Gundam second game not yet there
Previously, I reviewed Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3, which set the stage for me to try the others in the series. Little did I know, I would be learning a valuable lesson: Not every popular franchise will always have best-sellers. An excellent example would be Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2.
Gundam 2 follows the same roster of characters in various entries in the Gundam universe, including some characters and mobile suits that were only featured in Gundam movies. To compensate for a lack of a storyline, DWG2 has two modes: Story, where you can play as one of a select group of characters from their respective Gundam series; and, Mission, where you choose a character with various missions set in the universal century timeline and you can interact with various characters from other series. As you move along, you gain experience points to increase your level and collect various mobile suit parts. There is also a chance to earn new skills just like DWG3 as you advance to higher levels.
Gundam 2 also special missions where you can fight against other opponents to earn licenses to pilot different suits, earn the trust of other characters to fight beside you and acquire higher-level parts for mobile suits. The mobile suit lab and terminal features help you to keep up with changing events and current developments with different mobile suits.
What I like about Gundam 2 is that every character is legit in the Gundam universe, which made me wonder if I saw the actual Gundam series with that character. Also, the opening cinema was high quality, showing off the minor suits such as GMs and Zakus, who were observing the OG RX-78, Strike Freedom and Nu Gundam suits doing battle while the Sazabi and Psycho Gundam lurked in the shadows. Additionally, I also appreciated Namco Bandai, Sunrise and Koei retaining the original English voice actors to reprise their respective characters; this gives DWG2 the needed credibility as an official Gundam video game.
However, despite the good, the bad parts stick out like sore thumbs. When I try to fight in other battlefields, I’m restricted in moving, which weakens my attacks, and leaves me vulnerable. Also, the in-game camera was VERY unhelpful, especially in boss fights with giant enemies where I was piloting my mobile suit on low energy while running and avoiding attacks by giant enemies like Psycho Gundam, Big Zam, and Queen Mansa. I also found certain parts of the game have unrealistic time limits to fight enemies to achieve certain objectives. Finally, I found the biggest insult to me as a Gundam fan was the graphics; these feel like cheap knock-off paint jobs of Gundam and lower-rank mobile suits alike. To be fair, the associated pilots look like their anime counterparts, but the suits were not given the same treatment. Unfortunately, I would also be remiss if I did not include the LONG wait to obtain skills, unlike in DWG3. I could unlock and purchase new skills in addition to leveling up characters more efficiently via training sessions in the latter game’s shop.
There are hits and misses that the quality assurance teams should have noticed, but there are bright spots such as music and voice acting being excellent. I would still play Gundam 2 when I have free time, but Bandai Namco did such a rush job on it that I feel justified almost not recommending it. I’m just glad that DWG3 is a far superior product and sticks to the essentials that make Gundam, well, Gundam. Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 is on the way but not quite there.