Advance Wars

The Good
I'd never played a strategy game before but this game is very easy to play. All the little features like terrain advantages work well. There's plenty of scope for tactics (my two favourite victory techniques are: 1) place a footsoldier on the enemy hq and surround it with tanks and artillery, or 2) attack crazily from the south with a troop of med. tanks while a footsoldier creeps in from the west to take the base. (that technique was actually used when Germany invaded France at the start of World War One!) That first one isn't foolproof, though - ranged weapons can easily break it apart. But that's the beauty of it. No technique is guaranteed to work.

The Bad
While the training is useful, the new units are introduced at a rate of knots, leaving novices a little confused. Example - there are two non-offensive naval units: landers and cruisers. They look similar, but landers carry ground forces and cruisers carry air forces. I found myself mixing up missiles, rockets, artillery and anti-air units far too often.

The Bottom Line
From the screenshots it's hard to fathom the appeal of the game. I'll tell you now - it's about manoveuring troops into mountains for superior cover, it's about balancing fuel and ammo supplies and capturing cities to refill them, it's about joining units together to combine HP, allowing a footsoldier to climb aboard an APC for greater speed, about deciding whether to destroy the enemy or capture them. The thrill of victory has to be felt. Buy it.

The Good
This game really surprised me. Some friends of mine recommended it but I was highly sceptical, I've never encountered any good strategy games before on any console (the strategy games currently existing for the consoles are usually overly simplified, and the controls... yuck). Because of this game I can no longer say that, this game simply kicks ass. The game plays like a simple version of Command and Conquer, on most missions you have a base where you can make more units, you have buildings you can capture for more money, there's a big range of units (including air and sea units), there's also an option for fog of war. The big difference from C&C is that this game is turnbased, and unlike most games the attacker always have the advantage (which makes the game very aggresive in style). The interface is very nice, although I wish I could use a mouse for controlling the cursor, and perhaps the menus could have been separately on the right/left of the screen for itself not being over the ingame graphics... but alas, this is a Gameboy Advance so that isn't possible. Each time there's a battle you get to see a fancy animation with the troops fighting it out (sort of like the old Battle Isle games), only with no interaction, it's just there for show. It's nice for the first times, but I wish I could turn them off, in the long run it's kind of a bore.

There's also a multiplayer option which really makes the game so much more enjoyable. Up to four players can battle it out, you don't even need more than one machine (ah, the wonders of turnbased) although it's nicer with more. And the best thing about the game... it has a good unit balance! Something almost all RTSs lack (okay, it's not perhaps the best thing to compare this with a RTS game, but it's the closest I get, remove the turnbased system and it's identical to any RTS).

The Bad
Although it's okay, the sound is just "there", you don't really notice it nor does it bother you. Some of the music is okay, but some of the tunes can really get annoying after a while , there should be a jukebox option so you could select which tune to listen, instead of being forced to listen a specific one because you have a certain CO. Speaking of COs, that's something I haven't mentioned. Before each battle you get to choose a certain CO, the only difference it makes is how your troops look, what music you get, and what CO power you have. A CO power is something which charges up and if you use it you gain a special power for a short while. Unfortunately, it's not balanced at all, some of the powers are completely useless, some of them are way too powerful. And some of them are too specific, for instance, a CO called Max has useless long distance units, but he have really powerful close combat units. If your foe has selected him, you're certain what kind of tactic he'll use, and that destroys a bit of the fun.

The Bottom Line
The game is definately good, but it lacks that special touch most computer strategy games have, at some points it feels too simple and in the long run you're doomed to be bored. But there's still a good deal of playability here, and if you own a Gameboy Advance you simply need to get this game. On the other hand though, if you're a computer player you're probably better off playing some more C&C.

The Good
Advance Wars is turn-based strategy, quite similar to Battle Isle series, where we are fighting with the enemy, and gaining buildings providing war funds.

We control groups of units - we have infantry, tanks, artillery, support units, helicopters and airplanes, most of the several varieties - and try to destroy the enemy forces. No, but that's not enough - it is a description of most of the strategy. Everything happens in the turns, each unit has a limited ability to move. encounter begins when enemy units are at our unit - this rule has exceptions, such as artillery. Then the game moves to a special screen where you can see the animation fight. Here come into play such factors as the resistance unit to another, area in which they are staying unit, because this gives sometimes bonuses. All that is clear and easy to understand, and more importantly, very pleasant to be in this game. The game certainly has a nice story - we are dealing with a clash of two armies, Orange Star and Blue Moon (old conflict from GB/GBC "Wars" series)

Just one question: Advance Wars has a good tutorial where we can get knowledge practically about everything - about targeting the military, leaders .... All informations are a clear and transparent.

The Bad
The game has no disadvantages, unless you compare it with games from big platforms. Very small minuses are squares - I prefer hexes strategies from PC - and repeated battles animation. Sounds are average - but that's the charm of the GBA games.

The Bottom Line
Handhelds usually do not have a lot of strategy. Yes, RTS and TBS sometimes occur, but these are usually only a small addition to other games. However, it is worth sometimes to throw a look at them - Advance Wars is one of the best turn-based strategy for the Game Boy Advance is a very good title, worthy of 8/10. It is worth to play. The first game of the series AW is a great, joyful entertainment, and it started a long series of great games.