Misplaced Pages

#904095

120-529: Set two years after the onset of the Second Europan War, the game's story focuses on a military academy as its cadets seek to prevent an ethnic cleansing campaign by a ruthless rebel group. Upon release, Valkyria Chronicles II received mostly high scores from several notable video game publications. A third game in the series, Valkyria Chronicles III , which is also on the PlayStation Portable ,

240-588: A Memory Stick . Demos were sometimes issued in UMD format and mailed out or given to customers at retail outlets. In addition, several older PlayStation games were re-released; these can be played on the PSP using emulation . As of 2008 , this feature could be officially accessed through the PlayStation Network service for PlayStation 3 , PSP, PlayStation Vita (or PlayStation TV), or a personal computer . Emulation of

360-462: A "profound feeling of closure" for the Valkyria Chronicles series. He praised its gameplay despite annoying limitations to aspects such as special abilities, and positively noted its shift in story to a tone similar to the first game. PlayStation Official Magazine - UK praised the story's blurring of Gallia's moral standing, art style, and most points about its gameplay, positively noting

480-566: A branching tree of upgrades. All five original classes from Valkyria Chronicles reappear, some with slight modification. Scouts, Shocktroopers, Engineers, and Lancers act as the base units that lead to more powerful and specialized promotions. Snipers, rather than being a starting class, are a part of the Scout's upgrade potential. The final base class is new to the series. The Armored Tech class can disarm mines and carry large shields that can deflect rifle and machine gun fire. Armored soldiers do not carry

600-587: A calculator or file manager. Sony responded to this by repeatedly upgrading the software. Some users were able to unlock the firmware to allow them to run more custom content and DRM -restricted software. Hackers were able to run protected software on the PSP through the creation of ISO loaders that could load copies of UMD games from a memory stick. Custom firmware including the M33 Custom Firmware, Minimum Edition (ME/LME) CFW and PRO CFW were commonly seen in PSP systems. The management of media content of

720-521: A female Darcsen heavy weapons specialist who seeks revenge against the Valkyria who destroyed her home; and No.13 Riela Marcellis, a seemingly jinxed young woman who is unknowingly a Valkyria herself. Together with their fellow squad members, these three are tasked to fight against a mysterious, primarily Darcsen Imperial unit known as Calamity Raven. As the Nameless officially do not exist, the upper echelons of

840-432: A final battle, bringing an end to the civil war. Gallia starts to rebuild itself again. However, Lanseal Academy has to be closed due to the news of experimentation on students. Class G holds a graduation ceremony, and Avan declares that he will see his friends again in the future. In July 2009, Famitsu released a statement that a Valkyria Chronicles game was to be developed for the PlayStation Portable . On July 17, 2009,

960-491: A firearm, instead wielding a hammer to strike enemies. From these five base unit classes, individual units can use experience earned from completing missions to move into more advanced forms. Advantages garnered from upgrading class range from new weapon types to increased effectiveness against tanks to special abilities. The player has access to a tank. The tank has an increased amount of customization potential, being able to increase its firepower and armor, or be stripped down into

1080-453: A higher difficulty than those found in the rest of the game. There are also love simulation elements related to the game's two main heroines, although they take a very minor role. The game's battle system, the BliTZ system, is carried over directly from Valkyira Chronicles . During missions, players select each unit using a top-down perspective of the battlefield map: once a character is selected,

1200-490: A large amount of trial and error during development due to the platform move, the third game gave them a chance to improve upon the best parts of Valkyria Chronicles II due to being on the same platform. In addition to Sega staff from the previous games, development work was also handled by Media.Vision . The original scenario was written Kazuki Yamanobe, while the script was written by Hiroyuki Fujii, Koichi Majima, Kishiko Miyagi, Seiki Nagakawa and Takayuki Shouji. Its story

1320-443: A military unit and take part in missions against enemy forces. Stories are told through comic book-like panels with animated character portraits, with characters speaking partially through voiced speech bubbles and partially through unvoiced text. The player progresses through a series of linear missions, gradually unlocked as maps that can be freely scanned through and replayed as they are unlocked. The route to each story location on

SECTION 10

#1732905656905

1440-496: A model with flat buttons and no analog joystick. Although some reviewers expressed concern about the lack of an analog stick, these fears were allayed when the PSP was officially unveiled at the Sony press conference during E3 2004 . Sony released a list of 99 developer companies that pledged support for the new handheld. Several game demos such as Konami 's Metal Gear Acid and Studio Liverpool 's Wipeout Pure were also shown at

1560-729: A near-perfect score of 9.5, one of the highest scores on the site, and the second highest-rated PSP game after Persona 3 Portable . During the 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards , the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Valkyria Chronicles II for " Portable Game of the Year ", but ultimately awarded to God of War: Ghost of Sparta . Three manga adaptations were released by Sega in Japan. Valkyria Chronicles III Senjō no Varukyuria 3: Unrecorded Chronicles , commonly referred to as Valkyria Chronicles III outside Japan,

1680-471: A new entry for the PlayStation 3 . Due to the platform's popularity in Japan, the game was specifically created with a Japanese audience in mind, resulting in more fantastical characters than in the original Valkyria Chronicles . Speaking in an interview, it was stated that the development team considered Valkyria Chronicles III to be the series' first true sequel: while Valkyria Chronicles II had required

1800-509: A potential UMD release. A section of the PlayStation Store was dedicated to "Minis"; smaller, cheaper games available as download only. Trophy support was planned for the PSP but the idea was cancelled after the firmware was cracked. In late 2004, Sony released a series of PSP demo games, including Duck In Water , world/ball , Harmonic City , and Luga City . Demos for commercial PSP games could be downloaded and booted directly from

