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[NSW, PS4] Valkyria Chronicles 4

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    [NSW, PS4] Valkyria Chronicles 4

    The demo is available on the Japanese PSN and consists of three missions from the main campaign (prologue, chapter 1, chapter 2), two skirmish maps, and an exclusive mission that unlocks after completing the story missions. Data from the demo can be carried to the main game with the exception of money and experience you gain in the exclusive mission, as that features a predefined set of characters at a higher level with weapons to match.
    The Switch is getting the game later (at least in Japan), hopefully there will be the same demo available before the game launches on Nintendo's console.

    Seems that Sega went back to the very first VC when developing VC4 and it plays almost exactly like that game. Well, almost...it feels exactly like VC1 with slightly rebalanced classes, the same weapon upgrade system, and game order. The two main differences are the new class, mortar infantry, and tanks only taking one CP to move.
    In all the missions this demo has scout abuse was just like the first game, although the whole class is a tad more fragile and has less movement range (but then again I'm basing this comparison to endgame scouts from VC1, so my perspective might be a bit skewed).

    Main characters are Claude, tank commander (not as dreamy and good-looking as Welkin but he'll do); Raz, shocktrooper; Kai, sniper; Reil, mortar. The extra mission features Minerva (normally acting as Claude's commander and drill instructor in the training grounds) as a scout. Having tanks consume only one CP means it's actually feasible to use them to clear infantry behind sandbags (you get mortar shells right from the start) but scouts still feel the most useful units of the whole game thanks to their movement range and relatively long-range and accurate rifles. Grenades have probably received a range nerf, and snipers appear a bit less accurate than before.
    Mortars are fun, and possibly a bit overpowered. First they can move and fire in the same turn (meant as one CP) and can target any enemy within their firing range you've detected, even if none of your units have a direct line of sight to them; this proved particularly devastating in the exclusive mission were one scout was able to circle the map designating enemies, and one mortar unit decimated large groups of enemies, clearing the way for the same scout to ultimately capturing the enemy's camp. It wasn't done in a turn, but I feel that mortars should, at the very least, be allowed to fire only on units you have a line of sight to. I get this is a good representation of this kind of weapon in real life but in a game it feels a bit too much.
    And mortars also get opportunity fire. It's not very accurate against moving units (especially scouts) but they did kill a couple of units this way.
    Of course the enemy has them as well, and getting shot at is actually fun.
    First it forces you to zig-zag (and maybe heading straight into a stray shell), second after an explosion gets you the music goes soft, a "ziiing" tone plays, and the vision gets blurry and slo-mo for a few moments.

    The Canvas engine is absolutely wonderful here and the game runs without a hitch even during the exclusive mission, which is set in a snowy field. All units and explosions leave trails in the snow and while the mission didn't feature any weather effects like storms or similar, it was still a pretty impressive display of technical and artistic prowess. If anything character design seems a bit...a lot more fanservicy than before. I absolutely love Raita but I still dispute that skirts are the best attire to wear on a battlefield. Yes, VC1 had those but it wasn't as open as here. I know there will be so pretty advanced technology as well, on which I still reserve final judgment, but in the same fashion as Valkyria Azure Revolution, it doesn't sit particularly well for me. Again, yes, VC1 had monster tanks, land battleships, and a final boss out of a JRPG (not to mention Valkyries), but...mhmm. OK, I'll comment on that once I get the final game and have a good overall idea. At least characters aren't charging in battles wielding swords rivalling those found in Monster Hunter or God Eater in size.

    The demo lasts for three to five hours (depending on how fast you clear missions and if you want to hit the level cap with all classes) and it's a great showcase for VC4. I've particularly liked the story missions, that at first seem to follow the structure of the first game but then throw in some interesting twists. They also do a good job in getting players used to some of the more "exotic" classes (snipers, engineers, mortars) with their objectives, and the only downside of this demo is that now I'm even more restless about Valkyira Chronicles 4.
    Last edited by briareos_kerensky; 30-03-2018, 09:01.

    #2
    Got the demo, its fab and looks amazing. Amazing how well Canvas tech holds up, SEGA should have made far better use of it.

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      #3




      Last edited by briareos_kerensky; 03-03-2018, 09:17.

