Howdy Valkyria Fans!

As promised, it’s time for the first look at what’s coming this Thursday in the fourth batch of Valkyria Chronicles DLC! The DLC, which you can pick up for $4.99, comes packed with a total of six different missions, all of which will also become two extra pages in your Skirmish section. Today, we’ll be taking a look at Jann’s challenge – the Lancer mission!

As a fan who came to work at the company, I must admit that I have become a little jaded over these last two years. I have seen and heard things that weren’t exactly what I’d have liked or hoped for. But I have also witnessed great successes and fantastic games, and there are some series that still manage to rekindle the spark that I hold for the future of SEGA. Needless to say, Valkyria Chronicles is one of them.

So it was with a smile on my face and no small bit of unsuppressed glee that I sat down to finally immerse myself in the latest addition to one of my favorite PS3 games ever. In the Lancer Challenge, one of (in my opinion) the funniest characters in the game, Jann, immediately greets you and briefs you on the mission. I won’t spoil it all, but his lines crack me up every time – like this one:

Big ol’ rockets, indeed.

Now, knowing it was the Lancer challenge I figured it would be wise to take in a few more lancers than normal. Four lancers later, I started up the mission and braced myself for some fun. Immediately upon starting, three things went through my mind:

• “Wow, they weren’t kidding. That’s a lot of Tanks!”
• “…Wait… there’s more?”
• “…Oh my God. I’m so going to fail this.”

My almost-complete failure was saved only by the grace of the Alicia cutout standee we have also sitting in the community room, who started giving me tips on how to turn things around.  Thanks to her, things held together- and so, ahead of the curve, I’m going to pass on some of those tips for you guys, if you’d like them.

Jann’s Lancer Challenge Tips:

Go get ‘em, Jann!

• Bring Lancers – at least two or three.
• Likewise, remember to include some units that can handle infantry. It’s not just tanks out there!
• Look behind you. Trust us.

With Jann’s Lancer Challenge, what awaits you is a mission in the game with more tanks than any other mission in Valkyria Chronicles – period. I found that it was satisfying in two ways: First, at that moment of realization when winning seems almost impossible, and two – and most satisfying – when you finally beat the odds and victory is almost within your grasp.

Oh, and God bless you, Aika. After as many tank rounds as you dodged in that battle, you deserve a medal the size of Pirates’ Isle. (If you don’t get that reference, you need to play another game from some of the people behind Valkyria Chronicles!)

That’s it for today’s look at the DLC -  in the meantime, the three new screenshots above can also be found in full size here on our flickr page.

Tomorrow, check back in as we check out another much-loved character’s mission: Marina’s Sniper Challenge! Until then – if you guys have any specific questions about the DLC, feel free to ask them in the comments below!