The later stages are tough, though-so tough that you really have to play through them with the exact strategic plan the designers had in mind you almost feel like a rat in a brain-stumping maze.
Fans will dig the insane variety-from explosive volcanoes to objectives involving pocket-sized weapons of mass destruction, and more. Is AW2 meant more for first timers, then? Luckily, that Campaign mode is one fantastic peace offering. Even the new walking-tank unit and superpowers don’t freshen up the experience. How hard would it have been to rip off ideas from any other strategy title, like burrowing tanks or demolition crews? As it is, the deja vu in AW2 hits you like a 40-megaton bomb. Veterans from the first/will be a little disappointed that the designers poured all of their energy into making the Campaign mode more interesting, and almost none into making new units, which would greatly spice up the gameplay.
I really enjoyed the first game in the series and I would say that I enjoy Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising just as much. However, I would say that there are more finer details here and in general it is just a tad better looking than its predecessor. At first glance you may think that this looks just like the first game and it does have the same style. While I feel the gameplay of Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising is accessible to those new to the genre, I do feel that it is the presentation that makes this a strategy game more people are willing to give a chance. Even Black Hole has a new arsenal which makes them more formidable than they were before. One thing that I really liked was the Neotank which is a badass ground unit which is hard to get, but once you do it is awesome. In a battle, you have to either capture the HQ of your enemy or you can just flat out kill all of them! The game has many different units and troops for you to consider and each CO has something about them and their squad that makes them special.
The game design in this regard is very, very clever. They really managed to make this a game that is very in-depth and requires some serious strategy, but at the same time it is very accessible for people new to the genre. What I love about Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising and the series, in general, is that this is a tactics-based game that anyone can play. Orange Star, Green Earth, Blue Moon, and Yellow Comet have a ton of personality, but this time you have three new CO’s joining the fight to try and stop Sturm who also has new CO’s! I do feel that as good as the story is, you need to have played the first game to really appreciate it. They are trying to take over this small continent and the Advance War CO’s from the first game are back once again to put them back in their place.
The story is pretty good and once again that pesky Black Hole is up to no good. It takes what made the first game so great and just builds on it without radically changing stuff just for the sake of doing so like so many other sequels make the mistake of doing! It goes without saying if you liked the first game, you will like this. I was blown away by the first game in the series and for me Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising on the Game Boy Advance is doing what a good sequel should.