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        #4
        Those were some good first impressions to read Briarios. I've played the first mission and am part-way through the second. I will return to it though as I do like the VC games quite a bit and although this one mirrors VC1 in some ways, taking inspiration from potentially the best entry in the series is no bad thing.

        The question I have is, do I pick this up for the PS4 whilst I'm in Japan or do I hang fire when it or the Switch version comes out in the West later this year?

        I'm so spoiled

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          #5
          Originally posted by Paddy View Post
          The question I have is, do I pick this up for the PS4 whilst I'm in Japan or do I hang fire when it or the Switch version comes out in the West later this year?
          Do like I'm doing: pick up both.

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            #6
            Just an heads-up: the demo is up on US online stores for Switch, PS4, and XBO. I think Europe as well but I'm not sure.

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              #7
              Played the demo for a little bit on a docked Switch.

              The game runs very smooth, so far no slowdowns, maybe somewhat slower loading times with portraits in book mode and headquarters. Resolution doesn't look full 1080p, there's FSAA but jaggies aren't as bad as in Ys VIII, shadows are blockier, and backgrounds aren't detailed as on the PS4; tank textures for some reason are worse during cutscenes than during the game, although I've used Squad E's tank once.
              The lower resolution is very evident in certain parts of the GUI, with text on the splash menu and deployment screen particularly guilty of bad scaling. It reminds me of Valkyria Chronicles Remaster, but not as bad or widespread, backgrounds aren't affected. Apparently Sega/the Valkyria Chronicles team don't like applying smoothing whether in Photoshop or directly in game.

              The demo only has English voices and aren't that bad, though Riley, Claud, and Raz (the main characters) are the worst of what I've heard; Riley in particular sounds like a stereotypical valley girl. Sound mixing is 5.1.

              Then again, it's portable Valkyria Chronicles, this kinda trumps everything. I'll see tomorrow how the game runs in handheld mode. I'm most interested to see how ValChro4 on Switch will run on the last mission of the demo, which on the PS4 featured deformeable snow.

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                #8
                Just booted up the PS4 version, it's looking good. Still surprised the framerate isn't better though, and that horrible white fog that surrounds the edge of the screen is still there like it was in VC1. Pop up at the start said you can import your demo save data to the proper game and unlock a bonus accessory.

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                  #9
                  No deformable snow on the Switch, but the game runs exactly the same in docked and handheld mode. The only thing is that in handheld the small screen limits the details you can get at a glance.

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                    #10
                    I've been playing the final retail version for a few days now, just finished mission 10 which awarded me my lowest rank so far, a B. The system is almost the same as the first VC, so I was able to get A ranks in every other mission (story, secondary missions, skirmishes) with little trouble.
                    I like that VC4 mixes some elements from VC2 and VC3, mainly the APC and the ability to create small squads around leaders (character with an AP badge) to have units like Lancers and Grenadiers move a little faster. However I've used the these two features once since their introduction, I've been using and abusing Scouts in every mission; Scouts are level 14, just promoted Shocktroopers and Engineers to 11, the remaining classes lag behind around level 4 and 5.

                    I 'm quite enjoying the game but I would have preferred a bit more variety and new things compared to VC1.

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                      #11
                      Originally posted by briareos_kerensky View Post
                      I 'm quite enjoying the game but I would have preferred a bit more variety and new things compared to VC1.
                      I've only done 3 missions and a bunch of skirmish's and I agree, it's very similiar (probably too similiar) to VC1. I do enjoy the new maps and characters though. Seems like a lot more veriety in P and B skills this time around, and I've seen that the really bad ones, like losing ammo or being too scared to shoot are a bit more common than in VC1. In VC1 you would just never use the few characters that had those traits. But honestly it adds character to the game so I'm glad it's like that. There really should be a Hard mode from the start though imo.

