The Nintendo DS is in a weird place right now. In past years, the handheld had already been met with several innovative releases by the end of summer. But with a small E3 showing on the first-party side, and fewer third-party announcements than in 2006, you have to wonder: where have all the DS games gone?

Few gamers are aware that some of the system’s best 2007 releases have come under obscure names. Nervous Brickdown was a niche game with mainstream appeal. Planet Puzzle League didn’t sound like much – or receive much of a promo campaign – but was an unofficial sequel to Tetris Attack. QuickSpot, the spot-the-difference puzzler from Namco Bandai, was another fun treat that all but slipped under the radar.

Glory Days II: Brotherhood of Men may be another niche title to add to that list. But it shouldn’t be. The touch-based gameplay stands as one of the DS’s most prominent innovations. Handheld shooters will never be the same again.

In Glory Days II, your touch is your command. Helicopters and fighter jets are the primary sources of defense. To control an aircraft (one type per mission), touch and drag your stylus across the bottom screen. This causes your crosshairs to appear on the top screen in front of your aircraft. The aircraft’s speed and direction of flight are determined by the area of the screen that’s being touched.

If you keep the stylus (crosshairs) close to the helicopter, it’ll stand still. Drag it away from this aircraft and it will start to pick up speed. The greater the distance between your helicopter and your stylus, the faster it will fly. Change directions by touching the opposite side of the screen. Land by carefully dragging your stylus downward, and attack using either the D-pad or face buttons (both sides are available for right- and left-handed players).

The outcome of this original, hard-to-grasp (initially), easy-to-master control system is one that will cause frustration for the first 30 minutes and nothing but joy and excitement for every hour after that. The fighter jets are especially difficult to control, as they cannot stand still and move much faster than a helicopter. But the developers were smart and were somehow able to make the flight mechanics realistic within a touch-and-drag environment.

As the determining factor in who wins each mission, it is your job to lead an army primarily consisting of tanks and anti-aircraft vehicles, whose own goals are to take out and take over the enemy bases. Each mission begins on a landing strip (for fighter jets) or helipad (for helicopters), with access to additional computer-controlled units available. Units are built using money, which is earned from the number of bases being commanded. Missions often begin with no more than two bases under American control. There may be some areas that the enemy hasn’t gotten to yet – that’s your cue to drop off a few ground troops, who will raise the American flag as a sign of control.

However, it’s unlikely that you’ll get to keep that base for very long. The enemy is at its strongest at the onset of each mission. Helicopters move faster than tanks, and since time is everything in this game, you are likely to take over a base or two before your allies arrive. This leaves the base vulnerable because the soldiers don’t have any defenses. If an enemy tank approaches, your men will be taken out, the American flag will disappear, and the enemy flag will be raised in its place. You could choose to stand by and guard the base, but the fight is futile – your aircrafts aren’t designed to stand still in a battlefield. Helicopters are technically equipped to do so but run the risk of being shot down.

This intense premise is multiplied by an increasingly powerful opponent, whose army begins each mission with bases and attack units that outnumber your own selection. The first few missions follow a similar path: fly ahead and knock out as many enemy tanks as possible. But after that the enemy will learn from your actions and do the exact same thing. Your tanks are no match for an aerial assault. The game provides an objective and maybe a hint or two, but won’t reveal that the key to winning these missions is to literally stay on top of the helicopters, attack them from above, and keep them from blasting your tanks.

It’s an exhilarating mission – if you screw up early on the opposing helicopters will take out too many of your allies to survive. You can do a lot on your own, but those tanks are needed to deal with a portion of the enemy’s ground units. Anti-aircraft vehicles and a rocket defense system (where you can launch and control a multi-tank-destroying missile from the helipad) will be added to your arsenal down the road, along with other helpful units and weapons that combat the game’s challenge while increasing the level of intensity and excitement.

Glory Days II brings some heart to the battlefield with fictitious letters from soldiers at war. The letters are usually written to parents by a soldier who is often homesick, anxious, and terrified of what’s to come. Believe it or not, they are actually worth reading. This is uncommon for games, especially a handheld release, whose story content is rarely above “skip” status. But these letters do a good job of setting the tone for Glory Days II, a game that, despite the cartoon appearance, is not lighthearted.

Glory Days II is the kind of game I purchased a Nintendo DS to play. It’s incredible what the developers have created – a game that is as mechanically innovative as it is entertaining. You will be swept away by the controls and mission objectives and repeatedly engrossed by its replay value. No other action title can compare. This is a must-buy for anyone with a DS.

Gameplay: 8.6
One of the best action games made for any platform, Glory Days II: Brotherhood of Men is a cunning and stunning release that belongs in every gamers’ library. The whole game was well developed, but it’s the controls that push it past the norm. Instead of just being “another great action game,” Glory Days II is the action game to play on Nintendo DS.

Graphics: 7.9
For a side-scrolling action game, Glory Days II looks good but not spectacular. The graphics get the job done, nothing more.

Sound: 8.0
One of the most powerful scores brought to the DS, Glory Days II’s soundtrack is an instant war game classic.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
The player will suffer! Glory Days II is not excruciatingly difficult, but it’s not at all forgiving. Expect to die a lot, and plan on using the re-start function at least once per mission (assuming you don’t die before getting the chance).

Concept: 9.0
A brilliantly planned and executed action game with unprecedented depth and controls.

Multiplayer: 7.9
Glory Days II offers two-player battles, but they’re not as exciting as the single-player quest.

Overall: 8.6
Thus far the DS has been met with innovation from the adventure, simulation, puzzle, and mind-teaser genres, but this is the first action game that has made a serious impact on Nintendo’s handheld. Ignore the pseudo-Desert Strike appearance – Glory Days II is nothing like that game. Both are great, but this one has created a new class of action game that all future releases will be judged on.