Omega Force’s Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn has finally made its way from your E3 reports to the PlayStation 3. So, how is it? Well, it delivers everything you would expect from a Dynasty Warriors/Gundam crossover. You get lots of mechs to destroy with lots of space to run through. Basically, if you played a Dynasty Warriors game in the last 10 years or so, then you understand the package that Omega Force and Bandai Namco are delivering to your system. That’s not a bad thing because if you’ve got a good formula going, why mess it up (See Call of Duty, Battlefield and all of EA’s sports games for details)? The only question that remains is, “Are you a Gundam fan?” If so, you’re going to appreciate Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn to the max. If you’re not, you might be intrigued enough to explore what the heck Gundam is through this game (I know I was).
The controls and gameplay style in DWGR is nothing short of fast and furious. You’re given a mech to control and you go on a button mashing fest to get from one objective to the next. That’s not to say that there isn’t any intelligence in the gameplay because of the button mashing. Rather, the gameplay is simplified through the button mashing and makes the game easy to pick up and more fun to enjoy. You won’t find a moment where you’ll be at a disadvantage for not knowing a button combination or learning how to turn a special move on at the right time. It’s a ‘hack and slash first’ title that allows you to pull off special moves at your leisure. For this type of game, it’s best to not have to think too much when it comes to fighting. The enemy A.I. (or the lack there of) does help when you’re untrained to this type of fighting environment, but button mashing will get you through things without much of a hitch. That’s a good, old school action game element, as no one wants to go UFC while they’re controlling a mech. The less you have to think, the more there is to enjoy. That’s a very old school concept shouting back to the 16-bit fighter age (think Final Fight, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage), where basic gameplay concepts made for stupid fun. Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn is just that — stupid fun.
Aside from the button mashing, the game also features a quick time event here and there. When your suit is locked up with a main villain character, the screen will occasionally go from button mashing action to a circular indicator with a button in the middle to push at a specific time (kind of like the QTE in Tomb Raider, except it’s a single button push that won’t wear you buttons down). It’s nothing too awkward that disrupts gameplay, but it is random.
What’s not random is the two main modes of play in Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn. You have the official mode and the ultimate mode.
The official mode basically goes through storylines from several Gundam universes. It’s a neat way to not only get audiences familiar with the series (or remind them why they love Gundam), but also fits smoothly into the scheme of gameplay. That’s not to say that you won’t find a bit of jumping around here and there, but a solid story arc is created for each gameplay situation in the official mode. Here’s the gambit of coverage in the Gundam universe in official mode:
Mobile Suit Gundam
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny
Getting a good feel for the characters and how the flow of the overall storyline goes for each one of these, while playing the game, really works well. Like I stated previously in the review, this mode makes me want to go learn more about Gundam, which hasn’t been the case up to this point. I’m a hardcore Robotech/Macross fan, so it’s difficult to share my entertainment with more than one mech-based war story. I’ll probably go explore Gundam a bit after this game, though.
Anyway, you’ll find a lot of the characters from the show in the official mode, and more importantly a lot of enjoyment going through each one. Each gameplay section takes about 2-4 hours to complete, depending on your level of gaming.
The other mode in DWGR is called the ultimate mode. While I won’t give it points for creative names, it really does fit the bill with the content it delivers. In ultimate mode, you get a mission-based element that takes you from task to task. If you can visualize a tree of missions branching out in certain places, then you understand what this mode delivers. For example, the first mission in ultimate mode is more of a training tutorial. It takes you through 5-6 training missions to get you used to flying from zone-to-zone and protecting/conquering fields on the map. It’s one of those tutorials that doesn’t feel like a tutorial, especially since you can get through it pretty darn quickly.
Once your’e beyond the tutorial, you go on actual missions that connect from one place to the next. It’s like having multiple battles within one big battle scenario, and it’s entertaining. There are six initial missions in the game that branch out into multiple smaller sub-missions. Each one of these takes roughly an hour to complete. It might be short in length, but it’s good fun.
The final offering in the game is the database. If you’re a Gundam fan then you’re going to be in absolute heaven. There are character and mobile suit breakdowns here, as well as breakdowns of battleships, music, famous scenes and a card counter that shows you what cards you have earned as you progress in the game (there are 95 initial cards in total). It’s like an encyclopedia for Gundam fans and for gamers wanting to learn more about the characters and storylines they’re playing during the game.
Other offerings in this title include a very technical upgrade system for the mobile suits. As you defeat more and more enemies, you obtain plans for various mobile suit upgrades. The plans help to upgrade things like defense, offense and other little items. For a game like this, it’s nice to see some technical love applied. You also have the opportunity to unlock quite a few things, including additional pilots, mobile suits and collect cards along the way.
Nothing but positives for a game like this, though not incredibly deep as a Dynasty Warriors title might be. Still, any add-on to the initial package isn’t a bad thing.
Moving along, as for the presentation of DWGR, it’s a game of balance. While there isn’t a lot of detail to the textures of the environments, as they’re pretty bland and flat most of the time, it makes this up in depth. The environments are very expansive. The levels designed for Dynasty Warriors are giant mazes that run the gambit of different terrains. The Gundam version of this is the same, as you get space, space stations, lands and cities. Visually, there aren’t a helluva lot of details to go with such large pieces, but for aging hardware that is nearly seven years old (and very aged before it was released), it’s impressive to see the space you get to work with during battles.
What Gundam Reborn lacks in details for the environments, it makes up in the mech department as well. Pretty robot models spring up in the insane visual action. Each one with its own style of movement and grace. That’s really what you want out of a Gundam game anyway, though I could see the current generation of systems really making the entire package pretty gorgeous. It helped a lot for Dynasty Warriors 8, so it could probably really do a stunning number on the next Gundam game.
Until then, you’ll have to enjoy the goods you got in front of you.
What else should you expect from the title? One new element for a Gundam game, literally the first time it has happened in the U.S., is the inclusion of English subtitles instead of an English dub. That means you get Japanese dialogue. I’m a huge fan of subtitles (no, you read that right), so this was a welcomed sight. Since my first viewing of Super Dimensional Fortress Macross in the early 90s, I’ve always felt that Japanese dialogue, in its natural state, works so much better than a shoddy English dub. I do understand that Gundam gaming fans might cringe a bit without the beautiful dubbed dialogue from previous titles, but personally I’m glad they did this for DWGR. I hope this trend continues. Regardless, prepare yourself for reading and fighting, if you purchase the game.
All in all, I think that the presentation for Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn is nothing short of solid. It may not be current generation beauty, but it’s good enough to get the players in the mood to destroy some mechs.
Having said all this, is this worth the price of admission? If the asking price is $39.99, then absolutely. Had this been a $59.99 game, then potentially no. The price point fits the amount of content you get. The two main modes are big enough for at least 10-20 hours of gameplay, depending on your dedication and drive, so that warrants a $39.99 price tag. If there had been an online mode for players to go head-to-head or other elements that usually come with action/adventure games these days, then maybe the $59.99 would have been worth it. As it stands, it’s priced at a good place that is appropriate for the overall package.