Through some sleuthing we also discovered this resume, which leads us to believe that this game is being developed by BackBone Entertainment, who previously worked with Hudson on the ever popular Bomberman Live on Xbox Live Arcade, the upcoming port to the PSN as well as numerous classic remakes for Capcom. They appear to be working on the just announced Diner Dash as well. Whether they are also working on the WiiWare version of the title, which Hudson have been known to develop new games internally, is currently unknown.

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PepsimanVsJoe said:

Ick.

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Crazymoogle said:

Have to leave the details to the guys at Hudson PR, that's how NDAs work.

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Hero of Legend said:

What is your position at Hudson?

And would you know if Hudson has any big plans for Wii retail? they've been shying away from it and put like 90% of their current games on downloadable services.

And when I say big plans, I mean like something more hardcore. How about some RPGs or platformers.

And get on their case about a proper Bomberman 64 sequel/-like game for Wii.

All they've put on Wii retail are puzzle, spart, and mino-game collections in the past year. They're capable of much more than that.

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Crazymoogle said:

Thanks a lot PvJ.

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viciouskillersquirrel said:

I thought this thread was about a new version of Marble Madness :'(

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camineet said:

Hudson must have been reading GAF and all the posts in recent years, begging for a new Military Madness / Nectaris game.

I hope there's also one coming specifically for DS, but, anyway, I'm glad that ANYTHING regarding the series is coming. It's nice that it'll be on 3 platforms so nobody is left out of the fun.

Nectaris / Military madness is the best turn-based console strategy game ever made. Far surpassing Advance Wars in sheer fun. I do hope, as do others, that Hudson adds new elements to the gameplay. One of the core features of the series, lacking in AW, is ZoC (Zone of Control) which massively effects offense & defense. The hexagonal grid, terrain effects and ZoC all combine to make gameplay much better than the somewhat more complex AW series.

Hudson seems to be answering my prayers. I have my fingers crossed that this game turns out good in gameplay.

For those that wanna try the original game without having to buy anything, there's a freeware Japanese Win95 port with enhanced sound & mouse support, which you can download right here.http://nfg.2y.net/games/nectaris/Nectaris_Win95.rar

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camineet said:

Nectaris / Military madness is the best turn-based console strategy game ever made.

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Icarus said:

Woot... you bitches better be ready for my Falcons to take down your Eagles.

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GDC 09: Military Madness Hands-on
We stop the madness to bring you the details on this latest remake.
by Daemon Hatfield

Compared to Bonk or Bomberman, Military Madness probably isn't one of Hudson's more recognizable franchises. It does have a long history, though, going back to the TurboGrafx-16. The original was remade for PlayStation in 1998, and is now being remade again for current console digital distribution services. Military Madness is a hex-based and turn-based strategy game set on the moon. This summer's remake will feature the same story and maps as the original, but the visuals are getting a 3D polish.

The single-player campaign can be played on normal or advanced difficulty. Advanced uses the same maps but ups the enemy count. Everything is rendered in 3D now so players can zoom in for a close look at the battlefield and rotate the map. We were playing the game on an Xbox 360, where the L stick rotated the screen, the R stick zoomed in and out, and the D-pad moved our selection icon around the grid.

No new units have been added for this remake. Players will have at their disposal tanks, infantry, and long-range vehicles. A battle is won when either the enemy is decimated or its headquarters is captured. Like other games of this sort, adjacent allies will provide a support boost when you attack or defend. Your surviving units will level up and become more powerful over time.

Up to four players (or AI armies) can skirmish in local and online multiplayer. Strategy games can sometimes drag on for too long in multiplayer matches, so Hudson is adding the ability to set turn length or a maximum number of game turns -- when all turns are up, the player with the most points wins. We will also be able to use powerful commander units in multiplayer, and customize them with 20 special abilities. In player matches, all of these abilities will be available to every player. But in ranked matches, half will need to be earned.

The visuals we saw were decent but not impressive – perhaps because they were programmed for both the Wii and the HD consoles. We also worry that, at least on the 360, navigating the grid with the D-pad could become tedious. But this series does have a strong strategy pedigree and has received positive reviews in the past.

