Title: Generation of Chaos

Date: 03.30.2006

Genre: Role Playing, Strategy

Platform: Sony PSP

Developer: Idea Factory

Publisher: NIS America

North American gamers have always got the crappy end of the stick; we get some good games, but there a ton more that we never get to see. Recently we had Generation of Chaos 4 released in North America, if the other games in series are even half as good as this one, then we can be sure that we have missed out on another three amazing games. But I am just thankful that THIS gem made it over here; as all fans of good games should be.

Graphics

The graphics are stylish and beautiful. Every character looks awesome, and the pictures that go with them are also very easy on eyes. The game board, while simplistic, is still very visually appealing and the battle grounds look great. When main generals attack with specials you are also treated to a mini anime clip of them doing the attack. This is a nice added bonus and really helps establish the games style. If you put this game on a PS2 people would still say that it was a good looking game, it is that damn pretty. The only problem I have with the graphics is the spells and attacks, excluding the anime ones, get a little generic looking.

Sound

If there is a weak point in this game it is in the sound department. The sound effects are all good, they sound very familiar, but that is fine. The music is good, you will never have to turn the volume down, but you probably won’t be humming the songs anytime soon. The voice acting is a mixed bag, ranging from good to decent to um... questionable.

Gameplay

This game is just awesome, it’s not debatable it is a fact. It plays somewhat like dragon force, you have a general in which you control, and you also have his troop’s which you issue commands to. You can organize your men into different formations, and you can play in any way you like. Unlike dragon force your general can do a lot more, which adds even more to the strategy, generals are strong, so do you put him on the front line in the heart of danger? It is up to you. On the world map you gain territory which you can build up through fortification or investments. One builds a town’s defense, the other makes more money for you, you can search for items or generals, you can ally with other countries, and you can bribe generals. If you win a battle you can try to recruit the general you beat, or you can release him or if you are malicious you can have him executed. On top of all of this there are 10 leaders to play with, each one has there own story, which could take anywhere from 20-30 hours to beat. Which means you got a HELL of a lot of game time. This game is simply a pleasure to play, expect to lose hours upon hours of your life on it.

Difficulty

When people started playing this game a lot didn’t like it, that is because it really beat the crap out of them. You are given no tutorial, so you are just left to twist in the wind at the beginning. As said in the gameplay department, there are a lot of options and in the first part of the game it is kind of rough trying to figure out what to do with all of them. As you get the hang of it the game is a lot easier, but if you use the special generals that are hidden in towns around the world, the game will become a cake walk. All in all it is fairly difficult if you don’t use the uber-powered characters, but if you have a sound mind you can probably win the mass majority of the fights you encounter. So the game is as hard as you want to make it.

In conclusion this game is probably the BEST game on the PSP right now. It also stands to be one of the best games in its genre. Don’t be fooled by what one reviewer at 1up said after only giving the game an hour of play time, this is an amazing game. If you are a fan of SRPG’s and you don’t buy it, then you are really missing out on something special…

Game Score

8.9

Reviewed By: Contributed