So far, Field Commanderis stacking up pretty well against its clear inspiration, Advance Wars. The gameplay is there, it's just not overly unique. It does, however, throw you into the fight a little better. The camera zips down into the skirmish when you attack, showing your units slowly being chipped away, bleeding or detonating into a thousand pieces.
Ugh, but it's not terribly fast at that. Even the very first mission took way too long - and not because we were getting hammered by a rainstorm of bullets, but because the computer takes too long on its turns. And the units move a little too slow ... and periodic loading whittled down the typically tense mood.
Luckily, there's still some time to speed things up. Its heart is in the right place, and with 30 missions, a level editor and full online capabilities (something even Advance Wars has yet to offer), we're confident the final product will be worth checking out.
