War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!
Andy and the gang from the Orange Star Army thought they had seen the end of General Sturm and the Black Hole Army at the end of Advance Wars, but the evil general has come back, and ready to avenge his previous defeat. General Sturm has already created a new base of operations, and has set his sights on taking over the Cosmo Land. It’s up to you to unite the armies of Cosmo Land and work together to defeat Sturm and the Black Hole Army once and for all.
Sound Off!
We’ll be honest right from the outset and say that the improvements to Advance Wars 2 do not constitute the use of the number 2 in its title. A more appropriate title would have been Advance Wars DX, as Advance Wars 2 feels more like an add-on pack than a true sequel. You could use the old adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, but it’s your $69.95, and the truth is that the improvements in Advance Wars 2 aren’t enough for non-hardcore fans of the original to seek a purchase. Changes have been implemented, but most of them are buried deep inside the game and won’t be noticeable to 90% of the players of the original game.
Advance Wars 2 features an entirely new campaign, new COs from five different armies, the new Neotank unit, as well as a new box and new instruction manual. The basic game formula remains entirely the same – command an army of units to achieve certain objectives with in a set number of turns. Objectives usually consist of defeating all units or taking over the enemy HQ, but are not limited to that. The turn based nature of the title is superb for a handheld, as the ability to save at any point in the battle makes it a perfect portable game. The tactics and strategy in Advance Wars 2 are very deep, as each unit has its advantages under certain conditions and against certain other units, while the COs (commanding officers) have different attributes (in regards to unit strength, movement, range, etc.) which will affect the way you need to plan the battle. Each CO has his or her own CO power, which is designed to throw the balance of the battle in your favour.
Advance Wars 2 also has a variety of different play modes. The Campaign is the main story mode which details the exploits of the Orange Star Army and their allies in their war with the Black Hole army. As you complete missions in the campaign, you’ll be ranked on your performance, and receive points for your ranking which can be spent in the map room. These maps can be used in the War Room, which is essentially a single player skirmish mode. If you don’t like the default map types, you can create your own using the Map Editor. Finally, there is support for up to four players in multiplayer, which you can use your created maps as well as the ones you earn in the map room for. Multiplayer also supports single cart and multi cart modes, so up to four players can play off the one cartridge.
If you’re looking for a game which will last you a long time, Advance Wars 2 will certainly suffice. The main campaign is lengthy and there are tons of maps to purchase in the map room as well as the ability to make your own, not to mention the multiplayer possibilities. It’s probably the game with the most content and potential for long term play currently available on the Game Boy Advance.
The Fog of War
Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising’s graphics are a carbon copy of the original, though a few font changes have been made, some CO portraits have been re-drawn, and the look of the menus have changed. The style is simplistic, yet functional. Sprites are neatly drawn, and the backgrounds do their intended purpose. The game never skips a beat, even when the screen is filled to the brim with the various units.
The audio has also been left untouched, as all of the tracks from the first game have made it into the second. There are a few new tracks, but these are well hidden. Sound effects are relatively minimal, mainly sounds of guns going off, vehicles moving and exploding, and so on. All audio is clear and crisp, though we recommend the use of headphones, as always.
The War is not over
Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising is every bit as good as the original game is – well, technically, it’s every bit that the original game was too, just with a few minor additions and changes. If you’ve played the original game, you should skip over this iteration, as only the really hardcore players of the first Advance Wars will notice the gameplay differences, and appreciate the new CO’s and the Neotank (unless you’re absolutely desperate for a new campaign). Anyone who’s new to the GBA, or didn’t play the original game should add 1.5 to the final score, and shouldn’t hesitate in purchasing Advance Wars 2, as it is one of the best handheld games ever created.
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