Hey All, This game just came out on steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/294860/ it is a really good Strategy RTS and a great port from the original PS3. If you like XCom tactics and any RPG (especially good jrps) you should give this a try. Works good with mouse and keyboard or controller as well (been using my 360 controller myself with no issue.) It is only 20 bucks and I have had a blast so far. It has a pretty awesome story too. Useful Mods for Icons, graphics and others: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=138994162#post138994162 Also look at the OP of that post for basic explanation. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes RPG, Anime, or just one of the best Turned based strategy I have played in a long time. I am already 30 hours deep and enjoying it immensely. Good translation and Voice over, however the original Japanese is my preference. The story alone is probably worth the price of admission as well. The Alternate history world war 2 in Europe is quite serious, and touches some really deep topics such as racism, genocide, and war atrocities. It is a hell of a ride. Edit: It also has a full anime season (the in game story is better tho, more serious and dark.) http://www.animeultima.tv/watch/valkyria-chronicles-english-subbed-dubbed-online/
I really like the mechanics and how it looks like. My only grief was watching gameplay video where the guy just walks next to enemies or through a squad + tank of enemies totally disregarding being shot by all of them all the way. (and won) Is there any setting for increased realism, as in, not being able to rush to the opposite side of enemy's barricade while that enemy is shooting at you?
On my wishlist. Gonna get this after Borderlands Pre-Sequel. Very happy to see this on PC after all these years. I really wanted to play the original when it came out, but I didn't have Playstation back then.
Some of the levels (especially the grinding skirmish levels (for xp and money) have some gamey tactics you can use once you are leveled up a bit. It is a personal choice really, just like saveskumming in Xcom. If you want to do it every shot, it makes the game a lot easier. So personally I only save at the start of matches and generally fight em out. If you fight them straight up and do not save every turn, the game has a good challenge. I also recommend not reading too many forums about the levels themselves if you are tempted to game the game too much. Well it is an JsRPG there are not exactly "realism" settings, like most single player games, if you want it to be more realistic put personal limits on yourself. Remember the old xcom hardcore rules? You basically played with self imposed limitations. I will say there are several missions that even WITH save skumming and trying to game it, the game will kick your butt and if you spent the whole game not really playing, these missions will kick your ass!! (One involves a Giant tank you can only damage sometimes, and a map where they rush YOUR base.) So basically hard missions are the 'realism' gate if you are not willing to moderate yourself.
I really liked the XCom Apocalypse. It explained the agents surviving a few rifle rounds because they had advanced power armor. Civilians or agents without armor would usually drop from a single chest hit from a rifle or two from smg. Rocket launchers and high explosives were really devastating against packed groups as well as against single targets. It also made sense that 4 meter tall bioengineered cyborg fighting machine would survive multiple heavy hits before going down. Yea, I can see that this and the new XCOM are an entirely different genre really. These games have stronger characters and stronger plot narrative, Apoc and such emphasize real tactics and are quite realistic. This one looks like a gem in it's category. Somehow I always have a soft spot for fantasy giant tanks and such when it's in anime setting Also important not to take this as 'tactical simulation' type of game but rather tactical rpg.
I loved the original xcoms too. Those first missions when your whole team just dies because you have no upgrades. However, the word "realistic" seems wrong since you are fighting aliens. I'd probably prefer the word "simulation" which seems to encapsulate the idea of a simulation of a hypothetical. The newer gamers are much different yep, though I will say the new XCOM + Enemy within dlc is much closer to the original experience (however a bit too linear compared to the original.) This game fun, tanks are tough but not too much so, they can easily die in a turn. Infantry not in cover die like flies. THe problem with watching any videos of this game is that the characters scale but you can go back and play easy levels much later after you beat them, then they look stupidly easy. Playing the level appropriate battles are much more challenging. I regularly lose half my team or more on harder missions, while you do have medics it requires you physically reaching the downed players which is very tough.
I played this on the PS3 when it came out, pretty good game although I'm not in general a huge fan of the anime tropes that the game falls under in terms of storytelling. Gameplay is solid though. My main gripe is that your performance in the battle determines how much xp you get and that allows you to level your troops and tank. However, the basis of your performance is basically one thing, which is how many turns did it take you to beat the level. It doesn't care if you didn't lose anyone and wiped out all enemy forces, it cares that you ran through the entire map avoiding everything in 3 turns and winning. It basically went against the fiber of my persona in terms of how I wanted to play the game and kept punishing me for it, I didn't end up finishing the game near the end.
You do not need to play by their system however. I take my time with the story missions, which is more enjoyable for me. If I need money I will play skirmish and the DLC matches, which I have not had to play too much. I got to the last chapter and I have had plenty of C + D scores because I was slow but I still have a surplus of cash and my troops are well leveled. I have not felt held back. Basically the NG+ Mode if where you can grind your A scores if you really want. I Would say tho I have gotten about 1/3 of the story missions with A scores, and I didnt rush. I just attacked.
Btw in responses to "Game breaking tactics" you may see/hear about on the internet, they actually do not exists in the PC version unless you play at 30 fps. At 60 FPS, the game "overwatch/reaction" shots are VERY powerful and you need to be much more careful than the PS3 version. This is pretty cool even tho it was not intentional necessarily, but yeah its been discussed in the neogaf thread a lot.
Funny. They're doing core mechanics on frame render update rather than on framerate independent physics steps. That constitutes a major beginner mistake though I suppose they were afraid that those handful of raycasts would worsen the performance issues on low fps systems even further, not that they'd probably matter even worth 1 fps reduction.
