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Valkyria Chronicles DLC heading west in 2009
Valkyria Chronicles is out today! You should really go buy it if you're a fan of strategy RPGs and/or excellent stories. Need another reason? A new post on the PlayStation Blog has confirmed that the downloadable content that was made available in Japan will be translated for western audiences. Both add-on packs will be made available in America and Europe in "early 2009." The DLC involves a new mission and an extra hard skirmish mode. One of these allows you to play as the evil Imperial army invading Gallia and includes new vocals and and new sets of battles. These packs were paid content in Japan so no doubt they'll be the same over here. So even as you play through the lengthy main mission you'll have some new stuff to look forward to early next year. Hopefully Sega will also add trophies at some point too.
Worldwide PS3 releases for the week of November 2nd
Something for everyone this week. Resistance 2 hits the US while LittleBigPlanet finally sees a European release. Valkyria Chronicles also makes its way to American soil. If you're after something wholly unique and a little bit special this week, that might be your best bet (though only SRPG fans need apply). Here's the full release list:US Games Resistance 2 (Collector's Edition) Valkyria Chronicles James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace Tom Clancy's End War (Headset bundle) Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm (Collector's Edition) Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa History Channel Civil War: Secret Mission EU Games LittleBigPlanet MotorStorm Pacific Rift Tom Clancy's End War (Headset bundle) Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Legendary WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2009 Disney Sing It (Microphone bundle) Guitar Hero World Tour Asian Games Tom Clancy's End War Don't forget that your PS3 is region free. If you see anything on this list that isn't available where you live go ahead and import. Keep in mind that DLC is locked to the game disc's region so if you buy a US game you'll need to get your DLC from the US PSN Store. Release dates are constantly subject to change. That's our way of saying "don't blame us if something gets delayed last minute."
See the singing shocktrooper of Valkyria Chronicles, Rosie
We're pretty excited for Valkyria Chronicles. The PS3-exclusive SRPG from Sega has been getting great early reviews. And why wouldn't it? Not only does it look good, but it has a cabaret girl singing while kicking ass. Who could possibly dislike a game like that?
Worldwide PS3 releases for the week of October 26th
Big smiles on both sides of the Atlantic this week. America gets three big games in the form of LittleBigPlanet, MotorStorm PR and Fallout 3. Europe may not be getting their hands on LittleBigPlanet until next week, but at least they've got Fallout 3, Quantum of Solace and Valkyria Chronicles to tide them over which, from what we've seen, look to all be excellent titles. Here's the full release list:US Games LittleBigPlanet SingStar Vol. 2 MotorStorm Pacific Rift Fallout 3 (Collector's Edition) Moto GP 08 Baja 1000: Score International Guitar Hero World Tour EU Games Fallout 3 (Collector's Edition) James Bond: Quantum of Solace Siren: Blood Curse Valkyria Chronicles To End All Wars Buzz! Quiz TV Special Edition Hail To The Chimp Asian Games Fallout 3 Fracture Gran Turismo 5: Prologue Spec III Grand Theft Auto IV LittleBigPlanet SOCOM: Confrontation Yamasa Digi World SP: Bounty Killer Please keep in mind that release dates are constantly subject to change, so be sure to call ahead before leaving the house. Your PS3 is happy to play any of the above titles, regardless of where they originate from, so feel free to import anything you see up there. Remember, though, that any DLC has to be bought from the appropriate PSN store so if you pick up a US copy of LBP you'll need to download future DLC (and there's bound to be a lot) from the US store. Really, it's better just to wait a week.
See Valkyria Chronicles' tank in new trailer
Valkyria Chronicles' English release is finally inching closer. Sega has just released a brand new trailer for the game, showing off the tank and its incredible power in action. This reminds us that VC is unlike most SRPGs we've played: the combination of real-time battles and turn-based tactics really has us quite excited.
Valkyria Chronicles EU release pulled forwards two weeks
Those of you who are looking forward to Valkyria Chronicles have a little less time to wait, it seems. The game is being pulled forward two weeks and will now release on October 31st. Considering this is a Friday, this is bound to be a European release and there's no word on a US date change, as of yet. Those interested in the game will be able to try out a demo next week. Be sure to check out our hands-on report to see what we think. (Spoiler: it looks great.) We just hope it sells as well as it deserves to, considering LittleBigPlanet launches the week before.
