I found it a little hard to get into, however persistance is rewarding and this game has a lot to offer.
User Rating: 7.1 | Kidou Senshi Gundam SEED Destiny: Rengou vs. Z.A.F.T. II Plus PS2
Overwhelmed you may ask, well let me explain. Firstly it has taken me a lot longer than normal to get any winning satisfaction from this game. I am a persistent guy, but his game strikes me as odd as to how hard it is to get into the swing of things. It just shouldn’t be this tricky to get a decent result. I don’t want perfect, just OK will do(to start with), but I had a lot of hassle getting there. There are a massive amount of robots to use in this game. Seventy plus, and that’s just counting the ones listed in the manual. Add to this the pilots, which can be used for any robot and the fact that different pilots add subtle changes to the moves and handling of the robots and you will start to get an idea of what I was faced with. Admittedly, I am a fan of games with big robots mainly the Virtual-On series, which with its arcade beginnings lets one jump in straight away and have fun, leaving the more complex manoeuvres to the players who wish to spend more time. This game is a lot different. Originally, I found it very confusing as to what was going on. I was constantly getting blasted from multiple directions and all I wanted to do was find out what each of the buttons did. It was annoying. However with a (fair) bit of practise, you get the general idea of what’s happening but I still find it a little irritating that after approximately 10 hours of game play I still get a right royal kicking of the buttocks type.
This game is deep. The arcade and battle modes let you just jump in and bash around, whereas the PLUS mode lets you build a character up. Challenge mode gives you challenges to complete (duh). What is missing and I have to admit I was a little surprised at this was, a Training mode. This game would have been much more enjoyable if there was one here. So far the closest I have gotten is arranging a normal battle with 2 allies and only one enemy, while I stay at the back quietly mucking around. Each different robot has a cost value. The higher the cost, the better the robot, but every time you get destroyed, you have to pay the cost. So a less costly robot can be destroyed more often than a higher priced one. Since you only have a max “spend” shall we say, of 1000, you have to weigh up your tactics to use and required outfitting for the battle. Go for a weaker robot, but are prepared to die more? Or get a pricier one and hope for the best. That rule goes for the arcade and vs moding. I haven’t as yet delved much into the PLUS mode, as I still getting to grips with the robots and trying to break my Virtual-On habits that worked effectively in that game, but not here. Once you have your bot and pilot, you select a type of “skill” move ability. Out of three, you can have Rush, Speed and Power, all of which aid you once you have chosen them. The multiplayer options are well done. In a usual battle situation, you will have more than just 2 robots in the arena at any time. Sometimes (if you are lucky) you and a team-mate vs. just 1 enemy. Usually it’s a 2 on 2 situations. You can choose to have either player as team-mates or enemies. Good fun is had by all. I always like co-operative modes in multiplayer games. Especially when you have a friend you know well and work well as a team.
Good things in regards to this game are numerous. Firstly the graphics are pretty damn fine. I bought this game in Japan when I was there just after it came out, purely from the watching the promotional video they had running in the shops and its big robots. The robots look great and the arenas in which you fight are expansive an d varied, from valleys, to futuristic (of course) settings to underwater battles with ships on the surface (which can be landed on). As I stated earlier, I don’t really know Gundam so I feel I was fairly un-biased in regards to franchise name. Secondly, this game rewards long term playing. Getting the best out your robot and busting some caps in metal ass is pretty good fun and tricky. There seems to be quite a bit of un-lockable stuff that I think would interest the fans of Gundam. Personally though I think it adds a little more value and should be able to educate me more in regards to the series. Learning the proper controls and wielding weapons expertly looks cool and makes for good fights. On a negative note though, that same feature limits “instant-pick-up-and-have-funability” a little. I think it’s unlikely that any of my friends will have the skills to challenge me once I have it down pretty well which is a shame, because it might scare away a lot of people from a very good game.
The sound is pretty good. Usual sort of stuff you’d expect in a game like this, although you are more interested in hearing the sounds of approaching gunfire. The speech from your pilot character can get a little annoying if you choose someone who is a loud mouth. Controls whilst needing a bit of practise to get used to are well mapped. They can be redefined, but the default has it pretty well spot on, so I don’t see why anyone would want too.
Summed up this game is very good and value for money, but not for everyone. Skill is a pre-requisite to get the best out of this baby and it takes time to get into it. If you are a Gundam fan, then this is a good choice. If not, try and see if you can give it a go before you buy because it may not just be your cup of tea.
