In 1994 Neo Nectaris (Super CD-ROM) was released in Japan for the DUO console (basically, NEC's DUO consolidated a PC-Engine + CD-ROM into one sleek console, as well as upgrading the RAM). It had been a long five years since the original Nectaris (HuCard) debuted on the PC-Engine (which sold over 200,000 copies and was re-titled Military Madness for its' North American release on the TurboGrafx-16 ). Turbo Technologies Inc. ( TTi ), a joint venture between Hudson Soft and NEC that handled the North American launch of the Turbo Duo console, announced it would release Neo Nectaris under the tentative title of Military Madness 2 ( source: TurboForce Magazine ) ... but, like many of the games announced by TTi at the end of the TurboDuo's lifespan, it was never released.

Unlike most Nectaris titles which are simply ports and / or recycled updates of the original game (i.e. offering new levels but little else), Neo Nectaris is a genuine sequel to the original game (in that it expands beyond the original game's premise by introducing new, fresh elements to gameplay). Don't get me wrong -- I am grateful for the new campaigns in the recycled versions of Nectaris -- but Hudson Soft could have, at minimum, made a token effort to innovate the series over the years. This could have been achieved by simply adding more variety and depth to the weapon arsenal, A.I., terrain, gameplay, etc. Furthermore, to avoid offending Nectaris Purists (who are more than content with the original formula), Hudson could have provided various play options (i.e. "classic mode") that allowed gamers to tailor the game to their preferences. Alas, this was not to be, and Hudson chose a simpler, safer (and thus more stagnant) path for the Nectaris series. In fact, I would go so far as to say that, by ignoring the innovations introduced by Neo Nectaris, Hudson actually took the series backwards: the series could have continued to grow and evolve after Neo Nectaris, instead, the series regressed back to the original formula. Again, don't get me wrong -- I love the original game, and I would always want the option of playing new games in this "classic mode" -- but Neo Nectaris demonstrated that you could introduce minor changes to the game's basic formula without alienating loyal fans (that is my assessment, at least).