1920-461: A read-only Universal Media Disc (UMD) drive for access to movies and games, and a reader compatible with Sony's Memory Stick PRO Duo flash cards is located on the left of the system. Other features include an IrDA -compatible infrared port (this was discontinued in PSP-2000 and later) and a two-pin docking connector; built-in stereo speakers and headphone port; and IEEE 802.11b Wi-Fi for access to

2040-692: A service similar to PlayStation Home , the PS3's online community-based service, was being developed for the PSP. Named "Room" (stylized R∞M ), it was being beta-tested in Japan from October 2009 to April 2010. It could be launched directly from the PlayStation Network section of the XMB . As in Home, PSP owners would have been able to invite other PSP owners into their rooms to "enjoy real time communication". Development of Room halted on April 15 , 2010, due to feedback from

2160-480: A simple armored car. The game's themes include school and war as the students try to juggle their responsibilities as military academy students and as soldiers. Each time a student's story is fully revealed, an optional mission featuring that character is unlocked, and clearing the mission usually replace negative traits that can hinder their progress in battle with positive ones that makes them more reliable. The game's story takes place in 1937 E.C, two years following

2280-470: A special password or linking the game with Phantasy Star Portable 2 save data, Emilia Percival can be unlocked as a playable character, though she doesn't wear the same outfit as she does in that game. This also unlocks other content (including stickers and missions inspired by the game). Unlike its predecessor, the ability to play with Japanese voice-overs was removed in the US and EU releases. A playable demo of

2400-554: A teaser website was revealed by Sega, hinting at a new Valkyria Chronicles game. In its September issue, Famitsu listed that Senjō no Valkyria 3 would be arriving on the PlayStation Portable. Its first public appearance was at the 2010 Tokyo Game Show (TGS), where a demo was made available for journalists and attendees. During the publicity, story details were kept scant so as not to spoil too much for potential players, along with some of its content still being in flux at

2520-599: Is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment . It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, and is the first handheld installment in the PlayStation line of consoles. As a seventh generation console , the PSP competed with the Nintendo DS . Development of the PSP

SECTION 20

#1732905656905

2640-532: Is a tactical role-playing video game co-developed by Sega and Media.Vision for the PlayStation Portable . Released in January 2011 in Japan, it is the third game in the Valkyria Chronicles series. Employing the same fusion of tactical and real-time gameplay as its predecessors, the story runs parallel to the first game and follows the "Nameless", a penal military unit serving the nation of Gallia during

2760-422: Is a budget-focused model that was released across the PAL region on October 26 of that year. The E1000 lacks Wi-Fi capability and has a matte finish similar to that of the slim PlayStation 3. It has a monaural speaker instead of the previous models' stereo speakers and lacks a microphone. This model also lacked the physical brightness buttons from the front of the handheld, instead offering brightness controls in

2880-434: Is captured by the player's forces, subsequent areas are made available, using the camp as a way-point to call in reinforcements and proceed. Also similar to the original, the characters available for use by the player each occupy a specific class - an exception is the main character Avan who can freely move between classes. Valkyria Chronicles II features new class types and the ability of units to change their class based on

3000-680: Is dictated by the PSP's firmware region; the Japanese Comic Reader will not display comics purchased from the European store, and vice versa. Sony shut down the Digital Comics service in September 2012. In Japanese market PSPs, an application called x-Radar Portable came preloaded starting with firmware version 6.35 (January 2010). This is a port of a map software for PCs and mobile phones called x-Radar, developed by PetaMap. x-Radar Portable gets

3120-503: The PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 , any computer with a USB interface, other PSP systems, and the Internet . The PSP also had a vast array of multimedia features such as video playback, audio playback, and has been considered a portable media player as well. The PSP is the only handheld console to use an optical disc format—in this case, Universal Media Disc (UMD)—as its primary storage medium; both games and movies have been released on

3240-657: The video-out cable. One outlet called this model "a minor upgrade". The PSP-3000 was released in North America on October 14, 2008, in Japan on October 16 , in Europe on October 17 , and in Australia on October 23 . In its first four days on sale in Japan, the PSP-3000 sold over 141,270 units, according to Famitsu ; it sold 267,000 units during October. On its release, a problem with interlacing when objects were in motion on

3360-648: The "PSP Slim", is the first redesign of the PlayStation Portable. The PSP-2000 system is slimmer and lighter than the original PSP, reduced from 0.91 to 0.73 inches (23 to 18.6 mm) and from 9.87 to 6.66 ounces (280 to 189 g). At E3 2007 , Sony released information about a slimmer and lighter version for the device, which was first released in Hong Kong on August 30, 2007, in Europe on September 5 , in North America on September 6 , in South Korea on September 7 , and in Australia on September 12 . The UK release for

3480-616: The 422nd confronts Dahau and destroys the Valkyrian weapon. Each member then goes their separate ways in order to begin their lives anew, with Kurt deciding to live with either Riela or Imca according to the player's choice. Concept work for Valkyria Chronicles III began after development finished on Valkyria Chronicles II in early 2010, with full development beginning shortly after this. The director of Valkyria Chronicles II , Takeshi Ozawa, returned to that role for Valkyria Chronicles III . Development work took approximately one year. After

3600-603: The Blade (North America, Europe, Japan), Wipeout Pure (all regions), and World Tour Soccer: Challenge Edition (North America, Europe). Additionally, Gretzky NHL and NBA were North America exclusive launch titles. The best selling PSP game is Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories , which sold 8 million copies as of March 2008. Other top selling PSP games include Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories , Monster Hunter Portable 3rd , Gran Turismo , and Monster Hunter Freedom Unite . Retro City Rampage DX , which

3720-528: The Federation for the time being and bide his time until he can strike again. At the harbour, Class G fights and mortally wounds Dirk, who reverts to his true personality of Leon and expires in Avan's arms. Class G then stops Baldren's escape by seizing control of his escape craft, the Federation battleship Dandarius. Cornered, Baldren uses the research data he has taken to turn himself into a Valkyrur. Class G kills him in

