I wouldn’t call strategy one of my favorite game genres, but it has sucked whole portions of my life away. I’ve lost countless hours to Warcraft, Civilization, X-Com and Ogre Battle 64 among others. I’m also a big fan of the board game Risk. Still, I don’t go out of my way to play strategy games. Because Wars has been a long running series in Japan, I was eager to try it; after glimpsing it at E3, I knew I had to have it. Now, Advance Wars has almost completely worked its way into my daily routine. It’s one of the best games (strategy or otherwise) that I’ve played in awhile and I’m glad I purchased it so soon after release. There’s just so much to like.

If you are not into strategy games, then this is a perfect introduction to the genre. In fact, Wars is actually simpler than most strategy games. Each mission doesn’t require a lot of set-up; you are briefed and then you move out. There’s not a lot of micro management either, troops are deployed and then are sent to attack/defend. Maps aren’t terribly big and enemy troops are usually engaged within a few turns.

Sometimes you begin with factories, where you can build units, other times you are given a set number of pre-deployed units you must make the most of. For each mission, you are graded on Technique, Power and Time. Action and speed are important but without a good plan, your campaign will fall short.

Wars is no walk in the park. You simply can’t plough your way through, deploying units willy-nilly. Even mis-hitting a button can be costly. If you end a turn prematurely or move a unit recklessly, you may find yourself in hot water suddenly. In fact, your prospects for victory can change dramatically in the course of a turn. It’s wise to save whenever things progress rosily, so you can reset and try again if things go wrong without having to completely restart.

This difficulty isn’t that imposing so it adds a lot of replay. Spreading a mission over a couple days can actually be quite satisfying, especially after finally executing a successful tactic to win the day! Once I played through a mission at least three times, trying a variety of different strategies. After taking a break and carefully rethinking possible plans, I returned to the game and emerged victoriously. Other times I’ve abandoned missions early just to try something else…

Each of the 3 Orange Star Commanding Officers (COs) have strengths & weaknesses but they are all functional and worth learning how to use. For each mission, each CO will stake out a different part of the territory so that the map & mission objectives are different depending on which CO you choose. Some are harder than others and some COs are better suited than others for particular missions. Sometimes, using a particular CO may not be working out and you may want to try another one. Be sure to give them all a try though!

The plot is anything but thick and countries of the game seemingly named after Lucky Charms marshmallows. This is so easy to overlook because Advance Wars has a fantastic style that is all its own. Considering the game is about warfare, AW is almost light hearted (not that I’m complaining). When soldiers attempt to capture territories, they hop on them Mario style. The city then gets somewhat squished, depending on how strong your troops are—pretty amusing. The characters are all lively & likeable and put on a good show. As you progress through Campaign Mode, a story unfolds that enriches the personalities of the COs, their relation to one another and the events in the game. It’s very nicely done.

The battle animations are certainly one of the best parts of AW. I have yet to turn them off (which is an option) because they’re so enjoyable to watch. If I was playing in a hurry I might opt to skip them; otherwise I’d see no reason to. The animations bring the battlefield to life. All of the troops are fairly detailed, though the real attraction is watching the facial expressions of the COs, which are entertaining & appropriate to each situation. Victories are celebrated, losses are mourned and it all looks fantastic. The expressions are anything but formulaic either and vary from match to match. There’s nothing like having a rival CO attacking confidently, only gasps in surprise at being repelled, while your CO flashes a sly grin.

Audio is another outstanding facet of Advance Wars. Each character has their own tune and all of them are great. Each track is chock full of different instruments and effects—one track even having a bomb dropping sound effect mixed in. I enjoy the soundtrack so much that during a long road trip over the weekend, I actually ended up yanking my GBA outta my backpack and listening to some of the Advance Wars music over headphones. Part of this is because my car stereo was ripped off some time ago but Wars’ soundtrack is also very catchy. Even when playing for five minutes, I’ll dig out my headphones, or jack my GBA into my computer speakers to get the full effect.

Prior to getting the game I was warned that Wars is “Advance Crack.” This is true; it’s almost TOO addictive! It is "Productivity Kryptonite.” If you have any work to do, stay far away from this game! Advance Wars will also run your batteries right into the ground. It will also adsorb you completely for hours on end. Win or lose, you’ll still be ready and rearing to play again—it’s that good. I practically had to surgically remove myself from my GBA to write these impressions! (Several times!)

I’ve been lucky enough to have a few multi-cart multiplayer matches. Obviously, it’s even more fun playing against a human opponent and there are a variety of settings when doing so. The only real “problem” with multiplayer is that because the game is turned based, a human opponent may take a bit more time to deliberate their moves. This slows down the action a bit but isn’t that much of a downer. Especially since it’s REALLY fun to face armies off against one another and be in the same room to smack talk. You can play off of one cart and with other players by passing one GBA back and forth, though I haven’t done this yet. You can also play Vs Maps with CPU opponents by yourself and this is also a lot of fun, especially with 4 armies on the field.

Wars’ playability and replay value shoot through the roof. Field Training takes quite awhile to complete but provides much-needed-yet-fun tutorial. For the Field Training missions, the lovely Nell guides you through the basic operations and then allows you finish the mission yourself. This mode also establishes the Orange Star Army and the goofy enemy Olaf… Then it’s onto campaign mode, which has several missions, more characters and immerses you further. You can also go to the War Room to try custom maps to sharpen your skills even more. Practice makes perfect. In fact, once you master the moves of your units and some of the basic strategies, Advance Wars almost plays out like a game of chess on a grander scale—especially against human opponents. The fun factor doesn’t drop in any of these modes.

With all the modes, there’s a ton to do and play through. Even making your own maps is fun! I’ve only played around with this mode a bit, though all the necessary tools are there, along with a mellow tune to help you create.

Everyone at PGC who has played Advance Wars, loves it and has raved about it. We did the same thing for Mario Kart Super Circuit, which was also by Intelligent Systems. Both games are a screaming testament to the talent of this development group. I am REALLY overjoyed that Nintendo took a chance in releasing this in the West, and I hope we get to see more of I.S. in this part of the world in the future, whatever it may be… Fire Emblem, Metroid IV (if I.S. is indeed handling it), a GameCube version of Wars or just ANYTHING - Intelligent Systems rocks da house!