Having never bought into the console hype of the past few years, I wasn't sure what I was going to expect from Valkyria Chronicles. Sure, I've read the odd review here and there from about seven years ago when a few mates floated the title around during conversation, but I was initially concerned that the recently-released PC port on Steam would not work out, or that I might be disappointed with a lack-luster or personally underwhelming title.

After about 40 or more hours of solid game-time to date, not only were my initial impressions wrong, they were completely blown out of the water.

While many of the game's positives have likely already been pointed out by other reviews here, the game's engrossing strategic/tactical gameplay, excellent visuals and entertaining (if not occasionally grim, for those who pick up on the parrallels to the last World War right off the bat) story are certainly highlights that I can attest to. The addition of all released DLC for the game - including a few missions as the opposing side during the opening shots of their invasion - have been the icing on the cake.

If there were any problems with any aspect of the game that I may have had so far, then my main one would have to be with a minor point with the control interface. Namely, trying to steer a tank - AP points being chewed up by the second - while my mouse (which ALSO pivots the tank) keeps throwing fits; if I don't stop-start constantly, this sends my tank careening all over the place. While not constant enough to throw me completely off the game, it is a source of annoyance and has caused me to, more then once, lose a battle after an enemy Lancer puts a AT warhead up my now-exposed tank's ragnite reactor. Hopefully, a re-examination and adjustment of my control set-up could mitigate any self inflicted "traffic jams" in future.

All the above aside, Valkyria Chronicles has been an absolute blast for me to date. This is a PC port I would highly recommend for fans of SRP/RTS games, even for only one solid playthrough.

So what are you waiting for, recruit? Grab your rifle and get out there!