Hudson says Military Madness will be identical on all three platforms, except for a few multiplayer maps that didn't make it into the WiiWare version. You can relive this classic or experience it for the first time this summer.

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Nectaris: Military Madness
Hudson's classic strategy title returns, and it's just as addictive as ever.
by IGN Staff

January 22, 1999 - Originally released for NEC's now classic Turbografx-16 console, Nectaris (known as Military Madness here in the U.S.) went on to become one of the most sought-after titles in the system's software catalog, and for good reason. Its pick-up-and-play design belied a surprisingly deep strategy game that, every single time you played, seemed to only reveal more surprises ¿ and, consequently, managed to keep me up later and later each subsequent night. It's been a good eight years since the game's release, and now it's back with new maps, modes, and somewhat flashier graphics... and I'm every bit as addicted the second time around.

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.

Randy Nelson

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Some will be disappointed that the game hasn't evolved a bit since its 1989 debut.

A pure strategy game is a rare thing these days. While strategy/RPGs have become a popular mainstay in the 32-bit era, a title that harkens back to the glory days of strategy such as Nectaris is welcome indeed. Nectaris is a descendent of the TurboGrafx-16 game known as Military Madness in the US, the game that practically began the 16-bit glory days of strategy. After getting over the game's nostalgic value, some will be disappointed that the game hasn't evolved a bit since its 1989 debut.

Being a pure strategy game, Military Madness drops all pretenses and heads straight for the point, after introducing the token back story. The evil Xenon empire has enslaved the Moon, and it's up to an upstart commander, you, to take back the planetoid through pure eradication. To free the besieged piece of rock, you are given control of a handful of futuristic military units and plunked down on the lunar surface to eliminate the enemy forces by either taking control of their base or destroying all of their units. Each unit has its own movement, attack, and defense advantages and disadvantages from which most of the game's strategy is derived. Secondary strategic interplay comes from the moon's varied terrain, which directly affects the vehicles' mobility and defensive ratings. Additionally, factories give you access to additional units and the ability to repair your weakened forces. Abandoning needless detail, Nectaris is surprisingly easy to pick up and play.

Gameplay is turn-based, letting you move all of your units before giving control to your opponent. Units are moved around the honeycombed map with two-buttoned ease. When engaging the enemy, the view changes from the staid overhead map to a more dynamic 3D representation of the battle, in which each battalion's eight units duke it out in a by-the-numbers duel. You can enhance your odds by surrounding the enemy, attacking adjacent to a friendly unit, or situating yourself on more defensive terrain. The game's AI remains almost identical to the original's, leaving it somewhat challenging at times but often predictable. However, with over 100 levels, the game will definitely keep you on your mental toes for some time. One of the game's best features is the inclusion of a two-player mode. The multiplayer game is played exactly like the single-player game, just with a hopefully less-predictable opponent. To sweeten the deal, Nectaris includes a map editor to allow you to create your own pockmarked playing fields once you grow tired of those included with the game. As fans of the original will see, nothing has changed here. The units, save a few name changes, are exactly the same as before, and the only real difference is that of new maps to battle on. Some will laud this; some will be upset that the game hasn't changed a lick since 1989.

Graphically, Nectaris is dated. While the game's maps do look better than the original's, there still is very little new or different about the graphics. The most noticeable graphical change, of course, is the polygonal representations of the battles. These seem largely to be a design afterthought, as they tend to draw out combat far longer than the "line-up-and-shoot" method of yore. Additionally, they're quite dated for today's PlayStation graphics, using almost no animation or effects. The game's sound is also fairly dated but in a less detracting way. For a wargame, the music is surprisingly soothing, adding a contradictory sense of relaxation to the ensuing carnage. Sound effects are stale, but what else can you do with a game that's naturally limited to explosions and assorted vehicular noises?

Nostalgia's in, and it's cool that a new generation will get a chance to play one of the seminal strategy games of the 16-bit era. Despite its dated graphics and identical gameplay, Nectaris is a solid game nonetheless and worth a look from those interested in some mellow blasting or for those that haven't played the first game. With Nectaris out, all we need now is an update of Herzog Zwei.

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toneroni said:

wow this came outta nowhere

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Rlan said:

Looks nice, I'm just worried that the game is going to be too confusing for me. Eagle? Mull? Trigger? Seeker? Charlie? I don't know what those are. from what the "build" screen looks like from that video.

