I'm back from the dead!

[Solid Snake]

First of all: Oh God these new icons are terrible. Whoever thought of this idea while I was away is a very bad person.

Also: I'm back from the land of the dead, dudes! I survived finals.

And those of you who've read previous topics of mine know what that means...

I NOW HAVE A PS3 AND SEVEN GAMES TO PLAY WHAT THE FUCK I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START

I now own:
* MGS4
* Uncharted
* Uncharted 2
* FFXIII
* Valkyria Chronicles
* Resident Evil 5 Gold
* Heavy Rain
I've also promised myself one additional game which will be decided later. Leaning towards whichever gets better reviews, Red Dead Redemption or the new PoP. If both get crappy reviews, I'll probably go for Battlefield 2.

I feel like a kid at a candy store!

...So I'm probably not going to play MGS4 first despite the user name, as I've actually already played it. (Never owned it, borrowed a PS3 from a friend a couple years back just to play it.) The other six are fair game. I'm thinkin' Uncharted actually, because after finals I don't feel like any "depressing" or "tragic" material, and Uncharted looks like lighthearted Indiana Jones stuff.

Also: I bought one of those sweet things that lets me hook up my PS3 and my PS2 at the same time. Take that, lack of backwards compatibility!

In non-PS3 related news: I had five finals and did fairly well on four of them. One was a pretty bad experience, but nothing nearly as terrible as last fall (many of you might remember that debacle.) I know I'm not a straight A caliber law student -- at the school I'm attending, very few would be -- but I'm hoping for more Bs, and maybe a B+ or an A- if I'm lucky.

It looks like I'll be working a pretty freaking sweet internship this summer in a field of law I'm interested in.

The critics were right: 1L of law school is the worst year of your life. But it's over now. I've survived. I can have a life again.

(I also can't thank Matt Speroni enough. There were at least two times in the past few weeks where I explicitly remember feeling miserable studying, like I-want-to-bash-my-head-in-with-a-rock miserable, just not absorbing information or anything. Then I'd look at Franny and/or the Persona girls and I'd find the strength to smile again. Thanks Matt. You're a rock star.)

(Also I have to honestly confess I was absolutely shocked when I stopped by today and notice that nothing's really been updated since I left. Whereas Order of the Stick freakin' updated a dozen times over. What is this, Bizzaro World? Bizzaro World with...ICONS?)

So, what's new folks? Didja miss me?

[Whomper]

You missed out on the forums dying. They were out for well over a week.

[Bard The 5th LW]

There was a brief Armageddon over a moderating disagreement.

One thing led to another and NightShine and Fifth got their asses banned. Also POS is a moderator. Make of that what you will.

[Kim]

You missed me giving everyone Deadly Premonitions avatars! Shame on you! Congrats on surviving, though.

[Solid Snake]

There was a brief Armageddon over a moderating disagreement.

It's funny how I always seem to miss those.
And sad, too. I remember the last time one happened and I missed it and my immediate reaction was "I'm a law school student! I should be adjudicating this shit with rules, like an ALJ smackin' down the administrative guidelines during a policy dispute!!"*

But really without actually going into any factual details whatsoever on the matters discussed I will say it always annoys me how I find the threads after the fact and am like "UGH! I have so much to say! I know so much otherwise useless legalese! But it's too late to say it!"

*Not that I'm a mod or anything, but I can always pretend.

In other news: It's strange how I've purchased this PS3 and I've been waiting to open it for three weeks now and my initial reaction upon getting out of my last final was "I really feel like playing Persona 4."
That was not supposed to happen.

EDIT: Why did someone add one of this silly icons to my post? =(

[bluestarultor]

Don't feel bad. Persona 4 is well worth your time. SMT = <3

[POS Industries]

First of all: Oh God these new icons are terrible. Whoever thought of this idea while I was away is a very bad person.
The german people have always been a little off.

One thing led to another and NightShine and Fifth got their asses banned. Also POS is a moderator. Make of that what you will.
I feel that the former makes up for a fair bit of the damage caused by the latter two.

Anyways, welcome back, SS. Hope things are going well for you!

