Players: 1-2
Price: $59.99
Platform(s):Xbox 360 (PS3)
Developer: Omega Force
Publisher: Namco Bandai/KOEI
ESRB: Teen
Website:Gundam
Rating:

I’ve lost count on how many times I’ve played a Dynasty Warriors game and been pissed that it’s the same old button mashing hack and slash tripe from before. The reason for that is I simply cannot stop having fun with these damn games. The latest iteration is Dynasty Warriors: Gundam, which puts players in a Gundam suit. You have your laser sword, ginormous shield, and thousands of enemies to cut through. The only difference between this and all other Dynasty Warriors games is the giant mech suits. Sadly, we are once again taken in by Namco Bandai’s tired and true formula.

If you’ve ever played a DW game then there are no surprises in store for you here. The gameplay has not changed in the least. You start the game by picking a pilot, and then you get to the thrashing. The goals are simple: you land on a planet and start cutting a swathe through the vast number of enemies as you try and take different “Fields.” These are specifically marked off areas where the enemy has taken over, and in many there are officers you must beat. Now and then in a level there are higher level enemies, but the only difference between them and the drones you mow down is the mini-bosses (using that term as loosely as possible) take a little longer to kill. When you reach your final goal there is a big boss to face, and then you’re done. The game follows this same formula all the way to the end. There is nothing that tries to elevate the series to a new level.

Since it’s the only new aspect to a Dynasty Warriors game, the Gundam mechanic may be the deciding factor in your enjoyment. For those Americans who are not familiar with Gundam, I would compare what you see in the game to the animated series Voltron. In fact, some parts (the character faces with only lips moving in the corner of the screen for instance) reminded me vividly of that series. But if you’re not familiar with Gundam at all, you will be lost by the sparse story.

The game offers you a few options for how you want to play: Official Mode, Original Mode, and Versus Mode. When in Official Mode you are playing in the Gundam universes strictly from the anime. We can’t verify the veracity of this claim, as our Gundam knowledge is limited. But what is clear is you’ll have no idea what’s going on anyways. A few one-liners start off a level, and then you’re off. On occasion there’s a ten second cut scene between characters that might make sense to a Gundam aficionado, but no one else. Original Mode is a set of stories specifically for Dynasty Warriors: Gundam, and looks to be pretty much the same as Official Mode.

While the animations of your character taking large swipes at enemy’s looks great, and can be fun at times, there is the issue of the AI. When you enter an enemy controlled “Field” there could be as many as a hundred or more enemy warriors in there. Often they group up in packs of twenty or thirty. This has the promise of a really intense fight, but sadly the AI in the game is mind numbingly non-existent. In the first level of play only three enemies ever fired at me, and one hit me in the back with his sword. That was with me standing amidst groups of twenty or more on several occasions. And your teammates aren’t much better as they sit huddled together, just hanging out. Maybe they’re reading the latest on Lindsey Lohan in US Weekly, because they sure as hell aren’t helping me fight the eighty seven mech suits three feet away. The only AI characters that do much of anything are the other Gundam pilots in your group, and even that is extremely limited.

Luckily the game is extremely short, and a few hours of hitting the ‘X’ button is OK. Any longer and even the biggest Gundam fans will be pulling their eyeballs out. And since you’re essentially on your own against thousands of enemies, you have to be the one to capture the fields. This mechanic offers some reward and fun as you play through the game. You’ll occasionally come across a moment where you have to traverse the entire world to stop an invasion, or rescue a friend. No, it’s not enough to save Gundam, but it’s better than staring at a wall for three hours.

Don’t bother with anything multiplayer here; it’s just not worth the frustration. The Deathmatch mode is extremely lame, and co-op is passable if you have a friend over that you aren’t too fond of. One last note on how the game looks. Younger gamers may not have understood my reference to Voltron above, and if that’s the case then this game is absolutely not for you. Dynasty Warriors: Gundam is firmly fixed in the very old school style of anime, with none of the artistic feel of more modern forms. It was a little shocking the first few minutes as I flashed back to my 80’s childhood, and had the shocking realization that maybe some of my classic anime wasn’t as good as I’d remembered. It’d be nice to say they’ve finally reinvented Dynasty Warriors, but I’d be a lying bastard.