Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn Brings an Endless Waltz of Hack n’ Slash to the West
My childhood appreciation for the piloted mechs of Gundam lore combined with my weakness for repetitive hack n’ slash combat against massive hordes of moving fodder has allowed Tecmo Koei’s Dynasty Warriors: Gundam crossovers slip right past my usually unrelenting wall of cynicism.
But after buying into three below average games trickled with modest, barely-an-inch-forward improvements? …Good Gundamn am I ready to do it all again! Call it a guilty pleasure, if you want. I’m not here to excuse myself. Take this old adage to heart if it helps you understand: I likes what I likes.
This summer brings Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn, the fourth installment in Japan’s Gundam Musou series, to Western shores. Not without some shake-up’s in its release format, be warned. Gundam Reborn is dropping exclusively for the PS3 – no Xbox 360 counterpart this time – and it will only be made available as a downloadable title on PSN.
The fact that anything Gundam doesn’t find the same widespread appeal stateside as it does in Japan probably explains why we’re not getting a physical release (North America, after all, has far less to-scale Mobile Suit replicas dotting our parks than Japan does). Worse news hits the handheld community, as the PS Vita version of the game, including its cross-play functionality, is not being ported overseas.
If, however, you’re in the qualifying bracket to attain the game, the good news is that you can expect to man over 100 Mobile Suits along with the ability, for the first time ever, to pilot gigantic Mobile Armors. It’s a mecha wet dream turned wet reality.
The returning Official Mode centers on the Universal Century timeline, which spills across the continuity of eight different Gundam animes and features actual footage from the shows. Ultimate Mode, however, is a cross-dimensional free-for-all that sees you hacking through mechanical hordes using a mixed stable of Gundams from every timeline. But it just ain’t a mobile infantry without friends, though. Fans can also expect split-screen and online co-op to make a return.
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn for PS3 will release digitally in the Summer while Europe can expect both retail and downloadable copies near the same time.