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An instant classic returns!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 52 / 52
Date: September 02, 2003
Author: Amazon User

It is a rare thing indeed to find a portable console game that has unlimited replay value. This is the reason the Advance Wars games are among the best titles released for ANY console. If you do not own a Game Boy Advance, seriously consider purchasing one solely to play these excellent turn-based strategy games.

Advance Wars 2 is similar in gameplay and mechanics to its predecessor, though it includes numerous graphical and gameplay enhancements. For those unfamiliar with the series, Advance Wars is a tactical turn-based game with emphasis placed on unit combat rather than resource gathering. Aside from the four original building types in Advance Wars (city, factory, airport, seaport) Advance Wars 2 adds missile silos and, in campaign mode, several devastating enemy structures. The CO powers, ever instrumental in turning the tide of a pitched battle, are improved with each CO possessing a 'super' power that is stronger but slower to charge. A new unit is added- the Neotank- and replaces the Md. Tank as the most powerful ground vehicle. Additionally, and best of all, new COs have been added- four Black Hole commanders, Hachi (the battlemaps guy), and one each of the other armies from the original Advance Wars.

For those who have played Advance Wars, the game will play more or less similarly, though one has to consider the new super power. A new star gauge makes it much easier to tell how close you and your enemies are to gaining their power, so you can plan accordingly. Unit and structure colors have been changed to make them more distinctive (blue and green used to look very similar). Additionally, the new COs have some very cool powers. Sensei, for example, can make 9-health infantry or mech on all his cities (Why 9-health? Well, now when you merge units you get refunded for what's left over...) Balance is somewhat attained by the amount of stars needed to charge a power, but it's still clear that some COs are better than others.

The single player campaign adds a new map layout and some non-linear features. Each country has the opportunity to find a map (gained by capturing a special city) to a secret level with a research lab. If the lab can be captured, that nation may produce the mighty Neotank in all subsequent battles. You can choose which order to complete the missions, which vary in degree of difficulty (shown by a display of 1-7 stars) and often have a chance to both pick and use multiple COs in the same action. The CO characters are pretty well developed for a strategy game, and you do get a sense of their fighting style from going through the campaign. That said, the campaign is significantly more difficult than that in Advance Wars, and there is- as in the original- a 'hard' campaign that is even more difficult. New players should be warned that it's expected you know your stuff even in the intermediate levels.

Aside from the campaign, there is vs. mode, war room, and customization. Vs. mode is practically unchanged, even down to the maps offered. There are a few extra new ones, and all of the old maps are playable from the start rather than having to be purchased. Playing the campaign or war room (again, similar to the original) gains you credits you can use to recruit new COs, allow you to edit their colors (kind of fun) and buy maps. Beating all the required missions for a particular nation allows you to buy their COs, but some (namely, Hachi, Nell, and Sturm) require additional special conditions be met. The biggest disappointment comes in the editor, where the only new things you can place are pipes and missile silos. Silos are one-time shot warheads that arguably aren't worth having, and the pipes are essentially temporary roadblocks. It would have been much nicer if you could place laser cannons, miniturrets, black cannons, or the death ray, but those are sadly only seen in campaign mode (and in your enemies' hands at that). The redeeming feature of vs. mode and map design is the new COs and the improved originals. The number of new and wicked strategies available with these are enormous- enough to delight any player.

To put it simply, Advance Wars 2 is a great successor to a great game, demonstrating that this particular franchise is only just getting rolling. It is almost certainly the best GBA game of the year, and a world of fun for new and experienced players alike.

The greatest game ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 18
Date: June 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game is awesome. The plot line is perfect. You against the alien leader, Sturm. All of the guys you destroyed are now on your team, such as Kanbei and Olaf. Plus Andy , Max, and Sami, the origanal COs. There are new guys to, such as Sensei, Colin, Hawke, Lash, and Adder. Plus new super CO powers, like Andy's is heal 5 instead of 2 plus there firepower is increased , and Max Blast makes Max's troops even better. Sami's Victory March lets you capture a city in one turn. Its great, tons of new stuff like the pipeline, the all powerful neotank and even a missle silo, which lets you attack anyone of your enemy's troops. Plus all the maps, and the design map ability make this an AWESOME game. I'm buying it the very sec it appears in stores on June 23, yeah, the 23rd, not the 26th like they say.

