Generation of Chaos

The product was in pretty bad condition. The UMD was pretty scratched up.

After one hour of tinkering with this game, I am about ready to shelf it. This game seems similiar to some of the old KOEI turn based strategy games, but I think they have added too many features without properly documenting them in the manual. For instance, at start up I can pick one of fifteen different classes. Nowhere does it tell me what each one does. While I can assume a cleric would heal, what is the combat advantage between a wizard and a magician? There are also three spots where it says weather plays a role on combat, but it doesn't say exactly how.The manual, to pick on it again, tells what the various doo-dads on each screen are, but doesn't go into detail about what they do. While some gamers may actually find this trial and error challenge fun, I was extremely put off by it. Especially since this was a handheld that I didn't want to devote a large amount of time trying to master simple gameplay mechanics.I developed three main characters at the start of the game (which I could not name), but as soon as I started to play, I was introduced to a whole new set of people... none of whom I created. Cut scenes are done on a static single panel background and were slow and irritating. If there was supposed to be character development (the book says you can level and gain items), it will be mearly stat based from a cursory glance.There was a long load time just to simply buy items for your characters. I never quite solved how to distribute the purchased items, but I sure didn't want to go back to that layer and lag for 30 seconds.The graphics were subpar for the power the PSP has to offer. Some of the text was exceptionally blurry in spots. I am baffled at how this game could pass QA with these text issues.Maybe I will come back and re-review if I can force myself to pick it up again. There may be a rich strategy game buried under the layers of complication. Or maybe it will just go to my nearest Gamestop to be resold to some other poor unsuspecting soul...

If you need a relaxing break from binging on high energy RTS games like Starcraft, try this one. I'll play it before sleeping thinking I'll be at it for a few minutes, only to look up to find the morning birds are chirping, way past my bedtime.There's nothing particularly innovative here. You'll recognize any element of this game somewhere else: Risk, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Final Fantasy, Statego, Yu-gi-oh, even Monopoly. The point is that these elements all combine into a multilayered system, which I suppose makes it unique in a way. I'll give bonus points to the combat system, much more satisfying than Final Fantasy, which I never understood: take turns and attack? Although, you get only one type of army for each of your commanders (corresponding in theme) and they generally simply charge mindlessly forward. Some strategy will be needed on how to use your commander.There are some minor issues with the gameplay. The 'undo' on one menu, using an already cumbersome RightTrigger-Select combo, appears to be broken, so that it is far easier to simply exit and re-enter the menu than to try to get it to work.The font is a bit difficult but you can get use to it. The load times are noticeable going in and out of 'the shop' to buy and sell items. If you've grown up playing playstation rather than nintendo, this should only slightly bother you. 'The shop' is a ubiquitous place fronted by a bunny-girl whose inventory depends on the kind of market place you go to. A liking to RPGs of yore. During the cutscenes, there is a trace of a sound dialogue clip. Seems like its trying to load the sound and the picture ikon at the same time.The three commanders you create at the beginning of the game are not your playing characters per se. They will be randomly placed somewhere on the map. This can work for you or against you later on, and is also the primary randomizing element of the game.The GUI uses menus of three letter commands. If you have any history with RPGs, these should be easy to figure out without needing to read the manual. A few will make you scratch your head a bit, but not too bad.The first few days after getting the game will be spent figuring out the commands (insist on figuring them out yourself) and the gameplay. By the second week, you will be needing to get around to looking at the manual. By the time you get to reading the downloadable(free) strategy guide, somewhere in the middle of the second week, you really wont need it. Read it anyway to see if there is anything not intuitive you haven't figured out yet (like how to build things).Once you get going, its really about as difficult a game as Monopoly. With 9+1 players.Overall grade: a pleasing but not brilliant B+

Sorry this will be a short review. I purchased this game with the hope that it would be another slam dunk Nippon Ichi title and hopefully an improvement, or at least on par, with  Dragon Force  on the  Sega Saturn video game system . I couldn't be more wrong. The load times in this game almost make it unplayable. I'm not even talking inbetween battles or dialogue, there are noticable loading hiccups while scrolling from one item in a menu to the next item in the menu. Maybe this wouldn't be bad if this was  Street Fighter II , but it's a strategy game and there is nothing but menu surfing. The PSP is pretty bad with load time but this game is by far and away the worst I've seen.If you can get past the miserable load times, and it's hard to do, you are rewarded with some solid gameplay with a daunting amount of complexity and depth, but the presentation is stale and boring. Dragon Force had much more charm to it. This game has plain looking maps with less than exciting battles. The battle effects themselves are pretty good looking, but something about the way the opposing forces approach eachother is like a child crashing toy cars together. Stategy games really don't need strong graphics in the end, but Nippon Ichi and the PSP certainly suggest a higher level "wow."In summary, you must ask yourself what a FUN game really is? Every now and again you get a game like this where it would be such an incredible game if it wasn't for one major flaw that's like an itch under your skin that you can't scratch away. I'm telling you right now, this is a good game but it is by no stretch of the mind a FUN gaming experience. If you can stick out the loading then by all means pick this game up.