Valkyria Chronicles II - Misplaced Pages Continue

3840-460: The Gallian Army exploit the concept of plausible deniability in order to send them on missions that would otherwise make Gallia lose face in the war. While at times this works to their advantage, such as a successful incursion into Imperial territory, other orders cause certain members of the 422nd great distress. One such member, Gusurg, becomes so enraged that he abandons his post and defects into

3960-521: The Gallian Civil War to wage an ethnic cleansing campaign against Gallians of Darcsen descent. However, with the intense fight against the Empire having left Gallia's regular army in an exhausted state, there is initially little to stop the insurrection from gaining momentum. Laws preventing the formation of a national militia to fight fellow Gallians force the government to deploy military academy cadets to

4080-467: The Gallian war effort. This continues until the Nameless's commanding officer, Ramsey Crowe, who had been kept under house arrest, is escorted to the capital city of Randgriz in order to present evidence exonerating the weary soldiers and expose the real traitor, the Gallian general who had accused Kurt of treason. Partly due to these events, and partly due to the major losses in manpower Gallia suffers towards

4200-564: The Internet, free online multiplayer gaming via PlayStation Network , the ability to purchase games from PlayStation Store (now discontinued), and data transfer. The PSP uses two 333  MHz MIPS32 R4000 R4k-based CPUs , as a main CPU and Media Engine, a GPU running at 166 MHz, and includes 32 MB main RAM (64 MB on PSP-2000 and later models), and 4 MB embedded DRAM split between

4320-477: The Japanese Famitsu magazine. It was the second best-selling video game in Japan during its release week at 94,000 copies sold. IGN praised the game for its replay value in particular and listed it as the seventh best PSP game of all time. GameSpot called it 'a worthy sequel' and awarded it three emblems: 'Get More Than Your Money's Worth', 'Great Sequel' and 'Outstanding Gameplay'. Destructoid gave it

4440-467: The Nintendo DS. Also on the unit's front are the four iconic PlayStation face buttons ( [REDACTED] , [REDACTED] , [REDACTED] , [REDACTED] ); the directional pad, the analog "nub", and several other buttons. The system also has two shoulder buttons, a USB 2.0 mini-B port on the top of the console, and a wireless LAN switch and power cable input on the bottom. The back of the PSP features

4560-558: The PAL launch would be delayed due to high demand for the console in Japan and North America. The next month, Sony announced that the PSP would be launched in the PAL region on September 1, 2005, for €249/£179. Sony defended the high price by saying North American consumers had to pay local sales taxes and that the Value Added Tax (sales tax) was higher in the UK than the US. Despite the high price,

4680-464: The PS3 or connected USB devices. Remote Play also allows the PS3 to be turned on and off remotely and lets the PSP control audio playback from the PS3 to a home theater system. Although most of the PS3's capabilities are accessible with Remote Play, playback of DVDs , Blu-ray Discs, PlayStation games, PlayStation 2 games, most PS3 games, and copy-protected files stored on the hard drive are not supported. Starting with System Software version 3.90,

4800-462: The PSP Go. Sony confirmed that almost all UMD-based PSP games released after October 1, 2009, would be available to download and that most older UMD-only games would also be downloadable. In February 2010, it was reported that Sony might re-launch the PSP Go due to the lack of consumer interest and poor sales. In June 2010, Sony began bundling the console with 10 free downloadable games; the same offer

4920-565: The PSP base model would be launched in Japan on December 11 that year for ¥19,800 (about US$ 181 in 2004) while the Value System would launch for ¥24,800 (about US$ 226). The launch was a success, with over 200,000 units sold on the first day of sales. Color variations were sold in bundle packs that cost around $ 200. On February 3, 2005, Sony announced that the PSP would be released in North America on March 24 in one configuration for an MSRP of US$ 249/CA$ 299. Some commentators expressed concern over

Valkyria Chronicles II - Misplaced Pages Continue

5040-576: The PSP system. On July 25 , 2006, Sony Computer Entertainment America released the first batch of Greatest Hits titles. These titles included Ape Escape:On the Loose , ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails , Hot Shots: Open Tee , Twisted Metal: Head-On , and Wipeout Pure . The PSP Greatest Hits lineup consists of games that have sold 250,000 copies or more and have been released for nine months. PSP games in this lineup retail for $ 19.99 each. Downloadable games were limited to 1.8 GB, most likely to guarantee

5160-1089: The PSP through personal computers was fulfilled by Sony's PSP Media Manager software for Windows, allowing transfer as well as music/video playback and backups. In 2009 the PSP Media Manager was replaced by Media Go . There were 1,370 games released for the PSP during its 10-year lifespan. Launch games for PSP included; Ape Escape: On the Loose (North America, Europe, Japan), Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower (North America, Europe, Japan), Dynasty Warriors (all regions), Lumines (North America, Europe, Japan), Metal Gear Acid (North America, Europe, Japan), Need for Speed: Underground Rivals (North America, Europe, Japan), NFL Street 2 : Unleashed (North America, Europe), Ridge Racer (North America, Europe, Japan), Spider-Man 2 (2004) (North America, Europe, Japan), Tiger Woods PGA Tour (North America, Europe, Japan), Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix (North America, Europe), Twisted Metal: Head-On (North America, Europe), Untold Legends: Brotherhood of

5280-685: The PSP were bundled with accessories, games, or movies. The first two initial releases of the Slims in North America were both on September 10, 2007, were the Daxter PSP. Included with the bundle was an Ice Silver PSP with a Daxter UMD, the Family Guy ;: Freaking Sweet Collection, and a 1 GB Memory Stick for usage. The other was a Piano Black Only PSP Limited-edition models were first released in Japan on September 12, 2007; North America and Europe on September 5; in Australia on September 12, and in

