Nintendo 64 gamers have been waiting a long time for a true role-playing game to come along for their system. Now that wait is over. Like a good book, Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber will hold your attention until you either fall asleep on the couch or finish that last chapter. Prior adventures in the Ogre series have left gamers wanting more--much more. Very few role-playing games (both then and now) have had such expansive depth. The series has allowed players to tweak every character, create specialized forces, and command them in battles through three different story lines.
Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber carries forth this formula in both creating and commanding your forces, not to mention choosing from multiple endings. The object is to face ogres, defeat them, and bring peace to the Netherworld. Each mission has a winning condition, which entails capturing an enemy position. A briefing before each mission supplies you with objectives and a map.
Unfortunately, not everything is happy in Ogre land. The music and sound effects have a lot in common with older SNES titles, which is to say they're not quite up to snuff. Graphically, some of the character animations are stiff, and the tiny icons are difficult to see.
Apart from those small gripes, patience is your biggest hurdle in this game. Like most RPGs, Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber is at times tedious. With more than four endings as well as three main paths to make your way through, any attempt to complete this game will greatly test your stamina. Ultimately, this is a masterpiece of sorts that only true RPG fans will be able to enjoy. --Todd Mowatt
Pros:
- Customizable characters
- Multiple endings
Cons: - Poor music and sound effects
- Tiny icons are hard to read
