Monday, April 15, 2013

Valkyria Chronicles III - Could there still be hope?

Back in 2011 SEGA released a game called "Valkyria Chronicles III" on the PSP. At this point in time, Valkyria Chronicles was already known by many gamers for its unique real time twist on the tactical role playing genre, and it was also a series that had became known for its great story. The original game featured a personal war story that fans fell in love with, its unique canvas art style made it stand out, and its deep tactical gameplay kept players hooked. It was one of them "hidden gems" that was released only on the PlayStation 3, and in the early days it was one of them games that made the PlayStation 3 worth owning (heck, it was why I personally bought one)!

When Valkyria Chronicles II came around, fans were once again excited to jump into this world, but things had changed. The game was being released on the PSP, its story focused on a military school, and the scale of the maps had to be cut down due to it being on a handheld. Even so the game managed to greatly expand on the gameplay of VC, it added in many new types of soldier classes for your units to be, it featured hundreds of missions, and it still was able to provide a deep story that got fans hooked. Even so, due to the fact it was on the PSP the game didn't sell very well in the west, and that was a major problem.

Valkyria Chronicles III once again expanded on the gameplay of the VC series, it returned to the series roots with a darker story, and it also featured branching story paths for the first time! It was a game fans were really looking forward to, but sadly SEGA decided not to release it in the west. Once again the game was on the PSP (which is now a dead console), and due to the second game's failure SEGA felt it wasn't worth the risk.

Now here we are, two years later and the game still hasn't seen the light of day. While the game was a hit in Japan, it continues to stay there with almost no chance of it ever seeing western shores. That is, until now!

Although VC3 remains a Japanese exclusive, part of VC3 will finally be making its way to the west, and with that comes new hope! As you may or may not know, a Namco Bandai x Capcom x SEGA game called "Project X Zone" was released on the 3DS in Japan awhile back, and now after going through a massive legal mess, the game will finally be getting an English release! The game features a wide verity of characters from each of the companies main game series, and among them characters is the cast of Valkyria Chronicles III! Standing in a sea of familiar characters, the VC3 cast will be some of the few that will really stand out to the western audience, and that just may be enough to spark some interest.

Throughout gaming history cameo characters have always been the ones to spark the most interest. These unfamiliar characters show up, fans begin to wonder who they are, they look them up, find out about the game they are from, and sooner or later the game series once again sees the light of day. If it wasn't for Marth and Roy showing up in Smash Bros Fire Emblem may have never came to the west, and if it wasn't for Pit showing up in Brawl Kid Icarus may not have been revived.

Even though nothing is official, there is always a chance that Project X Zone is the final push VC3 needs. Up until now die hard VC fans have been on their own in the fight to bring VC3 to the west, but hopefully new fans will take interest and join the fight as well! Valkyria Chronicles III may still have a chance!

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