![]() ![]() When Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3 hits its peak it generates a transcendent freneticism where instinct takes over. Especially when they're levelled and configured, thanks to a surprisingly meaty and satisfying interpretation of each suit's features into the Musou combat language. And the action is superb - the Gundam universe has always created devastatingly cool and impressive robot suits, so to command them in action with a lovely cel-shaded effect is a delight. In the grand panoply of Musou titles, Dynasty Warriors Gundam differentiated itself by adding some new combat mechanics from the start. The core joy of any Musou title is the fighting. Playing on Hard will reap huge rewards and far better plans, but it's genuinely hard and unless you're well-versed and well-equipped, you will be utterly destroyed. You might start off on Easy difficulty and take the quickest route to defeating the boss, but taking the time to clear every zone on the map will give you more cash and mecha plans (the means of creating more powerful base stats for each suit) and aid your overall progress. It's not really a case of blindly levelling up the mecha to deal with bigger crowds, but using that increased power to make your run faster and cleaner, or more comprehensive. As you unlock stages that are increasingly dense with enemies, the demand on technique increases. You have one clear overall objective, so every single run you make is about improving your competence at completing that objective. They're about efficiency, or rather the quest for more of it. These games aren't about rollercoaster excitement or cinematic action. Naturally, each stage's objective is the same - clear enough of the enemy to coax out the stage's boss and then defeat it - but this uniformity is far more a strength than a weakness. Quite why this dizzying freedom and complexity was allowed for the Gundam universe is unclear, but it's a shake-up of convention (and a delightfully playful implementation of IP) that's so rare in gaming that I think it's genuinely unique. Brilliantly, any unlocked skill can be applied to any mecha or pilot, provided they have the slots. ![]() There are also a lot of Gundam suits to unlock, and most of them become remarkably badass given the necessary investment. Customisation options allow specialisation in a system that does away with any overt classing, and sacred storyline laws are dissolved in much the same manner as within the Warriors Orochi games. Secondly, the Gundam mecha work as vehicles that can be upgraded and then democratised for any pilot character to use. These objectives are also dynamically selected. Capturing enough zones tips the tide and prompts the boss to appear, but secondary objectives offer additional rewards. Firstly, the game's stages are mostly dynamically generated for each play-through and can feature a number of zones that have dramatic effects on the overall battle. It can be a leisurely romp in big robots or a bastard-hard fight for survival, and Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3 never takes away your option to decide which end of the spectrum you want to play. It's a title that offers an impressive curve of progress and longevity, where the endgame clears away any restriction on pilot and mecha choice, and where the degree of challenge is entirely the player's to decide. It's a game that places player choice at the heart of matters, setting a target of optimisation and efficiency. It's actually the Musou concept abstracted and quantised into a much deeper experience that's closer to Disgaea than Dynasty Warriors tradition. After two previous games, it seemed that the third title would be business as usual. Bearing no relation whatsoever to the combat seen in the various strains of Gundam anime series, it's a curious link-up. At first glance, it's a cel-shaded hybrid of Bandai's legendary mecha universe and Dynasty Warriors' slash-happy crowd clearing. It's akin to saying racing games are just pressing two buttons and moving left and right to be faster than everyone else, or that shoot 'em-ups are nothing but holding down the fire button and avoiding bullets.ĭynasty Warriors Gundam 3 was released in 2010 and found its way to European shores in 2011. This is, perhaps, the most reductively shallow and inaccurate appraisal in video games history. You do this over and over until the game has nothing left to give, and that's that. When you've duffed up enough of them, you've won. ![]() You're some powerful warrior, you run around chopping at large groups of cannon fodder, then beat up some tougher opponents with names over their head. It's often assumed that all of Tecmo Koei's Musou titles are largely the same game. ![]()
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