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[Xater]

Decent game, I'm enjoying it. Played a few hours and the missions are starting to get more interesting. This honestly didn't need to be a 3ds title but whatever. Pleased to see its getting decent reviews.

Well it's obvious this was on some point in time a DS game. I think they could do some really cool stuff with this if they do second one that was build from the ground up for the 3DS. The foundation for a cool SRPG franchise is already here.

 

[Toma]

Yeah my gripe with this game is how I can't skip the dialogues. At least I can skip the "story" before the mission briefing. Been playing some more and the stealth class is pretty fun to use.
I am playing it on the hardest difficulty from the beginning, as it doesn't grade like Advance Wars on how you finish them. It does however give you additional tasks at least on a higher difficulty, opposed to more enemies/different patterns in Advance Wars.

Tried pressing b during dialogue? Pretty sure it skips the dialog. I was even replaying a mission because I was accidentally skipping the dialogue afterwards.
Edit: haven't tested in inside a mission though.. If that's what you are referring to.

 

[Air Zombie Meat]

Well it's obvious this was on some point in time a DS game. I think they could do some really cool stuff with this if they do second one that was build from the ground up for the 3DS. The foundation for a cool SRPG franchise is already here.

Agreed. Anyway making it a 3ds launch title seems to have helped in terms of getting reviewers to pay attention and give it a fair shake but I have to wonder how its going to sell. Lets face it, it is pretty ugly and I'm not sure if the Ghost Recon branding helps it at all. Suppose it doesn't have much competition right now though.

 

[Neuromancer]

Any missions with infinitely respawning bad guys?

 

[Xater]

Agreed. Anyway making it a 3ds launch title seems to have helped in terms of getting reviewers to pay attention and give it a fair shake but I have to wonder how its going to sell. Lets face it, it is pretty ugly and I'm not sure if the Ghost Recon branding helps it at all. Suppose it doesn't have much competition right now though.

Anecdotal evidence but whatever: It has been one of the better selling titles where I bought my 3DS. At least there were way less copies left than for example Street Fighter or Pilotwings.

Any missions with infinitely respawning bad guys?

One mission so far, but the goal of the mission was to stop the enemy support. You had to conquer two points on the map and then the enemy stopped spawning and you just had to clean out the rest.

 

[farnham]

this i probably the only "meaty" game on the 3ds launch right

is this slated for the regular ds as well ?

 

[Air Zombie Meat]

Anecdotal evidence but whatever: It has been one of the better selling titles where I bought my 3DS. At least there were way less copies left than for example Street Fighter or Pilotwings.

Thats good to hear. The store I bought it from had just a few boxes hidden away at the very bottom of the 3ds shelf. Took me a while to find it amongst the mountains of Pilotwings and Street Fighter boxes.

 

[M3d10n]

Agreed. Anyway making it a 3ds launch title seems to have helped in terms of getting reviewers to pay attention and give it a fair shake but I have to wonder how its going to sell. Lets face it, it is pretty ugly and I'm not sure if the Ghost Recon branding helps it at all. Suppose it doesn't have much competition right now though.

I'm sure it will sell significantly more than it would as a DS title: it gets free marketing for being a launch title in a not-crowded shelf and avoids the widespread usage of DS flashcards.

I don't even want to imagine the difficulties the developers had to go through to get this going as a DS game. Due to piracy concerns, most Western publishers simply do not greenlight DS projects that don't have "purchase at whim" potential (aka: being tied to a strong license that gives the game free marketing and/or being aimed at kids).

 

[AndyMoogle]

Tried pressing b during dialogue? Pretty sure it skips the dialog. I was even replaying a mission because I was accidentally skipping the dialogue afterwards.
Edit: haven't tested in inside a mission though.. If that's what you are referring to.

You can skip dialog in missions as well.

So far I've played through the first chapter, and I really like it so far. It's a bit ugly, but the gameplay is solid fun.

 

[Xater]

You can skip dialog in missions as well.

So far I've played through the first chapter, and I really like it so far. It's a bit ugly, but the gameplay is solid fun.

I have to say though that I was really surprised how well the 3D works with this title. Did not expect that at all from a strategy title.

 

[Pachimari]

You guys got any examples of 3D use? Like smoke, explosions, sudden situations where the 3D is noticeable etc.

 

[Xater]

You guys got any examples of 3D use? Like smoke, explosions, sudden situations where the 3D is noticeable etc.

