Another E3, another IP making the leap into 3D. But what's this? Your favourite GameBoy title has not just decided to tag on a Z-dimension but also try its hand at real-time combat too.

Which inevitably leads us to our first question: if this is not turn-based, how exactly do you go about conquering all those digital landscapes? Put simply, you can select up to eight different units using a Pikmin-esque reticule that radiates from your targeted position to ensnare the surrounding units. You can switch between any of these selected soldiers at will, allowing you to take charge of a particular unit type if there is a well suited task for them up ahead. Your commanding powers will be channelled through any one of the numbered grunts you have at your disposal, with Betty, your offsite advisor, relaying important information, such as advice and new objectives, to whichever grunt you have selected, so there is no need to worry about your remaining troops. Quite the opposite, in fact, as soldiers left alone will either carry on with the last orders you gave them or simply defend against any enemy troops. Speaking of which, perhaps it is time to have a quick rundown on the units seen so far.

 

It is likely that the majority of your playing time will be spent on terra firmaAdvance Wars, but early welcome additions appear in both the form of flamethrower-touting grunts and some type of be-thrustered hover plane.

“But what of mission structure?” I hear the veterans cry. Well, instead of the usual 'destroy all units or capture the base' approach of the handheld renditions, the GameCube version has differing objectives for each mission — the trailer released by Nintendo shows the player reclaiming POWs from a Xsylvanian stronghold, for instance. Not that the game wont have more than its fair share of destruction, of course — footage shows that the environment will even be destructible to a degree, with trees and building crumbling under your heavy weapons fire. The ranking system is also present and correct, but whether the story will branch based on your performance is yet to be seen.

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As of yet there has been no evidence of being able to create units ala the first two Advance Wars titles. If this proves to be the case, no doubt purists will scold Kuju — the English developers — for making such a large departure from the template of the original. But then again, with all this action going on would we actually have time to build anything anyway?

Despite some people's views that this GameCube Wars is too far removed from the GBA originals, I feel the spirit of its 2D predecessors has been captured perfectly. This may be war, but, luckily, we don't have to put up with the horrors of it. Instead of exploding in a gratuitously large splatter of blood, troops caught in explosions simple rocket into the air, arms flailing ridiculously. It's hilarious to watch a pack of troops fly about the scenery in true cartoon fashion, a three dimensional facsimile of the GameBoy Advance's ricocheting troops. Similarly, instead of soldiers looking like they have been particularly careless with the red wine, taking a bullet results in mini, family-friendly stars amassing around your troops.

 

An interesting addition is that of the soldiers' experience system. By taking part in battles and, most importantly, surviving, your units can move up the ranks, earning extra skills, and improving on old ones, as they go. I expect this to lead to noticeable favouritism among players' men, with the more elite units being given all the important jobs. In practise, this method will likely work along the same lines as the system used in Pivotal's Conflict: Desert Storm, and its subsequent sequel, with soldiers earning improvements in weapon and healing proficiencies.

So, what of the multiplayer that was such a laudable facet of Intelligent System's handheld titles? Well, the maximum amount of players is currently labelled an enticingly hopeful 'TBD'. Advance Wars: Under Fire is set for a nondescript 2005 release, so perhaps the addition of a four-player multi-player mode is still a viable option.

Whilst this series' shift to a home console has brought with it a notably different experience, I feel it is ludicrously presumptuous of people to dismiss it at such an early stage. Whilst it might not be the most polished looking game on the GCN's horizon, Under Fire is unlikely to go completely awry under Nintendo's hypercritical supervision. Many of those approaching the title with a state of trepidation should remember that everyone's favourite games company isn't completely out of the loop, and if they have any serious misgivings about the game then they most certainly will not keep their opinions to themselves. Now buck your ideas up, son; there's a console war going on, and we need every good man we can get.