Warsong

"My first strategy game"

Pre-Review: Throughout my life I can remember playing a few awesome strategy/strategyRPG games. When I think of strategy games a few titles come to mind. Starcraft, Warcraft II, Final Fantasy Tactics and of course Warsong.
This was the first game of its genre I have ever played and it still one of, if not the best. I'll get into why.

Graphics: 9/10
Graphic quality is decent, nothing very special but they do what they need to do and do it well. Character animations are a bit lacking but still pleasing to the eye, as are maps and face graphics. However, they can be said as top shelf for the time the game was made(1991)

Sound: 7/10
Some of the sound effects are a bit haggard but not so much that they take away from the game, for instance lightning sound effects sound like a chainsaw being revved up, other than a few exceptions, the sound is pretty good in this game.

Music: 10/10
The music in this game is incredible, even by today's standards. It really goes well with the gameplay and you can listen to it for hours on end without it getting stale and repetitive. There is no single song in this game that I don't like. I strongly recommend looking for the warsong.gym file if you have Meridian.

Overall: 10/10
For a game this old it is surprisingly deep. Everything about your surroundings contributes to your victory or defeat in battle. For instance, a unit standing on a castle wall vs a unit standing in the moat will have a HUGE advantage in attack and defense simply because of being on favorable terrain. Additionally, some unit types are more suited to fighting certain types than others. Some even use the terrain to their advantage. For instance, in the aforementioned scenario, replace the units in the moat with Merfolk. This substitution would help to decrease the castle wall unit's advantage significantly, however, if they were BOTH in the moat, the Merfolk would slaughter the hapless soldiers. Of course there are other significant circumstances as well. Firstly, the level of the units commanders. If a Level 5 unit faces off against a level 9 unit, naturally the level 9 unit would have a significant advantage, however, such a level difference can again be compensated for by favorable terrain conditions. In addition to all of these variables, there is a major condition. Each officer has a radius around them. This is their command range. If a unit is outside of the officer's command range they are at a critical disadvantage, as they cannot hear the orders of their leader. All these factors make this game the beast it is.

Misc Factors:
Addiction Factor: 3/5
This game will get a firm grip on you if you let it. If you only play a few minutes you should be able to put it down pretty easilly, but if you play through a couple of levels, its pretty hard to let go of the controller.

Replay Value: 2/5
There really isn't much replay value to this game outside of how fun the game is to play over and over again.

Buy this game?: In a heartbeat. Check any store that accepts trades for Genesis titles. You MUST find this game at all costs.

I also suggest: Try these on for size.
Final Fantasy Tactics (PS)
Advance Wars (GBA)
Warsong II(JAP/GEN)

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/10/04