SmashPad Streamkend with Valkyria Chronicles – January 19 at 2 PM EST
January 19th, 2013 | Written by Chris Selogy | Topic: PlayStation 3, SmashPad Streamkend
As this generation nears its end, one of the fun things I’d like to do with SmashPad Streamkend during the down weeks is to take a look back at the classics of this generation to show why they should be held up on pedestals for future generations to look back at fondly. Valkyria Chronicles is a rarity on current generation consoles as the Strategy RPG genre has largely jumped ship to the handhelds in the last four years since its launch. That is certainly noticeable just by looking at the sequels, which were made exclusively for the PSP and we here in the West are still waiting for the third game to see a release for the PSP and/or Vita.
Back to the game itself, Valkyria Chronicles is notable for its amazing art style and a battle system that takes inspiration from third-person shooters as a better fit for the World War II-style combat that it takes after. The battle system gives you direct control of each soldier with a traditional third-person shooter control that let you move around the map to find your shot within the range that your AP meter allowed. This combat system also had another layer with the Potentials that gave each soldier various attributes, positive and negative, that were based upon who they fought alongside, where they fought, and a number of other conditions that made it necessary to carefully choose the crew that you took into battle. Unlike your typical Strategy RPG, individuals don’t level up during battles since you apply experience earned to entire classes between battles that gives you more freedom to let those Potentials decide who you should take than their level.
Looking at the upcoming releases, I think we will be able to get back to featuring new releases next week with Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch being the likely candidate next weekend and Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time for the weekend following that. I will certainly return to this idea of showcasing classics in the future during down weeks, though it seems like big releases are picking up after the holiday doldrums. As always, check back here at 2 PM EST on Saturday, January 19 when I add the video to the article for easy viewing or follow us on our Twitch.tv page to get an email when the show goes live.
