Just got my copy in the mail yesterday. This game is unbelievably good. If you don't have a PS3, you need to buy one to play this.
Anyone else playing it?
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Just got my copy in the mail yesterday. This game is unbelievably good. If you don't have a PS3, you need to buy one to play this.
Anyone else playing it?
I was waiting for it to get English-y first. How's the language barrier?
I don't think it would be too hard to play through if you can't read Japanese. The story is pretty good though, so you might want to wait for the English release.
The battles are awesome, the story is awesome, characters are awesome, etc. I couldn't ask for any more really. GOTY.
I want to play this but I don't have a PS3. The fact that this guy is in it is also awesome.
Why are Vyse and Aika in this game and... well, what the hell is this game?
It's a strategy RPG (rather different from most SRPGs I've played in that there is more of a real-time aspect to the fighting) made by Sega's Sakura Taisen team, set in a WWII type of story line. It starts in the village Bruhl, which gets attacked, and the story picks up from there as you try and fight your way out (I'm still in this part of the game). I just learned how to ride in tanks and toss grenades, and the game just reached a whole new level of awesome.
One other cool aspect of the game is the whole game is played out in short chapters in a book. If you want to replay a battle section, or view a story cinema, you just flip to that page, and click on the particular picture that represents the episode. Each page has a handful of sections to choose from.
This is the only thing I'm waiting for after MGS4 on the PS3, it looks fabulous, and I'm glad someone's loving it.
I'm up to Chapter 4 now, and the battles are getting really large. I'm getting my ass kicked as well. Goddamn tanks and snipers are knocking my guys off left and right. If one of your guys dies on the battlefield you have 3 turns to have someone run over and call the medic to take them away, otherwise you lose them for good.
You get to have 20 members in your squad at any time, you can recruit new ones whenever you like as well. Vyse is quite good, as is Aika. Their bios say they came from a "strange country". You can recruit them right from the start.
But yeah, right now this is definitely GOTY for me. I've never played anything quite like it, and it's as addictive as crack.
This game looks unbelievable. I like the idea of real-time battles taking place within a traditional SRPG.
I'll be getting a PS3 for this.
I knew the PS3 would be more useful than access to downloadable gaming sooner or later. Want!
James
The graphic style is unreal. The "pencil sketch" style polygon thing they've invented for this game is amazing. Much better than cell shading. I hope they make more games with this engine!
it is cel shaded. very very nice cel shading, but cel shading nonetheless.
Fine, I should have said "better than normal cel shading". The pencil sketch technique they add makes it look much different.
It's due in fall over here in the west right? Do want.
The Demo of this is actually great.
It really is. I went from curious to Day 1 in from the tutorial alone. I just wish that rocks worked as cover in the way you'd think they would.
James
This looks like the sole reason to turn on a ps3 anytime soon.
Well, that and my favorite game of this generation:Quote:
Originally Posted by Rem
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA240_.jpg
I'm pretty happy with my PS3 this year thanks to Valkyria Chronicles and Little Big Planet, and tentatively Mirror's Edge depending on how it compares to the 360 version. It's about time I had a reason to own the system outside of downloadable content.
James
I fire up my PS3 last night to play the VC demo, and it turns out I have to pay $2.99 to download the content pack with the demo in it?
1) Is this demo worth $2.99? I don't think I'll be playing or watching anything else in the pack.
2) Will this demo be available for free? If so, after how long?
Make a European account. 5 minute process, demo's free.
Googling for info on how to do that now.
Edit: This was too easy to set up, VC is downloading now. Very slowly, but downloading none-the-less.
I'm going to set up a Japanese account also, anything over sees I should beeline to downloading first?
Another Edit: After ten hours of downloading I finally got to play. This game is the shit.
So now that this is available on the US PSN, everyone should have had a crack at it by now. I've only played the demo twice but that's got more to do with wanting the full game to be fresh than any disinterest. I'm a bit worried that Valkyria Chronicles will get lost in the Christmas rush, but if the demo's any indication it deserves all the attention it can get.
James
Valkyria Chronicles is $45 at circuit city nov 9-15th, so if youre gonna get it, sit on that for a bit and get a cheaper copy in a few days.
I'll pick it up today, need a fallout break.
Sega is sending product to Circuit City? You may want to check to make sure your area Circuit City is both A) getting it in and B) still around. If you haven't heard yet, the chain hasn't had a particularly good couple of days.
James
so, anyone picking this up? I'm thinking of getting it and playing it on a friend's ps3.
