Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together release imminent, BUY THIS GAME FOR ****'S SAKE!

[Azu]

So, Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together will be released tomorrow in the US and next week in Europe etc.

Where to begin... Well, simply put, this is possibly the best SRPG ever released made even better in the remake..

All anyone needs to know is:

-it's Yasumi Matsuno's best game
-it's got Hitoshi Sakimoto's best original soundtrack
-it's Square Enix's best SRPG and easily in their overall Top 5 (even Top 3)
-it's localized by Alexander O. Smith & Co (imo, the best localization group in the biz)
-it improves EVERYTHING from the original game (some added graphical effects, much improved interface, better quality music, original's script was 300 000 Japanese hiraganas/katakanas/kanjis long, this is over 600 000 etc.)
-it's a SUPERB PSP port/remake (no slowdown like in FFT's PSP port, loading times are ridiculously short, especially if installed, has tons of added content)
-all the DLC that the Japanese version got are already included in the localized version out-of-the-box (that is: 1 DLC that added 33 floors to an already 100 floor dungeon, 2 DLCs that added completely new story scenarios written for this remake)


Here's the first part of the first chapter from the English version to give an impression of the tone of the game (the whole first chapter can be found on Youtube):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlAoz4aczYk

Basically, it's quite a lot like Final Fantasy Tactics, but just BETTER in almost every regards.

[mickice]

Is it like Final Fantasy: Tactics? Because I loved that game but the recent PSP port had some horrendous frame drop during actions -_-"

[Azu]

Like I said in the OP, it's the predecessor of Final Fantasy Tactics (the same guys are behind both games, pretty much), so yeah, it's kinda like that, but BETTER.

And like I also said in the OP, this suffers from NONE of the shortcomings of the FFT PSP port. It's super fast, has minimal loading and is an all-around great remake. Just watch some of the vids from Youtube (there are plenty) to see what it's all about.

[mickice]

Thank man, looks like I'll be buying it.

[Azu]

Launch trailer @ Eurogamer:

http://www.eurogamer.net/videos/new-...ler?size=large

[Eltimas]

Don't forget it has Akihiko Yoshida character design. I want this game so bad, but my hands are busy and not willing to let go of MH3rd.

[Azu]

So, anyone pick this up? Impressions? I won't get this until ~2 weeks from now since it won't be released in Europe until the 22nd and then it'll probably take a week or so to be delivered from TheHut.

[DarkVincent07]

cant decide on this or lord of arcania for my next psp game :S

[Azu]

This.

No questions.

Lord of Arcana is an ok-at-best Monster Hunter clone, Tactics Ogre: LUCT is Game of the Forever material. I mean, the only negative thing some people have pointed out in it is that there's no easy way to compare equipment when buying new one, which isn't that big of a deal since it has a fairly conventional "the next new weapon is better than what you have atm" progress.

[Dave-The-Rave]

Not really a fan of SRPGs..I get tired of the isometric camera angles.

[DarkVincent07]

Hmm... I'm not really a veteran of the genre either... does it have easy enough difficulties for a newbie? or is it like, hardcore only?
Do you think I would be able to play for like 20-30 minute sessions ok?

[MrFenwick]

Looks fun, the $40 price tag doesn't. If it ever drops in price soon I might pick it up.

[Eltimas]

Looks fun, the $40 price tag doesn't.

40$ is a very good price.

I pay 50-57$ for retail PSP games over here.

[Azu]

Looks fun, the $40 price tag doesn't. If it ever drops in price soon I might pick it up.

The game has alternate paths in the story, a hefty number of sidequests and tons of different character classes so no battle (even same story-battles) are the same if you mix your party's characters' classes up on each playthrough, so you'd be getting plenty of value for that price. You could easily end up spending 100+ hours with the game. Probably the best single player value for 40$ right now (and it does have some kind of multiplayer)

Hmm... I'm not really a veteran of the genre either... does it have easy enough difficulties for a newbie? or is it like, hardcore only?

It's kinda hard, but it has some game mechanics to make it a bit easier. For example, the C.H.A.R.I.O.T system allows you to jump back up to 50 moves, if you think there was a certain point in a battle where you screwed up. Tactics Ogre is kinda similar to Fire Emblems in that characters CAN die permanently, but in this remake they've made it a little less punishing in that it takes a few turns for that to happen (so if you finish the battle before that or use a reviving item, which are expensive though, then you can still save them).

I won't lie, it's not the easiest game around (you WILL die in this game), but it shouldn't be too hard if you want to mostly go through the story, some of the optional quests can be quite hard. There might be some grinding in order to get through the toughest battles, but oftentimes revising your strategies with the help of the CHARIOT system, you'll have a good chance of getting through the game.

Also, you can jump back in time if you feel there was some point in the story where you made a bad choice (which, for example, ended up with a great character leaving your party). It's kinda like the CHARIOT system, but game-wide. This way you can also more easily experience all the alternate endings/storylines.

Do you think I would be able to play for like 20-30 minute sessions ok?

There's a quick save function, so you can save at any time during a battle. The battles can be quite long, since the biggest ones are, like, 10 vs 20, but yeah, the quick save is a handy system then.

[DarkVincent07]

thanks for the information

+rep

[Azu]

Today is the release day in Europe. Will be painful to wait for my copy for a week or so still. :<

[Azu]

My Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together Premium Edition has shipped~

\o/

[mickice]

I love that your backing quality software man, Square really seem to be back to true form with the recent release of PSP titles.

