14 DAY TRIAL // When Valkyria's sequel was announced for the PSP, there were voices complaining that the game would lose its high-definition beauty and even more, but the developers backed their decision to use the PlayStation Portable with granting fully featured versus and cooperative play. This may not sound like much of a logical explanation when the next-generation consoles are very well rooted in the multiplayer gaming community, but, like many other things that make perfect sense around the world, this doesn't apply to Japan. Here, handheld platforms are the weapon of choice for the multiplayer experience, and this turn of events is mostly brought by the huge success of Monster Hunter. Therefore, doubts about the game should be cast aside, as the PSP offers plenty of development solutions.
Director Takeshi Ozawa and producer Shinji Motoyama offered 1UP gaming site a detailed look at the Valkyria II multiplayer. At the Tokyo Game Show they unveiled a thirteen different map versus mode that offered many different environments and objectives, like the simple “kill'em all,” but also a scoring mode based on conquering enemy bases, which is rooted in the original game. Players will also be able to create custom units from the available classes that will give birth to a very customized army that will greatly reflect their tactics and preferences.
"There are actually 35 different types of units. So each individual character, depending on the way you customize them, will be very different. For example, even within the scout class, there are scouts who run faster than others, and scouts who are more suitable for battle. So even if you have the same types of characters from the same troop, they will be very, very different." Tanks will also be available for customizations, that will affect the rate at which they can advance across the battlefield.
Ozawa also mentioned a co-op mode that would allow players to move and attack together during their turn. This new feature will allow them to employ much more dynamic and elaborate tactics, sweeping across the battlefield to encircle enemy positions or draw enemy fire away from a suppressed force. “Because you can do coop play and you can move together, one person can be bait while the other moves in a back alley and avoids enemy fire” Ozawa said.