SD Gundam G Generation

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Some of information taken from now-defunct Gundam Project.

SD Gundam G Generation is a series of strategy-RPG video games that focus on the Gundam anime franchise.

Contents 1 History 2 Series Features 3 G Generation titles 4 See also

[edit] History

The G Generation series technically began in 1996, when Bandai released a series of six games for Nintendo's Super Famicon console, each focusing on a particular era from the Gundam multiverse. A Generation focused on the One Year War, B Generation focused on the Gryps Conflict, and so forth up to F Generation, which covered the plot of G Gundam. Instead of continuing the obvious progression and making a G Generation game themed about Gundam Wing, Bandai held on to the title. Since "G" was often used as an abbreviation for "Gundam", it was decided that G Generation would encompass a wider scope. When it was finally released in 1998 for the Sony PlayStation, G Generation covered the plot for Mobile Suit Gundam through Char's Counterattack and featured characters from the remaining Universal Century series as well as G Gundam, Gundam Wing and Gundam X.

[edit] Series Features

• Super Deformed - The G Generation's most distinctive feature is the fact that the machines are always depicted in a super deformed fashion. This may be to prevent problems with the different proportions used in various Gundam series, but a larger reason may be the fact that Sunrise has been known to charge a heavy licensing fee for full-sized versions of their mecha to appear in video games, a problem with also plagues the Super Robot Wars series of video games.

• Story - The G Generation series tends to operate in one of two ways in regards to plot. Most of the games released for home consoles faithfully recreate the plot of the series included, while most of the games for handheld systems feature a new storyline that combines elements of all the series' plots together while giving the characters new relationships. For example, G Generation Advance has Domon Kasshu teach Kamille Bidan his Meikyo Shisui technique, allowing Kamille to control his powerful emotional outbursts while piloting the MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam. Two notable exceptions are G Generation Neo and Zero, both released for a home console (the Sony PlayStation 2 and Sony PlayStation, respectively) but featuring a combined storyline. G Generation Portable for the PSP was a similar exception, featuring a scenario system similar to the PSX games.

• Original Characters - In addition to the familiar cast of Gundam characters, G Generation games often feature brand-new characters that represent the player's contributions to the game. Most of the time, the original characters have no plot impact on the game (though it is worth noting that Leeroy Gilliam, a major figure in the novelization of Mobile Suit Gundam, is one of these characters). However, the game Monoeye Gundams features a new group of characters with their own storyline that forms the overall plot of the game, supported by the events of the One Year War and the Gryps Conflict. G Generation DS follows this tradition by introducing a new character who ties in to the stories of both Zeta Gundam and Monoeye Gundams.

• Original Machines - Most of the G Generation games feature brand-new mobile suits and armors designed exclusively for the game. All of the machines are given a backstory that ties them into the canon Gundam storyline, with most being incomplete or rejected prototypes. A vast majority of the original machines represent the Universal Century, but so far every universe except Cosmic Era has received at least one original machine.

• Piloting Restrictions - Unlike the popular Super Robot Wars series, G Generation does not limit characters to only piloting machines from their own universe. For example, Amuro Ray could be made to pilot XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero. However, some restrictions still exist. Some machines can only be piloted by characters who belong to certain categories such as Newtypes, Gundam Fighters or Coordinators. Other restrictions are plot-based, such as the ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam only being pilotable by Kira Yamato, who refused to let its nuclear technology fall into the wrong hands. While certain Mobile Suits, like Tria of G Generation DS is restricted to Dee Trier, while its sister unit Imperator is restricted to Norma Legion. There are cases that only when a certain pilot is in a certain Mobile Suit that its hyper mode will activate. (such as Judau being in Double Zeta, Camille in Zeta, Haman in Qubeley (Haman Custom), Sieg in Sisqueide, and Amuro in Nu.)

• Convincing - Like Super Robot Wars, G Generation allows the player to convince certain enemy characters to join his team. Most of the time, this is represented by being able to save sympathetic characters who were on the "wrong" side of the conflict, such as Gundam 0080's Bernard Wiseman and Zeta Gundam's Four Murasame. Other times, the games allow the player to convince characters who would likely never join the heroes, such as the "Druggies" (Orga Sabnak, Shani Andras and Clotho Buer) from Gundam Seed.

• Capturing - Most G Generation games allow the player to capture enemy machines and add them to his own roster. The console G Generation games typically allow the player to capture enemy machines after their mothership is destroyed, while the handheld games allow capture of damaged machines if they are surrounded by three or more player units.

• ID Commands - Featured only in the handheld G Generation games, ID Commands act in a similar fashion to spells in traditional role-playing games, but are based around a character's memorable lines from the Gundam series. For example, Heero Yuy might have an ID Command labelled "I'll kill you", which increases his attack power (but ironically makes him unable to destroy the enemy he attacks).

• Hyper Modes - Usually linked to ID Commands, the handheld G Generation games often feature Hyper Modes for characters from all series (not just G Gundam). Earned through unique circumstances and activated by special ID Commands, Hyper Modes typically represent the peak of a character's power while piloting the mobile suit his/her most famous mobile suit. Universal Century characters' Hyper Modes are typically a representation of their Newtype power reaching its peak (as seen many times in Zeta Gundam, Gundam ZZ and Char's Counterattack), while the Alternate Universe series characters' Hyper Modes are usually linked to their Gundams' special systems (such as Wing Zero's ZERO System or the ∀ Gundam's Moonlight Butterfly). In console G Generation games, few unit like Gundam F91 will activate the Hyper Mode when pilot has max morale. While in pocket games, such as G Generation DS, will let a pilot activate the Mobile Suit's Hyper Mode when a certain SP is reached (Amuro Ray's Psycommu Frame, Athrun Zala's SEED, Kincaid Nau/Seabrook Arno's Bunshin). Or can be activated via ID command. (Loran Cehack can activate Moonlight Butterfly, Kira Yamato can activate SEED, while Garrod Ran can use the Satillite Cannon.)

[edit] G Generation titles

Sony PlayStation

• SD Gundam G Generation
• SD Gundam G Generation Zero
• SD Gundam G Generation-F
• SD Gundam G Generation-F IF

Sony PlayStation 2

• SD Gundam G Generation NEO
• SD Gundam G Generation SEED
• Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny: Generation of C.E. (though not technically a G Generation game, its gameplay is identical to G Generation Neo and Seed, albeit with full-scale versions of the mecha).

Bandai Wonderswan

• SD Gundam G Generation GATHER BEAT

Bandai Wonderswan Color

• SD Gundam G Generation GATHER BEAT 2
• SD Gundam G Generation MONOEYE GUNDAMS

Nintendo Game Boy Advance

• SD Gundam G Generation Advance

Nintendo DS

• SD Gundam G Generation DS

Sony PlayStation Portable

• SD Gundam G Generation Portable

PC

• SD Gundam G Generation-DA - a typing game

[edit] See also

• SD Gundam Mobile Units - a list of original mobile weapons that originated from the SD Gundam G Generation series

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