Advance Wars 2
See what we think of Nintendo’s sequel to last year’s strategy masterpiece.
Tags: Advance Wars 2 Categories: GBA Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Jake McNeill on Aug 13th, 2003
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Advance Wars 2 (title page) | |||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Action | No | ||
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Since the days of the Famicom (Known as the NES here in the states), nearly every Nintendo system released recieved a new game in the “Wars” series… in Japan. Even in the days of the N64, when owners of the system in the US were screaming for a bigger lineup, Nintendo opted to keep the N64 entry in the series in Japan.
Only just last year did Nintendo bring the series to America in the form of Advance Wars for the Game Boy Advance, most likely to fill room during a slow release period. Surprisingly, the game went on to perform very well, and amassed great critical acclaim for it’s deep-yet-simple design, great presentation, and feature-packed extras.
Knowing to strike when the iron is hot, Nintendo quickly brought over the sequel, and it becomes very apparent that they’ve subscribed to the “Ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy. Virtually everything about the game, from the music and graphics, to the gameplay itself, is nearly identical to its predecessor, albeit boasting even more features this time around. The term “More of the same” definitely comes to mind, although in this case, that’s certainly not a bad thing, what with the original game being so good, too.
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For those unfamilliar with the series, Advance Wars 2, like its predecessor, is a turn-based strategy game with various military units, each possessing its own strengths and weaknesses. Infantry units are weak, but can capture territories, while mechanized infantry is much more powerful but can’t travel as quickly. The balance in units is very well-designed, with the amount of territory in the player’s posession determining what funds the player has to acquire more units, thus making the more powerful units in the game, such as the new Neotank, unattainable until the player has accumulated enough funds to buy it.
Games play out on grid-like maps with varied terrain, with different terrain types giving various degrees of cover, mobility, etc. In some battles, players battle under a fog of war, making terrain like forests and reefs invaluable, being that enemies cannot see into them unless they’re right next to them.
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Another element that adds to the game is the various COs, of which this game boasts far more than its predecessor. Every CO has their own unique attributes that change the effectiveness of their troops. Sami, for example, has infantry units that can move faster and capture quicker than other COs, while Grit’s extended range and power with indirect-fire weapons makes him the ideal CO to fight enemies from afar.
Furthermore, each CO has a special ability that powers up over time, the proper use of which can turn the tide of battle. When Andy’s meter is charged, he can use a special ability to repair 20% of every unit’s HP, and Olaf can unleash a snowstorm that damages enemies and restricts their movement. Taking into consideration the COs’ various strengths and weaknesses appropriately is a key part of the game, and often playing as the right CO can make the difference between victory and defeat.
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The game’s one-player mode continues the story of Andy, Sami, and Max, members of the Orange Star army trying to repel the invasion of the the Black Hole army. In their travels, they’ll help allies in neighboring nations beat back the enemies’ forces too, and… well, that’s about it. The story, simple as it may be, is actually one of the game’s more endearing qualities, as characters seem to treat war extremely lightly, gleefully delighting in victory over the opposition, or acting mildly irritated when their army is completely wiped out. It’s difficult to tell if the game’s childish view of war was meant to be a satire, or if the game’s designers genuinely failed to realize the ludicrous trivialization of such a serious topic. Either way, it makes the game that much more interesting.
In addition to the career mode, Advance Wars 2 features a slew of additional game modes for players to spend their time on, from a challenge mode that has players attempting to conquer various pre-arranged battles, to a ton of customization elements, where the player can use points earned from winning missions to unlock new playable COs, access new maps, and change the colors of the current stable of COs. In addition, the game features a map editor and a feature-rich multiplayer mode that supports single-cartrige link play, ensuring that the gameplay will live on long after all the missions are completed.
The game’s graphics and sound are… prettymuch exactly what they were in the original. Which is to say, the graphics are anime-styled, with a clean look, and the sound is pretty good, although every now and then there’s the occasional grating tune. All in all, a pretty good presentation package that’s not particularly impressive, but still gets the job done very well.
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Really, the only major flaw this game has is that it hasn’t changed much from the first game. Aside from the new missions, the only differences between Advance Wars 1 and 2 are the new unit (The neotank), a new terrain type (I’m pretty sure the missile silo wasn’t in the first game), more COs and some extra bonus options.
As a result, really, this game is more like an “Advance Wars 1.5″ than a full-fledged sequel, although don’t let that dissuade you from buying it. Make no mistake, you’re looking at one of the most finely-tuned strategy games ever created, easily worthy of being mentioned with the same high regard as Starcraft and Age of Empires. While it may be a great deal more simple than those titles, Advance Wars 2, like its predecessor, is such a well-designed game that it promises to stand up to the test of time just as strongly.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
-Extremely well-balanced gameplay -Easy to learn, tough to master -Tons of options -Great multiplayer support |
9.0 |
| What Doesn't | |
| -Not very different from the first game | |
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| Advance Wars 2's only flaw is that it's not very different from the first game. Regardless, even those that own the first game should definitely look this game up, as it's every bit as maddeningly addictive. | |
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Tags: Advance Wars 2
Posted by Jake McNeill on Aug 13th, 2003 and is filed under GBA Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
