Nintendo of Europe has a brand spankin’ new Advance Wars: Days of Ruin video up on their site. Don’t be confused by the “Dark Conflict” banner, however. Instead, think of it as a prime opportunity learn about video game localization. I’ll let Wikipedia do the honors.

In case you haven’t been following the upcoming DS title with the same religious fervor as the rest of us, Day of Ruin ditches the usually bright and cartoony visuals of the Advance Wars series in favor of more dark and dreary fare. The gameplay’s received a few major overhauls as well, including the introduction of several new units, including powerful CO units. Most importantly, Days of Ruin will feature online multiplayer modes and allow you to download custom maps from other players through Nintendo’s Map Center. The details are all readily available in a handy preview/interview from 1up that reveals you can store up to 50 downloaded maps at a time.

Advance Wars: Days of Ruin will be available later this month and will potentially keep you glued to your DS for the rest of your life. It almost doesn’t seem fair releasing the console’s obvious Game of the Year so soon into 2008, does it?