[Solid Snake]

Don't feel bad. Persona 4 is well worth your time. SMT = <3

I know but I've already beaten it twice.
I mean seriously, playing my first PS3 game should take precedence over a third playthrough of P4, no matter how good P4 is.

Although I think the real reason I'm so interested in playing P4 is moreso the mood of the game than its content. After a series of blisteringly hard finals, there's nothing more satisfying than returning to a world where you're universally beloved, pursued by attractive and lovable women, and fightin' demons for great justice. By contrast, Heavy Rain just seems too...depressing for me right now.

[Krylo]

If you're looking for something with a slightly lighter mood, roll uncharted 1 and 2 before Heavy Rain and enjoy being an adventure movie hero.

[Viridis]

Your lack of Ratchet and Clank makes me feel bad.

Mostly because you, unlike me, could actually get it, but didn't. So much wasted potential.

[krogothwolf]

We have a zombie in the forums now?

[Nique]

Also: I bought one of those sweet things that lets me hook up my PS3 and my PS2 at the same time. Take that, lack of backwards compatibility!

A television?

[POS Industries]

We have a zombie in the forums now?
It's the same old theme since 1916.

[Darth SS]

Anyways, welcome back, SS. Hope things are going well for you!

Why, yes, they are, but I came back a couple....WHOOPS, wrong SS.


So just how bad WAS first year law?

Oh, and welcome back to NPFPA. Nuklear Power Forums Post Armageddon.

[MSperoni]

(I also can't thank Matt Speroni enough. There were at least two times in the past few weeks where I explicitly remember feeling miserable studying, like I-want-to-bash-my-head-in-with-a-rock miserable, just not absorbing information or anything. Then I'd look at Franny and/or the Persona girls and I'd find the strength to smile again. Thanks Matt. You're a rock star.)

Remember I made them only to destroy your family by passively eliminating subsequent generations (inside joke). So don't quite go thanking me yet!

[Premmy]

Hey, Snakles, I already gave you a hug on Gamepad, Do I gotta do it here too?

[PyrosNine]

I seem to recall you with the same amount of strength as I recall where I put my keys...huh...now where did I put my keys?

As for the game order, I originally though it would be best for you to play them in ascending order per how much is a cutscene, making Heavy Rain and FFXIII and MGS4 the last thing you'd play, but I realize that it would mean you'd have to watch one cutscene fest after another. So, you will play MGS4, Heavy Rain, and FFXIII intermittently between the other games so that it will be like taking a break from video games to play interactive movies that aren't Night Trap.

It'll be like going to one of those neato malls that either A: Still have an arcade, or B: Have a Jillians, which is like an arcade except there's a good chance of a nice steak before DDR, and also has a Theater.

[Loyal]

Remember I made them only to destroy your family by passively eliminating subsequent generations (inside joke).Inside joke or no, I think we can figure out the context anyway.

[Solid Snake]

Remember I made them only to destroy your family by passively eliminating subsequent generations (inside joke). So don't quite go thanking me yet!

Hey now, don't go around demeaning your own artwork like that!
...That's...that's not the reason why I...

...*sigh* There's nothing I could possibly say to rectify this situation, is there? You tryin' to ruin my rep, Speroni?

[Donomni]

Oh, and welcome back to NPFPA. Nuklear Power Forums Post Armageddon.

The proper term is NPFPAA: Nuklear Power Forums Post Armageddon Again.

Snake, you really need to play Valkyria Chronicles first.

[Magus]

You rewarded yourself with a PS3 for getting through the semester? Why didn't I think of doing that? I better correct this lack of PS3-ness in my life.

[Nique]

You rewarded yourself with a PS3 for getting through the semester?

I wanted to say "If there's one thing you can count on Solid Snake for, it's to pleasure himself" but I'd be biting a mediocre one-liner from Iron Man 2.

Welcome back Snake!

[MSperoni]

Hey now, don't go around demeaning your own artwork like that!
...That's...that's not the reason why I...

...*sigh* There's nothing I could possibly say to rectify this situation, is there? You tryin' to ruin my rep, Speroni?

