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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A game of epic proportions, 4 Feb 2009
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
Having played around 20 hours of the game but not yet completed it, I feel compelled to write a few things about Valkyria Chronicles. For me, this is what gaming is all about, a gripping storyline, gorgeous water colour graphics and an intuitive battle system make this a joy to behold. You follow the story of a young chap called Welkin and his adopted sister Isara as they are drawn into the 2nd Europa war, a fictional continant. Welkin quickly works his way up the ranks and becomes the leader of Squad 7 and this is where the best part of the game starts. You are able to tailor your squad of soldiers by having a selection of different fighting styles, scouts, shocktroopers and the Lancers for example. Each individual you select to be in your team is very different and there are brilliant characters who react differently on the battle field which is a nice touch. My personal favourite is the gay lancer Jann who 'gets lost in the muscles' when he is near to male comrades, particularly the main Lancer Largo. The battle system is brilliant, in brief terms you control your tank or soldiers as you see fit as your maneuvre around what can sometimes be very vast battlefields. Each battle requires thought and skill as you need to determine which class of soldier is most suited to a situation or whether you need a mix. You gain experience as the time goes on and weapons can be upgraded as well as the tank/s. All in all, i would have to say that this is probably the best game I have played on the PS3, do not hesitate to buy it if you are a fan of role-playing or strategy games or just love a damn good story led game.
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30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
See, Sega? Was that so hard?, 16 Dec 2008
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
Obviously, any new game from Sega is going to be greeted with a certain amount of caution, as the outdated developer continues to churn out awful game after awful game... it's easy to simply want to dismiss any title you see from them this generation(I don't count stuff like Yakuza 2, as it's a pretty old PS2 game in Japan we're only recently getting over here). It's certainly quite a shock to see them pull the rug out from under me with a release like Valkyria Chronicles, which is easily the best Sega game to come out in many, many years.
Telling the story of Welkin Gunther, the gentle son of a renowned war hero who returns home after a long time only to find himself leading a rag tag band of militia troops against a vast imperial army which is threatening to overrun their entire country, Valkyria Chronicles tells a genuinely moving, engrossing and sometimes tragic war story that plays out like an anime series where you control the battles. Yes, this being a Strategy RPG, you will spend most of your time navigating menus or playing the battles, but given just how easy the game is to play and the extremely user friendly manner in which it is designed(Far more so than any SRPG I've ever played), you really won't be too put off by the game's layout. The whole game is told in the form of a 'book' filled with comic book style panels that you select as you flip through the pages, with each panel offering either story scenes, conversations, or battles. The book also offers 'tabs' for things like visitng your HQ or various locations around the capital city that offer various incentives like weapons and upgrades to buy, aditional background story, and 'mock' battles and training for improving your skills.
The strongest aspect of the game though is defeinitely the battles, which are rendered in gorgeous, large scale third person battlefields that you move around freely depending on your soldier's(Or tank's) 'action bar', which drains the more you move around, with different classes of soldier offering differing action bar sizes. During you 'turn', at any point while moving around, your troops can take one 'action, like healing, attacking, repairing and such, with the best strategies coming from the best combinations of soldiers and actions per 'phase'(In which you or your enemy's turns are allocated by anything between 2 moves and 30 moves at a time, allowing for some large scale strategising, given the scale of whichever battle you are in). It sounds a tad complex, but when eased in through the opening tutorials, it feels like second nature quite quickly.
I won't get too far into the nuances of the combat, as it has a fair amount of depth, but needless to say, it does have a very satisfying mix of both turn based straegy unit management and real time run and gun gameplay, which keeps things exciting even during extended skirmishes. Also, as a nice touch, you can save your game any time during your own phase, allowing you replay turns over and over until you achieve the best possible outcome. Takes away from the challenge maybe, but it makes it more manageable.
Also worth noting is the variety offered in the missons. It isn't all 'defeat the enemy' objectives, as there are also battles where you'll face off against enormous, massively oversized war machines that require some inventive thinking to defeat, missions where you'll have to navigate stranded soldiers through the heart of enemy territory unseen, run diversionary raids so you can get a single soldier behind enemy lines and such, it keeps things interesting throughout.
Visually, the game is beautiful, but won't appeal to everyone, as the entire game looks like a living watercolour painting. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it works well with the story. Soundwise it is equally impressive, with a fantastic cast of voice actors on both the English and Japanese settings, and some stirring music that takes in both orchestral pieces and traditional JPOP melodies. It's quite a well presented package.
Add to this numerous play incentives for completion of the game and various tasks, and a number of amusing connections to classic JRPG Skies of Arcadia(Vyse and Aika are in here as playable characters) and you have a truly wonderful little title that keep you engrossed for the 30 odd hours it'll take to run through the story mode at least.
It's never going to be a huge hit or appeal to everyone, but for anime fans, strategy fans, or people just after a great game with a likeable story, this is essential stuff.
More of this Sega, less of Sonic.
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The PS3s hidden gem, 17 Dec 2008
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
The best way to explain this game is a strategy 3rd person shooter. Thought the demo was OK but decided to buy it anyway. Im so glad I did. This is now my 2nd favorite game on the PS3(MGS4 being No.1).
Its a shame SEGA hasnt bothered pushing the advertising cuz for me it should've been a contender for GOTY. Clocked about 35 hours so far and still havent finished the main story(let alone all the extras Skirmishes/Reports etc). I've also heard theres DLC in the new year. With most games nowadays usually taking me around 10 to 15hrs to finish or get bored of, this little gem is well worth the money.
Wonderful watercolour graphics
Wonderful appropriate score
Original gameplay mechanic
Endless replay value
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