#2 Valkyria Chronicles III
The first Valkyria Chronicles for PlayStation 3 is loved as one of the platform’s instant classics. The combination of tight tactical combat, a fantasy World War II setting, and a delightful pencil and watercolor aesthetic even made its lackadaisical PC port well worth playing. Unfortunately, western gamers will never get a chance to play the third and final game in the series.
In a story that runs concurrent with the events in the first game, Valkyria Chronicles III follows a rag-tag group of ex-military convicts, mirroring the classic 1967 Robert Alrich film The Dirty Dozen. They’ve been struck from the records and have ceased to “officially” exist, and are known only as “the Nameless.” They’re used as a black-ops unit by the Gallian military, but each member of the squad is seeking some form of redemption.
Through no fault of its own, Valkyria Chronicles III was fated to stay in Japan. Sega made the still baffling decision to move Valkyria Chronicles II from the PlayStation 3 to the PlayStation Portable, and international sales of that game were disappointing as the PSP proved unpopular outside Japan.
Sega opted to continue the series on the PSP, but given the underperformance of Valkyria Chronicles II internationally, the decision was to forego any western localization for the third installment.
Fortunately, a community-created English language patch exists, so long-time Valkyria fans can return to Europa one more time.
