Friday, April 3, 2009

Games to own - #3

Welcome to part three of games to own in your collection. I try to dig out titles that aren't your multi-million selling AAA titles, but great titles that deserve to be in your collection that you might be unaware of. But most importantly, the point is to point out great games that have been neglected and have done poorly commercially (sales wise).

The strange thing with the game I have picked today; Valkyria Chronicles, is that it IS a AAA title, yet sold quite poorly. I assume it's due to the lack of marketing behind it, which is a real shame, as it is a fantastic strategy/RPG and a must have exclusive on PlayStation 3.

There's no doubt about it, this is a very original take on strategy RPG's. The game blends three different game genres (third person shooter, turn-based strategy and RPG) all into one to create something completely unique and fun to play. How does it work? Imagine a turn-based war game with beautiful anime watercolor type graphics and great orchestral track. And just wait till you see it in motion! 


During your turn on the battlefield, you choose which character you want to move and then proceed to do so in real time, just like a third person shooter. You have a limited amount of steps you can make and you can only attack once per character. When choosing to attack, you also aim a cursor before firing your shots. The enemy will also counter attack in real time as you approach and you keep doing so until you have moved all your troops and attacked or your turn is over.

You can also hide your characters behind cover, crouch and use vehicles and various weapons (just like a real war!). It's an excellent mix of gameplay and it works so very, very well. Couple it with an interesting plot and decent voice acting and you've got a AAA title which is one of the best strategy RPG's this generation.

9.5 out of 10. Buy it now, or at least try the downloadable demo off PlayStation network, which only shows a bit of the brilliance in the full game. Support unique games and buy this one so we can all enjoy a sequel.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

SO want this game. The demo just didn't do it justice; it contained NO STORY at all! Why release a demo of a strategy game with a story lauded by critics that doesn't even hint at it?

Primal said...

Well, I thought the demo was a good idea. I wanted the game after playing it, otherwise I would never have bought it. It gives you a taste of the game, like every demo. Long live demos!

Unknown said...

The demo was by no means a "bad idea". It was, however, not the brightest move to leave the story out of it completely. I'd certainly take a demo of a game than no demo at all; I was just lamenting its painful existence.