Among the Elite

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: July 15, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Advance Wars was what I thought to be the best game made for GameBoy Advance until Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising came along and blew it out of the water. This game deserves much more than 5 stars. Don't listen to the advice the review titled: Science-Fiction + War Tactics = Blah has to give. For if you read it closely enough you'd realise that this person hasn't even bought the game! I quote: "after all the reviews and coverages I've read about this game the only new unit is the horrible neo-tank. That is why it deserves a 2." This statement is parshally true though because even though the Neo-tank is the only new unit in the game it is far from "horrible". Infact it's the best unit in the game and it looks quite cool. But there are many other aspects to this game which make it better than Advance Wars. I'll name them: the plot is much more interesting, theres many more levels, you get to be all of the new and old CO'S, theres a new building which is a Missle Silo (you can only fire each of them once though), you can buy maps much easierly, theres more data on your hands, and finally each CO has 2 powers a regular one and a Super one. (I think I may have missed a couple of new aspects to the game.) Well that sums it up hope this review helped you.

I *love* this game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 12
Date: November 09, 2003
Author: Amazon User

When I was in college in the early 90s, I played a game on a Mac called "Strategic Conquest." Since then, I have been desperate to find a similar game for any of my (non-Mac) platforms. When I learned about Advance Wars, I knew my search was over. Now, having played through Advance Wars, I knew I wanted ... more. And I found it in Advance Wars 2. In fact, Advance Wars was one of the main reasons I purchased the Game Boy Player for my Game Cube.

My wife doesn't get it, but there is something addictive about "Just one more turn, and I'll get 'em." I like the fact that you can stop and save anywhere on your turn, before or after you've moved a piece, and continue where you left off. If you think about it, it's also nice that you can save your campaign, allow a friend to play a map in the war room, and play a multi-player game, each independently saved without interfering with the other. I don't mean that you can play all three at the same time, just that three separate game formats can be saved.

Since others have talked about new features and the new NeoTank, and have done a great job, I'd like to offer suggestions for AW3, if ever it will come out. I'd like to be able to return to a scenario I've passed in Campaign mode. Be warned: if you complete the final battle on a continent before you've completed all the other battles, you cannot return to the other (nonfinished) battles. I feel that having to decide on trying for a better score versus continuing/finishing the Campaign has always led me to finish the campaign, sometimes ignoring the negative effect on my score, especially if it was a long, hard fought victory.

I buy a lot of puzzle and adventure games. I don't go for twitch, but rather strategy and more power. This game is practically the only game I play over and over and over again, and each time is different.

Should you buy this game? Undoubtably. Now, if I can find someone nearby, my age (>30) to multiplayer, I'll be even happier!

i hate strategy games

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 17
Date: September 14, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I usually hate strategy games. But one time i was at my friends house and we were really bored and i picked up his gba and advance wars 2 was inside. So i started playing it. I was hooked! i couldn't stop playing. Its npot extemely complicated like FF tactics and stuff like that. Its fun. Plus you can make your own map, buy new stuff, and theres a whole bunch of other awsome stuff that i havnt tried yet. But the campaighn mode alone is enough to give this gave a 5 out of 5. until then, game over.

One of the very best games ever for GBA

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: April 08, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Advance Wars 1 was a massive sleeper hit. You wouldn't think that the Gameboy Advance would be condusive to making a strategy game, but Advance Wars 1 & 2 proves that wrong.

Of all the games I own, this and WarioWare are the only two that still get near daily or weekly play well over a year after their release. Advance Wars contains an insane amount of replay value. After beating the single player campaign you can unlock the Hard campaign. In some cases the Hard campaign is just the same maps from the regular game with more enemy units, in other cases it's a completely new map.

If that's not enough, as you play you gain coins you can use to buy battle maps. You can play a battle map against a specific foe, tuned to that map, or load up a Vs. map and play against anyone you'd like on any map. Over 150 maps you can unlock. And you can even create your own maps!

