''Dynasty Warriors: Gundam'', originally released in Japan as , is a 2007

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

based on the ''

Gundam is a Japanese military science fiction media franchise. Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise (now Bandai Namco Filmworks), the franchise features giant robots, or mecha, with the name "Gundam". The franchise began on April 7, 1979, with ...

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

series. It was developed by

Omega Force (stylised as ''ω-Force'') is a Japanese video game developer and a division of Koei Tecmo, founded in 1996 by Akihiro Suzuki and Kenichi Ogasawara, and is best known for the ''Dynasty Warriors'' video games. History Omega Force was founded ...

and published by

Namco Bandai Games is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game video game publisher, publisher, and the video game branch of the wider Bandai Namco Holdings group. Founded in 2006 as it is the successor to Namco's home and arcade video game ...

. Its gameplay is derived from Koei's ''

Dynasty Warriors is a series of Japanese hack and slash action video games created by Omega Force and Koei (now Koei Tecmo). The series is a spin-off of Koei's turn-based strategy '' Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' series, based upon the Chinese novel of ...

'' and ''

Samurai Warriors is the first title in the series of hack and slash video games created by Koei's Omega Force team based closely around the Sengoku ("Warring States") period of Japanese history and is a sister series of the ''Dynasty Warriors'' series, releas ...

'' series. The "Official Mode" of the game is based primarily on the

Universal Century is a Japanese military science fiction media franchise. Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise (now Bandai Namco Filmworks), the franchise features giant robots, or mecha, with the name "Gundam". The franchise began on April 7, 1979, with ' ...

timeline, with

mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japan ...

from ''

Mobile Suit Gundam , also retrospectively known as ''First Gundam'', ''Gundam 0079'' or simply ''Gundam '79'', is a Japanese anime television series produced by Nippon Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Na ...

'', ''

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam is a 1985 Japanese television anime series, the second installment in the ''Gundam'' franchise, and a sequel to the original ''Mobile Suit Gundam''. The show was created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, with character designs by Yoshikazu ...

'', and ''

Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ is the third installment in Sunrise's long running '' Gundam'' franchise and the last TV series in the franchise released in Japan's Shōwa period. A direct follow up to '' Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam'', it is directed and written by Yoshiyuki ...

'' appearing in the game, as well as a few units from '' Mobile Suit Variation'' and '' Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory'' appearing as non-playable enemy units. The "Original Mode" of the game also features mecha from the non-UC series ''

Mobile Fighter G Gundam ''Mobile Fighter G Gundam'', also known in Japan as (and commonly referred to as simply ''G Gundam''), is a 1994 Japanese animated television series produced by Sunrise and the fifth installment in the long-running ''Gundam'' franchise ...

'', ''

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing ''Mobile Suit Gundam Wing'', also known in Japan as , is a 1995 Japanese mecha anime series directed by Masashi Ikeda and written by Katsuyuki Sumizawa. It is the sixth installment in the '' Gundam'' franchise, taking place in the "Afte ...

'' and ''

Turn A Gundam , also stylized as ''∀ Gundam'', is a 1999 Japanese mecha anime series produced by Sunrise (company), Sunrise, and aired between 1999 and 2000 on Fuji Television and other Fuji Network System, FNS stations. It was created for the ''Gunda ...

''. A newly designed non- SD

Musha Gundam is a media franchise that spawned from the ''Gundam'' franchise. SD Gundam takes the mecha (and characters) from Gundam and expresses them in a super deformed and anthropomorphic style. Overview SD Gundam originated from a contributed illus ...

Hajime Katoki is a Japanese mecha designer. A member of the studio Sunrise, he worked on the ''Gundam'' series as well as his work on video games, such as the '' Virtual On'' series and '' Policenauts''. Biography Born in 1963, Katoki created designs for ...

is also included. The game was originally released on March 1, 2007 in Japan for the

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...

with the name ''Gundam Musou''. A North American version was released on August 28, 2007, for both the

and the

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...

under the name ''Dynasty Warriors: Gundam'' with English localization by

AltJapan Co., Ltd. AltJapan Co., Ltd. is a Tokyo based company specializing in the translation and localization of Japanese entertainment. It is particularly active in manga and game localization, video game localization. It specializes in Japanese-to-English and E ...