Waiting til the sale! But yeah, will grab it then.
I got it but am waiting to get a PS3 during the holidays.Quote:
Originally Posted by buttcheeks
Is this actually out now? No one seems to have it.
What would you expect in Hicksville?
We ordered very heavy on it. (2 copies).
I sold one to a nerd who's been asking for it for a month.
I'm sure the other will be here for months to come.
It's actually released, though? I've heard of delays until next week.
Valkyria Chronicles is out, I bought it on Wednesday. You should be able to find it with a bit of poking around, in theory.
Finally got to play some last night. I really can't say enough good things about it. There's a lot more story going on than I was expecting, although that might just be from the opening bits as things ramp up, but the surprising thing is that I don't mind at all. Normally I want a game to shut the hell up and let me play, but Valkyria Chronicles has such a likeable story that I don't mind at all.
I only got through a handful of battles and unlocked the university, letting me level up my units and research tank parts. Next up, seeing what my new level 2 guys can do. I particularly like how everyone levels up at once. Expend exp on scouts to level 3 and all scouts become level 3 across the board. Same with equipment, once new weapons are researched everyone who can carry it is automatically granted the new toys. This means I can save my strategizing for the battlefield rather than micromanaging every little detail.
James
The game is out, and popular. It looks like game stores are getting two copies each. Of the three game stops in my town, only 1 still has it in stock as of today.
Right. Got it, installing (laff) now.
I'm like 4 missions in and so far, it's good. Not AAA or anything, but started strong and it's not as easy as I thought it would be, which is good.
Picked it up. I'll start it sometime tomorrow
Decided I didn't want to wait, so I got a PS3 this weekend and set it up (w/ install) tonight. I'll start tomorrow. :)
btw, CC is claiming the VC deal is a misprint. They pulled the game from their website.
If you want the game for the price, you're probably going to have to price match it.
Yeah I went this weekend to go pick it up in store at Circuit City (lol @ghetto CC btw), and that's what the associate in store told me too. Circuit City can't go bankrupt fast enough as far as I'm concerned. I've never had a good experience in one of their stores, and they've always managed to be a well stocked store full of absolutely nothing.Quote:
Originally Posted by buttcheeks
Tried to price match at Best Buy and they pretty much told me to go fuck myself. Which I promptly did by buying the full priced game there. Oh well, spending $15 more ain't gonna kill me.
Barely started the game last night, and I'll post more impressions later, but so far I agree that it's WAY harder than I thought it would be. Graphics are goregous, as expected, I just wish there was an option to turn off that white border on the sides of the gameplay screen. Story seems interesting and charming so far in the same way Skies of Arcadia was.
It defiently has a that sega charm found in other sega rts and rpgs of the past 10 years.
Sorry to hear they screwed you. I'd went to walmart on principle if they were nasty to me.
I'm at like chapter/page 5 now. So far the game is pretty bad ass. You get a lot of options on how to finish a battle. I really like the mix of rts and real time game play.
I agree with Seik that the white borders don't add much to the graphical style. The difficulty leans toward medium-hard. If you're going for A-rank on every stage (and sometimes just to pass), suddenly Valkyria becomes a perfectionist's nightmare because you cannot undo your actions--including movement--which is allowed to some extent in almost all other strategy RPGs on the market. You'll consequently have to load your file way too much. I would've liked to see a rewind feature or an undo command added to smooth things out. The save frequency then could be reduced to between battles.
Aside from those complaints, Valkyria feels like a AAA game, a template for future strategy RPGs. The ambiance and cutscenes are reminiscent of Atlus' Steambot Chronicles and Sky Gunner. The polish matches Overworks' best efforts to date.
my only real complaint is that character interaction is always so light hearted. But I guess sega's rts games have always been like that.
Can't you go back and replay maps? Maybe you are expected to settle and come back later when you want A ranks?Quote:
Originally Posted by RedCoKid
Yeah, I've only redone skirmishes so far, and it should also be possible on the story maps. I still don't think that's a good reason for allowing abuse of the save while omitting undo's. In other SRPGs, you could undo everything up to the point of attack. Maybe they wanted to keep the location of enemy units hidden as an element of surprise? No, because you can scout the whole level on your turn, then reload. It doesn't make sense.
It may have something to do with how the battle system in coded. If you notice, you still get shot when you move. If they allowed redoes of movement, this would need to be reworked.
So they may be trying to force you into taking surroundings into serious consideration as you go from point A to B.
