Advance Wars (GBA) (Advance Wars (GBA))

Member Name: thole09

Product:	Advance Wars (GBA)
Date:	23/04/09 (21 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gameplay, Graphics, Sound

Disadvantages: Turn based gameplay can come across as slower at times

"Advance Wars" is a video game released for the Gameboy Advance in 2002 by Nintendo. It is a turn based strategy game with a military focus. In the United States, the game received a rating of "E" by the ESRB panel which deemed it suitable for all ages.

Advance Wars broke new ground at the time of its release. The idea of turn based strategy games is not one which really saw much success in any application for any platform, but was released with considerable success after some initial lag. It wasn't until critics gave the game blinding reviews that its popularity skyrocketed and the game accumulated a diverse userbase. The game itself is a military strategy game which allows the player full control over a military force. He or she can deploy land, sea and air forces in attempts to eliminate the enemy from play. The game is presented from an overhead view and the map is somewhat representative of a grid. The player's units each feature stamina points which designates the amount of terrain or blocks one can cover in a certain turn before requiring rest. Units are also subject to range that must be taken into consideration when placing an attack; smaller infantry units will not be able to target other units with the same range as heavy tanks, for example.

The graphics of this title are simple though excellent in their implementation. Colour seems to have been a guiding requirement of this game as each team is designated a certain colour for on screen differentiation. It is also easy to distinguish between various terrain including road and dirt, as deploying units in these areas can impact on stamina points slightly (a unit can move easier on concrete than on dirt). The audio of this title is also of an excellent standard featuring numerous bass heavy compositions to really highlight the intensity of battles raging on.

Overall, Advance Wars is an excellent title worthy of purchase by a prospective buyer. It is a very well thought out game and comes across as such in the very in depth game play the player would experience.

Summary: Thumbs up