The concept behind Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM is bulletproof - take the mindless button mashing of one series and replace its army of Chinese supermen with towering robots. Instead of one invincible leader commanding a horde of brain-dead human helpers, you play as one invincible walking tank commanding a horde of brain-dead Zaku. At least it's not another Dynasty Warriors game, right?
And as it turns out, the fact that humans have been booted out to make way for the vast universe of Gundam mobile suits might be enough to make this worth getting lost in. Even as we tire of relentlessly bashing on attack buttons to mow down soldier after enemy soldier, doing so with a rushing platoon of gun-toting robot assassins feels totally different from the same old routine. Sparkly graphics show each felled enemy break apart in a shower of cracked armor and electrified insides, while the inhuman movements of your chosen Gundam propel it into the air or across the battlefield at high speeds. Basically, it looks like Dynasty Warriors, it plays like Dynasty Warriors, but it doesn't feel as played out as Dynasty Warriors.
The game offers two modes of play, one for anyone to jump in and start trashing 'bots (Original), and another for series fanatics to relive the events of the Universal Century (Official). What makes the Original mode so accessible? Simple - it's a totally made-up scenario that mixes characters from six different Gundam worlds. You could get lost in all the details and improbabilities of such an encounter, but it's much easier to just kick back and watch the sparks fly. Which series made the cut? Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Turn A Gundam, Mobile Fighter G Gundam, Zeta and ZZ. The last one, in case you're wondering if we were falling asleep, is pronounced Double Zeta.