That still doesn't make sense. You can undo every bullet and misstep by reloading your save, and the only thing inhibiting you from doing this is the load time. Overworks needed to take out mid-battle saves and add an undo command. Perhaps they already used up too much RAM?Quote:
Originally Posted by buttcheeks
Not possible for me so far. If you want to get A-rank, your first try is as good a chance as any.Quote:
Originally Posted by RedCoKid
Also, there's a possible spoiler in the demo movie before the title screen.
Edit: I hope I don't sound too critical... Obviously, I am comparing VC to my favorite game of all time since they come from the same developer and genre. Those are some big shoes to fill, and VC is doing fine so far.
What chapter is everyone on? I just made it to Chp 7 last night, but I haven't started the battle there yet.
I just realized Vyse and Aika were part of my new recruits too, which is awesome, because they'll both totally be going on my team now. Also, is Fina the medic? Looks like her.
I've got a real attachment to my team now. I'm glad that the scouts/shocktroopers/etc aren't just a generic soldier template. The fact that even the minor characters have a unique style and personality really adds a lot to the game and your in game squad. Also, finding the right team where everyone gets along and gets their personality perk bonuses is both fun, and incredibly useful in battles.
There's no micromanaging to this game (which I LOVE bc I hate micromanaging), but there's still a tremendous amount of depth. The depth is instead just found in the battles/squad formation/etc. This game is freakin' amazing and super addicting.
Story seems like it's kicking into a little higher gear now. The amount of cutscenes doesn't bother me. Maybe it's because I'm coming from playing Gears 2, but this game is super relaxing and enjoyable to play.
I agree about the "undo" button being missing. I really wish there was a way to reverse time too. At first I thought I liked it, because I found myself thinking harder about each and every move I would make. But now as the battles have become more difficult, I've found myself saving/loading my turns over and over again, when that hassle could've been eliminated had they just included a rewind time feature or something. Not a deal breaker by any means, by just about the only annoyance I have with the game.
So yeah, this game freakin' rocks. And if they ever made a sequel to Skies of Arcadia using this game's graphical style, that would make my day. Just get rid of those white borders or gimme an option to turn 'em off.
I was actually trying to think of anything major I don't like about this game, and I got nothing. This and the recent Yakuza 2 proves that SEGA can still make a fantastic AAA game.
Starting on Ch 5, my troops are levels 7-6-5-3-3-3.
I've kept my troops within a level of each other. Not that hard to do with Engineers, who are very cheap, but Snipers are pricey as hell. Their effect on Lancers makes them more than worth the money, though. <3 Snipers.
James
I'm on level 10. levels are 9 8 6 8 9
Sounds like I should level up my snipers. Really haven't used them at all in the game, in fact I think I still have them on level 2 or something. I've found shocktroopers to be good enough against lancers, but I'll have to try out the sniper.
I thought engineers were going to be the most useless class, but I've found they're actually the complete opposite.
its all about level 11 scouts
I'm stuck on the Massive Tank + Barrier one.
Do you have to shoot all the barriers first? I kilt all the dudes in 1 turn, but then the tank fired the main gun only 2 times in the remaining 19 turns.
MVS are you talking about Chapter 7? I just beat that one, and I thought it was tough. You have to take out all the tanks' turrets and then knock over all the blue walls so the tank will shoot them and you'll have a chance to drop a grenade in its radiator or whatever.
I am loving this game so much. Chp 7 was tough, and I lost my first guy in that battle....my engineer Nadine is no longer with me (R.I.P.).
For Ch 7 (the one I'm starting also), the official guide talks about picking off everyone except the Valkyria and tank, saving up 10 extra CP for turn 9 (20 CP total for that turn), then unleashing all you have on the tank. It also mentions blocking the Valkyria with your tank prior to turn 9. Lancer:engineer ratio on the battlefield should be 2:1. I won't know more til I play it; I hope that helps.
I'll try it again today, didn't know that it shot on set turns and let it get too far the first time.
Been playing this for the past two weeks.
Really brilliant game. Definitely my game of the year.
Beat it 2 days ago and now on my second play through. I wouldn't worry about A ranking everything. You can replay the game with all your gear and upgrades.
Ending is pretty typical jrpg fair, except you get a little more closure than normal.
What exactly is the benefit of A-ranking every/anything besides gaining extra EXP and $$? Does it unlock something?
you get the Randgriz Crest of Honor medalQuote:
Originally Posted by RedCoKid
lol. How many chapters are there anyway? I've been playing like, 13 hours and I'm on chapter 12, and I don't feel like I'm anywhere near the end.Quote:
Originally Posted by buttcheeks
So I hear this is really good. Amirite?