The reason was cos I was trying to get you to marry a work of artwork and therefore ignore real females. Like that guy did in Japan marrying that manga character.

[Loyal]

Solid Snake (both forum and MGS version) and Franziska von Karma would the single most messed up pairing ever. How could you live with yourself even contemplating such a thing?

[Azisien]

You should play Heavy Rain so that every game you play afterwards from that list will seem that much better.

[MSperoni]

Solid Snake (both forum and MGS version) and Franziska von Karma would the single most messed up pairing ever. How could you live with yourself even contemplating such a thing?

Weren't me that came up with the idea how to do it, I was just paid to ruin SS's family by a strange plump mustachioed man in overalls.

[Torque]

It seems to me that there is a decided lack of Call of Duty: Modern Warefare 2 on that list, and that makes baby jesus cry, and you all goddamned know it...
Or maybe it makes Domokun kill kittens. I don't know! Whatever, trade in all your games for 10% of their purchase price, and buy MW2.

[Kim]

System Shock 2 is the only FPS forever.

[Torque]

System Shock 2 is the only FPS forever.

I see your System Shock, and raise you a Quake 2

[Geminex]

Hey, guys, don't forget Duke Nukem Forever.

Edit:
Man, that game was rad.

[Kim]

Neither of those games are System Shock 2. Thus they don't exist.

[MSperoni]

Even I know System Shock 2 kills those other games and I haven't even played it.

I knew that tho before NonCon did his review of it on GPD, however...

I think the reason you can tell SS2 owns is the kinda passionate and terse affirmation you get when you ask someone who has played it how much they like it or whether it was any good. You can see it in their eyes, or hear it in their..uhh..typing. I've never seen that with another game with the possible exceptions of Diablo 2 and Baldur's Gate.

[Solid Snake]

...Let's address these one at a time, shall we?

You rewarded yourself with a PS3 for getting through the semester?

Insofar as the first year of law school was far more difficult and far more painful than all four years of undergrad combined, yeah, I pretty much splurged on a PS3 as a reward for surviving the ordeals.

...I'm not saying that because I want to come off as all arrogant or proud over any presumed "accomplishments" either. It's not like I did very well with 1L. I wouldn't hold myself off as a prime example as to how to approach 1L. It's moreso a tacit acknowledgment that anyone and everyone who dares punish themselves with 1L probably has to buy a PS3 or more to make it up to their poor, bruised, battered, bewildered souls.

My roommate decided to buy himself a vacation to Italy; my best friend (one of my only friends, because so few law school students seem to have tolerable personalities) here at law school awarded himself with a trip to Vegas (and I can only imagine what he'll be up to.) I chose a PS3, and in the end, I think I made the better choice. (Because I'm such a nerd.)

I wanted to say "If there's one thing you can count on Solid Snake for, it's to pleasure himself" but I'd be biting a mediocre one-liner from Iron Man 2.

...Do you see what you've done, Matt Speroni?
Do you see what you've done?!?!?

The reason was cos I was trying to get you to marry a work of artwork and therefore ignore real females. Like that guy did in Japan marrying that manga character.

...
...
......
...I was going to write some sort of a retort to this, but then I remembered that your artwork is so inherently beautiful, so ethereal and elegant, that someday some man will actually legitimately marry something you draw.
That person won't be me. But I'm sure it will happen.

Solid Snake (both forum and MGS version) and Franziska von Karma would the single most messed up pairing ever. How could you live with yourself even contemplating such a thing?

Okay, the MGS version I'll concede. Tomboys apparently aren't Snake's type, if his MGS2 dialogue is to be believed. (I'm certain CelesJessa will now run in here and declare "That's because Snake likes dorky skinny men!" Which is something I would debate, insofar as I don't like the Snake/Otacon pairing. Except the insinuation in that statement is that Solid Snake would also find me attractive, so I have to confess, there's some appeal to her argument.)

