[Review]GUNDAM VERSUS

[Marv3Lシ]

Back in 2010, Bandai Namco wanted to reboot its Gundam Versus series on more modern hardware. This was because the previous games in the series despite being good were functionally quite limited. The publisher called in Byking and the Gundam Extreme Versus games were born. This new release then tries and mostly succeeds in paying homage to those games.

The first Gundam Extreme Versus hit the Japanese arcades at the end of 2010. The game used the Namco System 357 board and that meant a PS3 port was on the cards. The following year, Bandai Namco released the entirely expected PS3 port of the game and that’s where things diverged.

In the past, the Gundam Versus games tended to come Westward, such as during the PS2 era. However, with the release of Gundam Extreme Versus on PS3 that didn’t happen. While the host console was region free and it didn’t stop importers getting the game, it did still limit the game's wider Western audience.

This was then followed up a few years later with Gundam Extreme Versus Full Boost in the Japanese arcades and again later on PS3. This too was Japan only and then Bandai Namco did something weird.

It was clear that there was some Western demand for this series and that in turn birthed Rise of Incarnates on PC. This was effectively the same 2 vs 2 multiplayer setup from Gundam Extreme Versus, just minus any Gundams and also free-to-play. It obviously died very quickly and many wondered when Bandai Namco would release the Gundam Extreme Versus games abroad.

 

After Full Boost, Byking left the series to Bandai Namco and it produced Gundam Extreme Versus Maxiboost in the arcades with the same engine and assets. This was then quickly followed up by Gundam Extreme Versus Maxiboost ON, which featured online multiplayer in the arcades. Neither of these versions saw a console release.

However, we did receive a strange Vita game called Gundam Extreme Versus Force but that was not exactly what Western fans of the series had hoped for.

So now, we come to this all-new Gundam Versus game on PS4. Byking’s involvement is but a distant memory at this point but it is very much in the spirit of the Gundam Extreme Versus games they made and it is finally coming Westward.

Before that though, the game has been released in Japan and I have been playing the Premium G Sound Edition quite a lot and for the most part, this is the game Western fans have been waiting for but with a few caveats.

To understand what Gundam Versus is all about, you first need to go back to the previous games. In that, what changed up the Gundam Extreme Versus games over its precursors was how it broke down movement and allowed players to enact feints.

Previously, you had a boost gauge and you could simply fly around and orbit a selected enemy. Up close, things got a bit tedious as whoever charged first would likely get slammed as their opponent would dodge and counterattack. What’s more, there was no real penalty attached to boosting around. Except that when you ran out of boost energy, you would have to wait for it to recharge.

The games were fun though and had quite a following but what Byking did was to go back to games like Virtual On and structured how the game allowed the player to move around.

This is because in Virtual On you can misstep an opponent. Each dash you do has a fixed length and vector but what makes each dash a risk is that there is a movement freeze upon its completion. This means you have a dance of players trying to get a clear shot when their enemy is frozen at the end of their dash.

Byking took this end of dash movement freeze and used it in the Gundam Extreme Versus games and that gave the combat more structure. Admittedly, it was not as stringent as the dash freeze in Virtual On but it was still present and it had a similar though reduced effect.

As for close combat, Byking did something new by allowing players to cancel out of the way of incoming attacks. This feint could also be used at range but had less of an effect.

The feint massively reinvigorated the close combat setup and kept players on their toes. This was because if you closed in for an attack your enemy could take the bait and try to dodge as well as counterattack. With the feint in place, this meant you could dodge out of the way of that counterattack and return one of your own. The result of this is that it produced a more aggressive set of tactics and forced players to openly engage more.

What tied these two systems together was the player’s boost gauge. Used for dashing and enacting feints, it was the lifeblood of the game as it rationed out movement. Maxing out your boost gauge would also have the player drop to the ground and recharge, leaving you again prone to attack.