This game has great multiplayer too. You can play with just one cartridge and two gameboys with a link cable, although you're limited to small maps. If everyone has Advance Wars you can play any map with the cable that you've unlocked. However that wasn't enough for these guys, and they made a single gameboy multiplayer mode too! So you and a buddy can play (easiest to set it to fog of war, but you have control over all aspects of the game rules) and just pass the gameboy back and forth.

The simple fact is that this is one of the best games ever made for the gameboy. There's so many maps to play, the two main campaigns, and each game is different based on which CO you have commanding your forces. The fact I'm still playing this long after its release, is a testament to it's value.

A must have for any GBA owner!

Tactics for Machinery

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: May 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Advance Wars 2 simply sticks out among other tactical games. Instead of fighting in a fantasy type world with magic and swords, you battle against tanks, troops, aircrafts, and submarines.
Options:
In Advance Wars 2, there are many options available at the menu screen. These options include, Story Mode, Versus Mode, and an area where you can create your own maps to play against the computer player with. You can link up your GBA and play against your friends as well.
Gameplay:
The gameplay seems quite complex at first, but it really is quite simple. You win a round by either eliminating all the enemies or capturing all of their buildings. During each turn, you can move any one of your allies once. You move them in the allotted space given to you. During your turn, you can attack and enemy, attempt to capture a building, approach and enemy, or simply run away. How you move your army around is pure tactics, but when you are complete, the enemy gets their turn against you.

Graphics:
The graphics in Advance Wars 2 are colorful and even detailed. When looking at the full map with the entire battalions lay out, it is full of color, but not too much detail. However, much like Fire Emblem, when there is a 1 on 1 combat between forces, they zoom into the battle for a much detailed and animated look.
Sound:
Also well done here. The music played though out is consistent and has more of a rock, (electric guitar) type music. It still fit the feel of this game quite well.

This game is highly addictive and a great addition to any GameBoy Advance collection.

If this game is of interest, check out these titles on the GBA as well:
Fire Emblem
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Advance Wars

Maximum Gaming Experience!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: July 20, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Ever wished you had a game that had great graphics, addicting gameplay, multiple lands, various war machines, and lots of characters with unique stats and abilities. It sounds hard to believe, but I am putting Advance Wars 2 at the top of my favorite game list. The thing is, although it appears to be a hardcore war simulation game, you don't even have to be a war fan to enjoy this game. It is like a giant game of chess, with certain pieces that have certain limits to them, but allows tons of variation depending on your strategy. And don't worry about finishing it in a week. Oh, no.... The main one-player mission mode, (Campaign mode), is fairly challenging and will take at least a week and a half to finish. But that is not the hardest part. If you are still really into the game, once you beat it, a Hard Campaign mode is opened. In this mode, most of the missions are similar, with about 4 new one, but almost all the other ones have been modified and made significantly harder. I honestly have not beaten the games Hard mode yet, but it is still fun to play, hoping one day, it can be finished.

The review so far makes it sound like a hard, impossible game, tedious and discouraging. Please don't look at this game in that way. If you get frustrated at the main mode, you can try your luck in the War Room, a mode in which the only objective is to eliminate the enemy or take HeadQuarters. If this isn't your cup of tea, you can design your very own map, with almost no limitations. Other features include a Versus mode, where you can link or use one GBA and pass it around to players, allowing the full game with all of the features to be played. If you link with one game pack, you can do a limited battle of which the computer creates for you. My advice is either to link with someone who has the game, or to use the one GBA method and pass it around. (Another option is always to buy the GB player for GameCube and play it on the TV, making it so you don't have to pass around the system. This is my favorite way anyway. But most likely, alot of people don't have all of this, so stick with what you have.)

You may be wondering if there are any "secrets" or "unlockables". I honestly have not played the first Advance Wars, but I know Advance Wars 2 has LOTS of unlockables. Using points you earn in Campaign mode, (or double in Hard Campaign), you can shop at the BattleMap shop. It has things such as CO's, (Commanding Officers, also known as "characters",), alternate colors for the CO's, extra maps for the War Room, and other goodies. Certain objects will only be availabe for purchase in the shop once certain requirements have been reached, so try everything.

