[Solid Snake]

Originally Posted by Geminex

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.)

Originally Posted by Donomni

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.