Finding more than 10
gameplay differences between Field Commander and Advance Wars would be
nearly impossible. The strategy comes from their rock-paper-scissors like take on military
combat. Each vehicle or troop unit has their weaknesses and strengths. It's up to the
player to make sure they've plotted their movements and attacks properly. The interface is hardly special, though it provides the necessary information so no sub menus are needed to know the effects of the upcoming move. Of course, sub menus do exist, capturing extensive information on the numerous types of units. You could play an entire game without these extra menus, but if this becomes necessary, the designers have made it all easy to access.
Single player captures the typical video game war scenario. Thirty missions make up the campaign, which exist for the purpose of training the player for multi-player combat. It's not that the single player game is lacking. The AI is sharp and later stages allow for only a few mistakes before taking down the careless general. It's the speed of play that bring this down and the genre's place in multi-player gaming make it a natural for the genre.
Playing solo takes time. The AI thinks for extended periods, sometimes only to move a few spaces. Loading is annoying when dialogue periods spring up, and the video is of low quality. Glitches are also prevalent. One was so bad during the review process that the lock up didn't even allow the PSP to be turned off. These were rare, though severe enough to make them an annoyance.
Presented in the usual top down viewpoint, the 3-D models look fair for the system. Given the usual view distance, heavy detail would rarely be seen anyway. Environments feature nice weather effects, those these usually send the frame rate spiraling downward. While not a detriment to the gameplay, it only makes things progress slower. It feels like this would be better suited to a console at times because short bursts of play in Field Commander are hardly common. There's also a 2-D map for quicker access that can prove to be immensely useful.
While multi-player
suffers from a few of these problems, human competitors offer the type of competition this
game was made for. Online is a necessity, and getting into a game is not a problem. Lag is
not an issue. Matches are extensively customizable (including timers to keep things
moving), and you can create/download new missions at your leisure. Online play doesn't always need another player to be available. Field Commander includes the unique and innovative Transmission Mode. Here, players submit moves whenever they have time. When the opponent begins playing the next time, they'll receive a message letting them know a move has been made and it's their turn. In other words, you do not even need your PSP to be on to play an online game, and moves can be made at your leisure (or to whatever length of the time the host had set).
Outside of the fair and warranted comparison to Nintendo's popular franchise, Field Commander should have no problem finding an audience. Online gaming fans will cherish this one, and it's the key advantage Sony Online's product has over Nintendo's. The only thing missing is the charm, style, and faster paced single player gameplay of Advance Wars.
