Valkyria Chronicles - Who's heard of it? Thoughts? (PS3)

[Koeryn]

NOT A REVIEW, JUST MY JUMBLED THOUGHTS

I downloaded the demo through PSN, and honestly, while fun, I wasn't really impressed. I moved on to other things.

My brother comes home with it. He plays it for a bit, I get bored of the Skate 1/2 demos and try it.

I have to say, WAY better than the demo made me think.

Graphics are beautifully done, and very different from what I'm used to seeing in a game. The musical score's not bad, the story's wonderful.

What impresses and disturbs me is the characters.
Correct me if this sounds strange, but EVERY character I've seen in the game is a fairly average, reasonable human being. Even the big baddies. I can't really say much about crazy lance-girl yet, as I've hardly seen her, but the characters are BELIEVABLE.

And that's just ODD. I've never seen a game go through the effort of putting a face to the people you're fighting and killing, and make that face something completely recognizable. You're not fighting psycopaths, or monsters, or anything of the sort. They're just PEOPLE.

It's WEIRD.

But I'm really enjoying the game so far. I'm up to just after the D-Day style beach invasion.

Anyone else playing through it? What do you think?

 

[neuromasser]

Sounds interesting, now I feel like playing it.... damn you!

 

[ElArabDeMagnifico]

And that's just ODD. I've never seen a game go through the effort of putting a face to the people you're fighting and killing, and make that face something completely recognizable. You're not fighting psychopaths, or monsters, or anything of the sort. They're just PEOPLE.

Ya know, I didn't think that until the part where you get seperated. I remember in the "invasion of Bruhl" you see the scouting group or whoever throw a grenade and kill a family trying to escape. It's like they were trying to make them look evil and then suddenly they aren't. I thought that was kinda cool if not confusing. Then of course the facelessness of the enemies during the fights helps because they all wear those masks, but that's a different story.

 

[hermes]

I also disliked the demo but am enjoying the final game a lot more. Try to go to youtube and check some videos of the first missions (avoid spoilers). I got convinced to try it when I saw a preview of the game in giant bomb. It's a pretty cool game. I would play it more, but it is kind of hard, I am stuck and each stage can last more than an hour.

And what you menction is true. The story is pretty good, although it has some issues when they mix dense warfare storytelling with anime sense of humor (it doesn't happened all the time, but it feels weird when it does). Each character is believable, and every member of your squad (over 50 to choose from) are different and have a background story which you unlock the more you use them, likes, dislikes, motivations and that affects its performance (some likes the city and are more effective in city mission, some have alergies and are less effective in the countryside, some are more effective when surrounded by women, etc). The amount of information and details they put on every (apparently) trivial character is breathtaking.

 

[Monocle Man]

I bought it last week Thursday, I must say I really enjoy it. Pretty challenging at some points (and unfair, stupid unlimited enemy reinforcements without base) but I never need more than a second try.

Currently I'm at chapter 15, tomorrow I will return and attempt to dispose of that what would seem a boss fight.

The excessive explaining in cutscenes is pretty bothersome, though. "The lions paw blahblah blah and grows blahblahblah", "Smokescreen made by blahblahblahblah all night blahblahblah".

 

[Gamer137]

I don't have a PS3 and have never played it, but I do enjoy games like Fire Emblem. In theory, I would love the game, but I tried playing Operation Darkness, which was the same concept. The game itself was good, but putting a grid style system into a console does one of two things.

A. It shows all 360 degrees, which makes it hard or too confusing to observe everything.

B. It is an overhead view of the entire field, which does not make the most of a console.

Operation Darkness conviced me that turn-based grid style strategy games are best left on handhelds. If I had a PS3 I would give the demo a shot. Does the game correct the camera problems?

 

[Monocle Man]

I don't have a PS3 and have never played it, but I do enjoy games like Fire Emblem. In theory, I would love the game, but I tried playing Operation Darkness, which was the same concept. The game itself was good, but putting a grid style system into a console does one of two things.

