Jeanne D'Arc is easily one of the best PSP games for SRPG fans such as myself.
The gameplay in Jeanne D'Arc takes the basic gameplay of every other SRPG out there and enhances it with a few tactical nuances. For example, the game encourages keeping your characters together with the Unified Defense system (or something like that). That basically means that the more of your characters that you keep together, the higher a defense bonus they'll get when attacked. A similar tactic is used when attacking. When a character attacks an enemy, an orange circle called a Burning Aura will appear on the opposite side of the attacked enemy. If you make one of your characters stand in the aura and attack, it will do more damage. The final aspect of the gameplay that is a bit different from other SRPGs is the skill system. Instead of shoehorning your characters into different classes, the game lets you choose the skills that you give to each character. Later in the game, players can even create skills by combining two other skills, a concept that will probably be familiar to Level 5 fans. The flipside to the great customization options is that each character can only hold a certain amount of spells and techniques at a time. The graphics are great. In the typical Level 5 style, characters and environments are rendered in sharp cell shading. The most important cutscenes are done in a very well done anime style which matches the cel shading perfectly. There certainly isn't another strategy RPG on a portable whose graphics can rival Jeanne D'Arc's, and there are few on consoles that can. The cel shading actually makes the game look like a PS2 SRPG. The sound is almost as good. Battle music does its job well, and voiceovers are well done too. Some of the characters do have some really heavy French accents, though they rarely get speaking roles in voiced cutscenes. Overall, Jeanne D'Arc is a great game for any strategy or role playing fan. It is filled to the brim with great graphics, fun and strategic gameplay, and a creative world in which to play. So even with Disgaea and Final Fantasy Tactics coming out soon, Jeanne D'Arc will easily hold its own.