Played this thing again on Vita cause it's great. It's great here, too. It felt like a game that would be fun to play on Vita and it is!

It's got deep systems, it's difficult, and it makes you feel smart. Those are things I can greatly appreciate in a game. This might be the most I've gotten in to a tactical RPG like this. I enjoyed most aspects - managing your ship and your roster, the customization of your squads battle tactics, and of course the constant fear of losing a member of your team. It does a good job of getting you attached to characters that generally don't have much of an actual personality to them. They're basically just chess pieces - but you get very invested in their well-being.