May the sequels be as numerous as the stars.
Written: Mar 31 '00 (Updated May 27 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: This is the greatest game ever made. End of story.
Cons: Playstation version has long load time.
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| alyssa01's Full Review: Ogre Battle Limited Edition The March of the Black... |
Overview: In Ogre Battle, you are a general (male OR female, yay!) in command of troops consisting of a combination of monsters and humans. Your starting stats, abilities, and troops are all randomized and based on how you answer several thought-provoking questions at the beginning of the game. As you and your troops gain experience (by beating the nasty guys), you can level- and class-up your troops and your other generals. Real elements of strategy are necessary here, as you must choose what types of troops work best with each other, and what types of classes you might want to combine.
Gameplay Mechanics: Out on the map, different scenarios are available to you depending on which ones you have already beaten. It would be impossible to describe the beauty of this game in just a small review, but to make a long story short, you deploy your units from your base, and direct them around a map, the geography of which is made up of a combination of mountains, plains, snow, sand, water... you get the idea. Different troops have different movement, and as the sun sets, the more evil troops will be more effective. That can be bad news for you if you were planning on just being "the good guy/girl" again! You have to worry about money, and about reputation (it's easy to get money from the towns that you have liberated, but the people won't like to have to pay tribute to you too often). Choices you make along the way, hidden boards, special troop types, unique items equipable by ANY troop (not just the generals), a GLORIOUS sound track, and powerful Tarot Card magic all combine to make this the best game ever created.
Storyline: Ogre Battle, the March of the Black Queen, boasts one of the most complex storylines ever generated. The overall plot is a deceptively simple one: you are the hero of the land, fighting against the Empire in order to free the towns. But are you truly a hero? Or are you just another tyrant? Those are the questions which you must answer, time and again, as each new board and each new quest bring more light to your personality. You have the option to return to cleared stages and revisit old towns. I highly recommend this! You will be give vital clues to important quests, as well as rare and powerful items. You will often be asked to find something, perhaps many battles later, and return it. Bring a notepad!
Lastability: Since you create a character from scratch (stats, abilities, and even starting armies are all determined by you in an Ultima-like tarot card generation) and it is different each time, I think this game will continue to be replayed. You can always choose a different path. Multiple endings based on your personal triumphs and failures as well as based on your current reputation add several new dimensions to the game.
Miscellaneous: The PlayStation version of this game adds a feature some of you won't like... you can save inside the battles now. While this allows for greater flexibility (battles can take several hours to complete), it also allows for greater temptation towards cheating when you lose an important battle. The reset button is a tempting mistress. Ignore her!
The PlayStation also boasts enhanced artificial intelligence. Players who consider themselves to have mastered the SNES version will be surprised by this. I was shocked to lose the second stage.
Unfortunately, the PlayStation version also boasts terrible loading time between the board and the battles.
Rating: If only the Playstation load time wasn't so long... this game would be perfect. As it stands, I still recommend the SNES version of this game. The trouble is, the SNES version has been out of print for years, so that would be quite a daunting task. If this is what you can find, then buy it. I can't honestly think of anyone who wouldn't like this game.</i>
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
alyssa01
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Member: Alyssa Reinhardt
Location: New York
Reviews written: 50
Trusted by: 25 members
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