Ah, Valkyria Chronicles. I had heard the name a few times but I had no idea what this game was about until it got ported to Steam. It seemed fairly interesting to me, so I bought in on sale.
I was surprised how great it is.

A mixture between real-time and round-based strategy, you and the opponent take turns moving your units over the battlefield. Doing so switches from an overview map to third-person perspective of the unit you're moving so you can aim and shoot at your enemies yourself. While you're moving, the enemy units can counterfire, so you need to carefully move to a spot where you're not instant cannon fodder.
The different unit classes are all unique, with their own strengths and weaknesses and the various battlefield hazards make every battle different.
You can choose the soldiers in your army yourself, and they all have their own "potentials", perks that randomly activate and can have positive or negative effects. This gives the characters shape and makes them more than just foot soldiers; for example, you shouldn't bring a unit with Desert allergy into a dune skirmish, and Lone Wolfs work best when shooting the enemy from their own little corner.

Aside from these fairly complex mechanics, the game offers a very well-developed story set in a World War scenario, with supernatural elements mixed in (in form of the name-giving Valkyrias). There are so many cutscenes between the battles that it sometimes feels like playing a visual novel. This can be a pro or a con, depending on your personal preference.
There is an option to use the original japanese audio instead of english. I recommend the japanese audio because the english voice actors seem to kind of exaggerate their pronounciation (even on characters like Largo who always talk in slang), but thats my personal preference.

The graphics in the game look outdated (the game is 6 years old by now!) and the anime style may not appeal to everyone. It still looks fairly good, though.

All things considered, Valkyria Chronicles is a great game and well worth its full price on Steam, despite being a PS3 port. The mixture of interesting story and engaging gameplay make for a very good package.

Ah, Valkyria Chronicles. I had heard the name a few times but I had no idea what this game was about until it got ported to Steam. It seemed fairly interesting to me, so I bought in on sale. I was surprised how great it is. A mixture between real-time and round-based strategy, you and the opponent take turns moving your units over the battlefield. Doing so switches from an overview map to third-person perspective of the unit you're moving so you can aim and shoot at your enemies yourself. While you're moving, the enemy units can counterfire, so you need to carefully move to a spot where you're not instant cannon fodder. The different unit classes are all unique, with their own strengths and weaknesses and the various battlefield hazards make every battle different. You can choose the soldiers in your army yourself, and they all have their own "potentials", perks that randomly activate and can have positive or negative effects. This gives the characters shape and makes them more than just foot soldiers; for example, you shouldn't bring a unit with Desert allergy into a dune skirmish, and Lone Wolfs work best when shooting the enemy from their own little corner. Aside from these fairly complex mechanics, the game offers a very well-developed story set in a World War scenario, with supernatural elements mixed in (in form of the name-giving Valkyrias). There are so many cutscenes between the battles that it sometimes feels like playing a visual novel. This can be a pro or a con, depending on your personal preference. There is an option to use the original japanese audio instead of english. I recommend the japanese audio because the english voice actors seem to kind of exaggerate their pronounciation (even on characters like Largo who always talk in slang), but thats my personal preference. The graphics in the game look outdated (the game is 6 years old by now!) and the anime style may not appeal to everyone. It still looks fairly good, though. All things considered, Valkyria Chronicles is a great game and well worth its full price on Steam, despite being a PS3 port. The mixture of interesting story and engaging gameplay make for a very good package.