Here is a "little" write up I did for gamer blag

Floating amidst a sea of triple-A titles comes the small ship "Valkryia Chronicles". Sega's ambitious JSRPG has been ultimately overlooked during the flood of games that saw games like Resistance 2, Prince of Persia, LittleBigPlanet and Mirror's Edge make big splashes in the gaming market. That being said, you would be remiss to pass this game up, regardless of whether or not your proclivities steer you towards more dark and gritty shooters. With a mix of wonderfully crafted visuals, intuitive game mechanics and tumultous combat, Valkyria Chronicles is the perfect fix for those looking for a defining JRPG on the playstation 3, or any other console for that matter.

Valkyria Chronicles takes place within a reimagining of World War 2 called The Second Europan war. The small prinicipality of Gallia is caught within the crossfire between The prototypical Empire and the Atlantic Federation. Due to high amounts of a miracle resource known as Ragnite, Gallia gets invaded. Of course, this inevitably pulls the story's protagonist, Welkin Gunther, into the fray. With his father's tank and a bit of blind courage, he quickly rises up the rank's in squad 7. While the plot and its devices may not be awe-inspiring in and of themselves, the superb writing and timing easily make up for any short comings. The care that went into creating such likeable characters truly becomes appreciable in the tear-jerking scenes which I dare not spoil here.

Although most of the characters fall within the typical anime conventions of being bombastic stereotypes, the realisation of their characters is far more effective and convincing than the normal anime, especially in regards to the main characters. This is shown through the sheer numbers of different soldiers you can recruit, each with their own personalities, likes and dislikes. It is a joyous experience to be able to weed out the characters who don't seem eager to fight while making sure to recruit the homosexual character who speaks with a music note not because he is gay but because he is ready to die for his country. This seems like a small point to make, but it is the acoutrements of this game that make it so charming.

The Valkyrian Water-colour themed visuals are stunning to say the least. As was shown through the visuals of Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm, the PS3 is incredibly adept at rendering anime characters almost completely faithful to their paper drawn counterparts. Every detail of the battlefield, uniforms and weapons are so well crafted that the player often feels like they are piloting an anime, albeit a more sensible one than normal. About the only skin ever presented for your viewing pleasure is when Rosie or Alicia hit the dirt to avoid gunfire, showing calves below their skirts. This kind of sensible approach to art design compliments the writing immensely to create something that is both familiar and different, endearing but not patronizing.

In the same way that the visuals,characters and story is sensible, the combat mechanics are also both sensible and intuitive. Every turn begins with a stock of command points (CP) which can be allocated towards moving and attacking, defending and special "Orders" which can do anything from bolster a units health to calling in a mortar strike on an enemy position. If CP are used on a unit, the camera drops down into a 3rd person view and allows the unit to be moved around according to a small movement bar. Lighter units can run farther and faster while bigger units such as anti-tank lancers are slow and immobile.

Once again, while none of this seems particularly outstanding, Valkyria truly shines in the intricacies of battle. While moving a unit, the enemy is free to fire on you as they please. Without careful planning and use of cover, units can often find themselves in a hail of gunfire, ultimately resulting in their death. If a unit perishes, you have 3 turns to reach them (or end the battle) in order to call a medic. Like Fire Emblem, failure to resurrect a unit or allowing the enemy to touch a downed comrade results in their permanent death. Although enemies in defensible positions can be difficult to harm sometimes, there are plenty of grenades, tank shells and sniper rifles to combat this. There are also "Potentials" that coincide with the aforementioned unique personalities of each soldier. Potentials are usually activated due to proximity to other soldiers, although the opposite is also true in the case of the "loner" and "rear guard" potentials. For example, soldiers that are extremely fond of their preferred sex will try to impress them when near a friendly unit, resulting in a potential that increases their aim. Thes potentials can be ignored for the most part, but their inclusion helps add another layer of strategy to the game that transcends the normal "move to square - attack" bent associated with traditional strategy games. Even with all of this exposition, i have still barely scratched the surface on what is a rather excellent combat system.

While the battle sounds and witty quips from soldiers who have just made a kill are robust and varied, the score is lacking in sheer quantity of songs. What is presented is top notch, yet there was obviously a clear emphasis on making the gameplay enjoyable while sacrificing other elements, which is to be understood from a company that was unsure as to how many copies their game wuold actually sell. Sega does do us the courtesy of including the original Japanese voice acting, but the english voice acting is excellent not only by itself, but also in comparison to the usual ear-ache found in any other game or movie. Minus the sometimes clumsy AI and lacking score, Valkryia excels in all other facts of its construction.

Writing a review for a game like Valkyria is difficult simply because there is so much that can be touched on that it is often hard to balance the critical aspects from summary. The Gameplay is a wonderful mix of simple and deep mechanics that appeals both to hardcore strategy guru's as well as genre acolytes. The compelling story is told in both long cutscenes (both in and out of engine which look beautiful either way) while also being told in the glossary, character profiles and skippable side scenes. Sega has done a truly excellent job in finding the kind of hybridity between simple and complex, cutesy and serious, Engaging yet aloof that should generate into sales. Unfortunately, its release time was less than oppritune as was previously mentioned. Ultimately, Valkyria Chronicles may be relegated to a type of "that game status", a game where 5 years from now, it will cost $200 hundred dollars to get a copy. This could also be said of another game; Okami. Like Okami before it, which utilised differing art direction and gameplay mechanics, Valkyria Chronicles may just be the best game you never play.

