Valkyria Chronicles 2
Features
Band together to save Gallia once more.
The epic RPG continues as Gallia erupts in civil war against a rebel army plotting to overthrow the country’s regime. Lead your fellow cadets on a heroic journey through 200+ missions, fight with 30 brand new military units and customize characters, weapons and tanks with over 3 times the options as before.
Codes(Doc file)
Unlockables (Doc file)
Trailer
Review By: Browncoat
Rating: 
I’ve never made a secret of the fact that I love my PSP, and while I could tout the many reasons why, this is a game review, not a PSP review. That being said, I understand the limitations of the hardware. It’s a rare game that will pull me away from a console game, and let me tell you Valkria Chronicles II is that game. I downloaded the demo, and was impressed enough to purchase it on release day. Something not very many games get from me. It was then that I noticed it won Gamespot’s “Best of E3, Best RPG Game” award. Hold the phone! My beloved little PSP took a ‘Best RPG game’ award? Beating out the more muscle driven consoles? Man, I was ready to dive in.
Valkria Chronicles was on the Playstation 3, and I had never played it, and many lamented its move to the PSP. I don’t have the reference of the first one, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the hell out of this game. Your main character is Avan. A student at a military academy. He doesn’t do well at any of the classroom courses, but excels at the physical aspect. The class you are drafted into is class G, evidently the bottom of the barrel at the academy. At first I was daunted by how much the game tells you your squad sucks no matter what you do. As the game opened up I realized it was great writing as you can turn many of your squad’s negatives into positives if you spends enough time with that classmate. Many classmates seems a little one dimensional until you get them to open up, and are rewarded with some good story telling, and the feeling of actually getting closer to that classmate. Each classmate is unique. Though they might share the same class as another, they will move, act, and react differently. Take Rene and Reiner fro example. Both are Lancers, the anti-tank unit of the game. Rene is a girl with a small build, who is a sport nut and especially enjoys soccer. After an attack she’ll dance back and forth from one leg to another, much like an athlete awaiting play would. Reiner is a massive man who has taken a vow to protect his home. After his attack he’ll salute the enemy without apparent effort from his large firearm. Animations aren’t the only place each are different. Each has a ‘potential’ that can be awakened during combat if certain conditions are met. For example the classmate I have defend home camp a great deal of the time is Erik Kampman. (I know… Camp, Man) His potentials make him a fantastic defender, He gets a bonus to attack while defending a camp, bonus to defense if he’s crouched behind a barricade, and he gets a bonus against enemy scouts, the most likely candidates to try to take your camp. Just make sure he’s defending by himself, as he’s a loner and takes a penalty to defense if he’s in the company of other troopers. It’s this attention to detail that makes each character come to life.
As far as customization goes I was impressed again. Each classmate has a base class, and can progress up two different skill trees, further specializing in their class. Some I didn’t see the point to, such as the gunner (an upgrade for the trooper class). When attacking he attacked the area instead of a single enemy soldier. Lame I thought, and didn’t use the class for some time. However as a support unit it was astounding, and quickly became a favorite of mine. Equipment too has some customization to it. Though the really cool weapons you can only make one or two of, so you have to choose carefully who they go to.
The graphics surprised me. Nice, crisp and clean. It has an anime style that made me feel like I was watching my favorite anime come to life. Literal words appear on screen to accompany your attacks. A scout’s rifle get’s a BANG! onscreen, while a trooper’s submachine gun get’s a RATTA! RATTA! RATTA! I loved it. And most interactions with other classmates are mostly voice acted. Something I wasn’t expecting.
Overall: I could go on for a while more about things I liked about this game. But here’s the bottom line. If you like what you’ve read, try the demo. It won’t show the depth of the storyline, but it will let you try your hand at combat. If you enjoy that, I heartily suggest picking it up. Perhaps the best title in the PSP library.
High Points:
A great story, making the characters come to life.
Surprising amount of voice acting coming from a portable title.
The non-combat areas of the game are just a satisfying as the combat.
Combat is thought provoking, not just an attrition of numbers.
Low Points:
A few over the top moments with female anatomy. Not needed in a game this good.