5400-439: The PSP's PAL launch was a success, with the console selling over 185,000 units in the UK. All stock of the PSP in the UK sold out within three hours of its launch, more than doubling the previous first-day sales record of 87,000 units set by the Nintendo DS . The system also enjoyed great success in other areas of the PAL region; over 25,000 units were pre-ordered in Australia and nearly one million units were sold across Europe in

5520-483: The PSP-2000 was September 14. The serial port was modified to accommodate a new video-out feature, making it incompatible with older PSP remote controls. On the PSP-2000, games only output to external monitors and televisions in progressive scan mode. Non-game video outputs work in either progressive or interlaced mode. USB charging was introduced and the D-Pad was raised in response to complaints of poor performance, and

5640-638: The PSP-2000, 3000, and Go could use the Skype VoIP service. Due to hardware constraints it was not possible to use the service on the PSP-1000. The service allowed Skype calls to be made over Wi-Fi and – on the Go ;– over the Bluetooth modem. Users had to purchase Skype credit to make telephone calls. Skype for PlayStation®Portable was discontinued on June 22, 2016. At Tokyo Game Show 2009, Sony announced that

5760-449: The PSP-2000, the 3000, marketed in PAL areas as "PSP Slim & Lite" or "PSP Brite", has an improved LCD screen with an increased color range, five times the contrast ratio, a halved pixel response time , new sub-pixel structure, and anti-reflective technology to reduce outdoor glare. The disc tray, logos, and buttons were all redesigned, and a microphone was added. Games could now be output in either component or composite video using

5880-478: The PSP-3000 screen was noticed. Sony announced this problem would not be fixed. The PSP Go (model PSP-N1000) was released on October 1, 2009, in North American and European territories, and on October 31 in Japan. It was revealed prior to E3 2009 through Sony's Qore video on demand service. Its design is significantly different from other PSP models. The unit is 43% lighter and 56% smaller than

6000-481: The PlayStation Store. The Digital Comics Reader application required PSP firmware 6.20. The PlayStation Store's "Comic" section premiered in Japan on December 10 , 2009, with licensed publishers ASCII Media Works , Enterbrain , Kadokawa , Kodansha , Shueisha , Shogakukan , Square-Enix , Softbank Creative (HQ Comics), Hakusensha , Bandai Visual , Fujimishobo, Futabasha , and Bunkasha. It launched in

6120-516: The Second Europan War that performs black ops . The game began development in 2010, carrying over a large portion of the work done on Valkyria Chronicles II . While it retained the standard features of the series, it also underwent multiple adjustments, such as making the game more forgiving for series newcomers. Character designer Raita Honjou and composer Hitoshi Sakimoto both returned from previous entries, along with Valkyria Chronicles II director Takeshi Ozawa. A large team of writers handled

SECTION 50

#1732905656905

6240-518: The System Software's 'Power Save Settings' menu. An ice-white version was released in PAL territories on July 20, 2012. The PSP was sold in four main configurations. The Base Pack, called the Core Pack in North America, contained the console, a battery, and an AC adapter. This version was available at launch in Japan and was released later in North America and Europe. Many limited editions of

6360-820: The UK on October 26. The PSP-2000 was made available in piano black, ceramic white, ice silver, mint green, felicia blue, lavender purple, deep red, matte bronze, metallic blue, and rose pink as standard colors. Several special-edition consoles were colored and finished to sell with certain games, including Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (ice silver engraved), Star Ocean: First Departure (felicia blue engraved), Gundam (red gloss/matte black), and Monster Hunter Freedom (gold silkscreened) in Japan, Star Wars (Darth Vader silkscreened), and God of War: Chains of Olympus (Kratos silkscreened) in North America, The Simpsons (bright yellow with white buttons, analog and disc tray) in Australia and New Zealand, and Spider-Man (red gloss/matte black) in Europe. The PSP-3000

6480-520: The USB port was replaced with a proprietary connector. A compatible cable that connects to other devices' USB ports is included with the unit. The new multi-use connector allows video and sound output with the same connector using an optional composite or component AV cable. As with previous models, Sony also offers a cradle (PSP-N340) for charging, video out, and USB data transfer on the PSP Go. This model adds support for Bluetooth connectivity, which enables

6600-652: The United States and in English-speaking PAL countries on December 16 , 2009, though the first issues of Aleister Arcane , Astro Boy : Movie Adaptation , Star Trek : Enterprise Experiment and Transformers : All Hail Megatron were made available as early as November 20 through limited-time PlayStation Network redemption codes. In early 2010 the application was expanded to the German, French, Spanish and Italian languages. The choice of regional Comic Reader software

6720-556: The aforementioned GPU and Media Engine. The hardware was originally forced to run more slowly than it was capable of; most games ran at 222 MHz. With firmware update 3.50 on May 31, 2007, however, Sony removed this limit and allowed new games to run at 333 MHz. The PSP is powered by an 1800 mAh battery (1200 mAh on the 2000 and 3000 models) that provides between about three and six hours of gameplay, between four and five hours of video playback, or between eight and eleven hours of audio playback. To make

6840-480: The anime, and Mintz and Julius from the Valkyria Chronicles: Wish Your Smile manga. However, Welkin, Alicia, and Ramal are available as a DVD bonus from Volume 6's release in Japan while Mintz and Julius are available after using a special password. It was further announced that Isara, Maximillian, Selvaria and Faldio, also from the first game are hidden characters as well. In addition, by either

6960-511: The battlefield with him without depleting their Action Point gauge, Riela can shift into her "Valkyria Form" and become invincible with boosted attack, while Imca can target multiple enemy units with her heavy weapon. Troops are divided into eight classes: Scouts, Shocktroopers, Lancers, Engineers, Armored Techs, Snipers, Gunners and Fencers, with the last three unlocked during the game. There are also enemy-only Gatling Soldiers. All characters can switch to any class. Changing class does not affect