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                        #12
                        I don't know why I said I was on mission 10 when instead I had to complete mission 7...but now I'm on mission 11 and my hunch about the game introducing new things after mission 7 was right.
                        Trailers already introduced the Centurion, a landship serving as a mobile HQ and fire support during missions, and the only thing I can say about its capabilities is, well, I've used only one of them, the radar sweep, once to test it out and then promptly ignored them.
                        One major addition is the Team Up mechanic, which allows leaders (infantry units with the CP badge) to form up with two other units. The units joining the leader will move with her and will also offer support while firing; this action can be performed only once per turn but can be used to ferry non-Scout units across the map once you get leaders belonging to that class.
                        One new mechanic is that you can promote any unit with enough deployments to leader, gaining a new CP and everything associated with that. Of course this went to a Scout and now I can pretty much cross maps in one turn with any unit, a very handy ability.
                        I've also been introduced to the resident valkyria; I've only met her on one map and she acted as a fixed emplacement, firing at everyone within her vision and blocking HP recover between turns.

                        Story maps do a good job in creating different situations, but perhaps the biggest mistake VC4 is doing is having to capture the enemy's base camp as primary objective for almost every mission. Maps are more elaborate than the other VC games, but veterans of those games will immediately spot a low-risk route Scouts can use to circumvent most opposition and pick out only entrenched units near their base camp with long-range grenades. This kind of tactic is even more powerful in VC4, as Scout leaders can stack with other Scouts, essentially doubling their movement range. And yes, later in the game you get (at least) one Scout able to replenish her movement gauge immediately after exhausting it.
                        While I actually love to see this kind of plan unfold successfully, I'd have also loved to see more story missions with a more complex mission structure.
                        Mission 10 was particularly fun because there was no enemy camp to capture and instead it was more of a defence mission against endless waves of enemies. So was mission 8, divided in two parts with different objectives; however it was easy to see which action would bring the first part of the mission to its end, and preparing the offence for the first three turns based on that was rather easy.

                        I think the VC4 plays a bit too much by the book, and not just by the elements devised by the first VC, but a general stage design book and doesn't take enough risks, leaving players in relatively easy situations to pull through.
                        The first VC by this time had several close encounters with gigantic, almost invulnerable tanks, landships, and valkyrias stomping the battlefield. VC4 starts great with entirely new objectives that make great use of characters you have to bring with you (like Kai, the resident sniper and best girl) but it's significantly less over-the-top than other games, and while this makes its story less fantastic, it creates less interesting situations game-wise.
                        But then again, this is my experience with the series talking, I'd love to hear what people new to the franchise think.

                        The biggest letdown so far have been skirmish battles, every single one of them can be closed in one turn by moving two or three Scouts. I've never felt the need to grind them for experience or money because story missions provided enough experience or because I'm not pursuing weapon upgrades I know I won't use.

                        I'm having fun playing VC4 (more than 2 and 3) but I wish it was a tad harder and with more varied objectives. Of course it didn't had to just present the same set of challenges as previous games under a new graphical guise, but as VC4 embraces its arctic setting, more peculiarities about snow, blizzards, and cold, would have been very much appreciated.

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                          #13
                          I've reached the truly genuinely challenging mission of the game, chapter 15. Kinda late in the game, I'd say there are one, maybe two chapters left. The mission itself is a peculiar one, you need to eliminate a target. You can lose your base camp and no character deaths will make the mission fail (even Welkin), the terrain is full of crevices, caves, and even new features.
                          The target itself is

                          the super tank you've already faced a couple of times before, but here you also have Crymaria, the local Valkyria, to be careful of. She's invincible and can decimate units with a powerful area attack...that is also her interception attack. Essentially the first two turns are a game of cat-and-mouse where you need to place all of your units in protected places while inching your way to favorable positions from where attacking your main target.
                          And then the Empire's second turn start, Crymaria jumps on the super tank and starts raining death on everythin.
                          Well, that surely won't change my tactic!


                          So I've given up and did the two extra DLC missions that came with the game's Limited Edition. I wanted to do them after completing the main game once but I wanted to clear my mind from the regular story mission.


