Dynasty Warriors Gundam Reborn
(Playstation 3, rated E)
A Brief History:
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| Dynasty Warriors 2 (Playstation 2, 2000) |
The Dynasty Warriors games take place in ancient China, in the Three Kingdoms era. No matter which of the (literally) hundreds of characters you choose, you're dropped onto a battlefield littered with inferior grunts who die in one or two hits, and basically just kill as many as you can while completing objectives, and seeking out the more boss-like General characters. With this simple formula, developer Tecmo Koei has released no less than 20 games branded with the "Dynasty Warriors" name (not counting the 8+ Samurai Warriors, Dynasty Warriors Gundam 1-3, Warriors Orochi 1-3, Warriors of Troy, and the upcoming Wii U title based in the Legend of Zelda universe, Hyrule Warriors).
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| Mobile Suit Gundam (TV, 1979) |
In 1979, the anime "Mobile Suit Gundam" premiered in Japan, telling the story of a war fought using giant robots called Mobile Suits. Among these are the ultra powerful Gundams. This has since spawned 15+ separate (but interconnected) TV series, not counting the movies both related, and unrelated to the shows. The franchise is so popular in Japan that they even have cafes and stores dedicated solely to gigantic fictional fighting robots, including a massive full scale replica of the original gundam. (Why I haven't moved to that area yet is beyond me...)
Put those together and you get a recipe for success...at least in Japan. While well known, neither of these series have been nearly as successful in the states.
Describing this game in one sentence is not only easy, but fun to do:
Use your giant fighting robot to destroy other giant fighting robots by the thousands.
Gameplay:
Hack, slash, hack, slash.
As mentioned above, the Dynasty Warriors series has lost considerable popularity within the United States due to its repetitive combat. While in combat, your character has a light attack, heavy attack, and special (called Musou attack in the Dynasty Warriors series). The combat consists of combining light and heavy attacks in different combos, in order to lay waste to the enemy.
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| AAAHAHAHA!! SQUISH SQUISH!! |
One new feature in this game that has never been included in Dynasty Warriors games in the past is the addition of massive boss characters 3-4 times the size of the player. These, along with the grunt soldiers littering the battlefield, serve to keep the player on their toes when you think you're safe.
That said, this game definitely strikes a fair balance between easy and impossible. Each level lets you choose Easy/Medium/Hard, so you don't have to lock yourself down to one difficulty throughout the whole story, in case you're having trouble on a particular level.
The game is very heavy in terms of 2 player co-op as well. This can be played locally in split screen mode (for both Story mode and side missions), or online with friends through a unique "S.O.S." system. This system works in such a way that if you're struggling to beat a level, you can put out an S.O.S., calling other players to aid you in the battle, giving it much more of a war-type feel.
For Gundam fans, this game introduced something not yet seen in the previous three Dynasty Warriors Gundam games, the inclusion of playable Mobile Armors. In the Gundam universe, Mobile Armors are behemoths, typically standing 4 or 5 times the size of a typical Gundam. When unlocked, they can be played in almost any level, so they aren't just confined to one or two missions. When I first got my hands on a Mobile Armor, it felt exactly how I though it would: ridiculously overpowered. With one special attack, I was able to clear over 100 enemies from the battlefield. It. Was. Awesome. Unfortunately, the novelty of these Mobile Armors doesn't last forever. After a few missions where you're so overpowered that your health doesn't even slightly budge, it is pretty easy to get bored of the Mobile Armors. They also tend to suffer when fighting enemy commanders, who have significantly more health than your average grunt. The Mobile Armors are intended to clear out the hundreds of grunts with ease, but don't fight one-on-one battles very well.Gundam shows are, to me, similar to James Bond movies: Everyone has their favorite, and its mostly based on what you grew up with. For me, I got into Gundams in the mid-1990's with a show called "Mobile Fighter: G Gundam". But no matter what show (if any) you got into first, every single one of them is represented, with their own individual story modes, and with many new intertwining stories that combine all of the show's characters.
With well over 120 playable Mobile Suits, along with downloadable content, 6 full story modes, and 15+ side-story modes, the game has an immense amount of content. If you've ever been on the fence about trying a Dynasty Warriors game in the past, this one is a great place to start.
Graphics:
I'm usually not the type to have graphics be a make-or-break decision for me, but in this case I wanted to mention them briefly. This game was released late last year in Japan, shortly after the release of the Playstation 4, and yet it remains a Playstation 3 exclusive title. That said, the graphics are, for a PS3 title, beautiful.
Every Gundam looks totally unique, and is covered head to toe in detail. Certain points in each map will allow you to turn the camera in such a way that you can get a better look at your Gundam, and I suggest you do so, because every one of them is quite a sight to see.
The other problem that many Dynasty Warriors games have is that, since they're all about large scale battles, the amount of characters on screen can bog things down to the point of becoming practically unplayable. Of all the DW games I've played (and I've played almost every one), this game is by far the smoothest, cleanest one of all, which shocked me most in 2-player split screen, where it would usually be bogged down the most. Frankly, the game is beautiful all around.The Bad News...:
There is one thing I was not aware of when I purchased this game, that took me a long time to get over, and that quite frankly still annoys me quite a bit: All voice acting in the game is Japanese, and was not localized for America/Europe.
Now before any anime purists get all up in arms about sub vs dub, here's something to consider:
A point of pride for the Gundam series has always been deep, emotional stories, coupled with characters that you actually care about. While cutscenes are easy enough to keep track of, since English subtitles are provided, when the battle commences, it's incredibly difficult to stay involved in the action, while being invested in the story through the dialogue boxes, AND reading the objectives that appear on screen. Now take all of that, add a second player, and two dialogue boxes at once that take up a large chunk of the screen, and you can get very lost very quickly. I do hope they release a patch or update in the future that adds English dialogue, as it would make everything flow a LOT better, but I don't have my hopes up.
Good:
-120+ mobile suits to unlock, and just as many, if not more pilots.
-Absolutely zero slow-down during crowded fights, everything runs as smooth as silk.
-Great split-screen co-op, allows two players to enjoy the story together.
Bad:
-Only Japanese dialogue, English is only seen in (sometimes poorly) translated subtitles.
-Doesn't break any grounds of Dynasty Warriors gameplay.
-Exclusive to Playstation 3, and only via download. No hard copies, no new gen support.
Verdict:
7.5 out of 10
The Japanese-only dialogue is the biggest hindrance, and the gameplay is exactly what you'd expect from a Dynasty Warriors game, but the whole package is still an extremely fun play, especially for the lower price of $40. Check it out on the Playstation Network!
Bonus Level:
Want some more Gundam fun? Check out the hilarious Game Grumps playing an older Gundam game: "Gundam Battle Assault 2" HERE!
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