But the forum Solid Snake? That dude and Franziska von Karma would make an awesome couple. We would because she is one of my favorite videogaming characters and if she were real, I would hug her and squeeze her and caress her for all eternity and DON'T MOCK ME I LOVE ME SOME FRANNY EVERYONE HERE HAS THEIR VIDEOGAME CRUSHES AND IT'S ONLY NATURAL I'D CRUSH ON GAMING'S HOTTEST ATTORNEY LEAVE ME IN PEACE

You should play Heavy Rain so that every game you play afterwards from that list will seem that much better.

...Owch, man.
Maybe it's just the Indigo Prophecy fan in me, or maybe it's just the fact that I have this tendency to care a lot more about a game's storyline and characters than its gameplay, but I'm really looking forward to Heavy Rain. Moreso than most the other games I purchased.

[Hanuman]

If uncharted is basically a movie, wouldn't it be better to just sell uncharted, torrent some movies, and use excess monies to take more time off work for cuddling with your lady friends... to free movies?

[Krylo]

If uncharted is basically a movie, wouldn't it be better to just sell uncharted, torrent some movies, and use excess monies to take more time off work for cuddling with your lady friends... to free movies?

Who ever said Uncharted is basically a movie? That's a stupid thing to say. It hardly even has cut scenes.

It just has a story, characters, writing, and pacing that are all very movie-esque. It's like if you ever watched Indiana Jones movies as a kid and wanted to be Indiana Jones, welp, here you go. You are now Indiana Jones. Have fun beating up/killing scavengers and collecting ancient relics.

It's not like Xenosaga or something.

[Rejected Again]

It's not like Xenosaga or something.

Ah Xenosaga. The game where you played for 10 min just to watch 40 min of cut scenes.

Oh and welcome back Snake.

[Ecks]

Welcome back Snake, and congratulations on surviving Hell Year.

[Solid Snake]

...I just pulled an Uncharted and Uncharted 2 marathon.

Holy crap, both games were amazing. (I'm exhausted and really could use some sleep, but that felt worth it. It's been quite some time since I pulled this kind of an all-night marathon with videogames.)

Like I'm curious to know exactly how and why NonCon rated Uncharted 2 so poorly, because I really enjoyed that game.

I think the original Uncharted's story was actually slightly better polished -- everything fit into place better, and the pacing of the plot twists kept me more intrigued. Uncharted 2 was slightly less cohesive -- too many sudden jumps in time and locale, and a couple of the new characters were woefully underdeveloped. Still, Uncharted 2's gameplay was far superior. The original had the OMG story moments, while the sequel had the OMG gameplay moments -- taking on a helicopter while in a moving train! Taking on a tank as it rolls through a village!

The graphics on the PS3 are gorgeous.

I then tried to play a little MGS4 and I found myself surprised at how difficult the transition was. My original MGS4 experience was colored somewhat because it had been the only PS3 game I'd really played. Having gone through the Uncharted series I couldn't help but feel like that control scheme was intuitive and simple, while MGS4's drove me up a wall. This could also be, however, a symptom of me running on so little sleep. Uncharted and Uncharted 2 work well in a marathon context because you don't have to constantly enter menus to swap out your inventories or really extensively plan routes from point A to point B.

Finally, I was really quite pleased in the original Uncharted when it turned out Sully hadn't betrayed you. I just thought that was a clever spin on traditional expectations.

EDIT: Naw it was Mirai and not NonCon who wrote the Uncharted 2 review on Gamepad Dojo. Sorry NonCon! I often remember the reviews but forget who wrote them.

[Kim]

I didn't rate Uncharted anything nothing. I don't have a PS3.

EDIT: Naw it was Mirai and not NonCon who wrote the Uncharted 2 review on Gamepad Dojo. Sorry NonCon! I often remember the reviews but forget who wrote them.

There's a trick for that. Is it a jRPG? No? Then I probably didn't review it.

[MSperoni]

I think cos UC2 seemed like one big eye candy cutscene w/ really thin samey gameplay kinda to hold it together? I dunno, not played it myself, only remembering Mirai's review here.

I need to get a Gamefly account and get some of these myself to test 'em out.

[Solid Snake]

I'm about six chapters into Valkyria Chronicles.

