Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space Preview
We try out the upcoming Gundam game from Bandai.
The Gundam series has been a staple for anime fans for more than 20 years. The time-honored mix of giant robots, epic space battles, and pilots willing to give it all to protect humanity has helped the franchise establish itself as one of the elder statesmen in the pantheon of giant robot franchises. While games have appeared on various platforms over the years in Japan, precious few have made it to the US. Thankfully, the growing popularity and acceptance of anime into mainstream culture has ensured that the lean days are coming to an end. Bandai will be serving up a dose of giant robot love in the form of Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space. The third-person action game for the PlayStation 2 was released in Japan and offered a pleasing blend of anime cutscenes and 3D action. We played a preview version of the game that let us get a feel for what to expect from the upcoming release.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space draws on the classic Gundam adventures and puts you in a variety of situations that should be familiar to fans of the series. You'll find five game modes from which to choose: story, side story, ace pilot, mission, and versus. Story mode is at the core of the game and lets you play the role of Amuro Ray, the legendary mobile suit pilot, throughout a series of different levels. Side story is a secondary story-style mode that places you in the role of the Thoroughbreds, of the 16th Autonomous Corps, for a series of missions. Ace pilot is another collection of missions, with a twist--you'll assume the role of pilots from both sides of the conflict. To use the various pilots, you'll have to unlock them by playing through the various modes and meeting certain conditions. Mission mode lets you create a custom pilot, and it lets you train that pilot through eight missions, during which he or she will earn points to beef up various attributes. Finally, versus mode lets you take on a friend. This friend-on-friend brawl lets you make use of your custom characters from mission mode. In addition to the game modes, you'll also find a breakdown of your battle records and a gallery where you can watch and listen to movies, listen to background music, and view models of various units.
The basic structure of the game's various modes are mission-based. You'll get an assignment at the start of a stage and be sent off. The objectives range from standard escort duties and fetch quests (that may require a bit of finesse) to total destruction missions that require you to "make like a killing machine." The catch to all the levels is that, for the most part, you'll find yourself going through the area on a rail. This is similar to the Panzer Dragoon games, although the gameplay isn't exclusively on rails.
The controls in the game are laid out well and shouldn't be a problem to pick up after a quick trip through the three-part tutorial in story mode. You move your mobile suit by using the left analog stick or D pad. The X button lets you dash when moving, while double tapping it lets you perform a roll to avoid enemy fire. The square button fires your mobile suit's main weapon, while the circle button triggers any secondary weapon on your suit. The triangle button performs a melee attack. The L1 button lets you lock onto an enemy when you tap it once, while tapping it twice releases your lock. You're also able to lock your main weapon onto multiple targets by holding the square button down and waiting for the lock-ons to appear. You can fire at all your targeted foes by releasing the square button. When conventional weapons aren't cutting it, holding down the R1, R2, and square buttons lets you fire off a special attack.
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- GameSpot Score7.0good
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Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space Gameplay Movie 3
Watch as a giant mech takes on a large spaceship in this clip.
- Oct 8, 2003
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