TGS: Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together Hands-On
Known as Tactics Ogre: Wheel of Fortune in its native Japan and Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together in the US and Europe, my not being sure what to expect quickly disappeared, as, at least graphically the game is very similar to the SNES original.
The character sprites and backgrounds seem to have been pulled almost wholesale from the SNES original, and that isn't a bad thing - it means the game maintains the charm of the original, though now in glorious widescreen on the PSP's beautiful screen.
Past the graphics, Tactics Ogre on the PSP offers up a new, improved menu and UI, making use of the increased resolution and more real estate on the screen in such a manner to make everything more intuitive and easy to use and understand. You have to dig through less information to get to the important stuff you want, and that is always a welcome change.
While playing on a crowded show floor on a demo station isn't the ideal way to experience this, it's relatively safe to assume that this new interface may well make this Tactics Ogre a more superior game in general. The SNES original was complex and deep, but there's no arguing that the interface sometimes held players back from experiencing the full extent of this massive system. Hopefully here, that shouldn't be an issue.
If you've played Final Fantasy Tactics (by the same guys) or Disgaea, you know how the basic combat of Tactics Ogre will work. You're looking at a grid-based battlefield from an isometric perspective, controlling a number of classes of characters who all have unique abilities and skills in a fight to the death.
This gameplay is such a staple of Strategy RPGs now that it requires little explanation, but there was a new system on show at TGS which is an all-new major change for this modern upgrade to the game.
Known as the CHARIOT system, the function essentially amounts to hitting back on your web browser, or pressing Ctrl+Z in Word. It undoes your last action. You pull the Left trigger, and this brings up a menu which lists out recent actions from members of your squad. By hitting one of those options, you fly back in time to just before that move was executed.
This will allow players to correct accidental movement mistakes or even correct rubbish tactics on the fly. There will be cries of this being an 'easy mode', but it's something that's optional and also requires a special item to use. From what I saw, it felt really quite handy and something I could easily see myself using when things get a little hairy.
Alongside CHARIOT there was also a new system called WORLD. The original Tactics Ogre was famed for allowing players multiple paths through the storyline with an extremely detailed branching plot for a SNES title. WORLD will allow you to rewind the plot in a similar way to battles. That'll allow you to see the various branching plot options without having to start up multiple time-swallowing playthroughs.
The demo battles I played were relatively easy as a Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre veteran, but it is well worth saying that what I played felt solid, ran smoothly and didn't seem to suffer from any of the crippling slowdown that bothered the PSP port of Final Fantasy Tactics.
What I saw at Tokyo Game Show was a solid port of a classic with some interesting but honestly totally unnecessary new elements. They've got to have some bullet points for the back of the box, of course, and CHARIOT and WORLD will fit that bill nicely, as decent and interesting new features - but the core of this experience is the original game, which seems to be faithfully replicated and run smoothly here.
Ultimately, that's all that matters. If this version of Tactics Ogre remains faithful and keeps performance solid, you're looking at the rebirth of a true classic. You can see all the screenshots and artwork of the game released so far over in the Media Vault.
Contributed to RPG Site by John Davison. Published by Alex Donaldson.