Xbox 360

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam

As previously stated, Dynasty Warriors Gundam is a game that is really more for Gundam fans. Missions are pretty repetitive and the story is impenetrable for anyone who hasn't seen the show. At the same time, sometimes a little mindless, repetitive fun is necessary - something that Dynasty Warriors Gundam provides.

Dynasty Warriors Gundam is one of those games that is really good, but will probably not appeal to people as it is too different from the norm of sports and racing. For me this is what gaming is all about, huge mech suits in endless battles, great playability and a constant urge to play just one more level.

Overall, I'd have to say that I would be disappointed if I hadn't already foreseen how this game would be. The graphics are great but below the expectations of a new generation consoles' power. The controls are great, although the camera can work against you in buildings.The bottom line is if you're smart enough to read the title, you're smart enough to know what you're buying. So anime fans play to your heart's content. I know I am!

The game should really only be purchased though by hardcore fans of both the DW franchise and the Gundam franchise. Considering what Gundam games are out there it doesn’t mean much when I say that this is the best one I have played. Even though the story modes are really confusing what this series has always relied on is the fun-factor of slicing up hundred of enemies on screen at one time, and that is what DW: Gundam does right. Enjoy it for a couple hours, do some co-op and then move on; that’s about all there is to it.

Nevertheless, a pretty good Gundam-licensed game sure as hell beats out a crappy one. Dynasty Warriors: Gundam pulls off an unexpected win for both franchises. The license is put to good use here with its various missions and good (if not great) presentation. This could be the start of a beautiful friendship, if improvements get made in just the right places.

Good (and bad) for all that it is, Dynasty Warriors: Gundam is a fun, highly polished hack-n-slash title. The genre has been repetitive from the beginning and this game does nothing to change that. For that reason – and the game’s simplicity (press X to win) – most gamers will want to opt for a rental before making a purchase.

So be very weary of this title; it's definitely not good, but it's not terrible, either. It can be fun at times, and leveling your pilots up does encourage multiple play throughs, but this game is much more suitable for Gundam enthusiasts than the average gamer. And by the way, fighting on a massive, 2D plane is not sufficient for space combat. There. We said it. Okay fangirls, you can go drool over Heero Yuy, now.

The game presents an experience not unlike that of previous Dynasty Warriors iterations. Nothing groundbreaking has been done to the gameplay yet the game itself feels like it possesses a better pace. The standard Mobile Suits you encounter actually need to be destroyed to capture fields, whether for strategic purposes or to bring out some Ace pilot.

It's Dynasty Warriors with giant robots. If the thought of playing another Dynasty Warriors title makes you ill, then Dynasty Warriors: Gundam isn't for you. However, if you enjoy the thought of watching Kamille Bidan and Heero Yui team up to blow away an army of Zakus and Z'Goks, or if you're simply a fan of the hack-and-slash gameplay that the Dynasty Warriors franchise provides, then you could do far worse than Dynasty Warriors: Gundam. While it suffers from some balance issues, particularly involving shooting-heavy mobile suits, it's still a fun title, and a perfect addition to any Gundam or Dynasty Warriors fan's library.

If you are a long-time fan of either Dynasty Warriors or Gundam (though preferably both), you'll find plenty to entertain you in Dynasty Warriors: Gundam. For everyone else, the game is still interesting in its own way, and the arcade-style mass carnage is sure to bring a smile to the face of any gamer of a certain age. Sure, the longevity mightn't be there, but for a weekend blast of giant robot craziness, you'd find it hard to name a better alternative.

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam is nothing special, but it does deliver on exactly what we expected from the title... of course, what we expected was a mediocre and mindless but graphically gorgeous brawler. This game is good for a quick robot violence fix or if you happen to be a huge Gundam fan, but that's about it.

Repetition is the name of the game in Dynasty Warriors: Gundam. Or maybe monotony? Or boredom? It features repetitive action, monotonous scenery, and boring dialogue. It's simply a mediocre game, but it certainly has its place and draw. No hard feelings, guys.

Dynasty Warriors aficionados and Gundam geeks will be hard pressed to keep from adding the game to their respective Xbox 360 libraries. For the rest of us, though, Dynasty Warriors Gundam would probably best serve as a rental for those nights you just need a simple distraction.

It's a basic game, and the stapled-on split-screen multiplayer is the biggest testament to that. All three modes are basic and based on the single-player gameplay (to the point that two of them feature hordes of computer-controlled soldiers to mow down.) None of them are much fun. What you're left with is a basic game that follows in the horde of footsteps of the series that has come before it: it's serviceable but uninspired, and won't do much for you unless you're a big fan of either of the source materials. Predictable, right?

