By Jamie Love - April 27th, 2009
If my constant mentioning of the title, our enthusiastic review, or my “Buy Valkyria Chronicles” campaign across forums and city streets hasn’t gotten the idea across, I’ll reiterate that anyone who owns a PS3 needs to at least try this game once to understand what the fuss is all about. Not only was the game one of the most important releases for 2008, but proved a vital first shot in verifying that Sega had re-emerged as a serious and focused developer as well as publisher. During my campaign I also learned that I’m not alone in believing the game is capable of a long term sales future, gathering new recruits as fresh hands continue picking up rifles in defense of Gallia.
DLC is an essential aid to this cause, offering a fresh reason to discuss the game anew, and rewarding a very loyal following of fans eager for additional content. Valkyria Chronicles is also one of those rare titles that lends to the process naturally given the mission based structure of the game. It’s also clear that the development team appreciates the role that smaller stories play in filling out the scope of a grand conflict, which is exactly what follows with the DLC content. And rather than offering one large download for a larger price, Sega has offered players a choice in the three offerings of Hard EX Skirmishes, Enter: The Edy Detachment, and Behind Her Blue Flame for $4.99 each. We’ve specifically reviewed the latter two given the presentation of stories that branch outside of the larger narrative, subsequently offering a greater appreciation of the entire game.
This doesn’t make Hard EX Skirmishes any less important, but largely self explanatory in that it makes the skirmish mode harder. But it’s important to note that Hard EX does not simply add more opponents to the field. What it does do is change the available tactics by removing the Eidleweiss tank, and adds new enemy aces and weapons while increasing enemy stats. Hard EX also earns its name, living up to the mythical Japanese love of incredibly hard game experiences, so newcomers are warned.
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Posted in PlayStation 3, PSN, Reviews, Sega | 4 Comments »
