Valkyria Chronicles

Many companies try to combine anime and videogames into one awesome package, and it's pretty uncommon that something special comes out of it.

Today, I'm talking about Valkyria Chronicles.

Back in 2008, Sega decided to take a break from torturing Sonic, and decided it's time for something new. And what they created, was truly amazing.

The first thing you'll notice about the game are the graphics, unless you're blind. But chances are, you're not, since you're reading this. They're sort of like watercolors. It's a very unique style, especially for a wargame.
I thought those games were supposed to be grey and black, no ?

Besides the unique artstyle, it also brings an interesting battle system. BLITZ, they called it. Battle of Live Tactical Zones. Basically, the game is turn based. You move your units one by one. As you approach the enemy, they will retaliate. They will usually start shooting your way, making it seem more like a warzone, rather than a boring turn based RPG. They all stop shooting when you stop aiming though, otherwise the game would be near-impossible. It still looks silly, though, like a deer caught in the headlights, but oh well.

The game gives you a certain amount of main characters that you will get to know through cut-scenes and story and such, but you can also acquire other squad members. The best part, they're not faceless, nameless NPC's. They all have names, voices, and even small stories. They can also die, and be lost forever (Until your new game+, at least). I think this is brilliant, really. You can really get attached to these characters, and feel
regret should you lose any of them.

Another great thing in the game, is the "Potential" system. This works both as advantages and disadvantages for your team.

Each character has their own skills, or things they like, and things they hate, or things they are bad at. I had a sniper that hated being around people. If you tried to use your gun when surrounded, she would lose accuracy, which is kind of important.

Others have allergies, so they tend to slowly lose HP while hiding in tall grass, and the such. You even have people that directly hate or like other people, so they lose or gain stats accordingly. My favorite though is probably, I think it was called, "butterfingers". As you walk around, there's a chance your character will drop a live grenade at their feet.

Oh . . . Dear . . .

The story is pretty anime-ish, but not the bad kind. It's pretty decent, never really wanted to skip the  cut-scenes.

All in all, it's just one of those games you should try if you own a PlayStation 3.

-Axl4002