Dynasty Warriors Gundam is not a bad game, but it's certainly nothing special, nor will it be as fun for Warriors fans as the real thing. It's certainly challenging and will keep hack n' slash fans occupied for a few hours, but the combat can feel very loose and undefined, enemies are big fans of cheap shots and the lack of expandable fighting options is a drain. Also, Official mode is terrible and only saved by the far more enjoyable Original mode. There are far, far worse games out there, so if you're stuck for something to do one weekend and need something mindless to play, I would recommend taking this one out for a night or two.

For anyone interested in KOEI's unique style of repetitive arcade action, there really is a lot to enjoy here. While the lack of any kind of online options is a big downer, the comprehensive single player mode, simplistic, but fun multiplayer and extensive Gundam storyline and character options make this a package more that's than worthwhile for all those who find the concept appealing.

Overall, this is a Sunday afternoon rental, a hack and slash button masher for the action gamer who wants a bit of meditative combat and to perhaps work out a bad day on the job by killing 500 bad guys a mission. It’s not a game for the achievement hounds – this reviewer played the game for five hours straight on the first session, across three missions, and didn’t unlock an achievement – there are no milestone achievements for individual missions or levels; players must complete whole campaigns with each character or storyline in order to unlock achievements. The backloaded achievements, uninspired gameplay, graphical simplicity, and overall disappointing showing make this a rainy Sunday game even for fans of the Gundam universe. Sorry, fans. Maybe the next Gundam game will break the curse.

Combine that frustration with the almost insultingly shallow combat and it's hard to get too excited about jumping back into the game more than once or twice. Certainly, if you're into the Gundam story, you may find more value in the melodramatic character matchups. But for most folks, this is likely to be little more than a simple, mindless, overly repetitive diversion, offering plenty of reasons to play through multiple times, but little motivation.

On one hand, I think it's nice that the Dynasty Warriors series did something to change things up. I think everyone (even diehard DW fans) was getting very tired of the same characters in the same setting, coupled with the same button-mashing repetitive gameplay every year. I appreciate the effort to switch things up, but forming an odd union with the Gundam universe was not the way to go. This game is just as repetitive as any DW before it, but filled with a far more confusing story and featuring giant robots instead of sword-wielding warriors. Hardcore Gundam fans might want to check it out, but everyone else will be bored (or confused) out of their minds after a half-hour or so of play.

This game sold in the millions in Japan, but this says more for the popularity of Gundam than the quality of the game. North American gamers who aren’t rabid Gundam fans, or Gundam fans that demand at least a solid game experience to go with their giant robots, or even fans of the Dynasty Warriors series should approach this battle with caution – sometimes you have to pick your battles.

Dynasty Warriors Gundam est un mix entre deux séries qui n’ont, au premier abord, strictement rien à voir l’une avec l’autre. Au final, le résultat s’avère mitigé. Bien que le jeu dispose d’une durée de vie correcte, il est très répétitif, tant dans les missions à effectuer que dans le gameplay. Le mode multijoueur est amusant 10 minutes mais finit vite par lasser lui aussi. Des défauts qui rebuteront sans aucun doute ceux étrangers à l’univers de Gundam. Ce Dynasty Warriors Gundam est un jeu à réserver aux fans de la série avant tout.

Sous de nouveaux atours se cache en fait un bon gros Dynasty Warriors des familles. Autant dire que les défauts inhérents à la série ont fait le voyage et gangrènent une licence qui aurait sans doute mérité mieux. En l'état, Dynasty Warriors : Gundam ne parlera qu'aux fans absolus de la série et laissera les autres sur le carreau.

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam is not a horrible game, but Koei really should try and start to use some imagination with the Warriors series or drop it altogether as it is just old hat now and throwing in Gundam Mobile Suits to tempt us – just did not work for me. This is easily a hardcore fan aimed game and if you have loved every single Warriors series game, then I have no doubt that you will love this and would probably chase down every achievement with no problem what so ever. But for that game who has never played any of the series or has played the odd one or two… then don’t bother as in reality, the only apparent change is, you are no longer in control of an ancient Chinese Warrior, but then you may as well be as there is no other difference to make this game stand out from the crowd.

Dynasty Warriors : Gundam n'a finalement qu'un seul véritable atout pour lui, sa licence. Et c'est vrai que, pour un fan, abattre des Zakus par milliers dans un fracas de voix, de lasers et de métal froissé a de quoi fasciner, surtout que la fidélité à la série laisse sans voix, entre la reconstitution des meilleures scènes dans le mode Officiel, et la modélisation étonnante des robots d'une manière générale. La transition à la nouvelle génération n'a hélas pas effacé les éternels défauts du concept, répétitif comme jamais, faute d'environnements variés et d'une I.A. valable. Pas sûr que la rigidité de robots vedettes convainque davantage que l'anonymat des généraux chinois, en somme.

If you can tolerate endlessly replaying the same levels just to progress, light RPG elements like collecting equipment, acquiring skills, and upgrading pilot and mobile suit levels might make up for some aggravation, but even faithful fans of Gundam and Dynasty Warriors alike won't find much in the way of lasting excitement here.