7080-485: The briefly successful PocketStation in Japan as its first foray into the handheld gaming market. The SNK Neo Geo Pocket and Nokia's N-Gage also failed to cut into Nintendo's share. According to an IDC analyst in 2004, the PSP was the "first legitimate competitor to Nintendo's dominance in the handheld market". The first concept images of the PSP appeared at a Sony corporate strategy meeting in November 2003, and featured

7200-662: The community. The SensMe software, which had already existed on some Walkman music players and Sony Ericsson handsets, was added to the PSP through a software update in 2009. It is a music analyser that reads music files stored on the PSP and categorises them into "channels" representing moods and creates automatic playlists from it. The PSP has support for the playback of MP3 and ATRAC audio files, as well as WMA since firmware version 2.60. Sony partnered with publishers such as Rebellion Developments , Disney , IDW Publishing , Insomnia Publications , iVerse , Marvel Comics , and Titan Books to release digitized comics on

7320-712: The conclusion of Valkyria Chronicles , in which Squad 7 defeats Maximillian in Gallia and destroys the Marmota, ending the war between Gallia and the Imperial Alliance. In the wake of the revelation of Archduchess Cordelia's Darcsen heritage, a rebel group of dissatisfied aristocrats and like-minded soldiers and citizens calling themselves the Gallian Revolutionary Army led by Count Gilbert Gassenarl, his son Baldren, his daughter Audrey, and an armored figure named Dirk begins

SECTION 60

#1732905656905

7440-768: The conference. The PSP's development posed several challenges for Sony and third-party developers, with battery life being a primary concern. To address this, Sony implemented power management strategies, including restricting the CPU to two-thirds of its full speed for the first few years. The Universal Media Disc (UMD) drive was another significant hurdle, as it drained the battery and had slow read speeds. Developers had to optimize their game data layout to minimize disc access and reduce power consumption. These limitations sometimes led to performance constraints and long loading times, with some titles like WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 experiencing load times of up to two minutes for certain scenes. On October 18, 2004, Sony announced that

7560-438: The cooperative elements incorporated into the second game were removed, as they took up a large portion of memory space needed for the improvements. They also adjusted the difficulty settings and ease of play so they could appeal to new players while retaining the essential components of the series' gameplay. The newer systems were decided upon early in development. The character designs were done by Raita Honjou, who had worked on

7680-538: The device the " Walkman of the 21st century", a reference to the console's multimedia capabilities. Several gaming websites were impressed with the handheld's computing capabilities, and looked forward to its potential as a gaming platform. In the 1990s, Nintendo had dominated the handheld market since launching its Game Boy in 1989, experiencing close competition only from Sega's Game Gear (1990–1997) and Bandai 's WonderSwan (1999-2001) and WonderSwan Color (2000–2004) in Japan. In January 1999, Sony had released

7800-420: The end of the war with the Empire, the Nameless are offered a formal position as a squad in the Gallian Army rather than serve as an anonymous shadow force. This is short-lived, however, as following Maximilian's defeat, Dahau and Calamity Raven move to activate an ancient Valkyrian super weapon within the Empire, kept secret by their benefactor. Without the support of Maximilian or the chance to prove themselves in

7920-489: The format. The PSP was received positively by critics, and sold over 80 million units during its ten-year lifetime. Several models of the console were released, before the PSP line was succeeded by the PlayStation Vita , released in Japan first in 2011 and worldwide a year later. The Vita has backward compatibility with PSP games that were released on the PlayStation Network through the PlayStation Store , which became

8040-561: The front lines in order to combat and defeat the GRA forces. Among the students sent out on the field is 17-year-old Avan Hardins, a young man who enrolls in Lanseal Military Academy after his older brother Leon was reported dead during a special mission. Avan is assigned to Class G, and he and his classmates are deployed on multiple missions in opposition to the rebels, who deploy artificial Valkyrur such as Dirk to combat them. Eventually,

8160-543: The game was made available on the Japanese PlayStation Store on November 2, 2009, with an online download of the same demo following on November 5. The demo was translated and released in the US PlayStation Store on August 10, 2010. Valkyria Chronicles II received a positive critical reception. The game was given a total score of 35 out of 40 and a "Platinum Award" from a panel of four reviewers in

8280-506: The game's director with previous work done on Valkyria Chronicles as its main planner. Shinji Motoyama is the game's producer, having done production work with the Sega-made Bleach games, as well as Nightshade and Blood Will Tell . The anime cutscenes were co-produced by A-1 Pictures . Sega revealed at the 2009 Tokyo Game Show that the popular J-Pop duo Chemistry would perform the game's opening theme, titled "Our Story". It

8400-434: The game, Valkyria Chronicles III Extra Edition , released on November 23, 2011. Packaged and sold at a lower price than the original, Extra Edition came with seven additional episodes: three new, three chosen by staff from the game's DLC, and one made available as a pre-order bonus. People who also owned the original game could transfer their save data between versions. Unlike its two predecessors, Valkyria Chronicles III

8520-508: The guitar piece on their own before incorporating them into the theme. The rejected main theme was used as a hopeful tune that played during the game's ending. The battle themes were designed around the concept of a "modern battle" divorced from a fantasy scenario by using modern musical instruments, constructed to create a sense of atonality . While Sakimoto was most used to working with synthesized music, he felt that he needed to incorporate live instruments such as orchestra and guitar. The guitar

8640-519: The high price, which was almost US$ 20 higher than that of the Japanese model and over $ 100 higher than the Nintendo DS . Despite these concerns, the PSP's North American launch was a success; Sony said 500,000 units were sold in the first two days of sales, though it was also reported that this figure was below expectations. The PSP was originally intended to have a simultaneous PAL and North American launch, but on March 15, 2005, Sony announced that

