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Advance Wars Review Mini

by Daan Koopman - April 7, 2014, 2:19 am EDT
Total comments: 2

9

War has changed, but strategy titles always have a strong place in my heart.

I have to be frank here and say that I never played an Advance Wars game before. When it originally released, I wasn't really into strategy games. Those times are now past me and I was ready to tackle the challenges that they presented. After finishing it, I instantly regret not giving it a shot 12 years ago. Advance Wars is not only an enjoyable venture, but also one I won't forget for the months to come.

You start off the game by doing the Field Training missions, which give you a good idea of what the game has on offer. Just like the Fire Emblem games, Advance Wars is a turn-based strategy game in which you perform actions with your units. You move about on a grid, and placing units requires careful thought. You have a variety of units on display—each perform differently depending on the location you place them. A good example is how the soldiers perform better and have a higher defense rate in the mountains. After all the placing has concluded, you end your turn and let your opponent do the same.

Confrontations are decided with those locations and units in mind, and you have to bring the number of a particular unit down to zero. If done successfully, you will open the way for more movement options, but also be a step closer to your end goal. This usually ends in you taking over the enemy base, resulting in an instant victory for your team. Of course, you have to protect your base as you overtake smaller buildings to raise your income and build more troops to secure the victory. It makes for an interesting dynamic that keeps you going all the way to the end. Advance Wars can be a bit harsh at times, but it is always fair and you can only blame yourself if you fail.

Once you completed the Field Training and learn everything about the adventure, the game will open up more to you. There is an entertaining campaign in which you play three different commanding officers, who try to save the day and destroy their opponents. The banter between these characters is fun and I had a blast experimenting with each character's special abilities. There are War Rooms, in which you tackle smaller maps with a commander at your side and try to set the best score possible. Finally, for the lone player, there is the Advance Campaign if you managed to complete the regular course of action. It will challenge you further.

Surprisingly enough there is also the Vs. Mode, which sadly can't be played online. You can play it, however, by passing around the controller. This can be done easier than ever due to the Wii U GamePad. This way, you won't see the opponent's moves. To expand the game and give it more replayability, you can purchase maps with the money you have earned and you can even design your own with the Design Maps option. These maps can used in the Vs. mode, making the possibilities quite endless.

Advance Wars still proves an entertaining time and is a must-have for everyone in love with the strategy genre. While the game can be a bit harsh at times, it is always fair and plays quite solid after all. The variety of modes on display is impressive, but it is slightly annoying that the Link Cable options have not been replaced by something else. Despite that, there is no reason not to pick up Advance Wars and having a blast destroying your opponents.

Summary

Pros
  • Bit harsh but always fair
  • Solid strategy action
  • Variety of modes
Cons
  • No replacement for Link Cable options

Talkback

This was kinda a refreshing read, as I came back to he original Advance Wars after I had played Dual Strike and even a bit of Black Hole Rising, and honestly it's a little hard. not as hard as playing say... Famicom wars or such, but some of the COs in future games have a lot of inventive perks to them, and for a lot of the original Advance Wars, you're mostly using Andy, Sami and Max, whom outside of Max I'm not the biggest fans of.

At least in Black Hole Rising, they trade out the lack of variety in playable COs during the campaign for lack of variety in enemy COs since that game is all about a new Nation that the other 4 band together to take on.

Diet CakeJune 18, 2014

I hope this series gets more recognition because of this.  It's such a fantastic series.

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Genre Strategy
Developer Intelligent Systems
Players1

Worldwide Releases

na: Advance Wars
Release Apr 03, 2014
PublisherNintendo
RatingEveryone
eu: Advance Wars
Release Apr 03, 2014
PublisherNintendo
aus: Advance Wars
Release Apr 04, 2014
PublisherNintendo
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