Even if you've never picked up a strategy game before, it would bef criminal for you not to give Advance Wars 2 a shot.
User Rating: 9.6 | Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising GBA
The original Advance Wars was a sleeper hit on the GBA back during the systems infancy in the current gaming market, but it caught the eyes of many gamers across the world with its simple yet addictive game play. Intelligent systems made their return with Advance Wars 2 during the climax of 2003, an updated sequel to the original that not only increases the single-player experience with almost twice as many missions, but makes a few changes to the general formula while still keeping the same turn based game play that made the first title a simple, yet incredibly fun and challenging title. Advance Wars 2 begins where the first one left off, with the Black Hole army the main enemy this time around. Where as in the first game it was Orange Star versus everyone else, this game gives you the chance to control all 4 factions from the original and their respective CO’s. There are many faces new and old present and ready to play in this installment, and on many missions it will be up to you to decide which CO will face the challenges of the new mission best. Since Black Hole represents the general enemy on every mission this time around, then it seems obvious that they would come equipped with the rest of their army and band of CO’s as well, who will do their best to dispatch you at every turn, even at the default difficulty level. For those of you unfamiliar with the game play of the Advance Wars series, it’s basically a turn based affair set in a make believe world with a set of countries who are being attacked by the enigmatic Sturm and the conquering forces of the Black Hole army. You spend turns capturing cities, bases, airports, and other buildings to provide you the resources to build stronger units and overtake your enemy’s territories they have captured. Tanks, Anti Aircraft, Bombers, and Helicopters are just a few of the units available in this expansive, yet simple to pick up and play strategy title. The key to success is finding the correct ones to use on any given level and using that to your advantage versus the enemy forces. The general game play in Advance Wars 2 has remained the same, but a few updates by the minds at Intelligent Systems have made this a more complete title and really upped the strategy level considerably. First off is the addition of a new unit called the “Neo Tank”, a super-powered spider tank that unleashes destructive power upon almost any ground unit out there. Having even one of these high powered units on your side can completely change the tide of battle within a few turns, while having two with some anti-air support can mean a swift victory. The units, however, aren’t completely impervious to damage, and can easily be attacked by strong bomber units. Neo Tanks aren’t exactly cheap either, having the highest cost of any land unit in the game, and generally the same price for most CO’s as any given air unit. The second major change in the game play is the Super CO powers. Your CO’s now build up power to a 2nd, much more powerful boost that can swing the tide of battle in your favor in the matter of a turn. Most of the powers are similar to their basic CO power from the first Advance Wars, while others retain their power from the first game as a Super Power, while getting a lesser ability for their first level of the CO bar. Eagle from Green Earth, for instance, boosts the attack and defense of his air units when using his level one ability, while his level two ability allows him to use his brutal CO power from the first game, Lightning Strike, which allows him to move and/or attack with all non-infantry units a second time. If you were disappointed with the overall size of the campaign mode from the first Advance Wars, then you are going to be in for a real treat. Not only are the missions much more complicated this time around, and many involving multiple CO use a few times throughout the game, but the game has been sized up considerably with around 33 missions with which you can test your mettle. The different continents are represented throughout the entire game, and you must actually unlock the aforementioned Neo Tank by capturing particular cities that will guide you to the enemy labs, which result in another mission which really seem more like a side quest present in any given role-playing game, as they are not required to finish the title. The game is so addictive and compelling, however, that you won’t want to hesitate to play through every mission you can so you can unlock other maps and modes through the point system that was transferred over to Advance Wars 2 from the original. In addition to the incredibly huge Campaign mode, the War room, a personal favorite of mine, returns with some of the old maps but plenty of new ones to entice you, and some of the maps have different adversaries for you to face while your perfect your skill and attempt to get the coveted “S” rank on any given map. The challenge presented in these varies depending on the CO and it’s incredibly fun to try out different CO’s to see what kind of score you can get on any given map. Music in the game, for the most part, has remained the same, so if you enjoyed the themes and upbeat ditties from the first game, then don’t be in for anything new (but not that I’m complaining). It’s great to hear the old school music when playing characters like Grit, while some of the newer themes are very catchy and interesting. One in particular is Jess’ theme, a tune starting with a bass tone beat and blowing into an upbeat funk-fest in the middle and near end. I won’t say the music is anything spectacular, but they definitely stand on their own and add to the overall upbeat experience of the game. Graphically, the game remains the same, for the most part. Some of the CO’s pictures lost some of their glow and motion, but really this doesn’t take away from the game simply because it’s so based on core game play elements that the graphics aren’t necessarily a main concern when compared to how the game actually plays. The various characters and their pictures are very interesting and varied, and even though they are just still pictures, they really accurately reflect how these characters act throughout the game. Hawke, one of the main Black Hole CO’s, has spiked white hair and a large head that stands tall above his body and his attitude that’s reflected throughout the game, while Lash has a disheveled spike look that makes her kind of a misfit. All in all, Advance Wars 2 comes to bring a game released quite some time ago a serious update that anyone who hasn’t played the first one can still jump into and enjoy. It’s simple set of units, yet complex strategies and over the top CO powers and characters are a far cry from the strategy norm, and it’s nice to see that Intelligent Systems can continue to bring us one excellent title after another. Even if you have never picked up a strategy game because you felt it might be overwhelming, it would be a mistake for you not to consider giving Advance Wars 2 a shot. Joey Bianchi 
