It's more of an expansion pack, but this is probably the best Gundam game in the US to date.
+Expands upon Federation vs Zeon's previous strengths
+Co-Op Arcade
+Gallery mode is filled with unlockables, such as things from ZZ Gundam
-UC Mode repeats far too many missions far too many times, not to mention appears cluttered with small font
-Requires knowledge of both classic Gundam and Zeta Gundam for full experience
With the massive sales and profits generated by the Federation vs Zeon arcade games and console ports, it was only a matter of time before Bandai would decide to put out another Gundam arcade game. This time, though, the game focused not only on the One Year War of classic Gundam, but also on the Gryps Conflict featured in Zeta Gundam as well. Of course, this was also ported over to the Playstation 2 in the form of a direct port…
…and then an expansion/remake was made as well. Luckily, this is the one that made it to the United States in the form of Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs Zeta Gundam.
In this expanded form, the traditional arcade mode and vs modes have returned – as well as other bonuses. Added to this game are a set of bonus modes, such as survival and challenge. A gallery has also been added to unlock more playable characters and units. Finally, there is the Universal Century Mode, which allows players to go through both the One Year War and the Gryps Conflict as the characters from the TV shows – not to mention change history itself at key moments in the timeline.
While the arcade and other modes are pretty self-explanatory, the Universal Century Mode is almost awe-inspiring.
By choosing to fight for one side, be it the Anti-Earth Union Group (AEUG), the Titans or Axis, the player sets forth on a path through the Gryps Conflict detailed in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. As they move through the show's timeline, players will unlock more characters to play as – often times gaining almost 15 playable characters per side, if not more. During key missions, if the player can somehow alter the events performed in the TV show (keeping someone alive, killing someone before they're supposed to die, ect), alternate timelines will become unlocked for play. Changes can be for the better or worse, but each change has something major to do with the timeline – with the best endings for each character only being available in those alternate routes.
Luckily, unlike the campaign mode of the previous game, it's a little easier-going this time around simply because the player is allowed to use those characters that were such pains in that mode. Running around as Amuro Ray or Camille Bidan just makes for a more entertaining experience than being a faceless grunt.
Unfortunately, many of the missions tend to repeat and get boring after a while, which does drag down a little.
Much like Federation vs Zeon before it, Gundam vs Zeta Gundam plays pretty solidly. While the controls aren't perfect like the game before it, many of the controls have been heavily refined to allow for faster battles like in Zeta Gundam. Of course, there are still some solid flaws – such as most of the Zeta-era mobile suits controlling like they're moving through molasses for one reason or another, but the gameplay is overall an improvement over the flawed controls we had before.
7.5 out of 10
Luckily, despite re-using the same engine, things have been improved pretty heavily. The game engine has been re-worked so more than four units can appear onscreen at once, along with the fact that everything actually looks better. Only in Co-Op mode does this not really apply, but the game's still a mighty improvement. There are still flaws… but it's definitely an improvement.
7.5 out of 10
The audio is much the same as the last game, though. The same themes from Federation vs Zeon returns, as well as new music from Zeta Gundam and those voice actors making their return as well. It's not perfect, but it does the job.
7 our of 10
As with before, there's a lot of replay value in this game. Luckily, the Universal Century Mode and survival modes are quite challenging and will keep a player busy for weeks, perhaps even months. The only real drawback is that there's not a whole lot of variety to the missions in the Universal Century mode… but it could be worse.
8.5 out of 10
Really, I do like this game. It takes all of the problems from Federation vs Zeon and removes most of them. The game sure has flaws… but it's also rather enjoyable. However, this game also requires some heavy knowledge of Gundam's TV shows. The Universal Century Mode doesn't explain much to those who've not seen Zeta Gundam, so it can get rather confusing overall.
However, this is still a pretty dang good game, and it's worth a purchase if you don't have Federation vs Zeon. If you do, it'd probably be a rental first to figure it out.
If you're not a Gundam fan, though… you might not like the game much. And I wouldn't blame you.
Gameplay: 7.5
Visuals: 7.5
Audio: 7
Replay Value: 8.5
Personal Tilt: 9
Final Score: 8 out of 10