Like Eddie Murphy before it, Valkyria Chronicles II is leaving its homeland and coming to U.S. shores in “Summer 2010.”
Sega’s Assistant Community Manager (Community Managers need assistance?) Aaron Webber made the news official this morning via Sony’s smugly punctuated PlayStation.Blog.
This news was widely seen as imminent by, well, me, but for those of you who haven’t been following the game’s Japanese development, here’s a quick primer on what’s changed since the series debuted on the PlayStation 3 to a chorus of crickets.
The biggest change for VCII is that the game no longer appears on Sony’s big black console. Instead, the sequel is coming to Sony’s little black console, the PSP — most likely due to the diminished development costs (and likelihood of greater return on investment Sega can milk from the handheld).
Otherwise the game seems to be the same kind of “real world geopolitical scenarios as interpreted through longstanding anime stereotypes” gameplay that has made the first VC such a cult hit. Here’s the official plot synopsis courtesy Mr. Webber:
The year is 1937 EC.
Two years later, the ashes of the Second Europan war still glow in Gallia’s history. But even peace is a fragile happiness – and hearts that once fought side by side are not forever friends.
In the midst of this peace appears a group known as the Gallian Revolutionary Army, swearing to topple the current government – in a lightning fast coup, they arm themselves with the best of both Gallian technology and soldiers.
What was once a small but strong unified country is instantly plunged back onto the battlefield. But the day and age of the last war’s heroes is already fading out – with families to protect and children to raise, they are the ones who must now be protected. While numbers split and tensions rise, the spotlight shines to a handful of up-and-coming students at a Gallian Military Academy.
As civil war begins to rage across the country, morality and war clash with passion and ideals. But this time the distinction between blue and red is not so simple – nor will it ever be. Gallia once stood as a defiant beacon of hope against a giant empire… but can the country now defend against its own?
Wow. Civil war. Heavy stuff, but I’m totally in. Nothing says “fun” like gunning down your own family members in the name of political stability!
