But there were still samples to choose from, whether the rather ambitious Nobunaga’s Ambition or the obscure Bandit Kings of Ancient China. Among the simpler, more intuitive cartridges was an obscure little NES game called Desert Commander, a 1989 release by Kemco that places the player in command of Allied or Axis forces in the North African theater of World War II for some key battles.
The graphics for Desert Commander are pretty simple in review, with tile-based icons serving the bulk of the game’s looks. There are, though, cut scenes that show each unit-to-unit fight in a brief animated show of force, as each units loses bits of their own units representing their longevity. Otherwise, being a turn-based strategy game, nobody could have realistically expected an emphasis on its graphics anyway.
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As there were not many RTS games for the NES, Desert Commander stands as a somewhat innovative example. In stark opposition to same of the other examples, Desert Commander is fairly easy to pick up, and can be recommended for retro gamers to try out, especially with a friend. Some of the concepts at work, like choosing your mix of units before each battle or carefully considering movements over differing terrain, still stand as noteworthy ideas within the game and genre as a whole.
But there were still samples to choose from, whether the rather ambitious Nobunagamrs"s Ambition or the obscure Bandit Kings of Ancient China. Among the simpler, more intuitive cartridges was an obscure little NES game called Desert Commander, a 1989 release by Kemco that places the player in command of Allied or Axis forces in the North African theater of World War II for some key battles.Gameplay