8760-419: The improvements to gameplay. Japanese gaming site Game Watch Impress, despite negatively noting its pacing and elements recycled from previous games, was generally positive about its story and characters, and found its gameplay entertaining despite off-putting difficulty spikes. 4Gamer.net writer Naohiko Misuosame, in a "Play Test" article based on the game's PSN demo, felt that Valkyria Chronicles III provided

8880-452: The latter for both its continued quality and the tweaks to balance and content. Its one major criticism were multiple difficulty spikes, something that had affected the previous games. Heath Hindman of gaming website PlayStation Lifestyle praised the addition of non-linear elements and improvements or removal of mechanics from Valkyria Chronicles II in addition to praising the returning gameplay style of previous games. He also positively noted

9000-409: The location of the PSP on a map and obtains information of places around the user. It determines the location through "PlaceEngine" technology, via wireless LAN spots. On June 15, 2005, hackers disassembled the code of the PSP and distributed it online. Initially the modified PSP allowed users to run custom code and a limited amount of protected software, including custom-made PSP applications such as

9120-496: The main method of purchasing PSP games after Sony shut down access to the store from the PSP on March 31, 2016. Hardware shipments of the PSP ended worldwide in 2014; production of UMDs ended when the last Japanese factory producing them closed in late 2016. Sony Computer Entertainment first announced development of the PlayStation Portable at a press conference preceding E3 2003 . Although samples were not presented, Sony released extensive technical details. CEO Ken Kutaragi called

9240-436: The map varies depending on an individual player's approach: when one option is selected, the other is sealed off to the player. Outside missions, the player characters rest in a camp, where units can be customized and character growth occurs. Alongside the main story missions are character-specific sub missions relating to different squad members. After the game's completion, additional episodes are unlocked, some of them having

9360-475: The model's region. System Software updates have added many features, including a web browser, Adobe Flash support, additional codecs for various media, PlayStation 3 (PS3) connectivity, and patches against security exploits and the execution of homebrew programs. The most recent version, numbered 6.61, was released on January 15, 2015. The PSP Internet Browser is a version of the NetFront browser and came with

9480-510: The official Valkyria Chronicles II website was launched to the public with the developer's blog and pictures of the game. In a blog post on the official website, chief producer Shuntaro Tanaka has revealed that the game will keep the BLiTZ system with wireless ad hoc to be implemented. In addition, Tanaka said that the game's development for the PSP was done "to allow a broader spectrum of users to discover and enjoy what makes Valkyria special." with

9600-435: The original PSP-1000, and 16% lighter and 35% smaller than the PSP-3000. Its rechargeable battery is not intended to be removed by the user. It has a 3.8-inch (97 mm) 480 × 272 pixel LCD screen , which slides up to reveal the main controls. The overall shape and sliding mechanism are similar to those of Sony's mylo COM-2 Internet device. The PSP Go features 802.11b Wi-Fi like its predecessors, although

9720-457: The patch was released in January 2014. On its day of release in Japan, Valkyria Chronicles III topped both platform-exclusive and multi-platform sales charts. By early February, the game sold 102,779 units, coming in second overall to The Last Story for the Wii . By the end of the year, the game had sold just over 152,500 units. Famitsu enjoyed the story, and were particularly pleased with

9840-696: The player moves the character around the battlefield in third-person. A character can only act once per-turn, but characters can be granted multiple turns at the expense of other characters' turns. Each character has a field and distance of movement limited by their Action Gauge. Up to nine characters can be assigned to a single mission. During gameplay, characters will call out if something happens to them, such as their health points (HP) getting low or being knocked out by enemy attacks. Each character has specific "Potentials", skills unique to each character. They are divided into "Personal Potential", which are innate skills that remain unaltered unless otherwise dictated by

9960-499: The playing of games using a Sixaxis or DualShock 3 controller. The use of the cradle with the controller allow players to use the PSP Go as a portable device and as a console, although the output is not upscaled. PlayStation 1 games can be played in full screen using the AV/component cable or the cradle. The PSP Go lacks a UMD drive, and instead has 16 GB of internal flash memory, which can be extended by up to 32 GB with

10080-513: The possibility of the franchise returning to consoles eventually. Due to the popularity of the PlayStation Portable in Japan, the game was specifically created with a Japanese audience in mind, resulting in a school setting and more fantastical characters compared to the first game. The staff in the development of the game were pulled from the Valkyria Chronicles staff, mainly chief producer Shuntaro Tanaka, character designer Raita Honjo and composer Hitoshi Sakimoto with Take Ozawa being posted as

10200-456: The previous Valkyria Chronicles games. When creating the Nameless Squad, Honjou was faced with the same problem he had had during the first game: the military uniforms essentially destroyed character individuality, despite him needing to create unique characters the player could identify while maintaining a sense of reality within the Valkyria Chronicles world. The main color of the Nameless

10320-586: The process, said units can move and perform actions until their Action Points run out. When the player has exhausted their available Command Points, or volunteers to pass control without using all of them, the Player Phase ends and the Enemy Phase begins. This progresses back and forth until the battle's victory conditions are achieved or the player is defeated. Valkyria Chronicles II uses a system of multiple area maps connected by enemy encampments. When an enemy camp

10440-482: The ranks of Calamity Raven, attached to the ideal of Darcsen independence proposed by their leader, Dahau. At the same time, elements within Gallian Army Command move to erase the Nameless in order to protect their own interests. Hounded by both allies and enemies, and combined with the presence of a traitor within their ranks, the 422nd desperately move to keep themselves alive while at the same time fight to help

10560-452: The rebels directly attack Lanseal and steal research data from Lanseal's abandoned old campus. During the battle, Dirk's helmet is knocked off, revealing him to be a corrupted Leon. In the aftermath, Avan confronts Lanseal headmaster Laurence Kluivert and discovers that he has been using Lanseal as a front to conduct unethical experiments on the students, including Leon, to create the artificial Valkyrur in order to protect Gallia. Despairing over

