prfsnl_gmr wrote:
Here is my list for summer 2014:
1. Dragon's Lair
2. ????
3. Flashback
4. Halo 2
5. Jumping Flash! 2
6. Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
7. Military Madness
8. R-Type Delta
9. ????
10. Virtual Boy Wario Land
I crushed the vile Xenon Empire under the tread of my tanks and the heel of my boot, and after three years on my summer gaming challenge list, the might Military Madness has fallen.
I ended up really, really enjoying this game. It is wonderfully designed, fiendishly difficult, incredibly addictive, and very fun. I very much preferred the original TG16 maps to the maps in its sequel/remake. (To unlock the original TG16 version of Military Madness, I had to play through the main campaign in Nectaris: Military Madness (PS1)). In the sequel/remake, the computer starts out with vastly superior firepower, and each battle turns into a war of attrition. (The computer takes some of your units, but you can take slightly more units if you implement your strategy well.) In the original, however, each side starts out with roughly an equal amount of units, but there is a mad scramble for resources throughout each battle. (In most maps, there are numerous "neutral" bases full of powerful units you can deploy if you capture them before the computer.) Moreover, the maps in the original are designed so that capturing your enemies headquarters is often a viable strategy for victory. (I one only one of the sixteen maps in the sequel/remake by capturing the computer's headquarters, but I won roughly half of the sixteen maps in the original campaign in this this way.) Finally, the difficulty curve in the original version is much smoother, which makes for a much more enjoyable experience.
In sum, I am very happy that I finally played through Military Madness, and I highly recommend the original, TG16 version of the game to anyone who thinks he or she might enjoy a challenging, hex-mapped, turn-based, military strategy game.
(I also highly recommend the PS1 sequel/remake to anyone looking for an excellent gaming value. Although I spent almost 27 hours with the game, I have not touced the game's two "advanced" campaigns, its 44-map "mini" campaign, or its cooperative campaign. Based on my time with the game, I suspect that I could spend another 27-30 hours "completing" the game without touching the competitive modes or the map editing features.)
.....
With regard to the rest of my challenge, I am afraid that my time with Military Madness has satisfied my tast for turn-based strategy for some time. Accordingly, I have dropped Final Fantasy Tactics from my list. Likewise, I have dropped Uncharted 2 from my list because: (1) I will probably play it anyway, and (2) it probably is not old enought to be considered a classic. Accordingly, I am looking for two new titles to add to my list, and I am considering:
Blaster Master (NES)
Landstalker (GEN)
Return Fire (3DO/PS1)
Road Rash (3DO/PS1)
Samurai Shodown/Samurai Shodown II (NEO)
Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (SNES)
Which of these games do you think I should add to my list? (Also, which game do you think I should play next?)
I was able to map the first one, since it was just rooms and stairs, but the rest? Noooope. Especially in the Solomon Shrine. 