A. It shows all 360 degrees, which makes it hard or too confusing to observe everything.

B. It is an overhead view of the entire field, which does not make the most of a console.

Operation Darkness conviced me that turn-based grid style strategy games are best left on handhelds. If I had a PS3 I would give the demo a shot. Does the game correct the camera problems?

There's no grid, just a battlefront on which you walk freely.
You start on a map which shows all your units and all enemy units your units can see, then you select your unit.
Once selected you'll be zoomed to the battlefield on which enemies within your range that can see you start shooting at you (cover is very important), you'll move around à la third person shooter until you're at a position you deem fit (within your walking range), aim and fire at enemies.

 

[Gamer137]

There's no grid, just a battlefront on which you walk freely.

I guess that fixes it. Still don't have a PS3 though.

 

[hermes]

I don't have a PS3 and have never played it, but I do enjoy games like Fire Emblem. In theory, I would love the game, but I tried playing Operation Darkness, which was the same concept. The game itself was good, but putting a grid style system into a console does one of two things.

A. It shows all 360 degrees, which makes it hard or too confusing to observe everything.

B. It is an overhead view of the entire field, which does not make the most of a console.

Operation Darkness conviced me that turn-based grid style strategy games are best left on handhelds. If I had a PS3 I would give the demo a shot. Does the game correct the camera problems?

Valkyria Chronicles is not a grid style strategy game. The idea is that you use and move units in a third person perspective (with a bar that deplents when you move), and each time you select units to move in your turn you have an overview perspective of the entire map.

 

[BlackDodongo]

I looked into this a while ago and got really interested. Picked up my wallet and trecked into town. I could not find one single copy of the game and went home dissapointed.

 

[hermes]

I looked into this a while ago and got really interested. Picked up my wallet and trecked into town. I could not find one single copy of the game and went home dissapointed.

It is hard to find, granted. You should do what I did and buy it online. I believe Amazon still has stock of new copies.

 

[Remleiz]

got it, completed it

playing it again
awaiting the dlc released saturday

 

[Schnippshly]

What's that? Badguys are just as real as goodguys? "It's true!" experts say. "Badguys have feelings, too! In fact, as far as they're concerned, they're not even badguys. Goodguys tend not to believe that though because it makes killing the badguys a lot more morally justifiable." Yeah, play pretty much any war game and even though the "badguys" have human faces they treat them like mindless drones born for the sole purpose of being evil and getting killed by goodguys. I would be amazed to play a war game where you get to play as both sides, with both sides being given human characters with feelings and backgrounds and personalities.
War games that try to do a war from both perspectives always make the badguy's perspective from an officer's point of view, while the goodguys consist of NCOs and enlisted men, you know, "regular joes".
FPSs have a really strong stance on playing-as-goodguys-only. RTS games always let you play as the badguys, but since they're RTS games, they're not required to give any of the soldiers personalities.

ANYWAY

I didn't like Valkyria Chronicles. At all. Because it's turn-based. It takes my favorite kind of gameplay, which is first- or third-person-shooters and they make it turn-based!
I could just barely tolerate turn-based combat in games like Final Fantasy, because it was easy to manage. I like turn-based combat a little more in Tactics-type games because it's more involving but it also takes a lot longer and can be even more tedious, depending on the game. Basically the only tactics game I liked was Tactics Ogre for the Gameboy Advance.
I LOVE turn-based gameplay in Advance Wars, but that's mostly because it's portable. Plus it's just a damn good game. I've never seen an Advance Wars wannabe that was anywhere near as fun or enjoyable.
I just find the gameplay in Valkyria Chronicles to be intolerable because it's so close to real-time combat but then they just ruin it by making you take turns for no reason.
I already made this analogy in another topic: Imagine you're playing Call of Duty, except that everybody just stands still does nothing, and only one soldier can move or perform any actions at a time. Also, you yourself have to move your entire team individually, one after the other. Plus, while you're taking your turn, the enemy can still shoot at you, even though they can't move.
Doesn't that sound boring and horrible compared to real-time combat? Well that's what Valkyria Chronicles is to me! It's so stylish and seems like it could be really awesome but having to take turns just ruins everything for me. There's no reason to have to take turns! All the gameplay is set up where you could just as easily have real-time combat! It'd be way more fun if they had just made it a third-person shooter!

