Valkyria Chronicles 2 Review

Title: Valkyria Chronicles 2

Console: PSP


Genre: SRPG/Shooter


Released: 2010












If I had said to you a few years back "I want someone to make a game that combines strategy with RPG and shooter elements" You would have shown me several great examples of the first two together and the last two together but would probably have been perplexed as to how a combo of all three together would work...Then Valkyria Chronicles came. Unfortunately I don't have a PS3 to play the first game (Cue sad face) but, I do have a PSP which means I was able to play the second game and I have to say, I fairly enjoyed it.

Gameplay

Like I said above, the game combines strategy RPG with shooter elements. These both make the game unique and fun. After observing the battlefield from a top down map, you then select a unit and are then sent down into a 3^rd-person perspective over said character. You move the character into the position you want (With in the stamina limit of course) then go into fire mode. It combines the braininess of a strategy with the feeling of actually controlling the character instead of them just being mindless pawns.

My only problems with the gameplay are the amount of units you can have on the battlefield and the poor battlefield verity. The max amount of units you can have on the battlefield at one time is six, when you add into the fact that you will almost always have Avan and the tank in the battlefield that leaves you with about four spots to customize with. Since most of the combat consisted of starting units in through two areas I almost always had 3 units in one area and 3 in another (With a few exceptions and several classmate missions.) Unfortunately you'll have to be prepared to duke it out in the same spots a lot, because, the game reuses the same maps a lot. While playing in the same zone for a while wasn't totally bad, it would have been a lot better if you could have gotten new maps faster.

Story

The country of Galia is thrown into civil war after a group revolutionaries revolt because they don't like the queen person's hair color... that pretty much sums up what the main story is supposed to be about but, the game kind of abandons the story as soon as you start playing. About the 45^th hour mark when I stopped playing I had just won some leviathan cup thing and then asked myself "Wasn't I supposed to have been fighting several evil persons wearing weird capes?" and "Why does the mysterious girl who previously kicked butt now only wants to have awkward pool parties?" Questions that are still unanswered.

Characters

Unfortunately the three main characters are uninteresting. Avan is the stereotypical anime character who thinks on his stomach but not much else, Zeri is kind of an A-hole but is a little bit of a better character then the other two and Cossettie is... The girl character. However the side characters are what really shines in this game. The more times you use certain units in combat the more likely you are to have a post mission conversation with them. These conversations manage to flesh out each individual character and about the third conversation (After the introduction conversation) you get a classmate mission (Which I found tend to be more fun than the regular missions.) After completing said mission you get their last cut-scene/conversation and then awaken a new potential in that character. I found myself switching characters up a lot just so I could get their conversation, so I'd say the developer did it well.

Summery

Valkyria Chronicles 2 is an RPG that combines strategy with shooter elements but unfortunately suffers from a lack of mission and battlefield verity. The story seems to get lost and the main protagonists get out shined by the side characters but, it is still a very fun game. If you have a PS3 I would recommend getting the first game, if you have a PSP then I'd recommend the second, if you have both then you know what to do/already have done.


Tips From The Journey Man



Tip #1:While the tech class is rather annoying to use, if you can upgrade them to Fencer you will dominate the map.

Tip #2: Avoid the gunner class like the plague. Trust me they are worthless.

Tip #3: Don't put down the APC body totally at first. Trust me with the utility APC body, a flamethrower turret and a lancer unit inside you can rule the map. Of course you should customize your tank to your own preferences but, it's just a suggestion.