''Dynasty Warriors: Gundam'' is the second next-gen ''Gundam'' game released in North America, following '' Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire''. A Japanese Xbox 360 version was released in Japan on October 25, 2007 under the name of ''Gundam Musou International''. Unlike the Japanese

edition, ''Gundam Musou International'' features both Japanese and English voice overs. An expanded port for

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

called ''Gundam Musou Special'' was released on February 28, 2008 in Japan, featuring new scenarios and mobile suits.

Gameplay

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam follows in the style of previous

games as an action-oriented hack 'n' slash with some tactical elements. The biggest difference between ''Dynasty Warriors: Gundam'' and Koei's Dynasty Warriors series is the core content; rather than using characters and story from the novel

Romance of the Three Kingdoms ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD and ...

, the games draw their material from across the various Gundam anime series. Every mobile suit and pilot has their own strengths and abilities, and the player is given both ranged and melee combat options. If the two types of combat are used together, they create combos that are unique for every suit-pilot combination. The single-player mode of ''Dynasty Warriors: Gundam'' is divided into two sections, Official Mode and Original Mode. Official Mode features six playable characters in stages set within the continuity of the Gundam Universal Century timeline. More specifically, they are events taken from the original ''Mobile Suit Gundam'' television series and its sequels ''Zeta Gundam'' and ''ZZ Gundam''. Original Mode, by contrast, features an original, non-canonical storyline in which teams of mobile suit pilots composed of the three aforementioned Universal Century series and three alternate universe series (''G Gundam'', ''Gundam Wing'' and ''Turn-A Gundam'') investigate a mysterious planet headed on a collision course with Earth. In both Official and Original Mode, some characters will switch from one mobile suit to another for certain stages. Depending on the mode, players can choose pilots and

independent of each other, allowing the ability to use any combination of man and machine. Completing a character's Original Mode will allow the player to replay any of the stages from that character's Official Mode using any unlocked mobile suit and vice versa. Certain characters can be unlocked in original mode only by completing another original mode character's story. Something that long time Gundam fans will appreciate is Official Mode's "Outcome feature". The outcome feature gives you the chance to save or spare certain pilots or allies of their predetermined deaths, for example: Saving Emma Sheen before her Mobile Suit is destroyed or too damaged will allow her to be involved in battles that she originally would not have been a part of (like Emma joining the Drop on Jaburo instead of staying on board the Argama). Each mission is made up of a main objective which is then broken down into smaller ones that need to be accomplished under a time limit.

Sequels

'' Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2'' and '' Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3'' are tactical action video games based on the Gundam anime series, and the sequels to 2007's ''Dynasty Warriors: Gundam''. ''Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2'' was released in Japan on December 18, 2008, April 21, 2009 in North America, and in Europe on April 24, 2009. '' Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3'' was released on December 16, 2010 in Japan, June 28, 2011 in North America, July 1, 2011 in Europe, and it was released in Australia on July 12, 2011. A fourth title, ''Shin Gundam Musou'' was released on December 19, 2013 in Japan for

and

PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, then in other international territories on February 22, 2012, and was produced ...

, and was released in North America on July 1, 2014 and Europe on June 27, 2014 as ''Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn''. The Western release, however, is only for PlayStation 3 and only a digital-download release for North America. It also has no English audio track, a first for a Gundam game released in North America.

Reception

On the first day of its release, the Japanese version (''Gundam Musou'') sold over a 100,000 copies, making it the first PS3 title to do so on its first day. Also, the game sold about 70 percent of its 170,000 -180,000 launch day shipments, making it rank third in overall sales — after ''

Ridge Racer 7 is a 2006 racing video game developed and published by Namco Bandai Games for the PlayStation 3. An installment in the ''Ridge Racer'' series, it is an enhanced version of Xbox 360 exclusive '' Ridge Racer 6'' with more content, releasing as a l ...

'' and '' Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire''. Japanese game magazine ''

Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...

'' gave the game a total score of 33 out of 40. English reviews were lukewarm.

GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...

and

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

gave it a score of 61% and 60 out of 100 for the PS3 version, and 58% and 55 out of 100 for the Xbox 360 version. As of July 9, 2008, the game has sold 275,812 copies in Japan.''

'', volume 1020

References

External links

* {{Video Games of Gundam 2007 video games Action games Bandai Namco games Crowd-combat fighting games Dynasty Warriors Gundam video games Koei games Koei Tecmo franchises Multiplayer and single-player video games PlayStation 2 games PlayStation 3 games THQ games Video games about mecha Video games developed in Japan Xbox 360 games