Verified buyer
Item came exactly as described and shipping from seller was Ultra fast! Would do business with seller again! Thank You :)
RighteousBlaze· September 2026
BoughtNinja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge
Desert Commander
- $14.99
- Regular price
-
$17.99 - Sale price
- $14.99
- Unit price
- per
The cartridge or disc on its own, cleaned and tested — no box or manual. Game condition guide →
Ships in 1–2 business days·Tracking on every order·Signature required on orders $250+
Item Condition
Game only: the cartridge in a protective holder, no box or manual. For the specifics, look to the photos — they're of this exact cartridge. Every cartridge's shell, label and board are checked for authenticity when it comes into the store, and it's tested before it's listed. It ships in a collector's bag or a hard plastic case.
Item Description
Long before Advance Wars taught Western players to love grid-based warfare, Desert Commander quietly brought the idea to the NES. Developed by Kotobuki Systems, the company behind the Kemco label, it debuted in Japan in 1988 and reached North America the following year, dropping you into a sun-baked desert campaign where every turn is a calculation of range, terrain and supply.
Each scenario hands you a fixed limit on units, and building your force is the first decision. Tanks, artillery, anti-aircraft guns, infantry, fighters and bombers all carry their own movement ranges and attack strengths, and alongside them sits your headquarters, a unit that can fight back but must never fall. Victory goes to whoever destroys the enemy headquarters first. Ground units crawl or race depending on the terrain while aircraft sweep over it freely, and every unit runs on limited fuel and ammunition, so a bold armored thrust can stall in the sand if it outruns its supplies.
The difficulty curve is refreshingly honest. On the easiest scenario both sides field equal numbers; after that the computer simply commands more units than you do, so later maps become a test of economy and positioning rather than of trickier AI. Turns have no time limit, which makes it a relaxed, thoughtful game to sit with, and a second player can take the opposing army for head-to-head battles on the same console. In a one-player game the second controller can even be used to adjust the computer's forces, a small but clever touch.
Strategy on the NES was a niche, and turn-based war games were rarer still. Nintendo's own Famicom Wars was a Japan-only affair, and that series would not reach North America until 2001, which made Desert Commander one of the few places 8-bit Western players could find this kind of campaign. It rewards the patient, plan-three-moves-ahead thinking the console rarely asked for, and once you have worn out Advance Wars, it is a satisfying look at where that style of game was heading years earlier.
Fast factsgame data via IGDB
- Released
- 1988
- Publisher
- Kotobuki Systems
- Genre
- Strategy
- Players
- Single player, Multiplayer
About the game
The player's force consists of nine different types of units and one headquarters unit (which is a unit by itself and also can be used to attack). Each scenario gives a different set number of units to use, which the player can mix and match between the different typese without going over that limit. When in a one-player game, the second controller can be used to modify the CPU forces. When playing against the CPU, the computer will be given a different ratio of units to command than the player. On the easiest scenario both the player and the CPU have the same amount of units, on all others the CPU will have more than the player. There is no variance in artificial intelligence, so the only thing that makes the later maps harder is the larger number of units the CPU has. The game is turn-based with no time limit. The object of the game is to destroy the enemy's headquarters unit. The player that does so first wins. Units have different mobility range, which varies according to the unit type and (except for aircraft) the terrain. They also have different shooting range, though this is fixed and not depends of the terrain. All unit types have limited ammunition and fuel.
Summary from the IGDB community database — the condition and contents of this listing are described above and in the photos.
Make an offer
Request more photos
Ships in 1–2 business days (Monday–Friday, excluding major U.S. holidays). During the holidays and big sales, allow one extra business day.
- Live USPS and UPS rates at checkout. Every order ships with tracking.
- We ship to all 50 states, U.S. military addresses (APO/FPO/DPO), and Canada. Canadian orders may owe duties and taxes on delivery.
- Orders of $250 or more ship with signature confirmation.
- Delivery dates shown at checkout are estimates, not guarantees.
Read the full Shipping Policy, including holiday order-by dates.
Most of what we sell is one of a kind, so all sales are final unless something goes wrong on our end.
Contact us within 14 days of delivery if your item doesn’t work, arrived damaged, is the wrong item, or isn’t as described. We’ll send a prepaid return label and make it right with a replacement or a refund. Orders placed November 1–December 24 can be reported through January 15.
Not covered: change of mind, compatibility issues, and opened sealed trading-card products.
Email support@coolection.com with your order number. Read the full Refund Policy.
NES
Desert Commander
$14.99
Offering on several items? Build an offer list →
Submitting an offer does not guarantee acceptance. Items aren’t held while an offer is open, and prices can change until then. We reply within 1–2 business days.
NES
Desert Commander
$14.99
Real photos of this exact item: we’ll photograph what you ask for and email them to you, usually within 1–2 business days.
