Glory Days 2 is probably best described as an action-strategy hybrid. On the
one hand you're placed at the controls of an attack chopper or warplane, while
on the other you're in charge of producing the tanks and troops that you need to
win the war on the ground. It's all directed at a single goal, though; pushing
the enemy off of the map before he can do the same to you.
The armies in Glory Days 2 are probably what you would get if you crossed the
Energizer Bunny with the Terminator. From the moment they leave your base they
begin a relentless march to the left across the bottom of the side-scrolling
screen. At the same time the enemy begins his march to the right and before two
long the tanks and soldiers will meet head on in the middle of the battlefield.
This is where you come in. As a pilot you must bomb the enemy tanks and strafe
the soldiers to thin out the enemy's front ranks. This allows your men to push
farther towards the enemy base. The ultimate goal is capturing the enemy base at
the far end of the battlefield, but there are a few small bases along the way to
capture as well. If you do, you'll have more resources at your disposal with
which to buy more weapons. These aren't the friendly skies, though; you'll have
to contend with enemy aircraft and antiaircraft gunfire from the ground. And if
you fly too low the enemy will all too enthusiastically begin taking shots at
you.
You have more to do then just blow things up, though. First of all you can
paradrop your soldiers behind enemy lines to try to choke off his resources. And
then there are the hapless civilians caught in the crossfire. As a brave pilot
you'll need to land in the thick of things to pick them up and return them
safely to your base. Of course you're doing it to save lives, but the resource
boost you get with each one you save is certainly a nice bonus. Lastly you need
to keep an eye on the battlefield and make sure that your army has the troops it
needs to win. A mini map across the top of the screen will let you see the
situation at a glance, letting you know what territory and resource bases you
hold and how well the battle on the ground is going for your side. By pressing
the right trigger you'll open a small menu that lists your current amount of
resources and the units that you can buy. A nice new column of tanks is great
for turning the tide of the war.
Glory Days 2 includes a campaign game in which you progress through a series
of battles. As you make your way through the campaign you'll unlock new weapons
and abilities to make you an even more formidable force. For example, you start
out with a basic helicopter at your disposal, but you'll have the chance to earn
more powerful choppers and to add planes to your arsenal. The game also has a
quick battle mode that lets you configure a number of options and then dive into
the battle. Multiplayer play is also supported for those times when you want the
challenge of facing a human opponent.
You'll be able to take command yourself and begin living your own glory days
on July 31st when the game ships.
