Gundam Battle Assault Preview

In spring of last year, viewers across the nation were introduced to the Gundam Wing anime series on the Cartoon Network. Since then, we have been treated to all the necessary Gundam spin-offs, toys, and video games. Gundam Side Story for the Dreamcast was a mediocre game at best - while the graphics were decent, the gameplay left much to be desired. After that game was released, many people were left wondering if there will ever be a game worthy of the Gundam Wing series.

The 2D fighter Gundam: Battle Assault might be that game. Originally released in 1998 in Japan, G: BA is something of an oddity. You star as Heero Yuy, and your job is to battle the various villains from the Gundam world. The game is a mutant mixture of Gundam continuities: the original, which transpired during the '70s and '80s, and the one that takes place in Gundam Wing (called the "After Colony" continuity). For example, in the game, the villains from the original Gundam series seem to be in league with Zion, one of the primary villainous corporations in the Gundam Wing series.

The game allows you to choose from a number of battle suits with different features and attacks, ranging from the Wing Gundam model seen in the Gundam Wing series, to older models such as the Zoku 2, from the classic series. The controls, though, feel a bit slow and deliberate, making the game seem like a throwback to older fighters, with one notable feature: your ability to fly over your opponent and perform certain special attacks in the air. G: BW's visual presentation is one of its stronger assets, as each stage features decent 2D graphics, and the game's animation style is a bit reminiscent of Capcom's "vs." series.

Overall, Gundam: Battle Assualt is still in the early localization stages, and it remains to be seen if some of the original features will be touched up. One would hope so, as this game could conceivably be worthy of the Gundam license.