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As a big fan of the Military Madness released on the TurboGrafx-16—many, many days were spent in an attempt to secure the Earth's moon by sheer military force—I'm looking forward to the newest version.

Due to hit Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and WiiWare this year, Military Madness: Nectaris looks to remedy complaints levied against the PlayStation version—the last one I played, Wii Virtual Console release notwithstanding. The 1998 version, amusingly enough named Nectaris: Military Madness, was simply too slow, suffered from disc-loading times and was, well, kind of ugly.

It's never been flashy, ranking somewhere between the Advance Wars and Daisenryaku series in terms of visual pow, but it has exactly what I'm looking for: solid, turn-based military action with a little... erm, hex appeal. Who's with me?

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Wii/PS3/XBLA Preview - 'Military Madness'
Posted on Wednesday, May 06 @ 09:00:00 PDT
Military Madness is a new version of Hudson's classic turn-based strategy/combat simulation game, including an all-new graphical barrage, a regiment of new units, online co-op and vs. multiplayer and a platoon of other new features.



Genre: Turn-Based Strategy
Publisher: Hudson Soft
Developer: Hudson Soft
Release Date: Q2 2009

Most people probably haven't played the Turbografx-16 (also known as the PC Engine in Japan). It didn't have the support that the other consoles did, and while it was popular in Japan, it was far more limited in the rest of the world. Its most well-known game was Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo, arguably the best title in the Castlevania series, but it was never released in the U.S. Perhaps the most popular Turbografx-16 title to be released in the U.S. was Military Madness, a turn-based strategy game that was met with great reception from the gaming press and the few hardcore Turbografx-16 owners. Since only a handful of Turbografx-16 owners have played it, the game has remained a bit of a cult hit. It was later re-released for the PlayStation, but it was released rather late in the system's life cycle with very little fanfare, so many gamers didn't notice. They say that the third time is the charm, and Hudson Soft is giving Military Madness one more shot with the online arcade service release of Military Madness: Nectaris.

Military Madness: Nectaris is set in the distant future, in the year 2187. Earth has become overpopulated, and the government decided that the best way to handle this is to send every criminal to the moon. Shortly thereafter, Earth discovered a rare super-element on the moon and began putting the convicts to work mining it. As one would expect, putting Earth's worst criminals in charge of mining its most precious resource didn't end so well, and the convicts, now calling themselves the Xenos, began a rebellion against the Earth Union Government. Military Madness is not a particularly plot-heavy game, and other than a few brief story snippets at the beginning and end of the 16-mission story, you're not going to get much insight into this future world. It's mostly there as an excuse to have two sides beating the stuffing out of each other in a lunar setting.

Military Madness is a turn-based strategy game that's directly comparable to Advance Wars and other similar titles. Two sides, the Union and the Xenos, take turns advancing along a hex-based field, attempting to defeat their opponents or capture the opponent's home base. Movement and controls are very simple, with the left analog stick controlling your cursor, the A button selecting units and the B button canceling unit movement. Those are really the only buttons you need to play the game. The rest of the controls can be used to adjust the camera or quickly switch between units, but to just play the game, it is a three-button affair.

There is a fairly wide selection of units available to you in Military Madness. These range from the simple, such as tanks and jets, to the more involved, like troop transports. Nothing is ridiculously complex here, and the gameplay is very simple and easy to pick up and learn. Each unit is one of four different movement types: Move and Attack, Move-Attack-Move, Move or Attack, and Static. Move and Attack units can move and then attack, but attacking automatically ends their turn. Move-Attack-Move units can move, attack and then use the rest of their movement hexes. Move or Attack is self-explanatory, as a unit can move or attack but can't do both. Finally, Static units can't move at all, and a troop transport has to pick them up and move them to a location, after which they can't be moved again. Each unit also has a "zone of control" that extends in one hex around it. Units from the opposing side can move into this zone of control but can't move past it, allowing you to block an enemy's forward advance with careful unit positioning. Units also have different strengths and weaknesses. For example, a tank can't attack a flying unit, while anti-air artillery units can't fight back against anything on the ground. Learning when and where to use different kinds of units is essential, especially because you don't have as much leeway with your troops as you do in Advance Wars or similar titles.