Valkyria Chronicles DLC lets you play as the bad guys
Although Valkyria Chronicles isn't out in America yet, it's been getting some DLC support in Japan. The second installment of DLC from Sega is pretty cool: it lets you play as Selvaria, as you try to invade Galiia. If you didn't notice, that means you're doing the exact opposite of what the main campaign focuses on. The DLC will feature voice acting, new story sequences, and a whole new set of battles. The DLC will retail for 800 yen in Japan. Most likely, the American version of Valkyria Chronicles will feature the same post-launch DLC as its Japanese counterpart.[Via Siliconera]
Play Valkyria Chronicles in next Qore issue
Just what else is going into the already fantastic October issue of Qore? Why it's a playable demo of Valkyria Chronicles. It's the latest S-RPG from SEGA and it's set for release on November 11. If you missed the San Francisco event this past Friday, the Qore issue demo -- which will be available on October 9 -- is your next alternative to an early sneak peek.[Thanks Gambit07!]
Valkyria Chronicles event in San Francisco this Friday
Sega and Sony will be holding a pre-release event for Valkyria Chronicles this Friday, Sept. 26, in San Francisco. The shindig will take place in the PlayStation Store at the Metreon between 5-9PM. Attendees will be able to play a demo of the strategy-action RPG a month before that same demo is made available to the general public. There will also be a raffle and the game's Japanese producer will attend and sign autographs -- hopefully they'll have something for him to sign other than cocktail napkins.The PlayStation Blog also gives an open invitation to Valkyria Chronicles fans who can't attend to leave questions on the site for the game's producer to answer in a future post. The actual game is expected to release in November of this year.%Gallery-30124%
Valkyria Chronicles coming to San Francisco this Friday
Although the game doesn't officially release until November, Sega is throwing a Valkyria Chronicles party in San Francisco's Metreon store. The venue, made famous for its real-world PlayStation Store, will be host to Sega producer Ryutaro Nonaka. An exclusive community Q&A will be held at the store, and signed posters will be given away at the event. You could win a free PS3, so if you're in the neighborhood, you may want to consider attending. Where: The Sony Metreon, 101 4th Street, San Francisco, CAWhen: 5 - 9 PM Pacific, Friday, Sept 26th [Thanks, Aaron W.!]
PAX 2008 hands-on: Valkyria Chronicles
Final Fantasy Tactics meets X-Com in a Miyazaki-esque, Advance Wars universe. With watercolors. That's what you get when you play Sega's upcoming strategy RPG, Valkyria Chronicles. The PS3 exclusive is already out in Japan but will be heading West before the end of the year and, from what we saw of the game at PAX, it will be Sega's console gem of the year.We were guided through the game's tutorial by the producer, Christopher Kaminski, who showed off the basic gameplay mechanics. It's a strategy RPG, but there's no grid. Instead, you have a "fuel" meter, which depletes as you move farther, giving the game more of an action RPG feel.%Gallery-30124%
Valkyria Chronicles: the Leipzig trailer
Download to PSP You should know by now that one of our most anticipated games this holiday season is Sega's upcoming PS3-exclusive SPRG, Valkyria Chronicles. Yet another English language trailer has been distributed at Leipzig, and while it doesn't reveal much new about the game, it does get the hype rolling yet again. The innovative mix of real-time movement and turn-based combat will have hungry PS3-owning JRPG fans craving for more. %Gallery-16979%
Valkyria Chronicles officially dated for Nov. 11
SEGA has quite an original, complex, and deep gaming experience with Valkyria Chronicles. If you've read through our hands-on from E3, you probably don't need us to remind you of that. However, when will our fellow North Americans get the chance to play it? The answer to that is: soon, or, November 11 to be exact.In addition to a release date, Siliconera has spoken with associate producer Christopher Kaminski for some further info on the North American version. The DLC from the original Japanese game won't be on the NA disc; however, that DLC hasn't been denied for future downloads either. For those who like Japanese voice acting, you'll be happy to know that a Japanese audio option is included. With Valkyria Chronicles out this November and Disgaea 3 out later this month, it looks like S-RPG fans will have their hands full this fall.%Gallery-16979%
Impressions: Valkyria Chronicles