(X-COM tactician MVS is in the thread so I am hopeful!)
It's good. I need to give FO3 a break and pick this up again today.
I thought it would be simple, like the demo. It's no joke, though. No fucking joke at all.
It is so easy to mess up running the wrong route, setting up in the wrong position, etc. I've been using the guide's A-rank strategies, which tell me how to do everything down to the smallest detail. Reading vs. execution is totally different though. Unless I'm stupid or something.
I could see where the guide would be helpful for that. Because there have been many times where I listen to the briefing, position my troops, get into battle, and then realize I'm fucked because I don't have X unit or enough of Y units or I've position Z unit in the wrong spot etc. Then it's re-load, re-position, repeat. Not knocking the game though at all.Quote:
Originally Posted by RedCoKid
BTW, I just got done with chapter 11 (I think, it's the Normandy rip off beach map) and I thought that was an excellent level. Really challenging, but super satisfying by the end. It was on that level I learned just how much I relied on my tank in the previous levels. Because on that level (chp11), I couldn't really use the tank much and instead had to rely on my infantry, something I wasn't used to doing. But it was awesome. Vyse and Aika ftw.
If you like rts and Japanese games, yeah, it is really good.Quote:
Originally Posted by epmode
It is a very polished sega game. It feels like someone has brought the classic feel of games like Shining Force or Fire Emblem to the modern era of gaming but without making a polygon copy of older 16/32 bit games.
graphics = freaking awesome
18 chapters, with some having two parts. There are also about 5 extra missions that can be earned by buying books from the news reporter.Quote:
Originally Posted by Seik
I don't see what the point of guides are for this game. Part of the fun is the open endedness of how you beat levels.
If you really want to get A ranks on everything, just abuse max level scouts and mortar support.
I've decided I'm blowing off ranking for the story missions. Right now (and I haven't played much recently due to being sidetracked) I can't re-play the story bits, and I'm not rushing through them because that's a great way to get my guys killed quick. It's much more fun to go in with a balanced load-out and swap out guys as necessary, taking the extra turns it requires while using the down-time to get my snipers into position.
James
they like yell "I'm gonna shoot" and I'm like, whatever
This game gets easier if you actually spend a few minutes and give captured/created guns to your crew.
Who knew?
Does accuracy matter much, or are the captured guns that much better?
I'm up to Ch8b, 11-11-11-12, >$400k, 18 hrs (not including reloads). Aside from scoring bad on one of the first couple missions, I've A-ranked everything since. The downside is that I think I'll hit 60-80 hrs by the time I'm done, and there are other games I'd like to move onto soon. :\
accuracy is mainly related to how powerful your gun will be at range. It is more important for snipers and lancers than for other classes. Plus, C and D rank accuracy guns won't hit much of anything that is 1/4-1/2 distance of the map from your soldier.
Like I said, stop worrying about A ranks. You can do that on the second play through. You're only going to get a medal for it.
Dude, this game got even more fucking awesome on chapters 13 and 14. Totally cool. I think the story fuckin' rocks. It's nothing extraordinary, but it's really solid and I've definitely become invested in it. And the battles on those chapters were tough, but I just elited my scouts and shocktroopers and that made things SIGNIFICANTLY easier, although I still feel slightly underleveled for some reason.
elite scouts will change the way you play.
Yeah, all of a sudden they're waaay more accurate and powerful, and that mortar support is, thus far, the most useful ANYTHING in the game.Quote:
Originally Posted by buttcheeks
any camp taking missions can be done in 1-2 turns with Elite scouts and mortar support. Especially if you use Ms. Easy Bake.
Alicia? Is she better than average scouts (OR EVEN AIKA?!)? I thought scouts and all troops were the same level/skills/etc?Quote:
Originally Posted by buttcheeks
Alicia can sometimes magically heal herself.
Oh ok, I haven't used her in battle since chp13, so I'm guessing that must be a side effect of her turning into a Valkyrur. Awesome.Quote:
Originally Posted by buttcheeks
if all goes well i will get this for my birthday next week :D
I hope you do, because then, you sir, will be in for a treat. It's easily one of the best jRPG/Strategy games of the past 10-15 years. I don't think anyone will argue that.Quote:
Originally Posted by B-Ri
And plus it has a flying pig in it, man. A FLYING PIG! You know, "...when pigs fly." THEY CAN IN THIS GAME! How cool is that? Moink.