10680-474: The records and thereon officially referred to by numbers. Ordered by the Gallian military to perform the most dangerous missions that the Regular Army and Militia will not do, they are nevertheless up to the task, exemplified by their motto, Altaha Abilia , meaning "Always Ready." The three main characters are No.7 Kurt Irving, an army officer falsely accused of treason who wishes to redeem himself; Ace No.1 Imca,

10800-410: The release of Valkyria Chronicles II , the staff took a look at both the popular response for the game and what they wanted to do next for the series. Like its predecessor, Valkyria Chronicles III was developed for PlayStation Portable: this was due to the team wanting to refine the mechanics created for Valkyria Chronicles II , and they had not come up with the "revolutionary" idea that would warrant

10920-420: The responsiveness of the buttons was improved. Other changes include improved WLAN modules and micro-controller , and a thinner, brighter LCD screen. To improve the poor loading times of UMD games on the original PSP, the internal memory ( RAM and Flash ROM ) was doubled from 32 MB to 64 MB, part of which now acting as a cache, also improving the web browser's performance. In comparison with

11040-402: The script. The game's opening theme was sung by May'n . It met with positive sales in Japan, and was praised by both Japanese and western critics. After release, it received downloadable content , along with an expanded edition in November of that year. It was also adapted into manga and an original video animation series. Due to low sales of Valkyria Chronicles II , Valkyria Chronicles III

11160-484: The series to develop Valkyria Revolution , with Ozawa returning as director. Revolution is a role-playing video game for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One that forms the beginning of a new series within the Valkyria franchise. Like its predecessors, Valkyria Chronicles 3 received several medial adaptations and spin-offs. A two-episode original video animation series titled Senjō no Valkyria 3: Taga Tame no Jūsō

11280-514: The stats gained while in a previous class. With victory in battle, experience points are awarded to the squad, which are distributed into seven different attributes shared by the entire squad, a feature differing from early games' method of distributing to different classes. The game takes place during the Second Europan War. Gallian Army Squad 422, also known as "The Nameless", are a penal military unit composed of criminals, foreign deserters, and military offenders whose real names are erased from

11400-471: The story and can either help or impede a character, and "Battle Potentials", which are grown throughout the game and always grant boons to a character. To learn Battle Potentials, each character has a unique "Masters Table", a grid-based skill table that can be used to acquire and link different skills. Some characters also have Special Abilities that grant them temporary boosts on the battlefield: Kurt can activate "Direct Command" and move up to two allies around

11520-513: The story's serious tone. Points criticized in the review were recycled elements, awkward cutscenes that seemed to include all characters in a scene for no good reason, pacing issues, and occasional problems with the game's AI. In a preview of the TGS demo, Ryan Geddes of IGN was left excited as to where the game would go after completing the demo, along with enjoying the improved visuals over Valkyria Chronicles II . Kotaku ' s Richard Eisenbeis

11640-546: The system via the 2.00 update. The browser supports most common web technologies, such as HTTP cookies , forms , CSS , and basic JavaScript . It features basic tabbed browsing and has a maximum of three tabs. Remote Play allows the PSP to access many of the features of the PlayStation 3 console from a remote location using the PS3's WLAN capabilities, a home network, or the Internet. Using Remote Play, users can view photographs, listen to music, and watch videos stored on

11760-418: The system's first week of sales. The PlayStation Portable uses the common " bar " form factor. The original model measures approximately 6.7 by 2.9 by 0.9 inches (170 by 74 by 23 mm) and weighs 9.9 ounces (280 g). The front of the console is dominated by the system's 4.3-inch (110 mm) LCD screen, which is capable of 480 × 272 pixel display resolution with 24-bit color , outperforming

11880-424: The theft of the research data, Kluivert commits suicide. Meanwhile, the rebels seize control of the Gallian capital of Randgriz and arrest and imprison Cordelia. Gilbert declares himself Archduke, but when he declares his intention to join Gallia to the Federation, Baldren murders him and seizes control of the rebel army. Audrey attacks Anthold Harbour, but is defeated and killed by Class G. Baldren decides to flee to

12000-422: The themes much darker than expected. An early theme he designed around his original vision of the project was rejected. He redid the main theme about seven times through the music production due to this need to reassess the game. The main theme was initially recorded using orchestra, then Sakimoto removed elements such as the guitar and bass, then adjusted the theme using a synthesizer before redoing segments such as

12120-470: The time gap between the two. Similarly, "Gallian Journal 1936" presents background information in the form of a news magazine , with such articles as an interview with the game's antagonist. A limited-edition game soundtrack will also be included. Those who pre-order will also have information with which to unlock Selvaria Bles as a playable character within the game. Further hidden characters were also made available including Welkin and Alicia, Ramal Valt from

12240-518: The time of its reveal. To promote the game and detail the story leading into the game's events, an episodic Flash visual novel written by Fujii began release in January 2011. The game was released January 27, 2011. During an interview, the development team said that the game had the capacity for downloadable content (DLC), but that no plans were finalized. Multiple DLC maps, featuring additional missions and recruitable characters, were released between February and April 2011. An expanded edition of

12360-422: The unit slimmer, the capacity of the PSP's battery was reduced from 1800  mAh to 1200 mAh in the PSP-2000 and 3000 models. The original high-capacity batteries work on the newer models, giving increased playing time, though the battery cover does not fit. The batteries take about 1.5 hours to charge and last for between four-and-a-half and seven hours depending on factors such as screen brightness settings,

12480-552: The use of WLAN , and volume levels. In March 2008, Sony released the Extended Life Battery Kit in Japan, which included a bulkier 2200 mAh battery with a fitting cover. In Japan, the kit was sold with a specific-colored cover matching the many PSP variations available. The North American kit released in December 2008 was supplied with two new covers; one black and one silver. The PSP-2000, marketed in PAL countries as

