15 November 2008 at 3:58 PM (GMT+10)

In 1935EC, the continent of Europa is thrown into its second continental war this century. The Atlantic Alliance and Eastern Empire wage a costly war for control of a rare ore called Ragnite, a fuel source which has grown in demand ever since the recent industrial revolution. In the middle of this great war is Gallia, a small nation that has remained neutral in all wars between the Alliance and Empire. Valkyria Chronicles tells of the story of a small group of people from Militia group Squad 7 and their pivotal role in the Second Europan War as the Empire invades Gallia in order to secure its rich supply of Ragnite.

Also known as
Senjou no Valkyria: Gallian Chronicles (Battlefield Valkyria: Gallian Chronicles)

Genre
Action, tactical role-playing game

Developer
Sega WOW

Publisher
Sega

Game Features

• CANVAS visual engine providing unique sketch and watercolour effect visuals.
• BLiTZ (Battle of Live Tactical Zones) system. Once a unit has been chosen from the overhead Command view, the player can then control the character in third person view, giving them the ability to move, position and aim the characters weapon in an action game perspective.
• Features both the English and Japanese voice work which you can switch between at any time using the options menu at the title screen.
• Music composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto who also composed Final Fantasy XII, Radiant Silvergun and Vagrant Story. Orchestral work by Eminence Symphony Orchestra who worked on SoulCalibur IV and Odin Sphere.
• Engaging storyline chronicled in an animated storybook-like format.
• A tonne of extras from replayable cutscenes, to unlockable side-stories and skirmish missions, as well as an entire book full of written information about the characters and the world they inhabit.
• More to come in the form of downloadable content.

The Good and the Bad

• Beautiful visual engine with equally well done animation and brilliant English and Japanese voice acting.
• Very well thought out tutorials and explanations of game functions means you’re never lost during a mission, but at the same time it doesn’t feel like you’re being led by the hand.
• Has a unique gameplay experience by combining well known traditional gameplay methods together.

• When listening to the Japanese voices, sometimes the English subtitles don’t actually reflect exactly what is being said because it’s the direct script of the English voice work.
• The game can become much harder for you in the long run if you don’t finish levels with a high enough grade to grab enough experience to level up your squad.
• Some grinding may be required. If you’re lacking experience points you will have to replay Skirmish missions over and over again to get more experience to outfit your squad.

Review Score

Detailed Review

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Posted by Lynk Former in PlayStation 3, Reviews | Permalink | Comments: 8

4 November 2008 at 10:05 AM (GMT+10)

I’ll be getting Valkyria Chronicles on Thursday so I haven’t had that much to do lately. However, I haven’t been wasting time twiddling my thumbs as I wait, nope, there are important things that were done in the last week or so.

I’ve been working on the site design for StarWarsMMO.net which has just launched… right now! This site is part of the LucasArts Fan Network, the same folks who run LucasForums.com. It’s dedicated to The Old Republic MMO which is being developed by LucasArts and BioWare.

To celebrate this event I have created a new page on Twilight Lynk…

Lynk designs is mostly for me to show off my skills, however there are some interesting things in there to check out…

Posted by Lynk Former in Site updates | Permalink | Comments: 5

30 October 2008 at 5:46 PM (GMT+10)

I’m really sick and tired of this…

The introduction of an R18+ rating for computer games has been delayed indefinitely after South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson withdrew his support for a discussion paper and public consultation process.

…

Mr Atkinson has opposed the introduction of an R18+ rating for games for many years, telling parliament earlier this year that he knew it denied Australian adults choice but was necessary to help restrict children’s access to “potentially harmful material”.

…

Four games have been refused classification so far this year, with horror game Silent Hill: Homecoming the latest to be banned last month.

Over 90 per cent of Australian adults, including both game players and non-players, believe Australia should have an R18+ rating for games according to a report released this week by Bond University and the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia.

…

The issue is again on the agenda for discussion at the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General meeting next month.

Read the full article here: The Age Blogs - Screen Play: Censoring the censorship debate

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Posted by Lynk Former in Discussions, Rants | Permalink | Comments: 12