Microsoft Picks Up Skulls of the Shogun

If you've been bummed out by Nintendo ignoring Advance Wars the last few years, a savior has appeared through Skulls of the Shogun, which Gamasutra reports has been picked up by Microsoft.

Horray!

I've seen Skulls of the Shogun, looking better each time. It strikes the same wonderful balance between complexity and depth Advance Wars did, making strategy games accessible to people (like me) who don't usually care for strategy games.

All we know about a release date is sometime before the end of the year. Can't come soon enough.

Get rid of the first post quest.

Something's wrong with the video player for me... 
 
EDIT: @LiquidPenguins But.. but... but... Ok yeah. I agree.

great news. Advance Wars is one of the best underrated series ever.

I was actually wondering what had happened to this game some time ago, shame it was Microsoft to pick it up since I wont be playing it, anyway very good for the developers.

Please please please have a PC version on steam!

@avidwriter: Yeah here's hoping for a PC version so I can actually play it. I miss Advance Wars.

Spiritual successor to Advance Wars? Lets hope it's that instead of another poor imitation...

Huh, I thought this game was already out given how long ago it was since that Quick Look. Will have to see how this game is when it comes out eventually.

PC on steam...

I never finished an Advance Wars game. I always got to a certain mission that I could never beat and said "Fuck this!" Still, I loved all of them that I played and will buy this as well.

One of the developers said on neogaf just now that the PC version is still alive.

Wow, this game didn't come out already?

This game looks awesome.

One of the developers said on neogaf just now that the PC version is still alive.

Huh... I never really saw this game as having many similarities to Advance Wars.

Maybe I just like grids too much.

HOW DID THIS NOT COME OUT ALREADY!?! YOU COVERED IT MONTHS (OR A YEAR) AGO! WHY CAN'T I STOP SHOUTING!!!!
 
...oh, Caps Lock;) I got it.

Get rid of the first post quest.

@JJOR64: both

Now I feel bad for ignoring that QL, looks cool. FFTA1/2 and Advance Wars have definitely seen some play in this household.

This is great, I hope the game is great and sells great even thought I won't be able to play it since I only own a ps3 :(

Not a game that I'd ever play (not a comment on the apparent quality of the game; I'm just not into the genre) but congratulations to them, I hope it does well, and I hope Microsoft gives them a fair shake.

I haven't seen news on that for a long time. Nice to see it got a publisher.

Awesome. Glad to see those guys are gettin' theirs.

I heard this was to be a Xbox indie game at one point, glad the developers now have a chance to see some return on what looks to be a very promising game.

               

Get rid of the first post quest.

           

Great. I'm sure the PC version will be terrible if it even sees the light of day now that Microsoft is involved.

Both the art and gameplay are exemplary. I know it is modeled on a previous game, but how unique.

I always wondered why they did a quick look of this game when it was so early in development. Good luck to the team working on it!

I'm glad there's still going to be a pc version, as I have no 360 (too bad the same can't be said for Trenched D= )

fackin' sweet

Wow i remember that quicklook from ages ago, glad it's finally coming out

Brotherhood of Battle is a pretty decent and similar Flash game. Actually, I think it's better than SotS in some ways, despite being a very small game - it's much deeper, with multiple attacks, distinct classes, upgrades, etc. There's already many game modes and unique mechanics to spice things up.

The community is truly awful though. The vast majority of the public chat is filled with sexual or racial insults. People invariably quit when they start losing - oftentimes when playing a 1v1, a player will even order you to surrender repeatedly so they can rank up, and disconnect if you don't. And playing a game with more than two independent teams is pretty much asking to be ganged up on. Actually, I have to admit the game is pretty much unplayable. I haven't actually finished a game in months since people just quit when they look like they have even a chance of losing.

But I have PS3! NOOOOOOOO!!!

I like advance wars, but I don't like this game's art style.

"Spiritual Successor to Advance Wars" is a weird way to put it. It's not like Intelligent Systems passed their turn-based strategy torch to these guys, or even set it down. Yeah, they haven't made an Advance Wars game since Days of Ruin, but they released a Fire Emblem game last year. Nintendo just doesn't seem to be bringing that outside Japan. Not that people know what Fire Emblem is...?

That said, this game does look like it has the simple mechanics, challenging tactics spirit of Intelligent Systems' games, which I feel more of the genre should try to emulate, so I'm really disappointed to hear Microsoft has this. No Xbox or PC here.

Meh....

How does it strike a balance between complexity and depth? Those are practically both the same thing.

@I_smell said:

How does it strike a balance between complexity and depth? Those are practically both the same thing.

yeah just bad worthing on patricks part i think. Im pretty sure he meant either accessibility or simple.

at least thats how it should be.

it's a free flash game, right?

I don't see how this is the spiritual successor to Advance Wars...

But more turned based grid combat is a plus in my book

Aren't spiritual successor's games that are made by the same people and have some similarities to the game. This does not even feel close to a advanced wars type game. Please stop instigating giantbomb. 

@fallen_elite said:

@avidwriter: "Microsoft Picks Up Skulls of the Shogun" "Microsoft Picks Up" "Microsoft" Yeah there's no chance we'll see this on PC.

It's highly unlikely, but never say never. Fable III's on Steam, after all!

@Qodot said:

Brotherhood of Battle is a pretty decent and similar Flash game. Actually, I think it's better than SotS in some ways, despite being a very small game - it's much deeper, with multiple attacks, distinct classes, upgrades, etc.

How do you know it's better that SotS when SotS isn't out yet?

geez, it took them this long to get picked up? the quick look EX is over a year old.

@fallen_elite said:

@avidwriter: "Microsoft Picks Up Skulls of the Shogun" "Microsoft Picks Up" "Microsoft" Yeah there's no chance we'll see this on PC.

It's highly unlikely, but never say never. Fable III's on Steam, after all!

Yeah, I read that as "Skulls of the Shotgun" and am ever so slightly disappointed.

Days of Ruin (the best Advance Wars yet) came out in 2008, hold your stinkin horses Klepek. This also doesn't feel much like a successor, more like an alternate take on the genre.

Really looking forward to this.