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54 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An instant classic returns!, September 2, 2003
This review is from: Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising (Video Game)
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.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The greatest game ever, June 11, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising (Video Game)
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.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I *love* this game!, November 8, 2003
This review is from: Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising (Video Game)
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!
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