I didn't really like the flying pig. Its almost like someone in marketing demanded a cute side creature and the game developers put in a flying pig as protest.
thank goodness that it gets next to zero screen time.
It's pig parents were killed in the war! You're so insensitive to the cute flying pig!Quote:
Originally Posted by buttcheeks
Seriously I can see where you're coming from though. The flying pig is almost out of place in the game. But I had Puppy Cam running in the background of my computer all day at work on Friday, so what do I know, I'm a sucker for cute.
The SEGA marketing dept made them put the cute flying pig creature in the game to appeal to the 14 year old Japanese girl demographic and, apparently, me.
I like getting A's. It's always been this way, I can't help it.Quote:
Originally Posted by buttcheeks
VC is obviously too good to be true.Quote:
Originally Posted by Seik
I think I just got Elite Scouts, have yet to try them, though.
Rifle Nade = Win, though, regardless. V57!
then don't complainQuote:
Originally Posted by RedCoKid
It's a love-hate thing, with some OCD mixed in.
Spike Spiegel is up in this bitch.
Wins.
Haha ya I recognized his VA and I thought he did a good job with that character.
I need help tho! I am stuck on the second battle of chapter 15. the one with Selveria and her chain gun I can't get my troops anywhere without her killing me. How do I kill her? Regular attacks? Is there a trick?
I just ordered this last night.
WHEEEEE.
Played it for a week, loved it, but had to send it back to gamefly to get my reviews done... so I will be getting it for Christmas and will beast on it during my break from work...
What I love most about it, is the focus on strategy naturally, but they removed all the obnoxious micromanagement. You level up classes evenly and then use inherent abilities to differentiate which scouts or snipers, etc. you want to take in to battle. It sounds simple, but no recent SRPG has done anything this revolutionary...
Agreed that this is my game of the year...
There is some nerdy micromanagement with the guns. The right gun for the right mission makes a big difference.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Seik
get your tank up there, and take 2 of the 3 camps at the top. get your tank between her and a camp. Shoot her with a unit or the tank. She will turn around to face who shot her. Then come up behind her and shoot her in the back. She has good ears and will turn around if you get to close. When using a normal ground unit, make sure to end your turn the second the attack is over, or she will gun you to death. Do this back and forth between your unit and tank.
Swweet. That worked, thanks. I had no idea you could get a tank up there. I totally overlooked that lift. Now i'm just stuck on chp17 :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by buttcheeks
20-20-20-20-20, starting chapter 13. On the Ch12 map, I just ran to the flag with a scout in 1 turn and took out a tank, AT cannon, and specialist along the way. In Ch11, Alicia took out 3 of 4 tanks, and I had my A-rank wrapped up in 5 turns. Who needs lancers!? :lol:
Demolition boost + awaken potential + defense boost + Lv20 scout with double movement = FTW :nod:
4th skirmish helped out a lot. 40k EXP in 1 turn, ~6 min each, using the same method.
Holy crap. I had difficulty with the last couple battles, but you are going to dominate them. I'm gonna play through again and hopefully level up my guys that high.Quote:
Originally Posted by RedCoKid
Bradygames' VC guide is excellent; I can't recommend it enough. On the armored car rescue mission, I didn't see why I should use demolition boost on a shocktrooper, but sure enough I blew up the tank. I found that the same technique worked on scouts in the desert skirmish. I had Alicia consistently knock out 3 tanks + crouching shocktrooper with 5 CP (+4 CP for orders) on turn 2 to clinch A ranks. Awaken potential gives ~50% chance of a second FULL AP bar per CP when you get your scouts' final potential. Add DEF to that, and you basically can go anywhere & kill anything as long as you're out of range for retaliation on the enemy's next turn!
Another nifty trick if you have DEF ordered & plenty HP--crouch down at an enemy camp and line up the imps so that one shoots the other for a free kill. :evil:
41 hrs now, will finish sidequests & start Ch15 tonight.
Cool, I'll pick up the Brady guide.
That is awesome advice I will use on my second playthrough of the game. Orders are one thing I didn't use enough of on my first playthrough, and that was a mistake.Quote:
Originally Posted by RedCoKid
Also, I just want to say how much I love the story in this game. And I loved LOVED the ending. I thought the characters and the dialogue were all really solid, and the story was entertaining and had enough twists to keep me hooked. I always had that "just let me beat one more chapter and then I'll shut it off" feeling throughout the entire game.