This game may sound overwhelmingly hard, but it is only as hard as you want it to be. True enough, to fully beat the Hardest 1-Player mode, a lot of time, effort, and strategy will be needed. Of what I've seen of AW1, AW2 is more like a giant upgrade then a "new" game. It has twice the one player modes, a more in depth one player mode, a few new units, about a half dozen new characters, and a design room. If you have Advance Wars and don't like it, don't get this one. But if you are at all interested in Strategy Games, War games, beautifully graphical games, or just a great multiplayer game, get this game. And if you saw or have Advance Wars 1, and are at all interested in it, the 2nd one is definately worth it. A GREAT game, 5 stars.

-Crimson Phoenix

More of the same - And that's a good thing

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 11
Date: May 20, 2004
Author: Amazon User

One of the earliest games Nintendo released for the Game Boy Advance is the often-overlooked Advance Wars. At the dawn of the system, gamers seemed more concerned with the Mario and Castlevania games released at the launch. That was a real shame, since Advance Wars was an excellent game. So excellent, in fact, that Nintendo released a sequel! Read on for my review of Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising.

PROS:
-THE GAME IS EXTREMELY UNIQUE. What this game does is takes real-time strategy and fuses it with the battle engine of a strategic-style RPG. The end result is very good - and I don't like either one of those types of games!
-YOU CAN LINK UP AND BATTLE A FRIEND! Not only can you and a buddy link up and battle, but you can also do a single-pak link! This means only one person needs to have a copy of the game (of course, the features will be more limited than with a multi-pak link, but this feature is awesome nonetheless.)
-TONS OF REPLAY VALUE. Even once you complete a mission, you can go back and replay it in an attempt to achieve a better rank. Combine that with all the different combat vehicles/characters and the ability to link up, and you've got a ton of replay value at hand!

CONS:
-THE DIFFICULTY LEVEL OF THE GAME IS HORRIBLY IMBALANCED. You'll find yourself at times in extremely easy combat missions, but before you know it you'll be thrown into extremely difficult ones. The varied challenge level may appeal to some gamers, but if you're new to this kind of thing, it may turn you off.
-THE GAME ISN'T FOR EVERYBODY. Let's face the facts, a good majority of gamers want straight-up action games, not these turn-based ones.
-MORE OF THE SAME. Let me put it simply - If you liked the original game, you'll like this game too. If you didn't, it's safe to say there's nothing here that will change your mind.

OVERALL:
Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising is an underrated portable gaming masterpiece. This, my friends, is one of those games that you have to play to be able to fully appreciate. Don't overlook it like so many other gamers have - you'll only be hurting yourself!

Keeps you busy for hours

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: November 26, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I borrowed this game and found myself unable to return it but I had to. Let me say this, it'll kill batteries on your GBA. It is so good that the battery life could be used just by having this one game. You could have just this game and need batteries on road trips and things. Let me tell why: You may think, 'Ungh, strategy.' But this game keeps it fun. You must earn points to build units and either try to capture all the cities and or the enemy HQ or destroy the whole army. The game also has helpful info so you dont need the instruction booklet. This one, though, has more strategy involved than the first. With the added NeoTank and the terrain factor (mountains, trees, etc.) your brain could fry. But it would be a good fry. You can make your own battle maps, fight single campaigns or whole campaigns and go against friends. The whole campaign (story mode) tends to get tedious because there is alot of text and you can't just keep pressing A and zipping through. It should reccomend to try the War Room for tutoring. But if you get through it, it'll stop after a while. That is one thing that they should improve if there is a third Advance Wars. Still, I reccomend buying the first one too, then you can double your intake and take in both adventures. This'll make car rides zip by and make a boring afternoon exciting. You'll get so into it you'll tell your friends all your progress and get hyper about it. Buy it along with the first one, you wont be dissapointed (with most of it). I give it 5 stars because you can go around the flaws.

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