7. Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis
This one might be somewhat difficult but definitely not impossible. Quest, which was the developer and Japanese publisher of the Ogre Battle games, merged with Square back in 2002, which was after The Knight of Lodis released. The reason it might get difficult is that Atlus, which is now owned by Sega, was the main publisher of the games in North America, including this game. It might depend on what was in the contract at the time but it could be as easy as inserting a copyright date with the Square Enix name on the title screen to some sort of deal between Square Enix and Atlus/Sega over profits.
Either way, Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis is an excellent RPG that is, at its title would indicate, a tactic-based game. Combat varies from simple melee combat to ranged attacks with bows or special abilities. And multiple endings to the game brings you coming back for more. A great game that deserves a spot on the Virtual Console.
6. Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising
It wasn’t enough to have one tactical game on this list. We needed more.
In case you’re wondering where Advance Wars finished before being announced for release, it was in the Top 10 but would’ve been cut due to the one-per-franchise rule. And given that Japan will be getting Black Hole Rising soon, we have no doubt that this will be coming to us in the West as well.
Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising is the second game in the Advance Wars sub-series of Nintendo’s Wars series, which also includes Dual Strike and Days of Ruin on the Nintendo DS. Black Hole has recovered and is looking to conquer Macro Land. The Allied Nations must band together to drive the Black Hole Army out and stop Commander Sturm once and for all. The game also has a number of new features, including impassable walls, new terrain features, more commanders, and the Super CO Power. An excellent game that should be coming soon.
5. Golden Sun: The Lost Age
“Okay, guys. The original Golden Sun has been added to the release schedule. Everyone from 3 to 5 move up one. And The Lost Age, how about you settle down right here?”
Yeah, Golden Sun was our Number 2 pick for this list. The Lost Age wasn’t even on here due to the one-per-franchise rule until Wednesday morning. But with the announcement comes the lone shift in the rankings, putting the Golden Sun sequel on the list and moving everything in front up one spot (save for the Number 1 game on our list).
Golden Sun: The Lost Age is a direct sequel to the first game. However, instead of playing as Isaac, you play as his rival from the first game, Felix. Saturos and Menardi have been defeated, leaving Felix to complete the mission to restore Alchemy to Weyard. After being chased by the previous protagonists, Felix is eventually successful in convincing Isaac and his party to join the quest.
Along your way, you’ll complete puzzles, battle enemies, and sail the seas. In addition, you’ll need to collect and manipulate elemental creatures known as Djinn, which are used to dictate your Psynergy capabilities.
With the original releasing next month, we hopefully won’t have to wait too long to see this game release on the Virtual Console.