The additional switch up mechanic to again keep opponents second guessing their targets was that you could initiate Extreme mode. This refilled your boost and weapons gauges as well as gave you a speed and attack boost. This meant you could turn the tables in the heat of the fight by activating Extreme mode and letting loose on your attacker.

The results of all these changes turned a solid arcade multiplayer game into a thoroughbred versus juggernaut and produced a sizeable community in the Japanese arcades.

When it comes to this new Gundam Versus game, it may not have an arcade version anymore, as it is currently exclusive to the PS4, but it is definitely following on from the earlier releases from Byking.

Knowing all of above is important in lieu of this new Gundam Versus game, as you need to understand where this game is coming from and what it is trying to imitate.

Essentially, this Gundam Versus plays like the previous Gundam Extreme Versus games with all of the above present and correct. Even the basic moves lists of each of the game’s mobile suits are very similar. The only real major changes, if you can call them that, are a new downward dash and updated support units called Strikers.

The downward dash is done by flicking a direction on the right analog stick. The reason this move now exists is that the game speed is slightly slower across the board and that means the drop down to the ground leaves you more prone. The downward dash shortcuts this and allows you to refill your boost gauge.

The second update is more of an old feature given a facelift. In that, in previous games, some mobile suits had support units. Now called Strikers, these support units can be customized and selected for every mobile suit. Initially, you start out with not many Strikers to choose from but over time and as you unlock more, the repertoire at your disposal is impressive and useful.

The unlocking setup is tied into two systems, experience and GP. The more you play with each mobile suit; it will gain experience and eventually level up. At certain levels, you can choose to buy certain upgrades, such as additional pilots and Strikers. The currency in the game is GP and is awarded from almost everything.

However, for most people, the initial experience and GP gathering will come from the game’s singleplayer modes. These are Ultimate Battle, a horde type mode with waves of enemies, and Trial Battle mode, similar to the Arcade and Mission modes from the previous games where you do routes of stages.

The Trial Battle stages range from very easy to extremely difficult, with experience and GP rewards to match. You often get all manner of bosses from across the pantheon of Gundam and these can be a lot of fun to go up against.

When it comes to online, you can play things like Ultimate Battle co-operatively, but the main online setup is currently Casual and Player matches, with Ranked matches coming later in an update. I have played a bit of these and for the most part, the lag seems manageable. That said there is a massive caveat attached to this; I am playing the game in Japan against Japanese opponents over an incredibly fast broadband connection. While Bandai Namco did an open beta for the game, to load test the online component, this was all done in Japan.

My concern here is that once released in the West, the game may seriously struggle with the networking side of things unless Bandai Namco does a similar open beta in the U.S. and Europe as well as ensure the game has solid servers. Western fans have waited a long time to play this game and it would be awful to see that opportunity ruined by a shoddy online multiplayer setup that hadn’t had sufficient testing and debugging for an international release.

That aside, the game is pretty much spot on to the Gundam Extreme Versus games. Admittedly, the use of the Yebis engine makes the game look a bit flat compared to Byking’s shinier and more stylized approach but it runs very smoothly throughout, so there is that at least.

The music is also done very well but some of the choices are a bit odd and the Zeta Gundam songs are absent as well. Not to mention that when the freeform jazz from Gundam Thunderbolt kicks in it does feel rather strange in a gaming context.

Overall, this is a very solid game and one that is for the most part as good as the already excellent Gundam Extreme Versus games. While there are issues with this reboot, they are minor and don’t detract from a very well executed multiplayer setup. The only real concern here is whether Bandai Namco can manage to pull off the game’s Western release, as ensuring it has a stable online component at launch is something that cannot be emphasized enough.

Even if you are not a fan of Gundam or even mecha games, Gundam Versus is a unique and complex multiplayer game that stands up on its own merits and if you play it enough, you may even end up a Newtype.

Gundam Versus is currently available on PS4 in Japan and will be released in the West on September 29.

Update: I have since played through the U.S. version of Gundam Versus and the above review still stands. In addition, the online component is more stable than I was expecting, as I have had to connect to matches internationally as well.