What? It's the best I've heard in a JRPG this gen.

@ Tor

I'd agrue that it should take the average at least 35 hours to beat it. I played through it pretty quickly and got it done in 38.

Valkyria Chronicles is an sRPG which means it gets paired up alongside Disgaea 3 and destroyed in VA quality.

Pitting VC against jRPGs is an easy win though.

the game is excellent.

the story is kind of dumb but don't let that stop you.

Wait, there's a WEAPON TRIANGLE IN THIS GAME?

Wow, it really is Fire Emblem with Action Points.

So, guys, how does it stack up against Fire Emblem?

The story is a bit predictable at times, and most of the storytelling is done via the "talking heads".
Small complaints about a game this great though.

Aside from the fact that actually playing the game feels nothing like fire emblem, from every moment of gameplay right down to every aspect of design, I think you might be on to something.

I'm just participating in hyperbole, I apologize if I offend. But many elements do sound like they're taken from Fire Emblem - the support conversations, the weapon triangle, support bonuses... I mean, is there a class leveling system, too? And a lack of the ability to grind? I was talking to Naz about th game a few weeks ago, and from the conversation with him (and from the site's review) it sounds like many of its elements are taken from FE, even if the ultimate experience of it is different.

Lancers > Tanks > Infantry > Lancers

VC is a little different from Fire Emblem.  In Fire Emblem, you usually try to clear the map and all the enemies.  In VC, you just try to finish the mission as fast as possible.  Consequently the flow of the game feels very different.

Looks like a game that I must buy but can't find and don't have the money for....

    Hey sorry Khuutra, I was going for more light sarcasm than nasty tearing-of-flesh kind of stuff (that's the etymology of the word sarcasm).

   You actually can grind because you can play skirmishes over and over, though it is true that they went with a class leveling system, which simplifies the game a lot and allows for different characters to be used in every battle.  The game actually plays just as much like a first person shooter as any SRPG, because you have to watch out for sight lines and take cover in real time within the turn-based structure.  Calling it derivative for example (not that you did) would require a focus on the specific elements which are influenced by Fire Emblem to the point of ignoring the fact that the game basically creates a totally original type of gameplay with a long list of features that wouldn't make sense in a turn-based game.  It does share an important strength with Fire Emblem, which is that you actually feel like you're getting to know the supporting cast of characters in combat, and that's definitely helped by the support bonuses ala Fire Emblem.  The weapon triangle also involves tanks, which are a big part of the game and are equipped with three different weapon types that each operate differently in terms of strengths and weaknesses.  So, even in the two or three elements that a Fire Emblem fan might naturally see as borrowed from their favorite series, the game manages to do something different.  It's just that kind of game -- it feels like it started with a general dream of "lets make a WWII Japanese SPRG" and every element of the game was then built around that idea, and pulled off with surprisingly polished execution for something so new.  That said, as a hybrid it does owe a lot of ideas to the SRPG tradition, and a lot of ideas to FPS games as well.  If there's one thing this game doesn't feel like, it's a WWII reskin of another SRPG, believe me.  Though you'll have to play it to know how right I am :)