Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme VS (Import Review)

Mobile Suit Gundam is one of the most beloved franchises in anime history. However the series hasn't always adapted well in the gaming world. Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme VS is the latest edition in the Gundam VS series. Is this new edition worth the import? Or does this fall in line with horrible Gundam games.

Story - Due to the genre of this game it does not contain a story mode.

Gameplay - Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme VS consists of four modes Arcade, Co-op, Trial Mission and Online. In arcade mode you pick which mobile suit you want to pilot and what pathway you want to choose. For example I will pick Heero Yuy piloting Wing Zero I would then be assigned a partner by the cpu. From there I have a choice of which section I want to choose 1A, 2A, 3A, all the way to 8. Each section has it's own difficulty, stages and challengers. Each mobile suit has they own unique moves, specials and support. The combat system can range from easy to hard depending on which mobile suit you choose. The game made sure to keep true to the strengths and weakness of each mobile suit, which can be frustrating for some gamers. Don't expect the original Gundam suit that Amuro piloted to best the mobile suit of Zex Marquees with just pressing your buttons. Some mobile suits can fly or have faster speed and some have more powerful beam weaponry or a stronger sword. It's really fun to find out which mobile suit will work for you especially when the game packs a huge rosters of characters from almost every single Gundam series or movie from "Gundam Seed" to "Mobile Suit Gundam Stardust Memory" and more. You will spend a lot of time using different suits, perfecting moves and finding the one that works best for you. The combat is simple to use, you have your primary gun, and your melee attacks and depending on your mobile suit you can also called for support. In single players mode you have an A.I. partner which you can give commands too, to either fight freely or help your fight your opponent. The A.I. partner is usually helpful, but sometimes they will allow you to get double team which can be frustrating on the harder difficulty. 




Arcade mode when completed has some unlockables like secret characters that you will be able to use, other than that it really doesn't offer too much. Trail mission offers a little more for your buck. You complete missions and will be able to upgrade your mobile suits from weapons, power, melee and more.

Graphics - The graphics follow the same formula and elements as previous installments, notably the PSP version with the use of cel shaded environments and more of a cartoon style approach. It works for this arcade melee style game. Each mobile suit looks exactly the way it should and you might notice some locations from previous games and Gundam shows.




Sound - If one thing all Gundam games do right is the sound. The game packs tons of music from your favorite Gundam series from opening themes to insert songs. The voice acting is top of the line with some returning cast members reprising they voices. Only thing I didn't like is that "Promised Land" by Nami Tamaki wasn't included it's one of my favorite Gundam songs.

Replay Vaule - With mobile suits to unlock, a trial mission that will upgrade your Gundams and multi-player mode you will be playing this game for a while. It offers enough challenge for you want to keep playing, and the online mode is fun too, however it's difficult to get on if you don't understand Japanese.

Final Grade C+/7.5 - Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme VS is a decent game, it offers up a challenge and gives fans what they desire giant robots beating each other up. Import wise though I would say only buy it if it's cheap, it offers only four main modes and if you want to play online you better know Japanese. The game is fun to play, the music is pure fan service and you will love using some of your favorite mobile suits, however I can only recommend this one to the die hard Gundam fans.