Advance Wars (GBA)

You don't have to be a military genius to recognise that Advance Wars is one of the best strategy war games for any console. The game pits four fictional city-states in a battle for territory; your job as commanding officer is to defeat the enemies in turn-based combat over land, air and sea. Advance Wars has a stiff learning curve, but its interactive tutorials can turn the greenest GI into a great leader of pixelated men. The game also offers many multiplayer options, including the ability to play against a friend by passing the GBA back and forth, and to extend the possibilities you can also create new battlefields and trade them with others. Despite cutesy visuals, this is a very deep game that is also accessible. For GBA generals looking to flex their tactical muscles or anyone looking for a simply great GBA game, look no further. --Mark Brooks

"A frighteningly addictive, super-challenging masterpiece that'll hook anyone experiencing it. Frankly, one of the best games we've ever played."

Don't let the cartoon-like graphics and easy-to-use controls deceive you--Advance Wars is a seriously addictive strategy game. Already a huge hit in Japan, the game ramps you up and then wages an all-out war. Even after playing several campaigns and deploying an impressive array of armaments, don't be surprised if the game's extremely shrewd AI sneaks up on you. The multiplayer mode links up to four players in a variety of riveting scenarios designed to stretch your strategy skills.

Don't be deceived by the manga style graphics and easy-to-learn game play - Advance Wars is a deep and complex strategy game that has created a big stir in Japan, where they take their strategy games very seriously. In fact, games in the "Wars" series from Nintendo have appeared there on Game Boy and Super Famicom. Advance Wars is the first taste most North American gamers will have of the series, and the game is a virtual smorgasboard for strategy fans of all levels of ability.An excellent interactive tutorial drills would-be officers in everything they need to know to achieve victory on the battlefield. Once you're commissioned as a CO in the Orange Army, you can dive into one of the game's many modes.The story-driven campaign mode takes you through a series of increasingly challenging missions, leading to a showdown with an awesomely powerful enemy army. Even after you've waged multiple wars, the extremely shrewd AI will continually surprise you.The graphics, though simple, are cleverly designed to concisely convey lots of complex information. One of the coolest features of Advance Wars is the Multi-Player mode. In addition to various linked scenarios, up to four players can play "hot seat" where each player gives their units orders before passing the GBA to the next player to see the results.Even after you mastered the game's 100+ maps there's more to do. You can create your own battlefields to feed your insatiable hunger for conquest.Advance Wars is a great introduction to the strategy genre that contains enough depth even to keep grognards engaged for hours.