Commanders: Attack of the Genos

Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Southend Interactive
Genre: Strategy
Release: February 13, 2008
Platform: XBox Live

Reviewer: Eric

The Xbox Live Arcade is getting ready for something completely different. Commanders: Attack of the Genos the XBLA version of Advance Wars without the bells and whistles. It may not be as grand as the latest Advance Wars game on the Nintendo DS, but it is an addictive game that can be played online.

The game play is simple. Commanders is a turn based strategy game that has you collection resources and building up an army to take on your enemy. Each unit has its pluses and minuses, just like most games in this genre. Commanders: Attack of the Genos might not break any new ground, but for only ten dollars you can’t go wrong.

Each turn consists of you moving your units wherever you want to on the map. One of the problems I have with army based strategy games is how you move. If you make one false move your opponent/computer can come in and kill you with ease. Finding a units weakness is all you need to do to practically kill them in one hit.

You can use the environment to your advantage in this game if you play it smart. Having units move on pavement will have them go a little further. This plays a big role whenever you want to move a tank a few more extra spaces. Some terrains also offer better defense so make sure to find out what these terrains are and use them to your advantage.

All of the commanders in the game have special abilities you can use in battle. This may not be anything new, but depending on how you play will determine which commander is best for you. If you use these abilities to their fullest capabilities then you can change the outcome of battle at any time.

Commanders story mode starts out a bit to easy. With only fifteen missions you will start to notice a great difficulty as you progress. Some of the battles have you dodging traps while others have you concentrating on one battle front. There is a fair balance here, but again some of these stages get a bit too hard.

Every stage has two sets of difficulties you can pick from. With some of the stages being so hard it may be impossible to beat some stages on the advance settings. This adds replay value to the game, but with the game having a strong multiplayer aspect you may find yourself avoiding the entire campaign.

The multiplayer mode can be played with up to four players; it all depends on the map you choose. There are a lot of options to pick from whenever you make a game, which you may not find in some full price games on either next gen console.

Final Verdict
Commanders: Attack of the Genos is a good game if you look at the price. If you go ahead and compare this to some of the other strategy games out in the market today then Commanders might come up short. Everything is here in the game, but there isn’t anything new in here. For only ten dollars though this shouldn’t be pasted up if you are looking for a good Xbox Live Arcade game.

Rating
7.50 out of 10

Commanders: Attack of the Genos Trailer