...So far, as someone who isn't a huge fan of SRPGs (aside from Front Mission 3, which for some reason I adored,) Vaklyria is very impressive. I love the presentation style with the book, I love the obvious WW2 parallels (though I imagine this game would have difficulty procuring fans from Germany), and the main character is one of those rare JRPG heroes who has a unique personality, isn't constantly emo, and doesn't have a wacky hairdo.

I'm a particular fan of the dual-layer battle system, which actually gives something akin to a real-time sense of urgency to an otherwise turn-based strategic system.

I wouldn't classify it as a 10/10 or A++ game, though. Welkin has a solid voice actor, and so does the female reporter, but the rest of the voice acting so far has ranged from average to outright abysmal. The AI, at least in this stage of the game, is pretty terrible. (Doesn't realize it can attack with the same tank multiple times in a single turn kind of terrible.) The leveling up system eschews individual growth and favors leveling up one of four classes with a single stroke, and characters level up even when they're not fighting, which cumulatively leads me to not feel quite the same connection with the cast as I did in other SRPGs, where individual characters are customizable and losing them can be devastating.

The classes aren't really well balanced, either. Right now I use a single Engineer (just to heal the tank,) rarely bother with a Sniper and only bring along one or two Scouts and anti-tanks. The vast majority of the units I employ are machine gunners, because they are beasts in most situations (and Welkin handles everything else.) Hopefully the more specialized classes will get some better abilities to make them worthwhile later in the game.

So far Valkyria's been pretty good, though. Not incredible, but definitely worthwhile. And (in my opinion) certainly far better than FFT, and very different from it.

[Kim]

I'm interesting in hearing your thoughts on FFXIII and RE5 when you finally check them out. I was never able to get into the latter because I'm mostly a single player guy, and when I played the demo the partner AI was dumber than a dead cow.

[Geminex]

I love the obvious WW2 parallels (though I imagine this game would have difficulty procuring fans from Germany)
I find this comment interesting. Why d'you think that German gamers wouldn't like it?

[MSperoni]

..when I played the demo the partner AI was dumber than a dead cow.

The demo AI for your partner and the AI for your partner in the actual, finished game are completely different. The demo was really unfinished in that regard. I played thru the whole game on Easy/Normal/Hard and didn't have much problems with the AI at all. I'm actually glad I didn't play the demo of the game because from what I hear (like from NonCon for instance) I think the AI would have turned me off to the game. That's kind of a bad move on Capcom's part I think.. but at least they DID fix it by the time of the actual release.

The stupidest thing the AI did, and what pissed me the fuck off most, was occasionally they'll park themselves behind you and start shooting at an enemy in front of you and empty a clip INTO YOU (thank god you don't take friendly fire damage). One funny way to avoid this is to give them a gun with piercing ammo, that way when they shoot you the bullets will go thru you and hit the enemy.

Another downside with the comp-AI is if you ever want to attempt the Very Hard difficulty. Most things kill or nearly kill you in one hit, or send your partner into the "Dying" status (where you have about 3 seconds to get to them and heal them before they croak), and the computer AI just isn't adept enough to deal with that because you have to really be light on your feet and not play "procedurally" like the computer likes to do.

[Donomni]

(though I imagine this game would have difficulty procuring fans from Germany)

Wait until later on when you see more of Sylvaria(And I don't mean her... talents), although in the main game they only really feature her as an enemy you can really give a damn about. There's DLC that shows more of her in action, but more importantly, other members of the enemy army you can actually have a connection to.

and the main character is one of those rare JRPG heroes who has a unique personality, isn't constantly emo, and doesn't have a wacky hairdo.


Seriously. Welkin's one of the most normal(In a releative RL sense) heroes in a Japanese game. He's not like Sazh from FFXIII in that Welkin is certainly quirky, but compared to most protagonists, he's a nice change in the norm.

I'm a particular fan of the dual-layer battle system, which actually gives something akin to a real-time sense of urgency to an otherwise turn-based strategic system.


Especially considering the enemy's intercepting fire is real time.