Perhaps the most important element in Military Madness are factories because unlike most military strategy games, there is no means of troop production. You don't earn money or build up some sort of pseudo-magical resource to create troops; there are a set number of troops on the battlefield, and you're not going to get more. To keep your troop levels high, you have to capture factories by either occupying empty factories on the field or taking them from an enemy. Factories serve as repair spots for your troops, and any troop placed in a factory will recover his lost hit points. This comes at a risk, though: Once you capture a factory, any troops inside the factory become yours, and vice versa. This includes units in an unoccupied factory or enemy units that were being repaired inside the enemy's factory. A single clever move can completely turn the tide of battle by turning the enemy's forces against him. However, capturing a factory isn't quite that easy. Much like Advance Wars, only infantry units can capture a factory. These units tend to be among the weaker available troops, so you can't just send them forward without a plan and hope that they succeed. Without infantry troops, you can't capture factories, so they're almost certain to be your opponent's first targets if they come within firing range.

It is inevitable that your units and the enemies are going to come into conflict with one another. It's a very familiar combat system indeed, and plenty of popular franchises have used a similar system, so it should be pretty easy for even casual players to grasp. Both sides have an attack and defense score. The attacking player uses his attack rating and the defending player his defense rating, and whoever has the higher score will likely come out ahead in the conflict. Depending on the difference in their scores, one or both sides may take casualties. If you take too many casualties, that unit is destroyed. A unit's scores can be modified by a number of factors, so a unit that is on advantageous terrain, such as attacking from above or from a fortified location, will receive a bonus to its stats.

Units also gain or lose attack and defense depending on their performance in combat. Successful combat will raise a unit's rank, which increases its overall attack and defense capabilities up to twice its original value. A unit that utterly dominates its opponents may gain rank quickly, while one that ekes out victories will be much slower to advance. A unit that suffers casualties will take a penalty to its attack and defense, so even a close win can end up as a net loss for your troops. Fortunately, your units don't fight completely alone, and you can use your fellow soldiers as an advantage. If your units surround a foe with their zone of control auras, that enemy is considered surrounded, which cuts its attack and defense in half. Furthermore, if a friendly unit is directly adjacent to the unit you're attacking and is capable of attacking from that position, it will increase your attack score by one-half OF the friendly unit's attack score. Even better, this bonus doesn't decrease for a wounded squad, and its attack score will be calculated as if the squad had full health. Units on the defensive can also receive a one-half defensive bonus from any adjacent squad, but that bonus is modified for any damage that the friendly unit has taken.

In addition to the single-player mode, Military Madness will also feature an in-depth multiplayer mode, where players will be able to take on each other via their console's online system of choice. Multiplayer mode is a little different in that the time and turns are limited to prevent matches from going on forever. Players only have a certain number of turns to defeat the enemy, and players have a time limit for their actions. Taking too long to perform an action may cause you to run out of time, and running out of time causes you to sacrifice additional turns for the rest of the game. The goal in a multiplayer game is to capture the enemy base, wipe out the enemy or earn a point victory. Points are awarded for capturing factories and defeating enemy squads, and if the game ends without a clear victory, the spoils go to whoever has the most points. The final important addition to multiplayer is the Commander unit, which is customizable and can be upgraded with points. You can choose to upgrade the Commander's combat capabilities or support abilities, thereby giving your army an insanely powerful new ally, incredibly useful support units or some combination of the two. Not all customizations are available to your Commander from the start, and you have to increase your player level in ranked online matches in order to earn everything.

By modern standards, Military Madness: Nectaris is a fairly simple strategy game, but don't mistake "simple" for "bad." The game hasn't change tremendously much from its Turbografx-16 iteration, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The gameplay is swift and simple to learn, and the gameplay is designed to encourage aggressive behavior and clever tactics. Battles can be won and lost in a single turn, and even if it doesn't have the complex mechanics of the original Advance Wars, the title makes up for that with well-balanced and interesting gameplay. Gamers looking for a solid strategy game to play with friends, or those who simply wish to experiencing an oft-missed cult classic, will want to check out Military Madness: Nectaris when it hits the downloadable services of all three consoles this summer.

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