Sorry this will be a short review. I purchased this game with the hope that it would be another slam dunk Nippon Ichi title and hopefully an improvement, or at least on par, with Dragon Force on the Sega Saturn video game system. I couldn't be more wrong. The load times in this game almost make it unplayable. I'm not even talking inbetween battles or dialogue, there are noticable loading hiccups while scrolling from one item in a menu to the next item in the menu. Maybe this wouldn't be bad if this was Street Fighter II, but it's a strategy game and there is nothing but menu surfing. The PSP is pretty bad with load time but this game is by far and away the worst I've seen.

If you can get past the miserable load times, and it's hard to do, you are rewarded with some solid gameplay with a daunting amount of complexity and depth, but the presentation is stale and boring. Dragon Force had much more charm to it. This game has plain looking maps with less than exciting battles. The battle effects themselves are pretty good looking, but something about the way the opposing forces approach eachother is like a child crashing toy cars together. Stategy games really don't need strong graphics in the end, but Nippon Ichi and the PSP certainly suggest a higher level "wow."

In summary, you must ask yourself what a FUN game really is? Every now and again you get a game like this where it would be such an incredible game if it wasn't for one major flaw that's like an itch under your skin that you can't scratch away. I'm telling you right now, this is a good game but it is by no stretch of the mind a FUN gaming experience. If you can stick out the loading then by all means pick this game up.

If you need a relaxing break from binging on high energy RTS games like Starcraft, try this one. I'll play it before sleeping thinking I'll be at it for a few minutes, only to look up to find the morning birds are chirping, way past my bedtime.

There's nothing particularly innovative here. You'll recognize any element of this game somewhere else: Risk, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Final Fantasy, Statego, Yu-gi-oh, even Monopoly. The point is that these elements all combine into a multilayered system, which I suppose makes it unique in a way. I'll give bonus points to the combat system, much more satisfying than Final Fantasy, which I never understood: take turns and attack? Although, you get only one type of army for each of your commanders (corresponding in theme) and they generally simply charge mindlessly forward. Some strategy will be needed on how to use your commander.

There are some minor issues with the gameplay. The 'undo' on one menu, using an already cumbersome RightTrigger-Select combo, appears to be broken, so that it is far easier to simply exit and re-enter the menu than to try to get it to work.
The font is a bit difficult but you can get use to it. The load times are noticeable going in and out of 'the shop' to buy and sell items. If you've grown up playing playstation rather than nintendo, this should only slightly bother you. 'The shop' is a ubiquitous place fronted by a bunny-girl whose inventory depends on the kind of market place you go to. A liking to RPGs of yore. During the cutscenes, there is a trace of a sound dialogue clip. Seems like its trying to load the sound and the picture ikon at the same time.

The three commanders you create at the beginning of the game are not your playing characters per se. They will be randomly placed somewhere on the map. This can work for you or against you later on, and is also the primary randomizing element of the game.

The GUI uses menus of three letter commands. If you have any history with RPGs, these should be easy to figure out without needing to read the manual. A few will make you scratch your head a bit, but not too bad.

The first few days after getting the game will be spent figuring out the commands (insist on figuring them out yourself) and the gameplay. By the second week, you will be needing to get around to looking at the manual. By the time you get to reading the downloadable(free) strategy guide, somewhere in the middle of the second week, you really wont need it. Read it anyway to see if there is anything not intuitive you haven't figured out yet (like how to build things).

Once you get going, its really about as difficult a game as Monopoly. With 9+1 players.

Overall grade: a pleasing but not brilliant B+

Here we go: THERE IS AN 81 PAGE STRATEGY GUIDE FOR GENERATION OF CHAOS ON NIPPON ICHI'S WEBSITE. You simply sign up for a free account, and then you can download it.

With the guide, this is a fun game. I'm a few hours in, and the options are impressive. The game is beautiful and entertaining, if you are a fan of the genre. It is a shame that this game shipped without a more extensive tutorial, either in-game or out. Many bad reviews focus on the learning curve, which is due to the lack of any kind of sufficient guidance.

Fans of Final Fantasy Tactics, Disgaea, Atelier Iris, Growlanser, and such games might really like this title. Definitely get the strategy guide from Nippon Ichi's site, though.