Topic: A Recommendation of Lordly Caliber

[NWR_DrewMG]

Two much loved games hit the Virtual Console, alongside something else entirely.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/recommendations/24398

In this installment of the Virtual Console recommendations, we take a look at three games of varying stature. First up, Nathan Mustafa will be tackling Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber, a much loved N64 cult classic that hit the Virtual Console service in March of this year. Secondly, Neal Ronaghan look at The Tower of Druaga, a Virtual Console arcade game that doesn't have quite the pedigree of most of the other games available on the service. Lastly, Zach Miller spreads out a nice layer of Mega Man love for Mega Man IV.

[Mop it up]

Once again, I have to disagree with one of NWR's "For Everyone" ratings. Ogre Battle 64 is a very tedious game that takes a lot of investment and determination, it is only for fans of strategy/RPG games.

The level design is interesting and engaging, and the bosses are imaginative (gotta love Napalm Man).

Napalm Man is from Mega Man 5.

[greybrick]

In a general sense, you are right Mop. I didn't really find the game to be tedious, although I do see what you mean by how invested you must be.

When I wrote, "Recommended for Everyone," I wrote it with the knowledge that there has to be a basic interest in the game before that recommendation has any meaning. Would I recommend this game for my family members? Certainly not, but I would recommend it to anyone that has an interest in trying out a strategy RPG, because it is a good enough place to start with that genre. Moreover, if you don't have an interest in that sort of game you probably wouldn't read the whole recommendation or even consider a download.

To further clarify: I am trying to get across that no game is going to be loved by everyone. I know that I have friends that don't enjoy Super Mario Bros. 3, but I would certainly qualify that as a "Recommended for Everyone" title.

[Halbred]

MM5. Crap. Uber-fail.

[Killer_Man_Jaro]

MM5. Crap. Uber-fail.

Disagree completely. I like it way better than the outdated Mega Man 2.

That aside, I tend to agree with Mop it up. 'Recommended For Everyone' suggests to me that most people, regardless of their usual tastes, would enjoy this game, and there's no way Ogre Battle 64 fits into that category. It is my understanding that the entire Ogre Battle series has a reputation for being prohibitively complex and inaccessible. Also, Mega Man 4, its predecessors and successors are hard as iron - that definitely does not appeal to everyone. Both OB64 and MM4 seem more like 'Recommend For Fans'.

[Mop it up]

Also, Mega Man 4, its predecessors and successors are hard as iron - that definitely does not appeal to everyone.

I think I might disagree on this. Although I do think Mega Man games are difficult, I don't think they're anywhere near games like Contra in terms of hardness. Mega Man 1 is the only one I'd say is hard as iron, I can't remember if I beat that one. Plus, they're pretty simple games that are easy to understand and to control, and they hold up better than most other NES games. They may be difficult, but I think they're still accessible enough that everyone should try them out.

MM5. Crap. Uber-fail.

Disagree completely. I like it way better than the outdated Mega Man 2.

I think there's a little misunderstanding here. I believe Halbred was responding to my comment that Napalm Man was from Mega Man 5, not 4.

[Shaymin]

Mega Man 4 is really the first game in the series where the Robot Master powers don't mean as much because the charged-up Mega Buster is that powerful. Whether or not that's a good thing is a question best left to the philosophers.

[Art_de_Cat]

Mega Man 4 was one of my top 3 Mega Man games for the NES.  Mega Man 2 will always be tops to me.  Im not sure if I would call the Mega Buster broken, but it would have been nice to power up your other attacks as well.  I also do not see it being that hard for newer players.  Mega Man 1 and 9 were the hardest to me.

[broodwars]

That aside, I tend to agree with Mop it up. 'Recommended For Everyone' suggests to me that most people, regardless of their usual tastes, would enjoy this game, and there's no way Ogre Battle 64 fits into that category. It is my understanding that the entire Ogre Battle series has a reputation for being prohibitively complex and inaccessible. Also, Mega Man 4, its predecessors and successors are hard as iron - that definitely does not appeal to everyone. Both OB64 and MM4 seem more like 'Recommend For Fans'.

In all fairness, Ogre Battle 64 is spectacularly easy and simplified compared to Tactics Ogre and the original Ogre Battle.  It's easily the most accessible in the series, especially since the story is relatively standalone and not particularly hard to follow.  Just put your squads together with some amount of intelligence and tell them to aim for the leader, and it's pretty difficult to lose.  That said, even though the game is one of my favorites of all time and I'll swear by that game's greatness, I wouldn't recommend it to "Everyone".  The game still requires a fair amount of micromanagement and a lot of patience, especially since (even at the maximum speed setting) the characters move across the battlefield very slowly and boss battles can quickly turn into wars of attrition.  Besides, if we're taking genre into account now when issuing "Recommended for Everyone"s, what's the point of the "Recommended for Fans" designation?

[Retro Deckades]

I think that both MM4 and OB64 probably have the potential to make fans out of those who are completely new to the series, and in that case it may not be a such a stretch to recommend them for everyone. broodwars implies that OB64 is one of, if not the easiest, game in the series to get in to, and that may be the same with Mega Man 4 (but of course with the Mega Man games, all present a decent challenge and are similar in many ways).

I haven't yet played OB64 -- I was hoping it would win the N64 Retroactive poll so I could justify taking the time to download and play it -- but I will certainly pick it up and give it a try some time.

[ThePerm]

idk, when I rented Ogre Batytle 64, i remember it being pretty fun. That being said I dislike RPGs unless they happen to be strategy RPGs or contain Mario. That being said OB64 falls into the strategy category.

[TJ Spyke]

Nice to VC recommendations back, I think it has been a few years (I remember my question why was answered on RFN with the explanation being given you guys have to buy the games out of your own pocket and that reviews were out on other sites for them).

[Toruresu]

This article reminded me to buy Ogre Battle 64, awesome game.