If you go back in Japanese video-game history about 20 years, you’ll find a gem of a turn-based strategy game called Nectaris, which was on a game system that was popular at the time called PC Engine (made by Hudson Soft, which was better known for the Bomberman series). The title differed from its similar predecessors, because it supplemented the “hex” board gameplay with arcade-like animation of unit movements, as well as the battles that took place between enemy units. It was a nice mix of thought-provoking strategy and entertaining smash-em-up visuals. And if you are familiar with Nintendo’s Advance Wars games, there’s a good chance that they were inspired by Nectaris.
A short time after, NEC partnered with Hudson to bring the PC Engine to North America, where it was called the TurboGrafx-16. The assumption was that the system would achieve the same success as it had in Japan, where it was the best-selling system versus Sega’s Mega Drive (known here as Genesis). Of course, all this time later, we know the end of the story was that Genesis and its mascot Sonic took TG-16 out in that console generation.
One thing to note, though, is that Nectaris was one of the games converted from its Japanese version, though it was called Military Madness on this side of the Pacific.
Flash forward to today: We’re on the verge of seeing Military Madness again, this time as an Xbox Live Arcade release. Hudson gave us a look at the XBLA version at the recent Game Developers Conference, and even handed the controls to us for a short tryout.
The movement phase shows you how far a unit can go.
For those familiar with the PC Engine/TG-16 original, you’ll be happy to know that the XBLA take is a remake with the same maps and units. It’ll also feature the same story, which centers around a revolt between factions for who will control the Moon—a valuable outlet for resources, considering Earth is no longer able to handle “Man’s insatiable needs.”
While the new Military Madness will match many aspects of the original, it will certain feature enhancements, thanks to the Xbox 360’s powerful hardware. Mainly this will come in the form of 3-D rendered graphics that adds to the presentation quality. It also seems that there’s been some added animations in certain sections, so there’s more to watch when things happen. In the main movement screens, the 3-D rendering means you have full control over the camera to rotate and zoom in to better keep track if your troops and your opponent’s army—well, and it looks much cooler.
The single-player campaign takes you through scenarios on the game’s 16 maps. It’s not only important to get your units in close proximity to the enemy, so you can attack them, but there are also enhancements when you’re on better terrain (obviously, being at a higher altitude than your foe should provide an advantage) or if you’re getting support from nearby units (having units adjacent provides ups the offensive and defensive rankings).
The best part of the game is its multiplayer support, which makes it somewhat of an endless challenge. Up to four players can compete in local or online contests, with AI armies filling in any blanks. Matches can be head-to-head or team vs. team, with the host able to set limits on how many minutes a game will last (with each turn draining from the clock total, much like a chess timer) and the maximum number of turns players will get. On local games, you can either play with multiple controllers or use one controller in a “hot potato” mode. You can also speed up the animations, so you’re not having to spend as much time watching turns play out, if you want to concentrate on the battle action.
Military Madness looks like another fun classic title being added to XBLA’s growing catalog. Hudson is currently targeting the third quarter for the game to hit Xbox Live Marketplace, and we’ll bring you any updates as we receive them.
Military Madness is an engaging and interesting take on turn-based military strategy. Nintendo fans here are likely familiar with Advance Wars. The series has been published by the Big N on the Game Boy Advance and the DS, and features unit-directing grid-based combat on the level of a much more complicated game of chess. Military Madness is made from the same mold. This game came to the TurboGrafx just as the '90s were being born, and brought with it the same style of gameplay that faithful Nintendo followers wouldn't get to experience for themselves until 2001.
There are a few key differences – Advance Wars has a square grid overlaying its tactical terrains, but Military Madness honeycombs each arena with hexagons. The setting is a bit different, too, as AW is mostly modern in its units and environments, while MM takes place in the future, on the moon. Fighting on the lunar surface doesn't make much of a gameplay difference – you'd think the one-sixth Earth's gravity might make driving a Panzer a bit of a tougher job – but there are plenty of other ways Military Madness innovates, in its way.
The first is in its terrain recognition. Your units get a bonus to both their offensive and defensive potential based on the defensibility of their position – taking the higher ground and attacking an enemy stranded on an open plain means a considerable advantage for your troops. Yeah, whatever, old news, right? Advance Wars does that too. But Advance Wars doesn't do innovation number two, which is additional combat bonuses applied by the proximity of other units.
Normally you'd think that unit-based combat is one-dimensional. One unit slugs it out with one other unit, each exchange happening independent of any others. But in Military Madness your forces get more powerful if they attack near their allies – if my tank squad attacks the enemy's foot soldiers, its assault will cause more casualties if another, friendly tank squad is sitting just one space over. It makes sense. Call it a morale boost, or flanking, or whatever, but it's just understandable that an individual phalanx of warriors would be more combat-ready if they were surrounded by a swarm of their fellows.
For true devastation, trap your opponent on either side in a pincer attack. That'll send them to the graveyard fast. Units gain experience over time through surviving multiple battles, you get a comfortable progression of difficulty and complexity as the game's campaign continues, and a two-player mode means taking on your friends in a battle of wits without having to set up any rows of wooden pawns.
The premise is a simple enough one: you play as one side in a war to claim control of the lunar surface. Units are moved around on a hex-based map turn-by-turn, and battles take place in an equally traditional turn-based fashion. Each unit has its specialty, such as an extra long-range attack, but also has a corresponding shortcoming (it may be especially acceptable to close-range attacks, for example). Terrain type and elevation also comes into play when factoring the victor in each melee.
As I alluded to before, Nectaris' strength lies both in its simplicity and complexity; something that might seem like an oxymoron right now, but trust me ¿ once you start playing, you'll know what I mean. To risk sounding cliché, it takes about a minute to learn, and, well, a little less than a week to master. Once you start playing, it's hard not to get hooked. Learning the ins-and-outs of each unit, then drawing on their inherent strengths to conquer each map is extremely rewarding, and, due largely to its straight-forward design, ends up providing more pure enjoyment than many other titles in the genre.
In terms of a technical "wow" factor, the game possesses very little; Hudson has done a purely adequate job in re-vamping the classic from a visual standpoint. You'll be hard-pressed to tell the map screens apart from those in the TG-16 version, but the polygonal battles possess enough 32-bit flair to reaffirm that, yes, you're playing a PlayStation game. Of all the upgrades that have been made, however, the most welcome has to be the construction mode that, as its name implies, lets one create their own scenarios. As if the replay value wasn't good enough already, this was enough to send me over the edge ¿ oh, and by the way, it makes for an excellent two-player game as well.
Nectaris may not be the most technically stunning additions to the PlayStation's catalog, but I say "so what?" It's easily one of the best strategy games I've played on the system. It's incredibly fun, fiendishly addictive, and thanks to the new maps and construction mode, even those who've grown tired of the TG-16 original (how could you?) have good reason to pick up a copy. It's made my "A" list, and, if you possess even the slightest interest in strategy games, it comes highly recommended.