                          The first extra mission is a three-part joint exercise with Squad 7 members and will unlock Velkin (with the Edelweiss), Alicia, Rosie, Largo, and Isara (as a grenadier). This chapter is quite fun in both mission planning and story, although it's meant to be played well before when I did, around chapter 4 or 5. This resulted in very quick one-turn victory on the first map, but then on the second map you first play as Squad 7, and that was fun as they are nowhere as strong as VC4 characters. Alicia has a new personal ability, Sulky, which greatly lower anti-personnel power and seems to trigger at every single turn. She still has Mysterious Body and Double Movement, but damn that Sulky trait spoiled some of my plans. Anyway, after completing your objective with Squad 7 you get back to Squad E and essentially mop the rest of the mission with ease.
                          The third map sees Isara and Riley blasting Imperial soldiers with their mortars. It's a rather slow-paced mission, but to be honest it's the only mission I've used grenadiers in an offensive way, most of the times I've only brought Riley for her command point and she never fired a round, even as interception fire.



                          About interception fire, lancers and tanks will support allies if they fire at tanks. Surprising, useful, and very ammo-intensive.

                          The second extra mission is very simple, and another one-turn victory even before getting elite classes or scout leaders. This mission unlocks

                          Edy, never understood why she was so popular, but here she is.



                          The bad thing about these two missions is that they use maps from the story, nothing new, maybe extra fences here and there but no new terrain, which is disappointing.

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                            #14
                            I've completed mission 15, which was divided in two parts. The first was a gruelling five-turn advance in enemy territory while being bombarded by powerful attacks, the second…another one-turn battle with scouts zipping across the map. Completing mission 15 also unlocks the second-to-last skirmish battle, which, like all skirmish battles before, is a fast, one-turn battle. I truly wish the game will feature hard skirmishes without any kind of DLC after I've completed the main story. In fact, I wish for a hard mode for the whole game, right now I've only got Bs in two story missions.
                            Judging from how the story is going there will something else after mission 16, but judging by the tech tree there could still be more…or maybe the last weapon improvements are for the second playthrough. We'll see.

                            I still stand behind the game, VC4 is fun and more classical VC is always welcome, but I would have liked some more variety and hardships. VC4 does introduce new stuff, but for example Ship Orders are useless, and grenadiers work better when you are on the defensive, and you are always on the offensive; I can think about two missions were grenadiers are useful, or should I say the grenadier, Riley, is useful, because she's the only one you'll ever need.

                            One thing were VC4 takes a different route from VC1 (and VC3, and in part VC2) is the story.
                            It suffers from the same problem Dragonball Z, Gundam Seed, and many other shonen anime and manga have: too many unique beings. Everyone threat Valkyrias as mythical beings but you have at least two of them in each game, and every single one is more powerful of what was seen before.
                            There are less exotic technologies left around for no good reason (like the Edelweiss or Imca's cannon), focusing more on mass-produced units on both sides; yes, the Federation Snow Cruisers are kinda exotic, but somehow they seem more plausible than the landship in VC1. Speaking of the Snow Cruisers, there are Empire politicians that don't believe such ships can exist, when the Empire is already using one. I don't know if it's a badly translated line or what, but that's one continuity error.
                            Claude is about on the same level as Welkin, but Riley loses to Alicia in terms of character development and presence in the story. The secondary cast in VC4 is better explored, thanks to Squad Missions, and I have a hard time choosing between Squad E and Squad 7.
                            Faction roles in VC1 were more clear-cut: in VC1 you get to know the Federation as grade-A a-holes, but none of the primary cast is directly involved with them and even when the tertiary cast is, the situation is resolved pretty quickly.
                            VC4 on the other hand doesn't shy away from messing with the primary cast due to Federation's plans, creating a huge moral grey area for them to question what's right and wrong. And from VC1 you know the game doesn't shy away from killing characters, so I really want to see what happens from mission 16 onward.

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                              #15
                              I bought PC Gamer magazine yesterday and discovered this was also released on PC. And my rig is more than enough to run it.

                              So I check Amazon and can't seem to spot any physical editions. It is on Steam, but it's a 36 gigabyte download, which given my previous big downloads, will likely take 12 days of constant downloading. Sims 3 is 6.5 gigs and it took two full days of leaving my computer running constantly.

                              Is there any way to get a physical edition from anywhere? Does anyone do physical editions? Because FML, who downloads THIRTY SIX ****ING GIGABYTES?! My laptop only 56 gig left free, and my PC gaming rig only about 100. Both are SSD, so I only had like half a terrabyte to start with.

                              Meh. Maybe it's time to give up on games. This is madness.

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