Namco Bandai and Koei collaborated on Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM, a new project that tag-teams one of the world's most popular anime franchises with the well-known beat-em-up series. So far, the game looks like a success -- a far better success than previous Gundam releases, anyway.

In Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM, players choose from various freedom fighters, each fully prepared for combat with their own, armed Gundam droid. They get whisked throughout the galaxy, attempting to bring peace to certain regions by removing occupying enemy forces. Every Gundam suit comes equipped with a series of ranged and melee attacks. Players can come in swinging to perform combos or they can fire lasers from further away to bring down enemies; most soldiers fall pretty quickly. However, an occasional boss character pops up, posing even more of a threat.

The gameplay, at this stage in development, works just as well as it does in previous Dynasty Warriors games. Does it get repetitive? Yes, but the ability to choose between various Gundam suits works in the player's favor; if he or she tires of a particular character, they can try out another. Furthermore, they can also turn on the jet boosters and work their way through a level much more quickly, rather than walking everywhere. These come in handy for rapid attacks as well.

Unlike previous Gundam games, Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM bases itself more closely around characters within the anime-themed universe. Each of the game's characters follows a specific storyline, running into certain enemies that pose a particular threat to them. This adds heavily to the replay value, enabling players to re-try missions with a new perspective to see how it could otherwise play out. They may even access an area they weren't able to reach before with a previous character.

Developer Omega Force did an adequate job with the presentation. One particular level takes the Gundam forces through a lava-filled quarry, with little reddish effects, glowing lights and small evaporation bursts. Players figure out rather easily which areas can and cannot be accessed, thanks to an easy-to-navigate map system and neon-lit walls that separate the grids. The Gundams animate very well, specifically when they perform special attacks. Most of the enemies don't move around that much (they just sit around and wait to do a random attack -- unless they get killed first), but the huge enemy count on-screen looks impressive, without a trace of slowdown. The audio portion of the game consists of a decent soundtrack and a good amount of dialogue. It sounds pretty good, better than the overacting heard in previous Dynasty Warriors games.

In addition, Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM contains several modes to keep players hacking away. The Official Mode follows the Gundam storyline front to back, which should prove to be a big mainstay for anime fans. An Original Mode will also be included, but Namco Bandai didn't break down how it works. A Versus Mode will be thrown in as well, pitting Gundam against Gundam for universal superiority. Unfortunately, the game won't have any online support for battles over Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. Additional modes should be revealed during E3.

Thus far, Dynasty Warriors: Gundam looks intriguing and we can't wait for the U.S. version. Look for an update here on GameDaily the week of E3.

Related Links

Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM Game Guide

Namco Bandai Games