12th February 2003, 11:03 AM
Ogre Battle 64 Review
By Derek Miller
Nintendo 64 gamers have asked for more RPGs and more mature games. Ogre Battle 64 delivers on both levels. Not only is it a deep strategy-RPG, but it also features mature characters in a deep story. Ogre Battle 64 has got to be one of the best games on the Nintendo 64. Even if you don't like traditional RPGs, Ogre Battle might still peak your interest. The story alone is enough to keep you playing and there are so many different possible story lines that you might never see them all. There are also many heroes you can meet along the way, and many of them may even join your army. Ogre Battle is a very deep game and it may be difficult to get into, but once you get into it you'll never want to put the controller down.
Graphics
The graphics in Ogre Battle are decent, but not spectacular. All of the characters look pretty good and are distinguishable, but the environments seem really flat and boring. Some of the spells look just spectacular, however. If you get sick of the spell animations, though, there is an option to turn them off which is even accessible during battle. All-in-all, a decent looking game considering the amount of information that was crammed into the cartridge.
7.0
Sound
The music in Ogre Battle is incredible. It's hard to believe that MIDI songs are playing. They almost sound as good as if they were being read off a CD. If you were a fan of Ogre Battle for SNES then you may recognize some familiar tracks. The sound effects are decent, but not spectacular.
8.0
Gameplay
Ogre Battle 64 is a tough game to learn, especially if you aren't familiar with the Super Nintendo version. Luckily, there is an extensive tutorial provided which lasts over half-an-hour. Much of your learning, however, will be on the battlefield. There you control your armies and try to complete a certain mission objective, usually taking over the enemy's headquarters. When you encounter an enemy unit you engage them in battle. However, these battles are not standard RPG-fare. You do not directly control the characters, rather, you give them a specific strategy such as "Attack Leader" or "Attack Weakest." As boring as that sounds it actually makes the game better than it would be if you controlled every character. It makes you feel more like you are leading the army if that makes any sense. There are also numerous characters, both good and bad, that you will meet along the way. They may or may not join you depending on your actions taken. This makes the game very interesting because it can change every time you play it. Words really do not do this game justice, so if you can find it then give it a shot.
9.5
Replayability
I have already played through this game three times since I got it and that's tough for a college student. You always want to try and see if you can learn from your mistakes and earn a better ending or try to convince characters to join your army. There are also many hidden secrets, including ultra powerful spells, in the game which you can only find by exploring the towns. This game may suck you in for a long time so be prepared.
9.5
Buy/Rent
You probably won't find Ogre Battle for rent anywhere but if you're lucky you may find it for sale at an videogame store but it will probably be $40-$50. Chances are you'll pay the same price on eBay for a used game so if you can find it at a store then try to pick it up, otherwise you can watch as the price for this rare gem continues to skyrocket on eBay.
Total (not an average) : 9.0
By Derek Miller
Nintendo 64 gamers have asked for more RPGs and more mature games. Ogre Battle 64 delivers on both levels. Not only is it a deep strategy-RPG, but it also features mature characters in a deep story. Ogre Battle 64 has got to be one of the best games on the Nintendo 64. Even if you don't like traditional RPGs, Ogre Battle might still peak your interest. The story alone is enough to keep you playing and there are so many different possible story lines that you might never see them all. There are also many heroes you can meet along the way, and many of them may even join your army. Ogre Battle is a very deep game and it may be difficult to get into, but once you get into it you'll never want to put the controller down.
Graphics
The graphics in Ogre Battle are decent, but not spectacular. All of the characters look pretty good and are distinguishable, but the environments seem really flat and boring. Some of the spells look just spectacular, however. If you get sick of the spell animations, though, there is an option to turn them off which is even accessible during battle. All-in-all, a decent looking game considering the amount of information that was crammed into the cartridge.
7.0
Sound
The music in Ogre Battle is incredible. It's hard to believe that MIDI songs are playing. They almost sound as good as if they were being read off a CD. If you were a fan of Ogre Battle for SNES then you may recognize some familiar tracks. The sound effects are decent, but not spectacular.
8.0
Gameplay
Ogre Battle 64 is a tough game to learn, especially if you aren't familiar with the Super Nintendo version. Luckily, there is an extensive tutorial provided which lasts over half-an-hour. Much of your learning, however, will be on the battlefield. There you control your armies and try to complete a certain mission objective, usually taking over the enemy's headquarters. When you encounter an enemy unit you engage them in battle. However, these battles are not standard RPG-fare. You do not directly control the characters, rather, you give them a specific strategy such as "Attack Leader" or "Attack Weakest." As boring as that sounds it actually makes the game better than it would be if you controlled every character. It makes you feel more like you are leading the army if that makes any sense. There are also numerous characters, both good and bad, that you will meet along the way. They may or may not join you depending on your actions taken. This makes the game very interesting because it can change every time you play it. Words really do not do this game justice, so if you can find it then give it a shot.
9.5
Replayability
I have already played through this game three times since I got it and that's tough for a college student. You always want to try and see if you can learn from your mistakes and earn a better ending or try to convince characters to join your army. There are also many hidden secrets, including ultra powerful spells, in the game which you can only find by exploring the towns. This game may suck you in for a long time so be prepared.
9.5
Buy/Rent
You probably won't find Ogre Battle for rent anywhere but if you're lucky you may find it for sale at an videogame store but it will probably be $40-$50. Chances are you'll pay the same price on eBay for a used game so if you can find it at a store then try to pick it up, otherwise you can watch as the price for this rare gem continues to skyrocket on eBay.
Total (not an average) : 9.0