Dai Senryaku Exceed VII: Modern Military Tactics
Publisher: Crave Entertainment
Developer: Kool Kizz Amusement Works
Genre: Turn Based Strategy
Release: December 11, 2007
Platforms: Playstation 2, Xbox, PC
Reviewer: Dan
Is your 60/80 gig Playstation 3 getting a bit dusty? Are you tired of
feeding it only Blu-Ray's while you keep getting games for your 360
simply because of your gamerscore? Lucky for me, I, at the moment, don't
have this problem because A: I seriously can't get enough of the online
multiplayer combat in COD4 and B: I don't own a XBox 360...
at the moment. But if you're still enjoying the fact that Sony still won't
give up on the Playstation 2 and you like random Japanese budget
titles, then Dai Senryaku Exceed VII: Modern Military Tactics might
be a great game for you.
I'll be honest. That's kind of a guess as to what it's real name
actually is. That's what it says on the cover, but I haven't seen online
stores (which is where you're probably going to have to get this one at)
referring to this "full" title. Some leave out the space in "Dai Senryaku"
and some even leave out the "Exceed." I bet you're wondering how I found
out about this gem? Well, thanks to boredom and an Internet connection,
I found myself surfing through upcoming releases on Amazon and this random
game with a tank on the cover caught my eye. After reading a bit, I parted
with $19.49 (including standard shipping) and this game was heading to my
recently built doorstep.
Now that I'm done rambling on about nonsense you don't care about, here's
what I think of the game. It's freakin' awesome. If you have any idea what
the Advance Wars
series, then you already have a basic idea of what the gameplay in DSE is
all about. For those of you who don't know Advance Wars, the best explanation
of this game is a turn-based version of
Command & Conquer. There are three modes of gameplay to choose from.
You can choose to play through Missions, Campaigns (groups of missions), or
just go through Free Play. But hold on, don't get too excited. There are
some tutorials you should (they are mandatory in my opinion) probably go
through all 29 tutorials (stop complaining, they help) before you actually
start playing the game for real. Even on easy, this game can be very
challenging.
Why's this game challenging and sometimes frustrating? Well, there's over
400 different units you could construct, each with their own advantages,
disadvantages, and purpose. Should you build a few, more expesive yet more
powerful tanks or should I pop out a bunch of cheapo tanks? Should I go with
one Multi-Role aircraft or should I go with a separate Attacker and Fighter?
The choices you have in this game with regards to unit selection can be
overwhelming. I've found that when I've played it, there is a certain
collection of units you initially build, then I build either air, land, or
sea units based on my current situation.
The game plays much like a large boardgame. Each battlefield is a large
grouping of hexes to move your units around. Each unit has its own rate at
which it moves across the map. Each unit also has its own fuel consumption
rate, which has to be constantly monitored much like, well, any military.
Once you've got enough gas to get your units there and back, each unit has
different attacks (and ranges for those attacks) that they can perform.
Most units even allow you to change out their equipment to add even more you
need to be thinking about.
There's even an RPG element added in for added effect. Units that engage
in and survive mutiple encounters with the enemy will gain levels. With each
level, a unit can unlock the ability to carry different equipment. Higher
levels also means (I think) better chances to actually hit your enemy. That's
right, this game even can make your units miss the enemy. But what about all
of those units you spent time leveling? Are they just lost to you at the end
of the battle? Nope! You can save up to 20 units and use them again in
future battles. But keep in mind that these units cost a lot more to deploy
than just building a new unit. Wait, did I forget to tell you about the
monetary costs of war? Yup, you even have to worry about how much your tanks
and bombers cost.
The graphics of this game are...let's just say graphics aren't everything.
The map could have been done a bit better though. Certain hexes are supposed
to represent trees and hills, but they really don't seem like them to me.
The battle animations (if you can call them that) have their neat points to
them, but I find myself just turing them off by about my 20th turn to speed
things up a bit. However, the lack of graphics does mean lack of loading
time.
Final Verdict
Dai Senryaku Exceed VII: Modern Military Tactics is not a game for someone
looking for some fast-paced action, nor is it a game for someone who wants
simple brain candy. It's a challenge. It's a hard game to get good at.
But if you give it enough time and find out what units work the best in a
given situation, then I think you'll get a lot of enjoyment out of the $20
you spend on this fantastic budget title. I would give this one higher than
8 out of 10 if it looked a bit better and if the learning curve wasn't
so steep, but I think you'll get a large amount of enjoyment out of this one
for the price you pay for it.
