Many years ago, Square Enix (then called Squaresoft) released a title for original PlayStation titled Valkyrie Profile. The game was a cult favorite as the title became harder to find at retail, eBay saw copies selling for well over the original price. Now, Square Enix is releasing the original for the PlayStation Portable in the form of Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth. But what may be more exciting to some is the PlayStation 2 sequel entitled, Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria. We took a quick look at Silmeria, and Square Enix has really shown that they can still produce amazing products outside of the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest franchises.

Before we get into the gameplay of this Action RPG we first have to touch on the amazing graphics featured in this PlayStation 2 title. Valkyrie Profile 2 is the best looking PS2 game we've ever seen, period. The game can be played in a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, and in 480p (the max resolution of the PS2), but that's not what makes the game look so good. Square Enix has taken some of the advanced graphics effects using in Xbox 360 titles and applied them to Silmeria. Cloth physics and bloom lighting were two of the effects Square mentioned and the result is simply astounding. Playing through the game, we had to stop and clarify that certain areas were not pre-rendered background and cut-scenes weren't computer generated. If you put VP2 next to say... Enchanted Arms, you'd be hard-pressed to say VP2 was not an Xbox 360 title.

Now that we've got our graphics gushing out of the way, let's dig into what really makes an Action RPG tick, the story and gameplay. Silmeria takes place 100 years before the events in the original Valkyrie Profile. Only one Valkyrie can exist at a time, and the battle maiden Silmeria is the sole Valkyrie of her era. It's the job of the Valkyrie to send lost souls to Valhalla. Throughout your journey, these lost souls will join your party and battle alongside you. The main character has two personalities, her normal, modest persona, and the battle maiden. When the battle maiden takes over, Silmeria will not only act differently, but also walk and talk differently. She makes a complete transformation.

The original Valkyrie Profile featured a 2D gameplay style. To retain the feel of the original, Square Enix has created Valkyrie Profile 2 on a 2D plane, but in a full 3D world. The result is a game that feels like a 2D Action RPG in the new generation where 3D rules all. Similar to the original, Valkyrie Profile 2 uses a Photon Action System for puzzle solving as you progress through each area. Silmeria can shoot photons at the enemies scattered throughout the dungeons to freeze them. She can them use the frozen enemies as stepping stones to reach other areas, or she can trade places with the enemy to get an extra boost. One section required us to reach a ledge high above us that we couldn't jump to. Freezing an enemy near the ledge allowed us to jump in the air, switch places with the enemy, perform a second jump and reach the ledge. Things of this nature will be required to reach many areas of the game.

While the exploration part of the game remains on a 2D plane, during battles the action will switch to 3D, which is where things get interesting. Your Action Points (AP) will dictate your actions in battle. The amount of AP you have will determine when you can attack and what you can attack with. The developers at Tri-Ace have combined the combo system of a fighting game with the battle system in an Action RPG. The result is quite interesting and filled with depth. You can divide your party up into multiple groups, which is a solid tactic as it will ensure your entire party is not hit by a single attack. However, it will also allow you to setup long combo attacks and critical hits. If you position on member in front of the enemy and the rest of your party behind them, every member behind the enemy will score critical hits for big damage.

In addition, you can knock your opponent into the air, and juggle them before they hit the ground. Unlike some other RPGs, you have to physically connect with the enemy to do damage. So while you'll only be able to control one member of your party at a time (the computer controls the others), you can set what attacks each member of your party will use. This allows you to use your first attack to knock the enemy into the air, then follow it up with attacks that will keep them in the air to chain together lengthy combos. Just like a fighting game, you'll need to time your button presses to get combos to land properly.

From our brief time with Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria, the game is simply amazing. The graphics rival those of next generation titles, and the gameplay is a solid mixture of 2D and 3D, with a combat system that borrows from fighting games. The game is currently set to release in September, and we simply can't wait to play more of what's sure to be a retail success.