SCORE: 9.0 out of 10.0.
[Good Enough To Put Down The Pipe]
Story: In the plot department, Days of Ruin (DOR) is a dramatic departure from the familiar "let's all band together for good" storylines of the last three Advance War games. In place of those bunny-loving, rainbow-admiring themes, we have a dark, gritty, post-apocalyptic world where everyone is fighting for survival. Some are just looking to band with other survivors in the interests of finally getting a chance to score, while others are taking advantage of the chaos (also with the ultimate goal of scoring in mind). Meteors have rained down from space, leaving most of the world dead and spicing up the lives of morticians everywhere. In this world there is betrayal, death and greed. Among this mess, you follow a military student named Will. This young man is saved by Captain Brenner, whose goal is to rescue survivors, forge a bright future, and find a way to beat that ridiculously difficult X-men game for the Sega Genesis without cheating (good luck, cap'n).
Gameplay: Those who are familiar with the Advance Wars series will feel right at home in DOR. Little has changed overall, but things have been tweaked to make the game a little faster paced and more balanced, likening it to sex on a tightrope. The change you will notice right off the bat is Commanding Officers – or COs, as they are called – no longer affecting your units right away. This time around, you have your COs enter a particular unit, boosting its strength and defense. The unit also gets a "CO Zone," which carries with it the faint odor of Goomba droppings (don't worry, the stench of your own gamer sweat will overpower this displeasing aroma). Inside the CO Zone, units get a boost. Furthermore, as they do damage from within said zone, the aura will expand like a fat man's gut at a buffet. Once the zone maxes out, you have a choice to make: you can use your CO's special power, or you can just enjoy the advantage that the expanded zone gives you. This makes the decision more of a strategic choice that could require some thinking, which is unfortunate for the mentally handicapped players of DOR.
The special powers in DOR feel more balanced and tactical than the game-breaking, mutant-like powers of the previous games. The Advance Wars gameplay has always had just the right level of strategy for casual gamers to enjoy. You don't have to obsess over the game to have a good time.
Presentation: Once again, the story in DOR is told through stills and text that do a decent job of conveying what's going on, so long as you're literate. The music in the game can be hit or miss, depending on your tastes, but you can definitely tell it's of a higher quality then previous entries in the series. A prime example of this would be Will's theme, which has a killer kazoo solo from 3:14 to 6:58.
Unfortunately, there's been a decent amount of content cut from DOR compared to the last Advance Wars game. Gone are the semi-RTS mini-game, the War Room and the Battle Map Store. Still, I feel all of this is offset by the series's much-needed addition of online play. With Nintendo Wi-Fi you can download and upload custom maps and play against friends (with lo-fi voice chat). You can also play against random opponents when you realize you don't actually have any friends. I had no problem finding someone to play against at any time of night.
This is a worthwhile addition to the Advance Wars series, and with the implementation of online play, it makes for a title that's extremely recommendable to fans of the series and new players alike.