Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising

"Turn-based strategy fun."

Advance wars 2 isn't much of an improvement above advance wars 1, probably because there wasn't much that needed to be improved. This game hosts a good deal of new Co's, one new unit and a myriad of maps, plus all of the maps (except for the campaign maps) from the first one. If you enjoy games like starcraft, warcraft or command and conquer, this is definitely the game for you.

Gameplay - 9/10 There is plenty of new stuff for fans of the original to come back and buy this new version. Among these new things, are the addition of one unit, and the balancing out of the old units. The new unit is called a ''Neo-Tank'' and if you played the original it's basically a Md. Tank on steroids, very cool. As for the balancing out of the units, the APCs are stronger which helps transport troops and supply other units, and the rockets and Battle ships attack has been toned down a bit. Another new item is the ''Super Co Power'' it takes longer to charge then the old Co Power, but it does a heck of a lot more.

Now if you're new to the series, the game is a turn-based strategy game. What this means is that the game resembles warcraft, you build units and attack an opponent, only the game is turn-based, allowing you to think out moves, so it's kind of like warcraft meets chess. The only difference is that you can't build any buildings, this would have added to the depth, but oh well. Instead there are cities (which give you funds for producing units), and Factories (which produce the units), they can be captured only with infantry or mech units. The goal of the game is to capture your opponent's head quarters or irradicate all of his units. In your battle against your opponent you can choose certain COs based on your strategy. Some COs have increased direct fire, while other have better troop movement. As if then each Co has it's ''Co-power'' which powers up his units for a turn allowing you to gain the upper hand if you rush your enemies base.

Sound - 8/10 The sound in this game is really nice, each Co has a different theme, as well as a theme for their Co Power and Co Super power. However these themes get old quick and some are just annoying to begin with. The noise from the units is mediocre missile/projectile type sounds, nothing out of the ordinary, it does sound pretty good on the GBA though. There is only one voice over in the entire game and that is at the end of the mission it says ''Mission Complete'' which is really nicely done, just shows how far technology really has come.

Graphics - 9/10 The graphics in the game are quite impressive for such a little system. The only time you really see any animation is in the battles. However after a few times playing the game this gets old quick. Thankfully you can turn them off in the menu, as they are boring and waste battery power.

Replay Value - 10/10 This game has replay value out the ying-yang. Like chess, even though it's the same thing over and over the challenge of the game and any ideas on new strategies keep it interesting. If that wasn't enough there is tons of unlockables that compel you to play the campaign mode over and over. There is also an ''Advance Campaign'' if you got the skills to handle it. If all that wasn't enough there is a few multi-player modes and a map-building tool so you can build your own maps, the only down-side is you can only have 3 maps saved at a time. These things will keep you coming for a long time though.

The unlockables in the game are unlocked by first completing a certain task, then buying the item in a shop. Now to get points (formally known as coins) you'll need to battle through the war room mode and the campaign mode. The things you can unlock range from new COs, new maps to different color schemes for each CO, which is kind of weird, and pretty much a waste of your points. Now depending on how well you beat a level, that's how many points you can get, 300 is the most, but you'll rarely if ever get that many. Most maps cost around 500 points and COs cost 1,500 or so.

Overall - 9/10 Overall this game has what it takes to be a great game for the GBA, this is a must have for any GBA owner or strategy game fan. With all the modes of play and maps as well as the difficulty this one will have you coming back for a long time.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/07/03