http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000A0IBHO.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg)
Man this game is everything I hoped it would be. I had reserved this game way back in January. I was excited because I was craving a good turn based strategy game for the PSP. When I sold my GBA SP and all my games, one of the games I missed was Advance Wars. I was really adicted to that one, so I was hoping that Sony would at least make something similar. Field Commander is better...MUCH better. This is the perfect turn based stratedgy game for a PSP...REALLY! Basically, it still plays like Advance wars. You look at the battlefield top down...select your units, and either move them and/or battle opposing forces. As anticipated you have so many moves per turn, and can create one new unit per factory. You can occupy cities, to gain money, and supplies, and you can also take over an enemy factory so you can build new units. You fight your battles with land sea and air units. You win the game, by either destroying all the enemy units, or capturing the enemy headquarters. The BIG difference between this and advance wars, is that Field Commander has the same gameplay, without all the annoying cartoonish over tones. Also, you can use your thumbstick to rotate the map 360 degrees, and once a battle is inititied the whole thing rotates and zeroes in to show the battle in 3D. The graphics are actually better than I thought they would be. Obviously, the military units such as tanks, choppers, and submarines don't really resemble anything "REAL", but they have more of an exagerated futuristic sci-fi look to them. The sounds are almost lifelike on this game, from the movement of helicopters, to the explosion sounds of mortar fire. The people that talk to you in this game are not annoying either. There is quick play, where you can just cue up a map, and set it to go, there is a single player campaign, and multiplayer ad hoc. You can set time limits on your turn if you want to make things interesting, which works if you are playing ad hoc with friends that take waaaaaaaaay too long of a turn. This game is totally worth the price tag of $39.99. (Although, I am even happier I got it for free, because it was a promotional copy sent to all the GameStop managers! Already, rank has it privilages!) I started playing the game around 8pm. Played two rounds, and when I looked up at the clock again it was already 10:45pm. Yes, it's that good. Don't let the 37 page instruction manual throw you off, it's easy to pick up and play, probably even more so if you have played Advance Wars before.