Best VC entry? I say yes.
Didn't believe I haven't written a review for this game despite already having it for almost a year. I've just finished the game myself, so here goes.
I'll probably highlight what I dislike first: the overuse of maps from VC2. VC3 covers a lot of areas in Gallia and even the Imperial territory, so I found it especially jarring when the game uses the same map for supposedly different areas over and over. That's all.
Now, what I love from this game. I can get into very long rant, so please bear with me for a while.
First, improved game system. The difficulty is almost on par with the original VC, if not more. For some reasons, I found the enemies have scarily high firing accuracy, so if you're not careful, even characters with the highest health can go down fast. On the better side, your Engineers can instantly revive downed characters on the spot, and the rescued ones can be deployed immediately on the next turn.
Class system has been refined so you can customize your troops however you like, and this is what I love. None of your characters are completely useless now, even the ones with low stats! The only downside is that some classes take very long to upgrade.
Tanks and APCs now only cost 1 CP, which is awesome. They're still limited with the AP gauge, though.
In terms of music, the game's tracks are as excellent as the first game's. I still wish they offered more remixes on the previous game's tracks though, personally.
Story-wise, VC3 undoubtedly has the best storyline. While darker, it ultimately manages to remain on the optimistic side, and the game has plenty of lighthearted side events to cheer you up. Characters are also more fleshed-out, making them very endearing. Also, plenty of cameos.
Graphics-wise, while I still wish they'd use the first game's watercolor-style model, it doesn't bother me that much. Character designs and portraits are better than VC2, and while some can be a bit jarring, they overall fit the game's tone.
In the end, I'll say that despite few of its shortcomings, VC3 is a worthy successor of the previous games. Whether you're fan or newcomer to the series, buy it!