Lot's of stuff pops out, like power lines and stuff. Because of the changing camera angles in combat there also is a clear distinction between the characters and the map. Explosions pop out especially.

 

[Cow Mengde]

Lot's of stuff pops out, like power lines and stuff. Because of the changing camera angles in combat there also is a clear distinction between the characters and the map. Explosions pop out especially.

So stuff pop out in this game? I've seen and heard many 3DS games give extra depth but doesn't pop out. Played Pilot Wings and SF4 myself. This is the first game I heard of where things pop out. Interesting.

 

[Xater]

So stuff pop out in this game? I've seen and heard many 3DS games give extra depth but doesn't pop out. Played Pilot Wings and SF4 myself. This is the first game I heard of where things pop out. Interesting.

Well if you want to be specific it doesn't pop out of the screens, but those things do pop out of the picture overall because there is a pretty good sense of depth.

 

[The_Darkest_Red]

IGN review is up. 7/10. The reviewer (Anthony Gallegos) didn't seem to think much of the 3D.

THE 3D Effect
3D without the glasses is pretty incredible technology, but Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars is made no better with it. The 3D does make things in the foreground stand out from those in the background, but this offers no tactical benefit, nor does it serve to change the way you play. Most of the time I simply turned it off, because with it on the battery life suffered considerably. It's a nifty distraction for a few moments, but at the end of the day Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars is not the game to showcase what the 3D tech can do.

 

[The Technomancer]

Wow, I remember everyone shitting on this at reveal. Its actually...quite good? Add it to the my interesting titles list I guess.

 

[Morokh]

Well I just think the opposite about the 3D of this game.

I wasn't expecting much of it, but the dialogues with portraits an text on different layers, the sense of depth that it gives to the battlefield and the characters makes them really stand-out and gives the game a nice graphical touch.

Played it a bit without 3D at the beginning because i wasn't used to 3D at the time and it was a bit disturbing but it's really missing something.

 

[Ashenor]

Played it about a hour so far. Great game, have not opened my other games yet. The depth of the maps are pretty cool.

 

[mikekennyb]

For those who've played it:

Is there any strategy game that you can directly relate Shadow Wars to? Advance Wars? FFT? XCom? I've heard mentions of Advance Wars, but I don't know if that's just because it's a turn based strategy game on a Nintendo handheld or because the gameplay is actually similar.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Xater]

For those who've played it:

Is there any strategy game that you can directly relate Shadow Wars to? Advance Wars? FFT? XCom? I've heard mentions of Advance Wars, but I don't know if that's just because it's a turn based strategy game on a Nintendo handheld or because the gameplay is actually similar.

Thanks in advance!

It's more Fire Emblem than Advanced Wars.

Single hero units each with very specific abilities, none of the is allowed to die or you fail the mission.

 

[Izayoi]

Well, the same guy who did X-COM did this, so...

 

[Air Zombie Meat]

It's a mixture of fire emblem (move and attack once a turn so you can't string multiple actions together ala xcom, counter attacks, tile modifiers) with systems that are like XCom (reaction fire, weapon stats, elevations). Unlike XCom, you always hit what you're shooting at but the damage caused is based on distance, height differences, cover and other modifiers. So its about depleting HP rather than if you can hit them or not. Then theres character specific special abilities including Advance Wars like special abilities that each character can charge up by doing damage.

 

[Sammy Samusu]

1UP Review: A-

There is more than enough here to please fans of turn-based strategy games and comes highly recommended as a launch title for the 3DS.

http://www.1up.com/reviews/ghost-recon-shadow-wars-3ds-review

 

[mikekennyb]

Thanks for the info everyone!

I picked up Pilotwings and Steel Diver with Gamestop credit, but now have this unexpected $25 credit from Amazon since I preordered my 3DS there. It's between Ridge Racer and Shadow Wars.... I'm a big fan of FFT, and enjoyed XCOM and Advance Wars, but didn't particularly care for Fire Emblem. I'll sit on the credit for a little bit and eventually pick up one or the other.

 

[Glix]

Well I just think the opposite about the 3D of this game.

I wasn't expecting much of it, but the dialogues with portraits an text on different layers, the sense of depth that it gives to the battlefield and the characters makes them really stand-out and gives the game a nice graphical touch.

Played it a bit without 3D at the beginning because i wasn't used to 3D at the time and it was a bit disturbing but it's really missing something.

I'm with you, the 3D is fucking GREAT for this game.

