Aedis Eclipse Generation of Chaos is a strategy role playing game (strat-RPG) for the PSP. The game is loosely based on the PlayStation 2 game Generation of Chaos IV, which was never released in the United States. "Aedis Eclipse" is also the second title to be released under the Generation of Chaos name for the PSP. The biggest compliant gamers had with the first release were the load times; they were bad. NIS addressed this issue in "Aedis Eclipse"; long load times are no longer a problem.

The story behind "Aedis Eclipse" is about three worlds (Lower, Surface, Divine) that are connected and in turmoil. The Lower World has a massive world war that rages on as those in power seek ultimate power, which they believe lies in the link to the other worlds. The Surface World is in midst of a civil war, with an evil force afoot. The Divine World, Heaven and Hell, is where angels and demons wage war for all of eternity. Connecting these worlds together is a great evil, the Demon King Mugen. "Aedis Eclipse" can be played through each of these viewpoints, which build different storylines with different characters.

The game play is similar to the Sega Saturn release Dragon Force (one of my favorites!). For those that remember this gem, "Aedis Eclipse" will be an awesome experience. Each stage in the game is basically a map with an assortment of structures, terrain types, and captains. The goal of each battle is to take out all of the opponent's captains or occupy their headquarters. Sometimes there will be special winning or losing conditions, such as protecting a specific character/captain from death. The individual battles follow a relatively simple format. Two captains face off on the battle field at a given time and the last captain standing wins.

While the combat system sounds simple, there is actually more to it. It is far from a complex system (which is something that hurts the game), but it is still quite addictive. The captain-troop relationship is important. The game features over 40 playable captains and 150 troop types. Throughout the game, new troop types can be obtained from capturing opposing captains or as a bonus at the end of a battle. Each captain can be equipped with troops in the front line and rear guard. Depending on their level and status, they will have 0 to 30 troops (20 max in front and 10 in rear). This aspect was what I liked about the game the most--being able to try different combinations in hope to find the most effective combat team.

There are other considerations to make, such as captain and troop elemental association. Some tiles on the map have element associations that make certain captains and troops stronger or weaker. There are also day/night considerations. The time of day can affect certain captains and troops. In addition, at the beginning of a battle different troop formations can be selected. These provide different stat modifiers, e.g., offensive mode raises offensive stats and lowers defensive stats.

There are several factors about this game that left me unhappy. While small concerns, I think they should have been addressed. First, the menu navigation is horrible. There are slight time delays between menu options that make navigation feel tedious and sluggish. The time delay alone is not significant enough to cause a problem, but it quickly adds up and becomes an annoyance. The menu navigation goes pretty deep and it can take several button clicks and option selections to do a simple task like changing a skill or equipping a new weapon.

Other complications along this line that I had dealt with how the game handled character administration and management. For instance, there is no easy way to get rid of a captain. Sometimes while playing, it will be important to take a captain prisoner and convince them to switch sides. By doing so, rare weapons, armor, skills, items, and troops can be obtained that would otherwise impossible to get your hands on. On that note, you may only want the items and not the captain. The only way to get rid of the captain is to lead them into a battle and let them be captured. Similarly, there is an issue with equipment, troop, and skill management. This process is somewhat tedious, with a lot of selections to do a massive re-equipping of captains.

These comments might sound like hollow complaints, but the processes can get tedious quickly. The maximum number of deployed captains per stage is 20. Each captain can have a partner, which means at most 40 captains can be deployed in battle. Management of those captains in addition to having additional unwanted captains is a pain. There are also management concerns dealing with troop configuration, weapons, armor, items, and skills of a similar nature. At that magnitude, coupled with the depth and time delay in menu navigation makes the process time consuming.

Lastly, the game's AI is ridiculous. The battle system needs either better control of the characters or a smarter AI. I found that the captain and troops are pretty stupid. The general rule of thumb is that they won't attack unless attacked. I found there were many situations when the captain and troops would do nothing. They would basically stand there unless attacked. Or they run into each other and cause delays. I think having better control would have made the game play much better, e.g., being able to target a specific opponents.

Despite the aspects I did not like about the game and the general simplicity, I still had a lot of fun playing it. The game was addictive. As earlier mentioned, there are three different ways to play the game, from the perspective of the Lower World, Surface World, and Divine World. After completing the game in one world, the data can be imported into another, specifically troops, items, weapons, armors, and skills can be reused in a new game. It is a fun way to play the game in three different perspectives and also a chance to get stronger characters, and better troops and equipment.

Overall, Aedis Eclipse Generation of Chaos is a solid strat-RPG game that is a must for PSP gamers. While it has several drawbacks in terms of usability, the game play is still very fun. There are many potential hours of game play and it is great for on-the-go-gaming.