Valkyria Chronicles 2 (PSP)

Use this forum for all your game reviews, SEGA or otherwise. All threads will be moderated.
Post Reply
User avatar
Starlight
Level 8
Level 8
Posts: 181
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2011 11:38 pm
Location: Stockport, Manchester

Valkyria Chronicles 2 (PSP)

Post by Starlight »

Hey there, this is my first review so if it may not make much sense to start off with, I may have said the sentence in the wrong phrase.

Anyways, let's start the review!

Valkyria Chronicles 2 is set two years after the first game and is seemingly based in an Academy where students are brought in to protect the country after a cival war breaks out shortly after the first game.

I don't want to give any spoilers so I'll just go straight to how the game plays.

Gameplay - The gameplay is the same as the first game...unfortunately the map has been split so the objective of taking camps is now a must (even in escort missions! The number of members you can add to the map is also limited and you have no option to not use the tank in this game.

In a way, you can only obtain a game over screen by having every character killed...which makes the game less harsher then the first game, so even newbies can enjoy this game easrly on.

The thing I actually like about this game is the Mission based gameplay...in the first game, you could only play Skirmishes (practise maps that can be used to gain experience) and the Story Missions...in this game, things are mixed up so you have mroe then one objective this time.

The most negative thing about this game is the credits system...as the way Credits are split is through random luck mroe then anything...even if you used one person to clear a mission...he or she may still not get that credit...so the credits system feels like a chore rather then a fun experience.

The balance in this game is very uneven...I am not exactly great at SRPGs but there is one particular weapon (on a tank), that can OHKO everything and anything...it even has an upgraded version that is way overpowered, which is a shame as everyone pretty much uses it to beat the game easily.

Story - I don't want to spoil the story for others but...it's alright...not the best...it feels too anime (the first game was pretty original in terms of execution) and you may cringe at one particular scene if you are not exactly into Anime (I'm not but I didn't cringe either...as it wasn't too bad I thought). One of the scenes has an unrealistic scene in it (I know...it's not a realistic type of game...but I was left scratching my head at the scene).

The characters are likeable...but you WILL hate a number of them by the games end...I certainly did...and have heard others hate the main characters...they are not that bad...but I can see why they are hated.

Graphics - Let's be honest, it will never look like the first game but it was a decent effort for the PSP...I don't really care about graphics for games but this game made me care for this type of visual fidelity...I wasn't too bothered by it as, like I said, it looks the part...but I do feel like the art style kind of made this game appeal to many fans...it was light hearted in tone (the series as a whole) and I love the comic looking text when the soldiers rustle in the grass and the tanks are moving across grit.

Replayability - It's replayable and thanks to the number of missions, it will take you months to fully complete but you can just finish the story and be happy with that...it certainly is a great game to play on the move and the choice for it to be on PSP shows that.

Review Score: 7/10

Conclusion: As a Valkyria fan I was happy with my purchase but disappointed at how the sequel hasn't really greatly improved on the first game in some areas and missing out on what made gaining equipment fun in the first game (obtaining materials felt like the credits system too). It's an idealistic game when thought of as a Spin-Off akin to the Tactics series as the longativity is certainly there...but what let it down ultimately was the story...the first game pulled it off brilliantly...this story was more like a Persona type of experience (I am not exactly fond of Persona but I won't knock that game as it's a different kettle of fish).

I hope you enjoyed reading this review.
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests