Advance Wars: 1 or 2?

[Luke M]

I recently aquired a GBA, and I've heard good things about the Advance Wars series. Which version would you guys recommend to someone with very little experience with TBS games? I know that 1 allows for 4 player games on a single GBA; does 2 also allow this? Hope so...

[Greg Kasavin]

There's story continuity between the games, and the sequel is tougher than the original, so it's best to start with the original if you have a choice. But that doesn't at all mean the sequel's a bad place to start. Both games do a great job of gradually explaining all the units and rules in the context of gameplay, and gameplay-wise, they're similar. The Advance Wars games are actually a great way to get into turn-based strategy, in addition to being outstanding games in their own right. The fact that they're playable on a portable GBA makes them all the better.

[Jason McCullough]

1 doesn't let you turn off the damned combat animations, though. Go with 2.

[Chris Nahr]

It sure does! Go with 1, then 2, then Fire Emblem.

[Luke M]

Are the more puzzle oriented missions of AW 2 really that annoying? I don't care to replay missions over and over until I find the 1 correct move at any given turn, but it doesn't matter that much as long as their is a skirmish mode that lets me play against AI.

[Dave Perkins]

I didn't find any of AW2's missions to be annoying at all.

[Shiroko]

I found AW2 to be twice as fun on the GBA, you get much more versatility in the singleplayer campaign.

-Shiroko