Game: Ogre Battle 64
Publisher/Developer: Atlus
Platform: Wii
Price: $10.00(1,000 Wii Points)
Pros: Lots of opportunity to be an armchair general at every level
Cons: Hands off battles and unnecessary language
Verdict: A great shot of nostalgia in the form of a deep RTS
Review copy provided by publisher
One of the great things about recent gaming consoles, and Nintendo’s Wii in particular, is their ability to put us back in touch with the past. Games we loved, or wish we had played are often served up on a silver platter. For those that revel in the days of the Genesis, the N64, and even the NES… the Wii is juicy nostalgia dipped in chocolate covered win. And so it is with one of the recent offerings from the Wii store.
Ogre Battle 64 is a game with ten years of battle mileage that holds up pretty darn well. You’ll need a classic controller – a Gamecube pad will also get the trick done – in order to set out on this grand adventure. But let’s face it, if you’ve had your Wii for at least six months, that shouldn’t be a problem.
You play a rising star of the local military academy. A wise old general taps you early on and before you know it, you find yourself in charge of several companies of able fighting men. A kingdom in turmoil and a prince in need will look to you for a steady sword arm and a loyal heart for the people. Ogre Battle 64 is certainly a deep RTS, especially considering its underpinnings.
Each chapter will unfold with a cutscene explaining the latest chapter in the story. It is here you will encounter allies, rivals, and new challenges to surmount. You’ll be presented with a map and a series of objectives. Attain them, and fortune and glory will be credited to your old-school coffers. Failure, truth be told, is not an option.
Once the battle strategy is laid out you take command of your army. You’ll need to determine how to achieve your goals. Your troops will march out across the terrain as you dispatch them across the map. On their way, they will discover hamlets to emancipate and villains to battle. Don’t push them too hard, or you’ll find that they falter just at the moment they engage the enemy troops.
Keeping your companies strong and at top form is accomplished through rest and by keeping up provisions. Rest cycles are attained when they march into a town, or set up camp on the plains. Provisions such as food and medicines are attained in the aforementioned villages. This is also where you’ll discover better armaments and dark magic which can keep your numbers strong.
And your companies really do provide a great deal of detail. When you break into each unit’s overview you’ll see what each fighting unit is made of. You’ll also have the opportunity to arrange them in the best strategic format possible. Set your warriors up on a 3 by 3 grid so that when they march into battle they can effectively lay low the giants in their path while protecting and supporting one another.
The battles are well handled. As your troops trek across the width and breadth of the land they will encounter enemy archers, mages, and yes – even dragons. Battles are rather automatic in their nature, with blows dealt, and if you’re lucky, health regained by a friendly cleric. Its important to keep an eye on the big picture. Bedraggled troops who dive headlong into a battle will find themselves on the short and sharp end of the stick.
The soundtrack is nicely done and epic, in its own nostalgic way. Battle plans are accompanied by stirring horns and drums. Characters also find their solitary and contemplative soliloquies enveloped in somber and melancholy themes. Its not 21st century epic like a God of War or Halo soundtrack, but it certainly engages the player and enhances the sword and sorcery storyline.
The game is rated T for teen, and appropriately so. If I had any quibble with the game it was its pointless use of questionable language. I’m hardly a prude, but the folks at Atlus could have opened this game up to a wider audience if they would have buffed out some of the rough spots. I honestly feel you could have lost the coarse language and still had the exact same gameplay experience.
That said, Ogre Battle 64 is well worth the download. Its infused with nostalgia and is a solid RTS despite its shortcomings. If you are a Wii fan who enjoys the challenge of battle… well you might have already played through Ogre Battle 64 back in the day. If you haven’t I heartily recommend it to you.
Popularity: unranked [?]
