The Discussion Thread: The Greatest Games Event 2017 - FINISH YOUR LISTS

[The_Liquid_Laser]

#19 Valkyria Chronicles

 

Why did it make the list?
Valkyria Chronicles is a unique, well crafted, and beautiful looking tactical RPG.  I really love tactical RPG's! Well, Valkyria Chronicles is a tactical RPG for the modern home era of console gaming.  I have not encountered a tactical RPG since that even comes close to how awesome this game is.  

The best part of VC is probably it's unique battle system.  It feels like a hybrid of turn-based and real-time combat.  You are given a map and then choose which units you want to move each turn based on your command points.  Then you are taken to a view that is like a 3rd person shooter, where you decide where you are going to move and act (usually shoot) and decide where you end your turn.  When you shoot a targeting icon comes up so you can choose to go for a headshot or a more reliable body shot.  

Also even when the units are not moving they react to enemies near them by shooting at them.  This gives a real feeling of being in a fire fight.  When you move your guys, you better flee for cover fast to avoid damage.  At the same time, if you set up a good defensive position then you can eliminate a lot of enemies...on their turn...as they try to break through your defenses.  

Lastly, you have a friggin' tank.  A friggin' TANK!  The tank takes more command points than your infantry, but sometimes you just want to unleash the raw power of the tank on your enemies.

 

Original experience:
This game blew me away when I first played it, and really it still blows me away today.  It looks and plays great and there is no other game like this.  (Ok the sequels on the PSP are like this, but the original game is much better.)  On top of everything else that I have mentioned it also has a fantastic story.  I say this as someone who is usually really irritated by stories in video games.  Like if I took away the Final Fantasy series, then I really struggle to think of a story I like.  But this game has a story that can rival the best of Final Fantasy's. 

 

How does it hold up today?
This game is still awesome by today's standards.  I go back and play it again every 2 - 3 years.  It originally came out on the PS3, and this version looks great, but there is also a PS4 remasterd version that also includes all of the DLC.  If you love tactical RPG's then this game is a must play.