I’m not being snide or dismissive when I say I am still waiting for a reason to buy a PS3 as a game machine, as…

I’m not being snide or dismissive when I say I am still waiting for a reason to buy a PS3 as a game machine, as opposed to a media hub, a job it does admirably but no better so than others you could make. I’m just saying that the Xbox 360, so far, does the business of games, better.

I could be changing my mind. While browsing through game trailers on PSN this weekend, I stumbled across one called simply, Valkyrie. At first I didn’t know if I wasn’t watching a new Miyazaki movie, aside from its lack of flying things.* That same sort of attention to detail, the same sort of pastel watercolors style that is Miyazaki himself and is seen all the time in his concept art. This was an anime I wanted to see. I have the trailer below – the version I saw was exactly the same, except with all the Japanese removed (and nothing added).

Except it’s a GAME. It’s a real-time tactical game similar to Final Fantasy Tactics, except without so much fantasy. You have a five person squad, each with a specialty, and you move them through battles, arranging them, and so on, except this is 3D and real time.

I’m not big into war games. but I DO like tactical games, they are one of the few kinds of games I can do fairly well, I LOVE the art direction. It comes out Nov 1 in the US, and so on Nov 1, I may have finally found a reason to buy a PS3 for gaming. People are begging for online multiplayer deathmatch stuff, but not me. Give me a tactical strategy game like FF Tactics, Tactics Ogre or Shining Force, and I will absolutely be there each and every time.

Here’s a review in English of the game with a lot of gameplay shown.

  • Miyazaki loves flying.
  • Nausicaa – Personal flying wing, Mehve, plus a whole bunch of massive flying war machines and even a two-person flying pot.- Laputa – Mom and her pirate crew in their family airship? Flycycles? More huge flying war machines? Flying robots? Steerable kites?- Porco Rosso – low hanging fruit here, the entire movie is about flying.- Totoro – aside from a levitating Oh-Totoro, not so much flight. There is a catbus, though. Nekobasu (catbus) is my fave song.- Spirited Away – flying dragon/enchanted boy.- Mononoke – um hmm well aside from some pretty amazing wolf jumping, I guess not. But he was TRYING to be historical.- Kiki’s Delivery Service – Witch. Who flies. And delivers stuff. Plus her boyfriend with the pedal-powered airplane.- Howl’s Moving Castle – more immense flying war machines, plus small flycycles, reminds me of the ones in Laputa.

Trust me. It’s a theme with him.