SteelSkin.net – The Ramblings of Chris Nutt

These days I have to seriously wonder whether the gaming populous even wants high quality games any more. Apparently thinking and charming plots not count for crap. Games can do more than play themselves and put women back to the 50s, where the best they could aspire to is School teacher (not a bad job, but certainly should not the only option).

That’s why Gallia needs you! or rather Valkyria Chronicles does. If you have a PS3 try the demo, it gives you a flavour of the full game, but the full thing is amazing.

One of my regular rituals is checking the feeds on Friday for 1up Yours and the 1up show. Much like Buzz Out Load, it is great hearing a group of professionals with the limiters off. EGM was an institution, but unfortunately it was owned by the sick Ziff Davis and in a far less magazine friendly country. When I was over in Alaska in 2007 I noticed how poor access to computing and gaming magazines. They had maybe 3 magazines in Walmart versus 10 in my local ASDA (Walmart UK). My local ASDA is a 5th the size of that Walmart. In Dunfermline or Kirkcaldy’s WH Smith you can see almost 70 computing/gaming mags (including specials). It’s crazy. I am sure that if EGM existed in the UK it would not just be around, but in far fitter shape .

Anyway back OT, I wish the guys and gals that were laid off all the best and those survivors I have no ill will and I hope you can turn lemons into lemonade.

Happy 2009 you all!

My good friend John got me a GameStation voucher for Christmas. So just after Boxing Day I headed into the Kirkcaldy to see what I could get with it. I managed to pick up Valkyria Chronicles for tidy price of £19.99. ‘Bargain’ I thought.

I am no strategy fiend, in fact I am pretty bad at them. I have tried a couple of RTSs in the past and a strategy RPG in the form of Ring of Red for the PS2. Never with much success. However I had hope after hearing that Valkyria Chronicles was developed by much of the Skies of Arcadia team. Which is my favourite game of all time. Please bare in mind this is the game that got me to try and try again Japanese RPGs. So they could make just about any genre (bar rhythm music games) and I would play it.

Valkyria Chronicles is awesome, wonderful and lovely. The art style is inspired, the characters almost universally likable and the game play somewhat unique. It is a Strategy RPG, but with real-time moves and aiming. It’s parallel world of the Second World War could have been crassly handled, but they don’t pull their punches in delivering some hard truths.

I am currently half way through, so no doubt I am in for some exciting times.