Debriefing:

Story: While it relies on anime conventions to power it's characters and plot, the writing more than makes up for it by helping to tell a compelling and gripping story that will leave you scouring every glossary page and sub-scene for extra information on your favorite characters or the finer points of Gallian history.
Grade: A

Characters: This charming bunch are not only unique and affable, but they also generate a devotion to their well-being that forces the player to do anything in their power to save them from perishing forever if they fall to the enemy. Creating your own troop of handsome playboys or understated lolita's has never been so fulfilling.
Grade: A

Visuals: The CANVAS engine is cleverly utilised in both the player models as well as the various effects seen in battle. In engine cutscenes are well done and out of engine cutscenes are even better, although do their best to be in keeping with the rest of the game's visual presence. My only complaint would be with the non-effort to lip-synch dialogue to the characters which is extremely off-putting considering the amount of time we spend listening to the characters speak.
Grade: A-

Gameplay: While it is not completely unique, the gameplay is tight, full of depth and very well balanced. The difficulty level as well as the learning curve are, for lack of a better word, perfect. The sometimes bumbling AI can be a nuisance, but they become notably smarter and more ruthless in the unlockabale Hard Mode. Perhaps the worst part of the gameplay is the fact that even though there is a briefing for every mission, some of the finer points are left for the player to figure out (often the hard way) by themselves. This is especially painful when a mission hinges around a certain mechanic, such as equipment elevators or the use of sniper towers.
Grade: A-

Sound: The battle sounds and ambiance as well as the individuals dialogue are all extremely well done. The score on the other hand suffers from a lack of quantity that becomes painful as you often wish there was more of the good music you are currently enjoying to be found elsewhere in the game. Both the Japanese and English dialogue are very well done.
Grade: B+

Multiplayer: N/A. This game would be perfectly suited for multiplayer however. One can only hope for VC2.

Replay value / Tilt: With plenty of unlockables, a lust for achieving A-rankings on every mission as well as a bevy of secret scenes and characters, Valkyria Chronicles will definately keep you coming back for more. Lack of online or local competitive modes really prevent this game from leaving the stratosphere
Grade: B+

Overall Grade: A
Not only is this the best JRPG available on the ps3, it is one of the best games available today for any console, period.

If you've never seen or played Galaga, feel free to suck harder.

10: Judgement
Never judge a book by a cover, or a game by its graphics. Even the most pedestrian being can wow you in ways you never thought possible at first blush
9: Investment
Don't be afraid to invest in fun. If one quarter can buy you three continues, you'd be crazy not to spend it! If there is something you really want once in a while, dont limit yourself too much. Money is to be spent.
8: Knowledge
Games and life are all about how you handle a situation. It is always in your best interests to find out how something works as quickly as possible. The sooner you know, the sooner you can exploit. Watching those guys fly by with the knowledge that they will come back saved me a lot of jihad deaths.
7: Precision
Anything worth doing is worth doing well. Proper timing generates more shots, more kills, more success. A but of patience and control can go a long way.
6: Spontaneity
Anything worth doing is worth doing with reckless abandon. Sure you may not get a good yield at the time, but timely bouts of rage often serve as an X factor that can lead to even greater rewards, just don't get too caught up.
5: Teamwork
Most things can be done solo, but almost everything can be done better and faster with two people. If you get the chance to get a partner, chances are it will be worth it in the end. Sure it might be harder to maneuver around sometimes, but twice the fire power makes you a force to be reckoned with.
4: Sacrifice
Not everything works out as well as you planned. Sure you let that alien possess your ship in order to get a chance at doubling up. You took your shot, but just as you were about to hit him, he did a barrel roll and you took out your own ship, wasting a valuable life. Sacrifice can be positive, but one thing is always certain about sacrifice, something is always lost.
3: Wisdom
Knowledge is what you get when you learn from your mistakes, wisdom is what you get when you learn from the mistakes of others. Watching that inept kid get slammed into from the back by a flying bee that i didnt know could swoop around again taught me to not only watch my back, but also to watch my front. Had he not died from that bee, another one was already on the way.
2: Bonus
There will be a time when you will get to reap what you sow. Don't fuck it up. High scores are a mixture of luck and skill, make sure youve got the skill part covered when the luck part comes around.
1: Sharing
Just because youve got 3 continues doesnt mean you should use all of them yourself. This is especially sage advice if there is a lineup forming behind you and you have a 5 o'clock shadow.

I dont know what happened, but today i realised how unhappy i am. Guitar Hero 3 has slowly become what World of Warcraft used to be. I sincerely didn't expect it to be as addictive, but any competition that was fostered only cemented it in my life more so. Playing to the best of my ability is always a mandate of video gaming, but i simply can't afford it to play 5 or 6 hours a day. I've got a girlfriend, school, e-buddies, all that good stuff.
The only problem is that i dont have any real hobbies other than video gaming. I need something to do in life that is fun other than play video games when im fooling around in my leisure time. I want to do something with my life other than play a plastic guitar. Ideas are always appreciated.

I dont know why i am a giant robot playing an alien fetus, but it just seems right.

6 days after release, i am a rock legend. It took a lot longer than i thought it would but the realisation that i would have to not only play much much better than i had before along with using the old guitar to beat raining blood and lou was a bit daunting. The new guitar is blazin for hammer-ons with some pace, but its worthless for sliding. Hard mode is even easier than it was in gh2, which makes me feel even worse for the casuals trying to make the leap into expert.

Me talk about my personal life? Please...

Huzzah

I wont be using this very often, unless i think there is something worth writing.

1: My novel is going slowly but goodly.

2: www.darkfallonline.com, if it ever comes out, it will be the best pvp mmo on the market, check it out

3: Finally beat GH2 on hard, hurrah.

4: Hi.

That is all.