In Japan, Gundam is everywhere.  It’s literally impossible to walk two steps in Tokyo without encountering some sort of franchised product featuring the giant robot-themed series.  There are more Gundam console video games than versions of Madden or Call of Duty (by far), and they continue to sell despite the franchise being over 30 years old.  The arcades are no exception, having received several franchise titles of their own.   Up until now, recent home ports of these titles (such as Gundam vs. Gundam and Gundam vs. Gundam NEXT) have been relegated to the PSP, but now it’s finally time for the PS3 to get some giant robot lovin’.  Wow, that sounded wrong.

Title: Kidou Senshi Gundam Extreme VS.
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Arena Combat
Price: 8380 JPY (approx. $105)                                                                                                                                                                                 
Pros: Great translation of a competent arcade arena fighter in the Gundam franchise.  Lots of mobile suits to choose from.
Cons: It’s an arcade game, so there isn’t much variety to the gameplay.       
Verdict: A great console translation of a series that up until now has been relegated to portable systems.

Purchased by reviewer.

Gundam Extreme VS is a PS3 port of the arcade game of the same name – an arena fighter featuring a large array of mobile suits from various sagas in the Gundam Universe.   Players are tasked in each stage with wiping out a group of enemy mobile suits (either a CPU force or a force of opposing players) before they are taken out themselves.   Comparisons to other popular arena fighters such as the Virtual On series are inevitable, and Extreme VS compares quite favorably.  The basic controls are relatively simple, consisting of a primary (melee) attack, secondary attack, boost, and target change.  Pressing combinations of buttons can trigger a subweapon or special attacks, and more advanced maneuvers such as guarding, countering, cancelling, and issuing orders to CPU allies are also available.    The presence of these advanced techniques in the game elicits the feeling of a a modern competitive fighting game – and indeed, with the competition available in Japan’s game centers, that can certainly be the case.

With nearly 60 selectable mobile suits (and more on the way via DLC) there’s no shortage of character variety.  Many suits control differently, with some focusing on close combat and others excel at peppering far away opponents with lasers.    Some suits have a wider variety of abilities than others, and not all suits are created equal.   Similar to fighters like Capcom vs. SNK 2, character selection is “weighted” .  Each mobile suit has a “resource” cost associated with piloting it – ranging from 1000 to 3000 points – with more powerful suits generally commanding a higher cost.  This “resource” cost of a suit has a dramatic effect on battle, because battles are won in Gundam Extreme VS by depleting a meter tied to that cost.  Each player’s resource meter begins at 6000 points, and is reduced each time a player or CPU ally is destroyed on the field.   This means that a player commandeering a 3000-point suit doesn’t get many chances to respawn and will have to play far more carefully than a player piloting a cheaper suit.

In addition to the basic arcade mode, which allows players to select from several different paths, each with a different variety of stages and opponents, a robust online mode is included to support competitive play.  Other offline modes include a mission mode that tasks players with defeating numbers of opponents over a set of varying conditions (such as reduced life, specific character selection, use of certain moves, etc.)

Gundam Extreme VS is truly an anime fan’s dream come true.  With a solid gameplay engine, meaty arcade mode, massive mission mode, and diverse online options, there’s no shortage of gameplay to be had.  For players not familiar with Japanese, the game’s action-oriented arcade nature makes navigating the menus a snap.  The graphics are gorgeous for an arena fighter and are very faithful to the source material.    For completionists, most of the trophies are locked away in Mission Mode, which can be a little frustrating at times.  However, Gundam Extreme VS is truly a wild ride.  If you can handle the painful dollar-to-yen exchange rate, this is one import title that shouldn’t be missed.  “Gundam Fight, All Set!  Ready……GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

GrE Grade:  A-

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