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When fans of Valkyria Chronicles on PS3 heard the series would continue on PSP, it's likely they all asked the same question: How much will the game's epic feel be watered down to fit on a handheld? Valkyria Chronicles 2 may lose some scale in the battlefield gameplay due to the technological limitations of the PSP, but it still delivers a grand sense of everything else that fans expect. This isn't Valkyria "lite," it's Valkyria "light enough to take with you."

VC2's narrative doesn't realize it's supposed to be simplified for on-the-go gaming. There's a lot of story (both personal and political) going on in Valkyria Chronicles 2, as the country of Gallia deals with a bit of Nazi problem. Okay, so they aren't "Nazis" per se, but well-funded, aristocratic bigots from the south of the country set to ignite a Gallian civil war by scapegoating the minority population for the post-war economy. The Gallian militia (of which Squad 7 from the original game was a part) can't be deployed to fight fellow citizens, so members of the Lanseal Military Academy are pressed into service to defend the country.

Every time we post anything on Valkyria Chronicles, someone pipes up about how they never got past Chapter 7 in the first game. That battle threw a late-level boss and a massive (but by no means the game’s massive-est) tank at you – at the same time. It separated the men from the boys, if you will, and if you beat that chapter, you probably went on to beat the entire game.

SEGA has heard your pleas. In Valkyria Chronicles II – out today – you can bring a friend or 3 for the ride. I tried out the multiplayer recently, and it didn’t behave how I’d expect; even though this is a turn-based Strategy RPG, the you and your colleagues move at the same time, in real time. SEGA’s Aaron Webber tells us more:

Valkyria Chronicles II is out today, both on UMD and via the PlayStation Store.