Welkin has a solid voice actor, and so does the female reporter, but the rest of the voice acting so far has ranged from average to outright abysmal.

Eh, I'll admit a lot of the voice cast is "Generic Anime Voices", but that's forgivable on account of gay!Bender.

The AI, at least in this stage of the game, is pretty terrible. (Doesn't realize it can attack with the same tank multiple times in a single turn kind of terrible.)

It gets better. Like, "I wish the game was easier auuuuuugggggggh" better. Either that or I'm a bad judge of this game's later AI.

The leveling up system eschews individual growth and favors leveling up one of four classes with a single stroke, and characters level up even when they're not fighting, which cumulatively leads me to not feel quite the same connection with the cast as I did in other SRPGs, where individual characters are customizable and losing them can be devastating.

This is dealt with by making the characters unique in the sense of personality, which is doubly reflected by their special abilities that trigger during fights, such as making a Lancer not use a round of ammo in a shot, or by a general increase in stats(Or decrease, in some cases). The game focuses less on the soldiers as a bundle of stats to determine things, and more on how they are affected by the environment and their own psyche.

The classes aren't really well balanced, either. Right now I use a single Engineer (just to heal the tank,) rarely bother with a Sniper and only bring along one or two Scouts and anti-tanks. The vast majority of the units I employ are machine gunners, because they are beasts in most situations (and Welkin handles everything else.) Hopefully the more specialized classes will get some better abilities to make them worthwhile later in the game.

Scouts are meant for recon and locating enemies once the game gets far enough, and have the most movement out of all units. They're advance units for your Shocktroopers, and are sorta kinda vital for taking enemy camps in some fights.

Snipers... well, they kinda aren't that important at first, but this is because a lot of battles have really shitty vantage points, and their starting weapons are only somewhat useful in hitting things(That, and not enough range to be anywhere to shoot without getting killed). Once you get more accurate weapons, the headshots get more plentiful, there are places they can camp out and not die in one turn, and snipers get more useful.

Lancers are meant for killing tanks and other structures. It is really fucking hard to get units behind a tank and not die before they can destroy it with an attack, because intercepting fire is a bitch from tanks. Lancers can take the hits and generally kill the stupid thing in one shot from behind. Of course, you could also just have them shoot the tanks from anywhere they can hit it, since Lancers can damage tanks anywhere. They can also kill foot soldiers in a pinch, but I wouldn't rely on them for that, obviously.

Shocktroopers are meant to be the most used unit, I think, considering they can take a beating and give it back just as well. They have limited movement, though, so always send a scout first if you have one.

You won't use Engineers a lot, but they do more than repair tanks. They can disarm mines(As long as they don't end up running over one by mistake, anyways), repair sandbags, and refill ammo for nearby units, which is kinda useful if a tank is bearing down on an area, and all you have is a Lancer there. You also eventually get a second tank, so you'll probably end up using two Engineers too.

Basically, have a couple of every non-Shocktrooper, and have Shocktroopers fill out the rest of your ranks, but only if your team starts together. If you have to start in multiple spots, stick a scout in each team, and other units as appropriate. Honestly, you might have to experiment for each fight to see what works.

[bluestarultor]

The demo AI for your partner and the AI for your partner in the actual, finished game are completely different. The demo was really unfinished in that regard. I played thru the whole game on Easy/Normal/Hard and didn't have much problems with the AI at all. I'm actually glad I didn't play the demo of the game because from what I hear (like from NonCon for instance) I think the AI would have turned me off to the game. That's kind of a bad move on Capcom's part I think.. but at least they DID fix it by the time of the actual release.

The stupidest thing the AI did, and what pissed me the fuck off most, was occasionally they'll park themselves behind you and start shooting at an enemy in front of you and empty a clip INTO YOU (thank god you don't take friendly fire damage). One funny way to avoid this is to give them a gun with piercing ammo, that way when they shoot you the bullets will go thru you and hit the enemy.

Another downside with the comp-AI is if you ever want to attempt the Very Hard difficulty. Most things kill or nearly kill you in one hit, or send your partner into the "Dying" status (where you have about 3 seconds to get to them and heal them before they croak), and the computer AI just isn't adept enough to deal with that because you have to really be light on your feet and not play "procedurally" like the computer likes to do.

