Dynasty Warriors: Gundam is a step up from previous Gundam games but that's not saying alot.
User Rating: 5 | Gundam Musou (PlayStation 3 the Best) PS3
Well the gaming industry wouldn’t be quite the same without the yearly release of a crappy Gundam game. Dynasty Warriors: Gundam fills in that requirement as it’s the marriage between Koei’s Dynasty Warriors franchise and Bandai-Namco’s Gundam. While the title isn’t as bad the PS3 launch title Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire, which I gave a score of 1.8, it still is far from the greatness of titles like Zone of the Enders and isn’t as good as what the Gundam franchise deserves. The story of DW: Gundam revolves around a mysterious planet that threatens the galaxy. So naturally a bunch of people in Mobile Suits go down to investigate and to stop the planet from its path of destruction. The potential highlight to some is that the story features an array of characters from multiple Gundam series. So you’ll see Heero and Zechs from Gundam Wing as well as characters from the 0079 Saga and many more. Fans may be pleased to see these characters in action but from a story standpoint it doesn’t make much sense as to why these characters are co-existing together in this universe. The story has always been a key part to the various Gundam series and the overall plot just feels sloppy and just is an excuse to bring all these characters together. In the end it feels like a bad fan fiction instead of the Gundam saga it should be There is a separate game mode that allows you to play as individual characters from separate Gundam sagas which could please some fans but the story is really never put into focus like it is in the anime. It also hurts the game that there are no real story cut scenes. All the dialogue is given through character illustrations of the main characters while looking at a map. There are some in game cut-scenes during levels which set up the boss battles but these aren’t really that entertaining. Now of course to some, especially hardcore Gundam fans, the story may not be important as it’s all about the game play. So what is the end result when you mix Dynasty Warriors and Gundam? It’s a bit ‘meh’. The biggest strength in DW: Gundam is also its biggest weakness: it’s essentially Dynasty Warriors with a Gundam skin. So if you love the hack n’ slash game play of the DW series you may love the game, but if you were hoping for more of a unique Gundam experience then you won’t be getting that. Instead of broadswords you have laser swords and instead of shruikens you have machine guns. The core game design of DW: Gundam is exactly the same as a standard Dynasty Warriors game. Everything from the objectives which range from killing the commander/bodyguard and then facing the boss mirrors that of a standard DW game. Even the main menu setup and front end is essentially the same. Koei didn’t really tailor the game design and overall visual design of the game to the Gundam universe. Yes there are battles in space but the game play doesn’t change drastically and actually loses some of its luster because of that. The game also suffers from one of the same problems DW had: long levels. When you’re playing the same level for around 40 minutes and have racked up an 800 kill count you may find yourself tired quickly due to the lack of variety the game offers. Sure there are some cool special attacks you can perform but after awhile facing the same dull A.I and using weapons that don’t have the impact they should you may just want to put the controller down and put in another title. The game does allow you to upgrade your mobile suits weapons and other features but it’s not up the level of a title like Armored Core and upgrading really doesn’t change the game play experience that much. The Dynasty Warriors games have never really been graphical powerhouses and DW: Gundam clearly follows this path. The game has a clean look to it, with only small cases of pop-up, but it’s not really that impressive when compared to other titles. Sure it’s cool that you’re on a battlefield with tons of Mobile Suit units but when they look like they’re high-quality Xbox models you may be disappointed. There are some nice visual effects in the game from some of the weapons and special attacks but once again nothing amazing that will make you say “I’m playing this over Heavenly Sword.” The environments you find yourself battling in, whether it’s a ground base, the core of an evil planet or the vastness of space, all look quite bland and have no character to them. It’s also a bit disappointing that in some levels you can’t destroy certain structures, which makes absolutely no sense since you’re piloting a giant robot. From an audio standpoint the game is solid but there are a few annoyances. It’s nice that all the voice actors from the various anime’s reprise their characters in the game, with a few exceptions, but you may grow tired over the repetitious voice over lines the main characters sprout during combat. And depending on your level of Gundam fandom you may also become annoyed by some of the voices since some of them aren’t that good. The music in the game is ok but isn’t as memorable as it is in some of the anime’s or the wonderful score that was in MSG: Crossfire. DW: Gundam does have some multi-player components but they’re pretty lackluster. You can face off against a friend in a Versus mode or play through the game’s campaign mode with a friend. Sadly there are no online components so you and a buddy can meet up online to take down the Zeon forces. There are also no online leader boards or anything along those lines. Dynasty Warriors Gundam is yet another Gundam game that doesn’t live up to the caliber of the franchise. Sure the game was a massive hit in Japan but over there they will buy anything that says Gundam on it despite the quality. Hardcore Gundam fans may get a kick out the game’s story mode, despite the issues with it, and the fact that you can play as a wide assortment of Mobile Suits. The replay factor is limited due to the repetitive levels and other than a few bonus modes such as a character profile and Gundam galleries there isn’t that much of a reason to play the game once you’ve beaten it. Everyone’s entitled to a guilty pleasure but paying $60 for Dynasty Warriors: Gundam would be a bit much unless you sleep in a Gundam bedspread.
