[quote name='Dr Mario Kart']I want to double check my understanding of the mechanics of Valkyria Chronicles. I've been watching youtube footage (since I clearly cant play the demo

).
Movement is real time, in that enemies are shooting at you. Your max movement distances is dictated by a bar at the bottom which which depletes while you run. Aiming to attack is manual, in that you have to move a crosshair with what I presume is the analog stick, though sometimes it seems like the crosshair auto-snaps to an enemy. Everything is frozen while you are aiming, which makes the whole manual aiming unnecessary?
After all of your guys have taken an action, you end your cycle and go into an enemy phase like advance wars/fire emblem, in which your guys auto-counter/defend.
What a strange mix of active and turn based conventions. I would've preferred pure turn based, but their ambiguity on the matter has kept me watching the game since it clearly wasnt a straight shooter.
I feel good that I was able to recognize the composer as the same as FFT/Stella Deus.[/quote]
Valkyria Chronicles is like putting a fresh coat of paint on the turn-based strategy RPG. There's a lot of familiar things, but by chucking out the square grid that most SRPGs use and going 3D to move around and also by adding the whole FPS-ish aiming system it makes it less about your characters stats and more about the player's skill. And when you add things like the "cover" system where you can duck behind low walls and stuff, and the ability to re-use characters you've already moved, it really adds more depth to the strategy elements.
I'm definatly hyped for the game. I've already played the demo several times, and really wish there was more to it, but I guess there's only another week to wait.