Ogre Battle 64

"The Greatest Game Ever!!"

Introduction:
OgreBattle 64 is a game is a series of games of which I've sadly only been able to find one other. OgreBattle 64 is an RPG in which you command an army and get to wage a war against an evil government backed by an even eviler empire.

Gameplay: 10/10
This is the 2nd best part of this epic game. The stuff you can do is amazing. I think it's thrilling to throw a single high-leveled unit against a mighty enemy legion and completely eliminate it. I think this game is much more fun that almost all of the Gamecube Games I own, and much better than all of my other N64 games combined. This game is also challenging, even when I cheated to get extra money for training, the bad guys remained difficult, this game is even harder if you're trying for a high chaos frame. There are also side quests that you can undertake that can be fun and challenging. It's especially fun when you equip your army with super powerful equipment and train it up a lot, then let it lose on a much larger enemy force. This is good, since I consider Gameplay to be the most important thing about any game.

Story: 9/10
Another strong point, although not as strong as Gameplay or Replay Value. The story, in my opinion, is exciting and compelling. I loved the overall plot, and I can actually like or hate characters. You'll cheer when one of your character's most hated foes is defeated, and cry when a likable character dies. The only reason that this section of game doesn't get a ten is that after playing the game for 2 years (yes, it does take that long), the storyline starts to get dull (although I haven't seen all of it yet). The storyline also gets really interesting as you enter the final chapter, but I'm not saying how it becomes interesting, you'll have to get that far yourself to find out. The Sidequests even have excellent storylines, and in my opinion that's saying something. Storyline is the 2nd most important thing in a game, according to me at least.

Graphics: 9/10
Pretty good for the N64, the characters are very detailed for their small size, and the maps look slightly realistic. I've found a few problems with the graphics, like sometimes a character walks straight through the summit of a mountain. No game I've seen has absolutely 100% good graphics however. Anyway, I consider Graphics to be the least important thing to consider when you're buying a game.

Sound: 10/10
I loved the background music in this game, I enter the Music Mode all the time just to listen to the music. I personally like BGM 38 the best, but the other ones are good, too. I never get bored with the background music in this game, and the sound effects are good, too. I'm one of those weird people who likes to hear their computerized enemies screams as I destroy them, and this game gives that to me. I also like how the music always seems to fit the part of the story where it's playing. In my opinion, sound/music is the 4th most important thing you should consider when you are buying a game.

Replay Value: 10/10
The strongest of all strong points in the game. There are 3 basic endings, with additional scenes based on what characters you have, and many choices to make throughout the game which means that it takes many times through the game to see all of it. I bet no one could find a game with as much Replay Value as OgreBattle 64. I believe Replay Value is the 3rd most important thing in a game.

Final Recommendation:
This is one of, if not the, greatest video games in the history of the universe. If you don't have this game for your N64, you don't know what you're missing. Once you buy this game, you'll wonder how you lived without it. This game is worth whatever it takes to get it. If I had a 98 extra thumbs, I'd give it 100 thumbs up. This game is worth $1,000,000, but you'll probably be able to get it for $20. I'd buy it, no matter what.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/27/04