Click for high-resolution image. Sega's upcoming Valkyria Chronicles has everything a PS3 fan could want: not only is is pretty, it sports a unique artstyle, innovative gameplay ... and it's exclusive to PS3. We stopped by the Sega booth at E3 and was treated to a fun experience that will attract strategy and shooting fans alike.The fundamentals of battle have us excited. Players must take out a swarm of enemy soldiers, and to do so they must be incredibly resourceful. Each turn grants players the ability to move characters around a map and attack enemies. Players must use each character's unique abilities wisely, as they only have a limited amount of turns to use before the enemies attack. For example, player may want to use a scout to move ahead forward and scout out enemy positions. Unlike other SRPGs, players have direct control over the characters they select; players will move the characters using the analog stick and must quickly find appropriate cover. Positioning is key: players will want to not only get a vantage over enemies, but they'll want to be in a position where return fire will not affect them.%Gallery-16979%
Valkyria Chronicles live demo by associate producer
Over at PlayStation.Blog, associate producer Christopher Kaminski of the upcoming tactical RPG Valkyria Chronicles shows us a live demo, showcasing some of the more unique aspects of this PS3 exclusive. As we already know from a previous interview, the game will be utilizing a unique Canvas Engine, pushing the PS3 to its graphical limits in a different way -- instead of going for "hyper-realism," Sega is aiming for a "watercolor (painting) brought to life" look. It definitely makes the game look stunning visually, but the gameplay will also be unique. The BLiTZ battle system, as we reported on before, will forgo traditional grid-based mechanics. You have an action point meter, which allows you run around on a field in real-time as long as the meter holds up. Attacking will cause the game to freeze time, giving you time to make a decision. With 20 main missions (with additional skirmishes) and 50 different characters, don't let anyone tell you the PS3 is lacking JRPGs when this game arrives stateside in November.
Valkyria Chronicles is NOT coming to PSP
Remember the PSP game montage at today's Sony Press Conference? Sure you do, it happened only a matter of hours ago. You might have noticed that a video of Valkyria Chronicles, SEGA's strategy RPG, was included in the montage, at which point we literally squeeled with joy. Not only was a potentially great JRPG coming to the PSP, but it looked almost identical to the PS3 version. Too good to be true, right?Right. Valkyria Chronicles is definitely not in development for the PSP, as confirmed by the PlayStation Blog's Jeff Rubenstein. In what we assume was a major video editing mistake, the game's logo and in-game footage was placed within the montage and ... wasn't noticed during the rehearsal on Sunday? Oh well. Honestly, there's no mystery here, Valkyria Chonricles is not coming to PSP. You'll have to be satisfied with Super Stardust Portable, which is definitely enough to keep us happy.
PS3-exclusive Valkyria Chronicles expands to PSP
Valkyria Chronicles is a PS3-exclusive S-RPG from Sega. At Sony's E3 press conference, the series has been announced to expand into the PSP realm. Further details have not been divulged.Update: Not true. A very significant error during Sony's E3 conference mislabeled the PS3 exclusive as a PSP game.
Valkyria Chronicles gets DLC this August in Japan
One of our most anticipated titles for the year, Valkyria Chronicles, just got more exciting. Much like Disgaea 3, this Sega SRPG is getting additional content to keep JRPG gamers satisfied. First up, in August, you can download "Hard EX" mode which is, well, harder than Hard mode. It includes new items and a "free battle" option to power up your troops (we assume).In addition, you'll be able to download "Edie's side story" for a cost a little less than $6 (600 yen). When you consider it has fully voiced story sequences and entirely new battles (new battlefields, though? We don't know), it's a pretty cheap price to pay. When the game hits outside of Japan near the end of this year, we won't know if these will come standard or become downloadable later on. We'll keep you updated.[Via Siliconera]
Valkyria Chronicles, Alpha Protocol get more solid release dates
Sega has a pretty big list of games in production. Their espionage title, Alpha Protocol, was recently slapped with a February 2009 release date. That means it's going up against Killzone 2. Their other high-profile title, Valkyria Chronicles, got a release date of November 2008. This is a little easier to stomach since most of the big PS3 titles are hitting very soon, in September, or October. The spacing is beneficial to gamers, as we can probably get more games one at a time than a single massive purchase.
Valkyria Chronicles video interview briefs you on plot, characters
Yes, Valkyria Chronicles is out in Japan, but this video interview tells you everything you need to know to dive into the world the game is set in before it hits your shores. If you're new to the game, this is a great introduction to the CANVAS engine that powers the game as well as the basic storyline about military powers struggling to gain control over Ragnite, a precious mineral that powers most of the world's technology. Most interesting is the ability to have 50 different kinds of customizable soldiers in your army. The game looks great and we're excited to see it when it leaves Japan later this year.
