The game tries to bring some innovative features along other imported ones from similar games, but does not succeed by any mean in making them original and praise worthing. It just feels like an amalgam of concepts packed in an over rushed product scheduled for a late time birth console (like it was the case for PS3).

To start with the beginning (the plot). There isn't much to say, just that same old conflict of intergalactic proportions between “ Principality of Zeon Forces” and “ Earth Federation Forces”. Maybe it's because of the presentation (textual, spoken, graphical), unfolding of war drama or just my subjective impression, but this Gundam's franchise new child simply does not induce a war feel at all ( it just put me in automaton mode; throwing me outside the cycle from time to time by those aggravating gameplay problems that Gundam abundantly has, swearing and blaspheming all real and imaginary gods ).

The only good thing about the script is that you can choose any side you want to fight the war with, and see from both perspectives how the war reveals itself. A war that resumes “to protect own base/storm enemy” base with total disregard to real complex tactics a proper war has. It is strange that the game offers the platform for support troops (in whatever mission you choose to put your robot feet in) and not make full use of them. What i am trying to say, is that i don't understand why military degrees are awarded to the player and support troops if you can't make your inferior comrades to do some dirt pushups ( in an authority test) ; you simply cannot communicate with your support squad on the battlefield ( giving/receiving orders). The only interactions you have with them is bulleting their head when you carefully trying to zoom on a target and those so called support troops bump into you like a trusty sheep flock. Another one might be when you have to change the injured pilot from support-mechs and jaw some new ins pilots, and then switch to the ass whipping routine for the replaced ones.

An idea I liked (although it isn't a premiere) that has a touch of reality attached to it, is the “next turn” time elapsing feature. In this way temporal dimension is added to the war. So whether you choose to upgrade, repair, buy a new mobile suit, request a pilot for support/wait for pilot to heal , a day is usually needed for these tasks to be done. What's cool about this “next turn=one day advance in time” is that it keeps (some sort) track of your missing from action and translates it into the war scenario. It does that by deleting some assignments if you skip the front to much because of: lots of insecureness regarding your persona (upgrade after upgrade of your mobile suit), incompetence (detached head, limbs from you robot) that need a number of days of repairing, or you simply cycle through missions (due to boredom and linearity of missions) in search of that special something.

The maintenance and stuff to be put on/in available mobile suits takes part in 'Hangar'. Your mobile suit can be subjected to combat type changes (“normal”-boost time up, “heavy”-attack/defense up, ”desert”, ”marine”). The other three major configuration aspects through which your mobile suit can be upgraded are: attack, weapon and defense . An increment by one in weapon level translates into more ammunition at disposal for the available weapons. At every couple of level increments, new weapons are given to the player (main/sub guns, melee or special weapons) which should give you the upper hand against the opposing forces.

The pilots that handle those robots hold six main characteristics (level, experience, status, melee, ranged, reflex) that makes-up the overall individual competence (through a seventh one, namely 'the military degree'), while points awarded after a successful sortie will dictate with what (robot configuration) are you able to come up in the next mission.

What struck me at first, when Gundam just passed the 'new game' mode and my Zaku 2 robot engaged into combat, was how good the robots were looking. Once that few seconds interval ended, and the phase where i had to control this “metal beauty” followed , the thought on my mind was to reach the nearby Xbox 360 controller. The game surely has the most bizarre and annoying movement/aiming/camera angles of past/recent titles i have played since involved in this game testing and reviewing job. From this reason melee attacks (although very effective) are so difficult to put in practice. From what i perceived, those camera angles and perspectives that wanna show how shinny and polished are the 2006 edition Gundam mechs ( with some nasty repercussions regarding gameplay), simply spells cockiness.

And if so much attention was given to the appearance of the mechs, why not make it complete and translate that creativity potential into the battlefield representation too. I was utterly disappointed of how PS1/PS2 everything looked (besides the robots). Come on, it's a certitude that PS 3 has the grunt to perform under more demanding conditions, but why Sony corporation bother with such titles for their new product, is if not questionable, surely weird.

So what if you can dig out trees, destroy hangars and ammunition depots, if those destructible items are so repetitive in placement ( one square base after another) and so badly rendered, plus the bothering produced by constant stuttering; it just makes you wonder why those 5 kilos of Playstation 3 are sitting on your desk and how the purchasing amount of money you spent on Gundam might have been used in a more constructive and non mood dropping activity.

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Gameplay: 42%

There are a few good ins that Gundam brings. One thing that surely will prove useful is the 'autolock' mode. Without this feature you' ll probably give Gundam 'Blue-ray Disk' some hefty aggression marks. Another aspect of the game i liked is the interesting approach enemy forces had when meeting me on the battlefield: shooting for my robot head (to disrupt my radar and target identification), or shooting for the superior limbs to detach them (cutting my offensive capabilities to virtually zero, because you know.... weapons are held in arms). So this system actually works pretty well. Still, the best part regarding the reality inclined aspects of the game, has to be the 'next turn' feature which to some extent dismounts that shallow appearance the game initially had.

The bad parts regarding gameplay are not necessarily plenty, but pregnant. Sluggish controls , short repetitive missions, support troops not used to full potential, and so on.

Graphics: 57%

The only thing that kept me playing for a reasonable 8 hours were the pretty good looking mobile suits. Besides this mildly positive aspect everything simply sucks. The renderization of environments (water, trees, grounds) and explosions simply makes this game obsolete right from the start.

Sound: 54%

Voice acting, sound effects does little to impress, in fact it disappoints a lot. There are a couple of tunes though that deserve some attention, but that won't change the general impression it left on my ears, sub-mediocre that is.

Multiplayer:50%

Same old splitscreen versus battles is reintroduced with this occasion too. Nothing more, nothing less.