 

[storafötter]

Tried pressing b during dialogue? Pretty sure it skips the dialog. I was even replaying a mission because I was accidentally skipping the dialogue afterwards.
Edit: haven't tested in inside a mission though.. If that's what you are referring to.

Yeah I meant inside missions, it doesn't really take ages to go through the dialogues. But it is a bit annoying that every time you replay the mission you can't just click start and it all stops.

In regards to the 3d effects, I find it forgettable. Not really impressed by it, but just using it for the sake of getting my eyes used to 3d.

 

[ViralMarketingDrone]

Gollop is great. Probably going to have to buy this, even though I hate the Tom Clancy franchise.

BUT speaking of Advance Wars... why don't they make a new one?

 

[Neuromancer]

One mission so far, but the goal of the mission was to stop the enemy support. You had to conquer two points on the map and then the enemy stopped spawning and you just had to clean out the rest.

OK that sounds pretty reasonable. I just don't like turn based strategy games that revolve around long drawn out wars of attrition.

 

[AstroLad]

Gollop is great. Probably going to have to buy this, even though I hate the Tom Clancy franchise.

BUT speaking of Advance Wars... why don't they make a new one?

uh yeah he is badass. the review i posted in the main thread mentions smartly how they should have pushed the dev team's pedigree more in the marketing but it looks like that is spreading through word of mouth anyway. as a sad ac!d fanboy i really hope that this game does well

couldn't care less about the graphics and bells & whistles but i guess you gotta check that box as a reviewer

 

[mjc]

I honestly think the 3D effects in this game are more interesting than what I've seen in other launch games. The dialog boxes are layered and look neat, and the field itself has nice layers of depth.

 

[Fixed1979]

Only about 4-5 missions in but so far so good. Glad I grabbed this as one of my launch pickups. It seems to be just starting to ramp up a bit, but with the 3 different difficult settings, along with scrimmage that it'd be a fine buy for beginner or veteran strategy players.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of control over character building and equipment which is fine with me as I eventually get tired of that metagame stuff and it has a habit of taking over some other strategy games.

The 3D seems fine, there's a couple maps where there's smoke blowing over your guys and most of the maps will have many layers. It's probably not the game that will best demonstrate the effect, but it certainly holds it own.

I do wish that the multi-player was online. Having the multi-player for a host console only is a little disappointing. It's certainly not why I bought the game but the option would have been neat. It certainly would have filled a big void had they decided to include it as your options are certainly limited for handheld turn based strategy multi-player game.

Don't let the Clancy name scare you off of this one. It's good enough to build on assuming it gets enough sales to warrant a sequel.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Don't let the Clancy name scare you off of this one.

Sigh...remember when the Clancy name meant you'd be getting an awesome realistic PC team tactical shooter?

 

[Pau]

Surprised but thrilled to see a SRPG launch title. Absolutely love Fire Emblem's battle system so this will most likely be my first 3DS purchase. Thanks everyone for the all the impressions so far.

 

[AstroLad]

Sigh...remember when the Clancy name meant you'd be getting an awesome realistic PC team tactical shooter?

I think there are probably some current gaffers that aren't old enough to remember that far back.

 

[newsguy]

Another for love of the 3D in this one. It's subtle but it matters. You NEED to know how elevation affects situations.

 

[UncleSporky]

This game is fantastic and deserving of a purchase in its own right, not just because there's nothing better to buy yet.

It introduces new concepts at a good pace, lots of strategy to be had here, really fun battle mechanics. The graphics are clearly DS-like but the 3D is utilized well to make it seem like a board game or battle mat spread out before you. It actually reminds me a bit of war games or minis games like DnD.

It also appears to be nice and lengthy, I've been playing it all day and it only reads 3% complete. I have a feeling this has to do with the rewards you earn though, and because I've been playing mostly on easy I'm not earning as many.

Basically if you enjoy SRPGs or otherwise tactical tile games like Advance Wars, you should definitely buy this. If you aren't sure if you enjoy this sort of game, I'd still recommend it simply due to the length and depth of the game compared to anything else.

 

[Skilletor]

Caught up in that new system launch hype! I'm gonna go get this tomorrow, lol.

 

[Kodiak]

I'm tempted, but the lack of a compelling story makes me -_-

For a game like this, I NEED political struggle in a fantasy realm!