12600-563: The use of a Memory Stick Micro (M2) . Games must be downloaded from the PlayStation Store . The removal of the UMD drive effectively region-locks the unit because it must be linked to a single, region-locked PlayStation Network account. While the PSP Go can download games to itself, users can also download and transfer games to the device from a PlayStation 3 console, or the Windows -based software Media Go . All downloadable PSP and PlayStation games available for older PSP models are compatible with

12720-401: The war with Gallia, it is Dahau's last trump card in creating a new Darcsen nation. As an armed Gallian force invading the Empire just following the two nations' cease-fire would certainly wreck their newfound peace, Kurt decides to once again make his squad the Nameless, asking Crowe to list himself and all under his command as killed-in-action. Now owing allegiance to none other than themselves,

12840-428: Was announced during E3 2003 , and the console was unveiled at a Sony press conference on May 11, 2004. The system was the most powerful portable console at the time of its introduction, and was the first viable competitor to Nintendo's handheld consoles after many challengers such as Nokia 's N-Gage had failed. The PSP's advanced graphics capabilities made it a popular mobile entertainment device, which could connect to

12960-461: Was black. As with the previous Valkyria games, Valkyria Chronicles III used the CANVAS graphics engine. The anime opening was produced by Production I.G . The music was composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto , who had also worked on the previous Valkyria Chronicles games. When he originally heard about the project, he thought it would be a light tone similar to other Valkyria Chronicles games, but found

13080-479: Was darker and more somber than that of its predecessor. The majority of material created for previous games, such as the BLiTZ system and the design of maps, was carried over. Alongside this, improvements were made to the game's graphics and some elements were expanded, such as map layouts, mission structure, and the number of playable units per mission. A part of this upgrade involved creating unique polygon models for each character's body. In order to achieve this,

13200-454: Was developed by A-1 Pictures and released the same year as the game. Two manga adaptations were produced, following each of the game's main female protagonists Imca and Riela, one illustrated by Naoyuki Fujisawa and released in two volumes by Kadokawa Shoten in 2012, the other illustrated by Mizuki Tsuge and released in a single volume, also by Kadokawa Shoten in 2012. PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable ( PSP )

13320-477: Was highly positive about the game, citing is story as a return to form after Valkyria Chronicles II and its gameplay being the best in the series. His main criticisms were its length and gameplay repetition, along with expressing regret that it would not be localized. Kurt, Riela and Imca were featured in the Nintendo 3DS crossover Project X Zone , representing the Valkyria series. Media.Vision would return to

13440-499: Was made available in Australia in July. Three free games for the PSP Go were offered in America. In October that year, Sony announced it would reduce the price of the unit. On April 20, 2011, the manufacturer announced that the PSP Go would be discontinued outside of North America so it could concentrate on the PlayStation Vita . The PSP-E1000, which was announced at Gamescom 2011 ,

13560-490: Was made available in piano black, pearl white, mystic silver, radiant red, vibrant blue, spirited green, blossom pink, turquoise green and lilac purple for standard colors. For limited edition colors were "Big Boss Pack" of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker had a camouflage pattern while the God of War: Ghost of Sparta bundle pack included a black-and-red two-toned PSP. The Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy Cosmos & Chaos edition that

13680-410: Was not localized, but a fan translation compatible with the game's expanded edition was released in 2014. Media.Vision would return to the franchise with the 2016 release of Valkyria Revolution , and a sequel, Valkyria Chronicles 4 , was released worldwide in 2018. As with previous Valkyria Chronicles games, Valkyria Chronicles III is a tactical role-playing game where players take control of

13800-508: Was not released in the west. According to Sega, this was due to poor sales of Valkyria Chronicles II and the general unpopularity of the PSP in the west. An unofficial fan translation patch began development in February 2012: players with a copy of Valkyria Chronicles III could download and apply the patch, which translated the game's text into English. Compatible with the Extra Edition ,

13920-483: Was played by Mitsuhiro Ohta, who also arranged several of the later tracks. The game's opening theme song, "If You Wish for..." ( もしも君が願うのなら , Moshimo Kimi ga Negauno Nara ) , was sung by Japanese singer May'n . Its theme was the reason soldiers fought, in particular their wish to protect what was precious to them rather than a sense of responsibility or duty. Its lyrics were written by Seiko Fujibayashi, who had worked on May'n on previous singles. In September 2010,

14040-490: Was released as part of their album "Regeneration" on February 24, 2010. An extensive amount of special material was produced by the Valkyria Chronicles II staff as bonus items for those players who pre-order the game. First is a reel of bonus footage titled "Valkyria Chronicles 1936: Gallian Front Memoirs." Narrated by Cordelia gi Randgriz , the video summarizes the events of the first game, as well as happenings in

14160-493: Was released in July 2016, was the final PSP game that was released. The best rated PSP games on Metacritic are God of War: Ghost of Sparta , Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories , and Daxter , Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is the only PSP game to receive a perfect score from Famitsū . During E3 2006 , Sony Computer Entertainment America announced that the Greatest Hits range of budget titles were to be extended to

14280-455: Was released on January 27, 2011, in Japan. However, as the game takes place around the same time as the first game, it is a prequel to Valkyria Chronicles II . Many gameplay concepts in Valkyria Chronicles II are carried over from the original. The BLiTZ system is used during combat scenarios, splitting the action between an overhead Command Mode and third-person Action Mode. By selecting allied units during Command Mode, using Command Points in

14400-502: Was released on March 3, 2011, has an Amano artwork as the PSP's face plate. Below is a comparison of the different PlayStation Portable models: The PSP runs a custom operating system referred to as the System Software, which can be updated over the Internet, or by loading an update from a Memory Stick or UMD. Sony offers no method for downgrading such software. While System Software updates can be used with consoles from any region, Sony recommends only downloading updates released for

#904095