Sega's critically acclaimed strategy RPG returns to gamers with a brand new cast of characters and new saga of love and war in the PSP-exclusive Valkyria Chronicles II. Set two years after the conclusion of the Great War, Valkyria Chronicles II puts players in control of the heroic 17-year-old Avan Hardins and a group of his fellow recruits at the Gallian Military Academy. But shortly after their enrollment, peace is shattered by the Gallian Revolutionary Army, a group of aristocrats emboldened by a weakened military and consumed by festering racism. With the Great War having sapped valuable resources and strained an already patchwork militia, the government calls on the young cadets to serve on the front lines against the GRA.The core gameplay mechanics remain the same, with players first accessing the overhead-view "Command" mode before selecting a single character and switching to a third-person view for movement and combat in the "Action" mode. Battles take place in more than 20 different environments, but instead of unfolding on one large screen (as in the PS3 game), the action occurs in several smaller arenas simultaneously. Gamers can still select specific members of their assault teams, choosing from the mobile Scout class, the machinegun-toting Shocktroopers, the anti-tank Lancers, and the versatile Engineers. Tanks are available for attacks on high-defense targets, and the new Armored Soldier class can perform melee attacks on multiple enemies at once, disarm mines, and deflect enemy bullets. Experience accrued during battle allows gamers to upgrade tanks, weapons, and character classes, and the once separate Sniper class can now be accessed by upgrading the Scout class.The biggest change in Valkyria Chronicles II is the addition of Ad-hoc co-op and competitive multiplayer modes. Two gamers can battle across more than a dozen maps in competitive modes of varying objectives, while the co-op campaigns let up to four players team up and participate in simultaneous attacks. The multiplayer modes also offer gamers a wealth of customization options, from designing original emblems, to customizing their weapons with more than 600 upgrades, to creating their own unique army from more than 35 different units