Advance Wars [GBA]

There's a war on the horizon, a skirmish of terrible fear and magnitude. It's a war of tactics, of firepower, of sacrifice. This war is not being fought for politics, or for finance and land acquisitions, or for glory. This battle is being fought for fun. America is taking a cautious approach to the glory of this battle, but Japanese gamers are all ready to engage with tanks, helicopters, and men of honor in a Game Boy Advance war sim like you've never seen before.

Features

• Turn-based war strategy with a dramatic flair for character
• Decimate your opponent with tanks, cannons, planes, helicopters, and heavy artillery
• Four player war to end all war with Link Play
Only for Game Boy Advance

Intelligent System's long running Wars series, which streched out from the original Famicom Wars to the SNES Super Famicom Wars, a N64 version called 64Wars, and a popular Game Boy Color series called GameBoy Wars, is taking a gigantic leap with the Game Boy Advance version -- now back under the Nintendo banner, the game is looking like a romanticized and exuberant strategy title in top form, with more graphic representations of battles and a slew of commander characters to flesh the game out.

Unfortunately, only realistic War Strategy sims tend to make it to America -- even under the smaller and more risky publishing arm of Hudson, the anime-influenced GameBoy Wars were left behind on the battle lines. Too bad, since these strategy games (futuristic board games that make board games like Risk look like Tic-Tac-Toe) are instantly addictive and infinitely deep. The Game Boy Advance version also looks to be a wash-out for American gamers, but with such stunning battle sequences and possibilities for interconnected gameplay (four-player Link Mode battles are now blowing out in gameplay, and this version might even connect to a future CubeWars version like how GB Wars 2 would have hooked into 64Wars with the Transfer Pak), there might finally be enough interest in the design for American game players to enlist.

If nothing else, the Game Boy Advance version sure wows gamers over with flair. Strategy sims tend to be stodgy and hushed, but the jump to more expressive attack animations makes the game seem much more exciting -- something even the N64 version couldn't boast with semi-realistic polygon tanks. The anime influence -- making the graphics cartoonish but vibrant and alive ala Metal Slug with oversized tanks and soldiers -- giving the game a fire and passion with character like few other War Strategy titles have reached for. The visuals are striking, making war look... fun. Of course, the silly graphics also make it less likely for an American release, where strategy games have typically gone for more realistic interpretations line Kessen and Starcraft, but GameBoy Wars Advance isn't a realtime strategy game -- it's a turn-based strategy title, kind of like a board game with pieces smart enough to launch attacks over the table, and with plenty of keen effects than even a Pop-o-Matic board game couldn't distract you from. Hopefully this variant might help convince Nintendo that some form of this game could work in America. We'll have to see with the gameplay.

Looking closer at the game's battlefield, we can see the difference the Game Boy Advance has made. Instead of simple icons on the battlefield, the design team has been able to add a full game map with more traditional RPG-like figures and hills. Unfortunately, the pieces still aren't arranged as complexly as a more involving strategy title -- no hexagonal or fractured pieces like in Hudson's Military Madness, and no rolling hills or complex architecture to truly simulate a war like in Koei's Kessen or Nintendo's own Napoleon. There's only a simple square-tile board with flat surfaces and a few mountain or tree obstacles. However, remember that the game is more of a board game strategy title than a true war sim, so while a more realistic approach would have been welcome, the core gameplay proves itself at its essence. Also, the re-creation of the cites in GameBoy Wars Advance is much more complex and realistic than previous GB Wars, and (as seen in a later shot down below) the game field has oceans and streams running through areas to split offensives as players try to conquer land, sea, and air.

We'll have to put in some serious gameplay in this one to see if it's got the firepower to blow away American gamers, but we should be getting that chance when Nintendo releases this game in Japan somewhere in the summer.

--Marc Nix

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