System: DS
Dev: Odenis
Pub: Secret Stash Games
Release: July 31, 2007
Players: 1-8
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Review by Cole Smith

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Review Rating Legend
1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor
2.5 - 2.9 = Average
3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
3.5 - 3.9 = Good
4.0 - 4.4 = Great
4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
5.0 = The Best

There are three variations of the two basic crafts that you will pilot. Both allow you to bomb and shoot at enemy units including other aircraft. Special weapons are available such as heat-seeking missiles and the ability to carpet bomb ground units. Both crafts can generate a great deal of destruction, but the jet is what you'll want to use to make the bigger mess. The jet is fast and can avoid enemy fire more easily than the chopper. But the chopper is no slouch. It allows for a greater deal of control as you can hover in the air to pinpoint targets more accurately as well as rescue civilians and transport troops to the frontline.

Whether firing the machine guns or launching bombs, there isn't a lot of flexibility to the control system. At times, it's as though the weapon systems are permanently affixed to the aircraft causing you to angle the entire craft toward your intended target. This can put you in danger of hitting the ground, so you have to learn to take a few shots and get back in the air.

For a change, the DS dual screens are put to excellent use. The top screen lets you see the aircraft action as it takes place in the third-person. This is where your gaze will be focused the majority of the time. At the top of the screen you will see a meter that indicates each army's position relative to conquered territory. The bottom screen lets you see your frontline position. It also displays miniature maps, various stats, and commands. The menus are intuitive and easy to access. All of this may appear daunting at first to the uninitiated, but it's all pretty straightforward. Within half an hour you'll have the system cased. Unfortunately, the single player campaign only lasts a few more hours after that.

A scrimmage mode is available as a single-player and multiplayer mode. Up to eight players can partake, but only locally, and all players will require a copy of the game. There are endless configurable elements in which you can change the location and number of units, weapons, civilians, and bunkers, but it's not nearly as stimulating as brand new, single-player missions of which there are only 16.

Put on those headphones. The explosion sounds are incredible. There isn't much in the way of music or voiceovers but what you hear is high quality. The storyline is done in narrative fashion with letters written by soldiers to their dear ones back home. It not only serves to brief the upcoming mission, but it provides you a glimpse into the emotions of the characters.

The developers of Glory Days 2 obviously subscribe to the axiom of leaving the audience wanting more. Job well done. I can hardly wait for Glory Days 3.

By Cole Smith
CCC Senior Writer

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