The spiritual precursor to Advance Wars lands victorious on the Virtual Console.
If you've played Nintendo's popular Advance Wars series, you know what to expect. The game plays out in an alternating turn sequence, with you and then your opponent (either the AI or another player) alternating moving, attacking, and transporting units. Different units have their own strengths and weaknesses, and you'll command everything from motorcycles to mortars. Indeed, any veteran of Advance Wars should be able to jump right in to the game after taking a brief look at the game's included manual. The major differences are the hexagon rather than square grid, and the lack of exposition in the form of dialogue. There's no fancy story here folks, just a lot of tanks blasting at each other on the Moon.
The game's graphics are nothing stellar, but they get the job done. For most of the game, you'll be looking at map showing your units, the terrain, and buildings. It's not as pretty as it could be, but it does work. When units fight, you get a little battle scene ala Advance Wars, but don't expect anime-inspired artwork -- the animations are pretty basic. Still, they work well enough, and the game doesn't need excellent graphics to excel.
The sound quality is in much the same vein as the graphics. The music can be somewhat eerie at times, but actually fits quite well with the whole war on the moon thing. And yes, there are sound effects. Presumably these fights are taking place in some kind of giant bubble, or the moon has been terraformed, or something, or maybe it's for the same reason there's explosion sounds in Star Wars.
If you're looking for a turn-based strategy offering on the Wii, Military Madness is your only opportunity at this point. However, it offers a compelling rendition of the genre, which will be familiar yet different enough from more modern titles to warrant a playthough. At 600 points, it's one of the best deals on the Virtual Console now, especially for the Turbografx-16.