When I see it in store I'll grab it, worked so much lately but I don't want to waste all my money on day 1 releases when I always get burned seeing them cheaper later.

[Azu]

I have somewhat selfish reasons for many of these games, as in: I WANT A SEQUEL!



If this doesn't sell, all hope for getting Ogre Battle Episode 1, 2, 3 and 4 are lost (LUCT is 7th, Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen is 5th and Ogre Battle 64 is 6th).

[Eltimas]

If this doesn't sell, all hope for getting Ogre Battle Episode 1, 2, 3 and 4 are lost (LUCT is 7th, Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen is 5th and Ogre Battle 64 is 6th).

Are these games?

[Azu]

Are these games?

Let Us Cling Together, March of the Black Queen and Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber are games (March of the Black Queen and OB64 are both available on Virtual Console for Wii, in all regions, even Europe though they weren't originally released there). They all take place in the same world, but maybe different parts of the world or at different times. I highly recommend Ogre Battle 64, if you have a Wii, and maybe March of the Black Queen too, but it's perhaps a bit more dated, though still a very good SNES SRPG.

Episodes 1-4 are just somewhat "planned" games in that Matsuno would probably have developed them by now had he continued working on the Ogre Battle/Tactics Ogre saga. Still, as it seems, he still has ideas and things he wants to do with the series, so perhaps if this sells well enough (fat chance), maybe Square Enix would be willing to invest on a completely new Ogre Battle/Tactics Ogre, which could be one of the Episodes that haven't been made yet. Kinda like how George Lucas released Star Wars 4-6 first and the prequels 1-3 later.


And just to add, those are just the "main" chapters in the series. There are a couple of entries to the series that are not part of the main story line, but still take place in the same world. They are just sidestories that build on what Matsuno had done. They're named Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis for GBA and Ogre Battle: Legend of the Zenobia Prince for Neo Geo Pocket (never released outside Japan). Knight of Lodis is very much like Let Us Cling Together and it even has a western release. Knight of Lodis takes place before Episode 5 and Zenobia Prince takes place and shares quite a lot with March of the Black Queen (character cameos and such), since it takes place at the same time.

To make it clearer, the timeline of games released so far goes like this:

Knight of Lodis --- March of the Black Queen (Episode 5)/Legend of the Zenobia Prince & Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber (Episode 6) - Let Us Cling Together (Episode 7)

So if this is your first Tactics Ogre/Ogre Battle game, you'll essentially be beginning from the final (so far) chapter. But don't worry, these are not quite as much tied to each other as, say, the Star Wars originals & prequels. You can play one without having played any other, since they are different wars, different people etc. They are all separate enough stories to be enjoyed as individual games.

[mickice]

Any chance Square could port the entire series into PSP? Would be cool.

[Eltimas]

Let Us Cling Together, March of the Black Queen and Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber are games (March of the Black Queen and OB64 are both available on Virtual Console for Wii, in all regions, even Europe though they weren't originally released there). They all take place in the same world, but maybe different parts of the world or at different times. I highly recommend Ogre Battle 64, if you have a Wii, and maybe March of the Black Queen too, but it's perhaps a bit more dated, though still a very good SNES SRPG.

Episodes 1-4 are just somewhat "planned" games in that Matsuno would probably have developed them by now had he continued working on the Ogre Battle/Tactics Ogre saga. Still, as it seems, he still has ideas and things he wants to do with the series, so perhaps if this sells well enough (fat chance), maybe Square Enix would be willing to invest on a completely new Ogre Battle/Tactics Ogre, which could be one of the Episodes that haven't been made yet. Kinda like how George Lucas released Star Wars 4-6 first and the prequels 1-3 later.


And just to add, those are just the "main" chapters in the series. There are a couple of entries to the series that are not part of the main story line, but still take place in the same world. They are just sidestories that build on what Matsuno had done. They're named Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis for GBA and Ogre Battle: Legend of the Zenobia Prince for Neo Geo Pocket (never released outside Japan). Knight of Lodis is very much like Let Us Cling Together and it even has a western release. Knight of Lodis takes place before Episode 5 and Zenobia Prince takes place and shares quite a lot with March of the Black Queen (character cameos and such), since it takes place at the same time.

To make it clearer, the timeline of games released so far goes like this:

Knight of Lodis --- March of the Black Queen (Episode 5)/Legend of the Zenobia Prince & Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber (Episode 6) - Let Us Cling Together (Episode 7)

So if this is your first Tactics Ogre/Ogre Battle game, you'll essentially be beginning from the final (so far) chapter. But don't worry, these are not quite as much tied to each other as, say, the Star Wars originals & prequels. You can play one without having played any other, since they are different wars, different people etc. They are all separate enough stories to be enjoyed as individual games.

Thanks for the massive coverage of the whole series. There is no plan on playing any of the previous games, as I've decided to dramatically cut down on playing games and just focus on playing really really good games. Especially now that Xenogears has released on the PSN. I think I'll only play TO:Let Us Cling Together for now.
Thanks again.

[Azu]

Well, like I said, if you only plan on playing the really good ones, Ogre Battle 64 is a no-brainer. Though, be aware that if you like Tactics Ogre: LUCT and then decide to play OB64, it doesn't play the same. The gameplay is really different. But yeah, if you find the time at some point, do think about it. It's one of N64's best games, right up there with Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask and Goldeneye/Perfect Dark. And in that, it's probably also the only good RPG for N64.

[Tyrien]

You provided no reason as to why it's a good game other than "it's the best SRPG ever!"