in it. Much of the individual backgrounds for some of the characters seemed to rely on you knowing the stereotype they represent. Like the chivalrous Knight or the Lecherous Knight.

They do get points back for including Izuna The unemployed Ninja in the game though. She is one of my favorites to use in battle.

I won't spoil the main character's plight, but lets say it is on a tier above the rest of the team.

BOTTOM LINE: Lots of in battle character development provided the player takes the time to seek it out. Fairly generic and stereotypical party member hamper the score.

Graphics
Score: (2.5/5)

The graphics are a mixed bag, but they are generally serviceable.

Being unable to turn the battle animations off is a big negative, plus the fact that you are forced to watch your own players or enemy players passing through their allies for support bonuses, even if they are not hitting any enemies en route to their destination. This leads to a lot of unnecessary length to what should be fairly quick turns.

BOTTOM LINE: Slightly ugly, but serviceable.

Sound
Score: (1/5)

The less said about the sound, the better. It is mind repetitive, bland, and just sucks. The voice acting is pretty good, but you'll hear the same few lines spoken over and over and over and over again until you snap in frustration and stalk the voice actors and chop them into itty bitty pieces of meat and feed them to the retarded kid down the road.
This problem is compounded by the frustratingly difficult nature of some of the maps, making you listen to the same stuff again and again as you restart the level for the 12th time cause you got served on the first god forsaken level. Basically, keep the volume down and listen to something else.

However, there are a few voice-over exceptions to that last statement, but those are near the end of the game.

BOTTOM LINE: Turn down your volume on your DS and crank up some tunes. I suggest Rock Candy. You might care to catch the few voiced scenes though.

Gameplay
Score: (3.5/5)

First off let me say this: This game is frustrating. It straddles the line between frustrating but satisfying to beat and just plain mean. They literally throw you against impossible odds in several maps, tell you to do one thing to escape, and then change their mind halfway through forcing you to basically backtrack through umpteen million enemies to reach the NEW (c) objective. In fact, they do this in the first map. I put the difficulty here because I think it really defines the game.

The game uses what is called the Route Maneuver System. Basically you run through your enemies to attack them. Yeah, I know. Just do the tutorial. You'll thank me later for saving you the 2 hours I spent trying to figure this shit out for myself and failing the first mission over and over again.

Anyway, the battle system is surprisingly fun and deep. Another step away from Fire Emblem is that if your party members fall during a chapter, they will become “Hurt” for the next few chapters. Hurt characters will suffer a hit to their statistics if you send them into battles until they have had a chance to rest up. Despite being less harsh than the fallen members will be lost forever bit from Fire Emblem, you will still find yourself retrying chapters over and over for various reasons. There are also hidden chapters that are only be revealed if you fulfill special conditions, and there are unique characters in some maps who will join your cause if you move quick enough to talk to them before they get massacred by enemies. (Expect to restart over a lot for this.)

There is also a somewhat rudimentary skill system somewhat similar in design to Eltrian Odyssey's. When your members level up, they are given skill points to allocate among different available skills while in the pre battle prep menu. There is a bit of disappointment in this area, as most of the non-passive skills are useless at best. In the battle prep menu you are also able to assign members to go on special quests. Think dispatch missions from Final Fantasy Tactics. Once your members go on a quest, they will be unable to participate in battle. The benefits are that they can uncover special items or gain some boosts in their statistics.

Now let us talk about some of the poor design decisions that permeate this game. First, the interface. Its clunky at best, and they really missed out on using the touch screen more. In battle there is also a lack of information that would be present in any other SRPG. For one, you basically have to guess at the range of enemy skills and spells. Its basically taken a few steps back on the UI design. The shop system was a MAJOR problem for me. Instead of being able to shop whenever you want, you have to send someone out for stuff and they have to miss out on the fight! This irked me to no end. None of these issues were more than a minor annoyance to my enjoyment of the game, but I did subtract a whole point for the shop system. Mainly out of spite.

BOTTOM LINE: Fun, difficult, with an interesting new combat style that I would like to see better polished. There are a few minor interface issues. I hated the shop system. HATED.

Overall Score: (3.5/5)

Definitely worth it, but man it lacked polish. Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll fix the dings and scrapes for a sequel.

[Regulus Tera]

Worth it, but lacked polish. Sounds like an ATLUS game to me!

*checks the box* Yup, ATLUS. All's Right With The World.