From my experience, Sheva is easily one of the best AI partners I've ever seen. And she can actually use the blasted longbow, which is pretty difficult for a human player (or at least me and everyone I know).

On the procedural aspect, that's a good choice of words. Both the PS3 and 360 use in-order processing, which is great for rendering water reflections and stuff, but makes for lousy AI capabilities. The fact that they made Sheva as good as they did is pretty impressive.

[Solid Snake]

I find this comment interesting. Why d'you think that German gamers wouldn't like it?

I can't speak for what happens beyond the first five chapters of the game, but so far it's very much been a fantasy version of WW2, complete with the "Imperials" (read: Nazis) invading hapless countries to achieve sinister objectives.
I suppose in this sense Valkyria Chronicles is really like any other recent reinterpretation of WW2 (the Nazis don't come out looking sympathetic often) but based on my past experiences in Germany, it seemed like WW2 in general was one topic you just didn't discuss. A game that displayed in barely concealed terms how Germany crushed poor peasants in countries like Poland and Lithuania really wouldn't be a huge draw there, I'd bet.

(Kind of intrigued to see what Valkyria Chronicles' interpretation of Hitler is going to be like, though. Just in case he or his fantasy equivalent shows up.)


Wait until later on when you see more of Sylvaria(And I don't mean her... talents), although in the main game they only really feature her as an enemy you can really give a damn about. There's DLC that shows more of her in action, but more importantly, other members of the enemy army you can actually have a connection to.

Hmm. Sounds interesting.
I'm going to have to get used to paying all kinds of money to purchase DLC for every PS3 game I buy, won't I? I noticed there was DLC for Uncharted 2, too. It's a relatively new phenomenon for me, not something I'm accustomed to as an old(er) school gamer.

Seriously. Welkin's one of the most normal(In a releative RL sense) heroes in a Japanese game. He's not like Sazh from FFXIII in that Welkin is certainly quirky, but compared to most protagonists, he's a nice change in the norm.

You pretty much hit the nail on the head there. I like Welkin a lot. He has a real, bona fide personality that's unique and he has his kooky scientific expedition moments (as Alicia and the reporter frequently point out,) but he's a genuine guy. I can't help but compare him to Squall, because both he and Squall were essentially conscripted into leadership roles to protect their homeland, yet Squall reacted to his unexpected GARDEN wars by going all emo and wondering why is this happening to him, and that despite the fact that he's in a position of comparative strength. Welkin on the other hand is screwed, his entire nation is screwed, they're outmanned and outgunned and Imperial fodder and everyone knows it, he loses his homeland in a fiery blaze and his father may or may not be dead, his sister is the equivalent of Jewish and despised, but he keeps his head up, keeps his priorities straight, and solves fucking problems.

Note to Squall: That is how you be a leader.

Eh, I'll admit a lot of the voice cast is "Generic Anime Voices", but that's forgivable on account of gay!Bender.

...Is this a character I haven't met yet? So far, the extent of the "gay" characters I've met are recruitable folks in my squad who happen to apparently "fancy" people of the same gender.

The game focuses less on the soldiers as a bundle of stats to determine things, and more on how they are affected by the environment and their own psyche.

That's interesting. I haven't really noticed the impact of the personality quirks yet.

Really long analysis of the classes.

I have noticed a bit of an elongated Rock-Paper-Scissors dynamic going on. Scouts seem to have a far easier time of taking out Snipers than the other classes (both in spotting Snipers and their rifles appear to be actually more effective than machine guns in killing them.)

Still, Sharpshooters are good against other Sharpshooters, Engineers and Scouts -- which means they're good against the overwhelming bulk of enemies that have been thrown out at me so far. I really think a cohesive strategy is to have just one or two scouts, an engineer (maybe eventually two if I do get another tank), maybe a lancer and the rest as Sharpshooters. It's not that lancers are worthless, more that at this stage my tank is the single best unit to concentrate on other tanks, and the Lancer's piss-poor mobility ensures Welkin almost always does all the work anyway.

