Valkyria Chronicles
So recently I went back and picked up Valkyria Chronicles from the earlier days of PS3 play. Heck, I looked at my saved games and they were from right around five years ago. Sheesh. I petered out around chapter 10 (of 18) last time, but I was relatively determined to make it through now and finish that out, even if it meant restarting so I knew what the heck was going on in the story.
And I think I'm glad I did, though I was reminded why I gave up before.
I really like the tactical gameplay. There are some tweaks I could wish for (maybe a move radius indicator and a way to see the field at unit level without actually selecting a unit), but I like how moving units puts you into direct control and how you have a map view. The interplay of units is pretty good (even if lancers lose some value later and your own tank is ignorable in a lot of maps). The weapon R&D does add something, though it's less useful in the endgame and starts to get into the down side.
Juggling everything in the Headquarters view offers a sense of progression, yes, but it feels very time consuming outside of the action. After each mission there are new weapon upgrades and XP to be spent on training. There are possible new recruit options, medals, or even royal gift weapons. And on top of that, the menu navigation between modes also takes a little time. The end result is a game that's made up of battles (some of which can be difficult or lengthy, but are at least engaging), cut scenes (which are interesting and progress the story), and a lot of micromanagement going through various menus and modes - which gets to be a drag.
The story, though, is pretty good. Oh, I could poke holes, I'm sure, but it's an interesting alternate-history war story centered on militia folk defending their homeland. There's some ramped up tech and some magic. And the story held a twist or two that even caught me by surprise. Seriously, that was a little bit of a shocker itself - a game I was interested in over five years old had plot elements that I didn't know. It manages to answer most of the questions it raises (except "why are the Valkyrur so magically badass to begin with?"). It touches on aspects of a good war story, including sympathy toward the enemy, sacrifice, and the question of how far one is willing to go to win. While the game ranges from neat to unwieldy, I very much liked the story.
Addendum: So what do I try next? In spite of horror stories, I've been curious about Dark Souls 2, but that's not coming out for another month. I could pick up 1, though I worry that a month may not be a good window in which to play a game like that (on the other hand, if I absolutely hate the difficulty, it might be cheaper than picking up a new release of 2). Otherwise... hrm... not even sure what appealing alternatives there are to consider at present...
And I think I'm glad I did, though I was reminded why I gave up before.
I really like the tactical gameplay. There are some tweaks I could wish for (maybe a move radius indicator and a way to see the field at unit level without actually selecting a unit), but I like how moving units puts you into direct control and how you have a map view. The interplay of units is pretty good (even if lancers lose some value later and your own tank is ignorable in a lot of maps). The weapon R&D does add something, though it's less useful in the endgame and starts to get into the down side.
Juggling everything in the Headquarters view offers a sense of progression, yes, but it feels very time consuming outside of the action. After each mission there are new weapon upgrades and XP to be spent on training. There are possible new recruit options, medals, or even royal gift weapons. And on top of that, the menu navigation between modes also takes a little time. The end result is a game that's made up of battles (some of which can be difficult or lengthy, but are at least engaging), cut scenes (which are interesting and progress the story), and a lot of micromanagement going through various menus and modes - which gets to be a drag.
The story, though, is pretty good. Oh, I could poke holes, I'm sure, but it's an interesting alternate-history war story centered on militia folk defending their homeland. There's some ramped up tech and some magic. And the story held a twist or two that even caught me by surprise. Seriously, that was a little bit of a shocker itself - a game I was interested in over five years old had plot elements that I didn't know. It manages to answer most of the questions it raises (except "why are the Valkyrur so magically badass to begin with?"). It touches on aspects of a good war story, including sympathy toward the enemy, sacrifice, and the question of how far one is willing to go to win. While the game ranges from neat to unwieldy, I very much liked the story.
Addendum: So what do I try next? In spite of horror stories, I've been curious about Dark Souls 2, but that's not coming out for another month. I could pick up 1, though I worry that a month may not be a good window in which to play a game like that (on the other hand, if I absolutely hate the difficulty, it might be cheaper than picking up a new release of 2). Otherwise... hrm... not even sure what appealing alternatives there are to consider at present...
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