The best thing you can really say about Dynasty Warriors: Gundam is that it's not broken. Apart from the camera, nothing strikes as busted or unfinished; it's just a supremely uninspired game. You could measure out the amount of thought that went into this game design inside a thimble: Take Gundams, put them in the existing Dynasty Warriors game engine, and call it a day. This game is content to leave every ounce of Dynasty Warriors' stale gameplay intact and just swap out the aesthetics. That isn't enough to make this game fun. Not nearly enough.

We couldn’t come up with a more hellish franchise pairing if there were a Game Infarcer in every single issue. This expectedly delivers the same tired Dynasty Warriors combat mixed with the ridiculous dialogue of Gundam (“You’re letting your emotions as a woman take control!”). Shooting is absolutely useless, so players will spend most of their time mashing the melee button to build up to a super move. Space battles play out exactly the same as on-foot stages, except your Gundam hovers around instead of running. And if you can trick another player into trying DWG, there’s plenty of co-op to be had – too bad it’s game over if either of you die. Please, just don’t play this.

We think possibly the low level of expectation we had when Dynasty Warriors: Gundam arrived on our doorstep may have worked in its favour. The series' common faults are still here (poor AI, terrible graphics, etc.), but as a way of releasing tension by constantly hammering the X button it kind of works. Really, the best we can say is that it's better than we expected, which isn't exactly a glowing statement, but it's proven that not all of Koei's hack-and-slash games are mind numbingly awful.

Dynasty Warriors is as stagnated as ever and now carries the weight of a niche franchise upon its back. An overhaul is long overdue.

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam is a sloppy game. The graphics and audio are below average by today's standards and the gameplay suffers from repetition, lack of strategy, and terrible pacing. Both game franchises have their own reputations to uphold and if you're a fan of either's past endeavors you'll probably appreciate the attempt here. However, if you're looking for a title with depth and one that's fun to play you'll want to look elsewhere. The best I can muster for this title is a rental suggestion if it peaks your interest.

If that means nothing to you, then we'd recommend giving this a miss and going for one of the other Dynasty Warriors games or Warriors Orochi instead if you like this sort of game, because at least with those you can walk in with no prior knowledge and gather some semblance of a plot fairly easily. This on the other hand is only really suitable for Gundam nuts.

All together, Dynasty Warriors Gundam is a pretty fun diversion for a few hours or so. It definitely has a long shelf life in your collection, as long as you don't mind the very repetitive style of gameplay that these types of games often represent. However, I definitely suggest renting before you buy, because if you find yourself bored after finishing a couple story missions, this won't be the title for you.

In the end, I can't say Dynasty Warriors: Gundam is a good game, but it's not a horrible one either. It looks and sounds great and running around killing robots is fun, at least for a couple of minutes. Really, though, I can only recommend this game to people who are fans of the Dynasty Warriors series or Gundam. If you are neither of the above, then there's nothing in this game you can't enjoy by renting it.

At the end of the day Dynasty Warriors: Gundam does what it set out to accomplish: mesh two different franchises into a game that is playable but familiar. This game isn't particularly innovative, but at least it gives Gundam fans something. For the rest of us, Dynasty Warriors: Gundam is at best just a rental.

Dans le fond, ce Dynasty Warriors : Gundam n’est qu’un énième opus de la saga de Koei bénéficiant juste d’un habillage façon Gundam que seuls les fans de la série sauront apprécier, avec deux modes de jeu principaux convaincants. Les autres n’y verront qu’un soft pauvre techniquement, trop vite répétitif et qui ne montre d’intérêt que les seules premières minutes de jeu. L’absence d’innovation majeure condamne définitivement un titre qui ne convaincra qu’une poignée de joueurs, trop heureux de pouvoir se défouler et détruire en masse des hordes d'ennemis et ce, avec leur seul Mobile Suit dont la modélisation est plutôt fidèle. Prochaine étape que l’on souhaite décisive : Dynasty Warriors 6.

Die hard Gundam fans will extract limited enjoyment, old DW fans even less. Everyone else will be wondering why they aren’t just playing Assassin’s Creed instead.

Dynasty Warriors Gundam simply isn’t a game that is worth your time. This kind of fare might have been passable once, but considering the fall lineup for the 360, this game simply doesn’t have the chops to compete on Microsoft’s console. The game’s massive faults and desperately mediocre gameplay ensures that only the most rabid of Gundam fans will enjoy this game. Much like its predecessors, Dynasty Warriors Gundam simply seeks to cash in on a popular franchise and it shows.

One feeling I do get from the game is that it is a finished title, and quite a lot of effort has been put into pleasing Gundam fans, the only unfortunate thing is that whilst trying to add in the lore and even upgrades that the player can try to achieve for their mech, the game suffers too much from the over-repetitive. Steer well clear if you are not a Gundam fan, heck, steer well clear even if you are.