| Likely to be regarded as one of the best Wii games for the Wii’s Virtual Console is a strategy game that harnesses the power of the Tarot. Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen might just be the best Wii VC game ever conceived, and definitely the best RPG-style game. The aforementioned Tarot cards are one of the coolest and most unusual aspects of this thoroughly rewarding crusade into days of old. Ogre Battle manages to combine action, strategy and Tarot readings into an unforgettable adventure with you right in the middle of the action. |  Available Through MyWiiDownloads.com |
You have the entire range of cards and powers at your disposal, although some cards like the Star Card just ramp up the stats a little bit for the units you have. Cards like Justice and Tower bring a lot more interest to the game because these give you different magic powers to use against your enemies. Even the Hermit card delivers the goods. The Death card is a Catch 22 because you can kill your competition instantly by using it but it will drop your reputation if you do. Talk about temptation, the Death card is one of the cards that beg to be used, even when you don’t really need to. In Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen, you are going to be using your cards almost from start to finish so you need to be familiar with the power that each one has. You’ll find that they add great excitement to any battle. Both strategy and RPG gamers will find lots of exciting game play to remain enthralled for hours.
While most of the game battles are automatic it will be up to you whether you want to bring a Tarot card into play or use some other tactic. Prior to battle you make preparations by setting your units into place, choosing one of your 4 available strategies. Once the action begins and your forces clash with your enemies you have no control of what will happen, so plan carefully. There are no menus, cursors, or cards that you can use while the fight is on, you just have to see how it plays out, watching the action in cutaway shots that are flashed on the screen.
The combat being handled through the built in autopilot gives you the chance to pay attention to your larger strategic plans. The focus of Ogre Battle is gaining control of the land. This game is divided into specific chapters, almost like a play, and each of these has a different map and land layout. Your armies will have to navigate through many different regions, from mountains, deep rivers, and treacherous woods, in order to gain control of various cities and temples that are currently under the rule of the Zetegenian Empire. Once free those temples and small cities allow you and your troops to purchase spells, earn gold or be healed. Just follow the large map and you will find which towns are in need of your help, but remember you will have to fight numerous battles along the way as well. Whenever you liberate a city or temple, you are able to select a new Tarot Card.
Another unique aspect of the game is how the game determine what sort of character you will start of as in the game. In the introduction, you are given a form to fill in, presented to you by the game’s presiding wizard and tutorial expert, Warren Moon. You answer questions about your personal ethics, moral code, and ability to lead others. This will determine your basic reputation, which will no doubt change throughout the game, dependant on the choices you make. It’s interesting to see how your reputation will look at the end of the action compared to how it started. The questions that you answer are tied to the Tarot Cards and to spare you getting bored with this set up, each new game begins with a new, random set of questions.
It’s the addition of “reputation” and the Tarot Cards that help make Ogre Battle such an interesting and engaging adventure for the Virtual Console and definitely one of the best Wii games now available to download. The very first Ogre Battle was created for SNES back in ‘95 and it has achieved a cult-like status among dedicated gamers over the years. The 1995 edition was limited to only 25 thousand copies, making it one of the rarest of electronic games. Thankfully, Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen is not so exclusive, but still likely to go down in gaming history as a truly unique RPG adventure.