With all the hoopla concerning this game I finally decided to check it out and was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I was so hooked that I picked up Advance Wars 2 as well and I'm enjoying that too. This was a genre that I hadn't played for a long while and I remember not liking it very much way back when.

Now, that I've found out that it can actually be fun and addictive does anyone have any other recommendations for this type of game?

The Strategy genre is more suited for the PC due to the keyboard/mouse interface. On consoles, strategy games that are built from the ground up are better than PC ports, although they're a rare breed.

On GBA, you also want to check out Orge Battle and the upcoming FF Tactics and Onimusha Tactics.

My two favorite turn-based strategy games are both for the PC: Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri and Heroes of Might & Magic II. I haven't played Advance Wars (I have the ROM somewhere though), but from what I understand, neither of these 2 games are anything like it. They aren't even anything like each other, but they're still awesome and worth picking up. If you're lucky, you can find a copy of SMAC in the discount CD-ROM section of your local Best Buy or CompUSA. Heroes II can be found in one of several Heroes of Might & Magic bundles.

Golden Sun and Golden Sun 2.

The PC was where I first tried the games a long time ago. I guess they were a bit too complex for me. What I liked about Advance Wars was that it broke the genre down to its simplest components. I keep trying to give Final Fantasy Tactics a playthtough but for some reason it never keeps my interest.

On the GBA, Tactics Ogre.

Upcoming on consoles is a tactical RPG: Gladius. There was a demo in a recent OXM.

Tactics Ogre for the GBA is pretty sweet. It's very involved so be ready to invest a lot of time in it. Final Fantasy Tactics should be good as well. Anyone know when that's getting released?

All the other real gems are on the PC though. As someone mentioned already, Alpha Centauri is fantastic. Civ. 2 is very good as well despite it's age. Steer clear of Civ. 3 though.

That's a nice way to describe Advance Wars. I too appreciate the simplicity but I also appreciate the complexity of classic TBS games. I suggest you give Alpha Centauri a try. One of the strong points of that game is its complexity.

The Golden Suns aren't even close to the Turn-Based Strategy category; they're straight-up Japanse RPGs.

One noteworthy series not mentioned yet is the Vandal Heart series on Playstation.

Master of Orion is great. I have heard the 3rd is just OK, not sure about the 2nd but I enjoyed the first one immensely.

The Advance Wars games are great, but they're basically just a rehash of the Military Madness / Nectaris games from the TG-16 and PS1. If you want something very similar to Advance Wars, any of the games from that series are worth playing.

If you're looking to try a combination of TBS and RPG, Front Mission 3 on the PS1 is excellent.

Front Mission 3 is good, but it's extremely short.

Actually, Advance Wars is a sequel to a Japanese NES game called "Famicom Wars" which predates the games you mention by several years.

Would the Civilization series of games count? Or are you looking for only the military part?

Final Fantasy Tactics
Worms World Party

The best turn-based games on the PC are also franchises:
Master of Orion (2nd one is best)
Civilization (2nd one is best)
Heroes of Might & Magic (3rd is best)
Alpha Centauri

turn based games on consoles are fine, but are overly simplistic compared to PC turn based games (which is either a good or bad thing, depending on your personal preferences)

HOMM is absolutely brilliant and very very addictive. I'll pick up 4 eventually, but for the moment, 3 is near perfect. Great graphic, challenge, strategy, variable difficulty levels, and tons and tons of maps.

Heroes of Might and Magic

I'm suprised that a compilation for HOMM4 is not available yet...

X-Com: UFO Defense is the single greatest turn based game ever. It is an old one so see what you need to get it to run on your PC, but there isn't a better one around.

I would also second (or third) Alpha Centauri, but X-Com was still better.

I think that was the actually the one I played way back when. That was at a time when I expected my computer games to be a bit more action-oriented and fast-paced so it kind of threw me off. I gave the demo of Alpha Centauri a go when it was released and I swear I'm just not smart enough for that game. Perhaps I have enough patience now to give it a go again.

Fire of Emblem is great game too

I liked Advance Wars 1 and 2, but nothing beats Military Madness and the PS sequel, Nectaris.

The Age of Wonders series is very good also, if you want a swords and sorcery setting.

I thought the Age of Wonders games were RTS? Am I wrong?

We have a winner!!!

So did I. Someone confirm, because I would love another great turn based game.