Valkyria Chronicles II

Gameplay Before starting each mission you are introduced to the battlefield in a 2D perspective so that you can study the layout and the best possible strategy to engage the enemy forces. The turn base feature lies in the Command Points that you are given each turn and used to move your troops around the map. While selecting the characters is done individually, their movement and targeting system around the battlefield is in a third person perspective.

This change of gameplay style creates the illusion of a more dynamic and hands-on combat system, when in fact the targeting and the 'hit and miss' system are well in a probabilistic area. You have no control over the way bullets are being fired except that you simply place the target over an enemy trooper and shoot. Each individual has a fixed number of rounds that can fire per turn and the accuracy of each shot depends greatly on the distance between the target and character or the obstacles between them.

Some of you might find this probabilistic challenge a bit overwhelming, but despite its random nature you will notice that there are some tricks that you can use to make every shot count. The upgrade system in Valkyria Chronicles II has more of a RPG feel, giving you the ability to upgrade both weapons and character stats. The more resources you collect, the more upgrades to your weapons you'll be able to make. Also, XP points will be awarded after each mission so that the soldiers that were most effective in the battlefield can increase their accuracy, movement and even earn bonus skills.

The best part about the gameplay is that, before you start off each mission, you can choose which cadets to join you and even bring your own custom tank to the battlefield. As class leader (you are still cadets enrolled in the Lanseal Military Academy, after all) it's your job to make sure that those under your command have top weapon upgrades and that no one gets left behind.

After depleting your Command Points, the enemy will then take turn and try to overcome you. The best strategy to prevent any attack is to keep your squad together so that if any attacker should come close, they would be caught in your crossfire. This is a very handy piece of information to have, especially when you're severely outnumbered and outgunned. Also, never hesitate to use the cover system. Dodging bullets is a lot easier when your behind a sandbag, a crate or you're simply hiding in the grass.

Each of the five base classes of soldiers ( Scouts, Shocktroopers, Engineers, Lancers and Armored Soldiers) can be upgraded along the way into some specialized units such as Snipers. This RPG touch is just enough to keep you interested in continuously upgrading your units and keeping them alive during combat.

Audio and Video All the cinematics and narrative scenes are nothing short of a high school cliche with second hand acting. You can't really relate to any of the characters because their all such stereotypes that make the story very predictable. The anime graphics during these small cinematic moments makes it all bearable to some extent, mostly because of the busty female characters in the short skirted uniforms. Once you realize how corny and badly acted the dialogues are, you'll just want to fast forward through the entire experience.

When in third person mode, the graphics are not entirely that bad. So what if they're not that crisp and refined? For a PlayStation Portable I can safely say that the character and environments look pretty darn good.

Conclusion While the story and narrative scenes are a bit ridiculous and childish, Valkyria Chronicles II pulls it off by offering the best combination possible between turn base strategy and  role playing elements. With third person graphics that are well in the above average for a PSP, the gameplay experience is something that you should look forward too.