| Dynasty Warriors: Gundam | |
|---|---|
Official North American PS3 cover |
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| Developer(s) | Koei, Omega Force |
| Publisher(s) | Namco Bandai |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Action role-playing game, Hack and slash |
| Mode(s) | 1-2 players |
| Rating(s) | |
| Media/distribution | BD-ROM, DVD-ROM |
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam, originally released in Japan as Gundam Musou (ガンダム無双 Gandamu Musō), is a video game based on the Gundam anime series. It was developed by Koei and published by Namco Bandai. Its gameplay is derived from Koei's popular Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors series.[2] The "Official Mode" of the game is based primarily on the Universal Century timeline, with mecha from Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, and Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ appearing in the game,[3] as well as a few units from Mobile Suit Variations Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket and Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory appearing as non-playable ally and enemy units. The "Original Mode" of the game also features mecha from the non-UC series Mobile Fighter G Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and ∀ Gundam. A newly designed non-SD Musha Gundam designed by Hajime Katoki is also included.[4]
The game was originally released on March 1, 2007 in Japan[5] exclusively for the PlayStation 3 with the name Gundam Musou. A North American version was released on August 28, 2007, for both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 under the name Dynasty Warriors: Gundam.[6] Dynasty Warriors: Gundam is the second next-gen Gundam game released in North America, following Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire. A Japanese Xbox 360 version was released in Japan on 10/25/2007 under the name of Gundam Musou International. Unlike the Japanese PlayStation 3 edition, Gundam Musou International features both Japanese and English voice overs.
An expanded port for PlayStation 2 called Gundam Musou Special was released on February 28, 2008 in Japan, featuring new scenarios and mobile suits.[7]
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Dynasty Warriors: Gundam follows in the style of previous Dynasty Warriors games as an action-oriented hack 'n' slash with some tactical elements. Another new feature is the outcome feature which allows certain pilots and allies to be spared of their deaths (Ex: If Emma Sheen is helped out before her Mobile Suit is destroyed or damaged enough an alternate sequence begins and continues through the remainder of the story like Emma joining the Drop on Jaburo instead of staying on board the Argama.) However, both Dynasty Warriors: Gundam games have unique gameplay mechanics and twists that set them apart from the core Dynasty Warriors series. The greatest of these is the core content; rather than using characters and story from the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the games draw their material from across the various Gundam anime series. Another change of note is that the player chooses both a pilot and a mecha independently of each other, giving players the ability to use any combination of man and machine.
There are also changes in actual gameplay. The player is given more ranged combat options than in other Dynasty Warriors games, although melee combat is still the main focus of the game. Characters in Dynasty Warriors: Gundam are also much more mobile, using the Gundam's thrusters to dash, jump in mid-air, and (for some mecha) even fly.
The single-player mode of Dynasty Warriors: Gundam is divided into two sections, Official Mode and Original Mode. Official Mode features six playable characters in stages set within the continuity of the Gundam Universal Century timeline. More specifically, they are events taken from the original Mobile Suit Gundam television series and its sequels Zeta Gundam and ZZ Gundam. Original Mode, by contrast, features an original, non-canonical storyline in which teams of mobile suit pilots composed of the three aforementioned Universal Century series and three alternate universe series (G Gundam, Gundam Wing and Turn-A Gundam) investigate a mysterious planet headed on a collision course with Earth; however, the story behind Original Mode is almost the same as the crossover manga Mobile Suit Vs. Giant God: Gigantis' Counterattack, only with Musha Gundam replacing Gigantis (or Ideon in true case).
In both Official and Original Mode, some characters will switch from one mobile suit to another for certain stages. Completing a character's Original Mode will allow the player to replay any of the stages from that character's Official Mode using any unlocked mobile suit. Certain characters can be unlocked in original mode only by completing another original mode character's story.
An option to change voice language between English and Japanese is available in the American and European releases on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, as well as the Japanese release of Gundam Musou International for Xbox 360. Several English voice actors who originally voiced characters in their anime appearances did not reprise their roles for the game. (e.g. Mark Hildreth for Heero Yuy, Mark Gatha for Domon Kasshu, Jonathan Lachlan-Stewart for Kamille Bidan, Valerie Howell for Haman Karn, John Payne for Ramba Ral, Michael Benyaer for M'Quve, Corby Proctor for Yazan Gable, and Matt Smith for Hayato Kobayashi during the One Year War) just to name a few, most likely because some of those voice actors are based in Vancouver (or were involved in other projects), and Gatha had retired by the time the game was made. So far, with the voice actor changes, most reactions to this have been negative.
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 is a tactical action video game based on the Gundam anime series, and the sequel to 2007's Dynasty Warriors: Gundam. Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 was developed by Koei/Omega Force and published by Namco Bandai. The game was released in Japan on December 18, 2008, in North America on April 21, 2009 and in Europe on April 24, 2009.[8] Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3 was released on December 16, 2010 in Japan. In North America it was released on June 28, 2011, in Europe on July 1, 2011 and Australia on July 12, 2011.
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| Game Informer | 5/10 |
| IGN | 6.8/10 |
| Official Xbox Magazine | 6.0/10 |
On the first day of its release, Gundam Musou sold over a 100,000 copies, making it the first PS3 title to do so on its first day. Also, the game sold about 70 percent of its 170,000 -180,000 launch day shipments, making it rank third in overall sales — after Ridge Racer 7 and Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire.[9] IGN gave the game a score of 6.8 out of 10.
While Japanese game magazine Famitsu gave the game a total score of 33 out of 40,[10] English reviews have been either lukewarm or mixed with an average critic rating of 64% for the PS3 version and 60% for the Xbox 360 and Game Informer giving it a 5 out of 10. X-Play of G4 Tech TV Gave the game a solid rate of 3 out of 5 star, while GameTrailers.com gave the game 5.3 in average.
As of July 9, 2008, the game has sold 275,812 copies in Japan.[11]
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