If you've never heard of the Ogre Battle franchise before now, I won't hold it against you. The original tactical RPG game was released in Japan for the Super Famicom over fifteen years ago, and didn't really strike a chord with Western gamers until Tactic Ogre hit the shores with a re-release on the Sony PlayStation a few years later. The game was a hit with gamers, and led to a few the release and/or re-release of other entries in the franchise, including the original Ogre Battle, Ogre Battle 64, and Tactics Ogre: The Knights of Lodis. Now Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together is getting a new lease on life, thanks to Square Enix's decision to remake the cult classic for the PSP, with a host of improvements and additions to make this a must have for newcomers and Ogre Battle veterans alike.

The game's audio, on the other hand, has had a near total overhaul, with bigger musical scores and better sound effects to make the experience a real treat for the ears. It's just a shame that the visuals didn't get a similar makeover. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together was originally released back in the mid-90s, and the game is starting to show its age. Sure, there's a little bit of polish here and there, but by and large, the game's graphics don't look much different than they did when the PSOne version first popped on the scene. Technology has come a long way in the past decade and a half, and it would have been nice to see something with a little more of a detailed look in the remake.

So what's next on the list of Tactics Ogre's shortcomings? Actually, that's it. Seriously, outside of the dated graphics, it's hard to find anything wrong with the game. This is, without question, the way a remake should be done. Gameplay has been improved considerably. Leveling is a lot more streamlined, for one. Before, the player had to level up each class member separately, which led to a whole lot of grinding to keep everyone on equal ground. There was a trick in the original game allowing players to set auto-training and walk away from the game, but where's the fun in having a game you're not actually playing? This time around, classes level up in one lump sum. If you get one mage up to level 10, all mages become level 10. You still get to go to the individual party members and tweak their abilities, but you just don't have to grind through a bunch of useless battles to get there.

It's not just the gameplay mechanics that gets a update in Tactics Ogre on the PSP. The game's plot has also gotten an upgrade. Square Enix has beefed up the content by adding in branching story arcs and multiple endings. That's right, even if you've mastered the original game, you'll want to revisit the land of Valeria. For newcomers to Tactics Ogre it's a great way to have a deep involvement with the mythology of the game, and for returning players, it's a unique way to see how things might have gone differently if they had zigged instead of zagged.

On every console and in every genre, there are a select few titles that truly earn the distinction of being a "must have" game. For PSP owners and fans of strategic RPG games, Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together is that must have, Holy Grail of a title that just gets everything right. With a little luck, the game will be successful enough to convince Square Enix to revisit the other entries in the franchise, giving them the same care and attention to breathe new life into the series.

Final Score: A+