PSP

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth

Comment rester insensible à ce RPG de légende ? C'est très difficile, car même si l'on était en droit d'attendre un peu plus de ce portage, les nouvelles scènes cinématiques sont splendides et la magie Valkyrie Profile opère toujours à merveille et c'est bien là le principal. Que ce soit les somptueux graphismes tout en 2D, l'histoire vraiment originale inspirée de la mythologie nordique ou les musiques haut combien inoubliables et émouvantes, ici tout est divin et dépaysant. Alors, n'hésitez pas et lancez vous dans ce chef d'oeuvre signé tri-Ace.

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth is definitely a unique RPG for the PSP as well as in general. However, the game isn't for everyone because of the time restraints and recruiting members for the war some players may be turned off but the game. Unlike traditional RPG's that allow you to take your time and explore the entire world fully Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth makes the game end at a set time. The game will take you roughly 20 hrs to complete. If you can get over the time restraint you'll find an RPG that is very solid and worth the price tag.

« Un portage de plus sur PSP… », diront certains. Certes, mais il est plus que bienvenu. Transposé tel quel, avec de nouvelles cinématiques qui font plaisir à voir, Valkyrie Profile transpercera à tout jamais votre cœur avec son univers si bouleversant. Une œuvre que l’on est forcé de respecter, et qui conserve tout son intérêt malgré les années.

Une perle rare enfin à portée de main, ça suffirait presque à nous redonner la foi si Square Enix n'avait pas mis autant de temps à confirmer la sortie de Valkyrie Profile Lenneth en Europe. Car si les fans de RPG sont nombreux sur le vieux continent, la plupart sont trop passionnés pour avoir attendu cette improbable localisation. Et quand on voit que le jeu n'est pas traduit en français, il y a de quoi se demander si ça valait vraiment le coup d'attendre cette version-là. Malgré tout, que ceux qui n'ont pas encore découvert ce titre mythique ne se privent surtout pas d'aller cueillir ce concentré de légendes nordiques, ne serait-ce que pour convaincre les éditeurs de la nécessité de distribuer d'autres RPG de cette trempe dans notre pays.

There have been many ports for the PSP. They generally lie into two categories: good ports and bad ports. Now the cult favorite, Valkerie Profile from the PSX has been ported to the handheld as well. This is to coincide with the soon to be released sequel on the PS2. The game is considered a rare title on the PSX as it was released in short supply. As such, one can expect to find an original copy in the price range of $100-300, depending on the condition and demand.

O game tem evidentes qualidades, mas também salta aos olhos alguns dos contratempos. Os pontos de save são menos abundantes que o desejável e há momentos que tudo fica lento. O acesso ao disco toda vez que se aciona os menus também causa desconforto. Ainda assim, e com seus seis anos de idade, é o melhor RPG disponível para o PSP até o momento.

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth features an excellent story, well developed characters, and a myriad of weaponry and armor to choose from. Yet the game falls short elsewhere, such as a lack of dungeons in the final half of the game compared to the first, and the lack of an in-depth magic system. Poor voice-overs hurt the experience, as do the CG movies which tend to be too lengthy in battles. Overall, Valkyrie Profile is an excellent pick-up for RPG lovers who enjoy a strong storyline and are looking for a game to occupy a lot of time.

It's not hard to appreciate what Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth has to offer. After a couple episodes of its Star Ocean series, the ever-mercurial development team at Tri-Ace returned after the modest success of Star Ocean: The 2nd Story with an RPG that had no spiky-haired orphans saving the world, but did have a (relatively) unique Norse mythology as its focus, an interesting party recruitment system, beautiful side-scrolling 2D graphics, and most importantly, a simple-yet-flexible combat system that rewarded skilled players with additional benefits and experience.

So, this is the PSP RPG you've been waiting for. It's intelligent in design, rich in storytelling, expertly paced in action, deep and meaningful in dialogue, beautifully scored and stunningly hand-drawn and animated. It boasts near imperceptible loading, and urgently presses into your palms a battle mechanic that's at once quickly accessible in the short term and genuinely compulsive in the long.

Take the limited run of a critically acclaimed RPG released almost six years ago. Now add to that the hype surrounding a title that regularly fetches more than $200 dollars online. Mix that with a lead-up to a forthcoming sequel and a new port over to the PSP and you get Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth, the latest title from Square Enix. But is the game merely a simple port or a fully resurrected title itself? The answer to that is surprisingly both yes and no.

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth is a port of what one might call a progressive RPG, originally released seven years ago for the original PlayStation game system. Based on Norse mythology and starring a Valkyrie who collects the souls of dead warriors and brings them to bear in a visually and conceptually bold and original battle system, the game also brought into battle a side-scrolling exploration mechanic and more involved gameplay "systems" than you could shake a holy sword at.

Once upon a distant-past, when the original PlayStation was king of all the lands, an RPG called Valkyrie Profile was released in North America to little fanfare. It was treated rather poorly by the people of the land and soon disappeared off store shelves; today, a few copies still live on in the magical land of EBay, though you'll have to pay a king's ransom to own it. Thankfully, the good folks at Square Enix decided to re-release the game for Sony's PlayStation Portable, giving fans both new and old a chance to visit the Norse lands of Midgard and Asgard again.

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth is a solid port of a one-of-a-kind role-playing game that is endlessly appealing to genre fans who are looking for something different, but it's a bit too dense for everyone else.

Lately, the PSP has been host to several RPGs that play like lesser versions of their console big brothers. Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth is no different. The elements that made the original Valkyrie Profile for PS1 standout like the combat and character customization systems are still intact, but so is the repetitive gameplay and lackluster story. If you're a fan of deep combat and tons of character options you'll be pleased, but if you like a little substance with your Role Players, look elsewhere.

Owning a PSP has been an exercise in prolonged buyer's remorse. No matter how many useless Carrot Top skins, fanny packs, or "portable" home theater kits they cram on shelves, the damn thing is just too short on long games.

Evidently Square Enix didn't have the time or the inclination to do serious work under Valkyrie's hood. Instead, we get this sloppy emulated version, with all the warts of the original and more.

Cool down the righteous indignation and step back, though. How many of these problems are immediately obvious to someone who hasn't already played the game? A nit-picking comparison does Lenneth no favors, but view it in a vacuum and it's a great RPG still. The story is still powerful, the combat is still addictive, and Motoi Sakuraba composed the best work of his career here. From the hard-rock battle themes to the momentous choral tracks playing over the opening cinemas, Valkyrie's music has an impact his other games can't match.

So Lenneth comes recommended to those who haven't tried it before. Nevertheless, it's a shame to think of what it could have been.