Advance Wars (GBA)

The game itself is a turn-based strategy game where you take control of the standard range of military units like submarines, bombers, choppers, infantry, tanks, artillery etc. Where competing C.O.'s battle for territory, i.e. cities, factories and airbases which they capture using infantry. There are neat little battle sequences and a lot of different terrain types each with their own defense, movement and visibility factors. There are even weather effects and ammo/fuel supplies which you need to take advantage of if you want to win.

Also, there are four graphical variations of each units; these are merely eye candy, but each unit is different in the battle animation for each of the 4 nations.There are also several unique C.O.'s, which have their own disadvantages and advantages, and even a C.O. power they can use to repair their units, make them more powerful, move faster etc, depending on which C.O. they're using. Some C.O.s have a better artillery range, while some excel in air combat, which adds a layer to the strategy you must use against them.

Overall, a very good have with almost infinite replayability thanks to its map editor and varied units, terrain and C.O.'s.

Gameplay: 4/5, may get boring for some, but still good

Graphics: 4/5, not really breakign any boundaries, but the battle animations are nice.

Replayability: 5/5, There's a map editor, 'War Room' (skirmish) mode, extended campaign and multiplayer..

Sound: 4/5, each C.O. gets their own theme music and the battle sounds are ok, but the music can get irritating.

Overall: 5/5, replayability tips the balance, I would have given it 6/5 if I could.

Cons: umm.. Well it eats up batteries

There are three player characters to choose from, each with their own unique special ability. These abilities can only be used by charging up your power. This is done by causing the enemy enough damage.

Depending on how well you perform in each mission, you are awarded a varying amount of money. This money can be used to buy additional game maps for both single player and multiplayer. There are also other surprises to unlock.

Multiplayer adds an entirely different experience to the game. Firstly, there are three different multiplayer methods. The game can be played using multi game packs, one game pack or taking turns on one GBA. The thing that makes multiplayer so different to single player is fog of war. You can only see what is within the sight range of each of your units. This is also affected by the terrain. There are several types of terrain; grass, road, forest, mountain and water. Each has different strategic advantages and disadvantages, and not all units can go on all types of terrain.

To top it all off, there is also a map editor, which allows you to create custom maps. You can save these maps, and trade them via gamelink with your friends.

This is easily the best GBA game I've played so far. It's easy to get into, and highly addictive. Great replayability. I highly recommend it.

If that has not convinced you otherwise, the unanimous reviews on the web should,
CVG:9/10, Gamespot:9.1/10, IGNpocket:9.9/10, AdvanceGB:10/10, GBadventure:10/10, GamecubeAdvanced:9/10, GBAcentral:10/10, N-Sider:29/30