Favorite recruitable characters? Well, there's Vyse, who seems clearly inspired by a certain other Sega character. I'm guessing Aika was similarly inspired. I also like Wavy, Freesia, and Hector. I seem to use Cherry a lot too, though she gets on my damn nerves. Karl's my engineer.

[Donomni]

Hmm. Sounds interesting.
I'm going to have to get used to paying all kinds of money to purchase DLC for every PS3 game I buy, won't I? I noticed there was DLC for Uncharted 2, too. It's a relatively new phenomenon for me, not something I'm accustomed to as an old(er) school gamer.

Not every game has DLC, and some of it is free anyways, but it is a big jump from the days of the PS2. It does get sneaky, though, as some games come with the DLC on the physical disk. In other words, you pay for unlock codes. You can normally tell when the download takes 3 seconds. I mean, some new possibilities open with DLC, but godammit.

(Kind of intrigued to see what Valkyria Chronicles' interpretation of Hitler is going to be like, though. Just in case he or his fantasy equivalent shows up.)

He's not in this game. I think he's gonna be in the sequel... which is gonna be on the PSP, of all things.

...Is this a character I haven't met yet? So far, the extent of the "gay" characters I've met are recruitable folks in my squad who happen to apparently "fancy" people of the same gender.

There's a Lancer called Jan you can recruit. He's voiced by the same guy who's voiced Bender, with a positively stereotypically camp gay voice.

It'd be really offensive, if not for the fact that you normally hear said voice not giving a damn about meatbags, performing petty crimes, and coming by the occasional fembot.

I haven't really noticed the impact of the personality quirks yet.

They're called Potentials, and you gain them from either leveling up or having that particular person join you for enough battles. They also seem to activate randomly, but when they do, you'll generally notice the effects. I say generally because some effects don't seem to actually do anything much.

I have noticed a bit of an elongated Rock-Paper-Scissors dynamic going on. Scouts seem to have a far easier time of taking out Snipers than the other classes (both in spotting Snipers and their rifles appear to be actually more effective than machine guns in killing them.)

Snipers have the worst HP totals of all units. It's why they're pretty sucky for you at the start: They simply cannot take hits like anyone else, and it takes them awhile to get to where they can snipe and not die the next round. Like I said, once they get better guns with a longer range, this become much less of a problem, as a lot more places become viable vantage points. A Scout is naturally more accurate than Shocktroopers, and they can run circles around Snipers, so they can take them down easy. Of course, later battles will simply have Snipers placed absurdly far away from your units as well as behind much more hardy enemy units, so you'll eventually need Snipers just to take down enemy Snipers.

Still, Sharpshooters are good against other Sharpshooters, Engineers and Scouts -- which means they're good against the overwhelming bulk of enemies that have been thrown out at me so far. I really think a cohesive strategy is to have just one or two scouts, an engineer (maybe eventually two if I do get another tank), maybe a lancer and the rest as Sharpshooters. It's not that lancers are worthless, more that at this stage my tank is the single best unit to concentrate on other tanks, and the Lancer's piss-poor mobility ensures Welkin almost always does all the work anyway.

Eventually, the locations you'll be at make it really hard for Welkin to go where you want him to be, as well as the enemy having Lancers left and right just waiting for your shiny blue ass to be open for a one-hit-kill. Not only do Lancers have the ability to go where Welkin can't, if they die, the battle isn't instantly over.

Seriously, you'll need to be careful with Welkin. One good Lancer shot to the ass, and it's game over.

Welkin's tank is your best unit, but also the one unit you can't lose. This game will show you it knows this.

[bluestarultor]

On Nazis and Germany: Germany's gotten into it, themselves. (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/739-Velvet-Assassin)

[Solid Snake]

On Nazis and Germany: Germany's gotten into it, themselves. (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/739-Velvet-Assassin)

The most disappointing aspect of that video was the author makin' fun of Valkyria Chronicles.
I happen to like this idealistic high school Persona 4 style version fantasy interpretation of WW2!