 

[Rambostylin]

i personally have the game, i loved the demo but i have only played the game once since i bought it, and that was about 4 months ago now, i'd say its worth a look but i think its still expensive i mean i got mine for £35, its a fun game but i havnt found the time to play and it its not really a game you can play quickly for 20 mins as games can strech on for a while

 

[Rambostylin]

oh and they are making a anime series based on it

 

[Schnippshly]

i personally have the game, i loved the demo but i have only played the game once since i bought it, and that was about 4 months ago now, i'd say its worth a look but i think its still expensive i mean i got mine for £35, its a fun game but i havnt found the time to play and it its not really a game you can play quickly for 20 mins as games can strech on for a while

That's another thing I don't like about turn-based games like this one. A battle that should just take a very exciting couple of minutes instead takes a very lengthy, drawn-out hour.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

One of my favorites... even if I'm currently stuck fighting the massive tank in the desert...damn hard mission that one...

 

[Meta Like That]

I'd be all over this if it was on 360.

oh and they are making a anime series based on it

Well that's no surprise.

 

[Grayjack]

On my 4th playthrough. It doesn't get old for me.

 

[hermes]

I didn't like Valkyria Chronicles. At all. Because it's turn-based. It takes my favorite kind of gameplay, which is first- or third-person-shooters and they make it turn-based!
I could just barely tolerate turn-based combat in games like Final Fantasy, because it was easy to manage. I like turn-based combat a little more in Tactics-type games because it's more involving but it also takes a lot longer and is even more tedious. I LOVE turn-based gameplay in Advance Wars, but that's mostly because it's portable.
I just find the gameplay in Valkyria Chronicles to be intolerable because it's so close to real-time combat but then they just ruin it by making you take turns for no reason.
I already made this analogy in another topic: Imagine you're playing Call of Duty, except that everybody just stands still, and only one soldier can move at a time. Also, you have to move your entire team, one at a time. Plus, while you're taking your turn, the enemy can still shoot at you, even though they're not allowed to move.
Doesn't that sound boring and horrible compared to real-time combat? Well that's what Valkyria Chronicles is to me! It's so stylish and seems like it could be really awesome but having to take turns just ruins everything for me. There's no reason to have to take turns! All the gameplay is set up where you could just as easily have real-time combat! It'd be way more fun if they had just made it a third-person shooter!

With all due respect, Valkyria Chronicles does not needs to be a third-person shooter. It there is one thing you can say about that game, is that it is different than most games. It is kind of an hybrid between third person shooter and strategic RPG (closer to the later). If it were a shooter it would have been too generic.

There are a LOT of first and third person shooters in the market. A LOT. If you enjoy third person shooters (and I have nothing against them, really), it is not like you are running out of options. And not all games that have a third person perspective and have guns need to be a third person shooter. You analogy of Call of Duty fails because you are trying to shoehorn every game into some specific mechanic... Imagine you have Final Fantasy, but it is in first person, and it is not turn based, it is like Oblivion and now it would be way more fun! Now imagine you have Mirror Edge, but it is in third person, it is like any 3D plataformer, and it is so much fun!

Seriously, appreciate the games for what they are, or don't... but don't think it could be better if it were more "average". Granted, VC could have gone the third person shooter style and it may have sold better in the west because of that. But it wouldn't be Valkyria Chronicles, it would be just another generic third person shooter based in the already generic WWII scenario.