Valkyria Chronicles is definitely 2008's best RPG yet at the same time, the most overlooked game of the year.

The most unique thing about this game is the gameplay, which cleverly combines strategy, action and the usual RPG aspects into a unique and addictive battle system. You start off each battle by positioning your troops (you have a squad of 20, most of the times you can have 9 out on the front line, the rest are reserves), then when the battle is commenced, you and your opponent have turns. In each turn, you have a certain number of CP (Command Point), each CP can be used to select a certain soldier and have him/her do what you want (you get to control them of course), or you can use it it issue orders. You win the battle when you capture the enemy's main base. That's pretty much how the battle proceed, it may sound a bit plain but if I go into details, this review will end up being too long.

The story is nice. It's still the usual cliche “I will save the world/*insert here*” RPG story but nevertheless, the story is still quite unique compare to the other RPGs. You progress through the game by reading chapters from a book, each chapters contains episodes (cutscenes and battles). At the same time when playing through the story, you can access “Tabs” from the book such as Skirmish Battles, Personnel Info, Weapons Info and your Headquarter. Your headquarter is where you can assign which recruits will form your unique 20 men/women squad, each of them have their own characteristics and the people that they like to work with. This is also where you upgrade weapons and level up your characters.

You will either love the graphics in the game or hate it. It's no where near detailed as the next-gen graphics you see in other next-gen games, but also at the same time the most unique and artistic graphics out of all of them. Sounds and music are nicely done, Japanese voice over is there as well for people who want an original JRPG experience.

If you like RPG, this game is a must have. If you're a casual looking for something different, this game will not disappoint. If you're still unsure, download the demo and give it a try. This is one of the few games that should not be missed if you own a PS3.

Alright. One day I was bored and surfing mighty ape, saw this title on special, couldn't resist such a bargain, bought it; but soon found myself regreting it after watching some youtube vidoes. The game spent some time in my drawer, I was reluctant to try it out, until last week.

The next thing, it kicked all my other games into the drawer:P.

Yes, it is just “WOW”. Everything about this game is refreshing, such as the unique sketch-like art style, the idea of binding chains of events chronologically with the book, perfect soundtracks and voice acting (unlike most other translated japanese games). This game is simply a masterpiece, with every detail carefully crafted and put together in order to deliver this engaging, memorable and fulfilling adventure.

And the battles are just fun. Nothing feels quite the same as being able to build your own squad planning and leading your comrades to victory in some epic, strategic and of course very challenging battles. There is never a dull moment in this game, even the same battle can be fun to repeat when tackled differently. It can be silghtly frustrating when you are repeatedly failing to achieve your goal. But the satisfaction you get when you eventually accomplish it can easily overcome the frustration.

Hence, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this title to any ps3 players who havent tried it yet:P.

Best damn Strategy RPG ever created this generation. This is where Sega manages to turn the traditional turn-based SRPG and make it more exciting and fun. Developed by team WOW, who are composed of Sega's 2 best development teams, AM1 and Overworks, and if any of you know the history of Sega, they always churn out something good or memorable. So with this game, I'll repeat again, it's the best damn strategy RPG ever created this generation. Game of the Year I believe.

The action to this game is fast and intense, often times the hailing of enemy bullets can literally take your team down fast. The story is well written. It is mature in it's storytelling without it feeling like it's treating war as a rosy coloured adventure at the same time throwing in some good plot twist or revelations here and there. The English localisation is also top-notch as it features plenty of well know actors (in the dubbing world) who knows how to capture the charm of what makes a good story (thank you Jack Fletcher). And if you want there's even the Japanese version as well for those who prefer it that way, but bear in mind that the subtitles are really dubtitles and about 85% of what they say.

Lastly it has a lot of replayability as once you have completed the game, you can go back with all the experience you gain to take on the old story maps again and try to get an A rank for it.

I hope that this won't be the end of the line with this franchise (or the game engine) and I pray that Sega utilise this for their next SRPG.