 

[AstroLad]

I'm tempted, but the lack of a compelling story makes me -_-

For a game like this, I NEED political struggle in a fantasy realm!

interesting i'm the opposite in tactical strategy. ac!d 2 had one of the most ridiculous disjointed stories ever and it's my favorite

edit: i should add the one thing i'm REALLY going to miss is not story but all the insane quirkiness and card-collecting of ac!d. :/ :/ :/ :/

 

[d0c_zaius]

Another for love of the 3D in this one. It's subtle but it matters. You NEED to know how elevation affects situations.

yea I like it too.

Some could see it as underwhelming I guess, but I like it a lot.

 

[Keio]

I am getting this today and returning my copy of PES. The reviews & impressions swayed me, even if I hate Clancyverse.

 

[ciD_Vain]

This game is great! The 3D is very nice. I like seeing down the canyons especially. It's really neat.

 

[mrklaw]

For those who've played it:

Is there any strategy game that you can directly relate Shadow Wars to? Advance Wars? FFT? XCom? I've heard mentions of Advance Wars, but I don't know if that's just because it's a turn based strategy game on a Nintendo handheld or because the gameplay is actually similar.

Thanks in advance!

haven't played fire emblem (although with all these comparisons I should check it out). To me it feels most like Laser Squad, with more focus on a small squad.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of control over character building and equipment which is fine with me as I eventually get tired of that metagame stuff and it has a habit of taking over some other strategy games.

same. Give me the units that you know can do the job, then I can focus on the task at hand. I don't want to build stuff or micro manage.

I do wish that the multi-player was online. Having the multi-player for a host console only is a little disappointing. It's certainly not why I bought the game but the option would have been neat. It certainly would have filled a big void had they decided to include it as your options are certainly limited for handheld turn based strategy multi-player game.

god yes. Big shame this doesn't have online multiplayer. Asynchronous play with notifications would be perfect.

 

[The_Darkest_Red]

I would encourage anyone on the fence with this game to make the plunge, it's awesome so far. It really feels like a fully featured turn-based strategy game and manages to avoid the "just a launch game" feeling completely.

Also, the 3D is fantastic, I'll definitely be playing the entire game with it maxed.

 

[Air Zombie Meat]

I was playing this with the 3d off but you guys convinced me to give it another shot. Now I've adjusted I like it, it is a nice effect. Especially like how enemy silhouettes in houses\bushes look. Definitely makes the game look better I think.

Thanks for the info everyone!

I picked up Pilotwings and Steel Diver with Gamestop credit, but now have this unexpected $25 credit from Amazon since I preordered my 3DS there. It's between Ridge Racer and Shadow Wars.... I'm a big fan of FFT, and enjoyed XCOM and Advance Wars, but didn't particularly care for Fire Emblem. I'll sit on the credit for a little bit and eventually pick up one or the other.

Your decision and all but I feel that if you enjoyed those games you would like this. Its really not that much like Fire Emblem (it is about gunplay after all), just has some mechanics that are similar.

 

[marjo]

THE 3D Effect
3D without the glasses is pretty incredible technology, but Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars is made no better with it. The 3D does make things in the foreground stand out from those in the background, but this offers no tactical benefit, nor does it serve to change the way you play. Most of the time I simply turned it off, because with it on the battery life suffered considerably. It's a nifty distraction for a few moments, but at the end of the day Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars is not the game to showcase what the 3D tech can do.

I'm getting pretty tired of people insenuating that unless 3D adds to gameplay, it isn't worthwhile. You never hear people say things like "The HD visiuals looked great but didn't actually add to the gameplay, and so are nothing more then a gimmick."

3D, like HD graphics or Surround Sound, improves the presentation of the game and helps with immersion. There's nothing wrong with that. Why do some act like it needs to do more in order to be considered worthwhile?

 

[Gamecocks625]

I think there are probably some current gaffers that aren't old enough to remember that far back.

The original Rainbow Six with multiplayer in a college dorm was by far the most fun I've ever had with a shooter. One shot, baby. Those were the days.

 

[Volcynika]

You guys are getting me quite hyped! Had the game for almost a week, but my 3DS finally arrives today!

 

[mrklaw]

The original Rainbow Six with multiplayer in a college dorm was by far the most fun I've ever had with a shooter. One shot, baby. Those were the days.

thats remembering far back? Try Stunt Car Racer at university with a fucking great home made null modem cable between floors

 

[ViralMarketingDrone]

Sigh...remember when the Clancy name meant you'd be getting an awesome realistic PC team tactical shooter?

I remember when it meant getting a borderline facist book about how foreign people try to kill america.