Case Cover
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed: Rengou vs. Z.A.F.T Portable
Case Cover
Publisher: Bandai Namco Games
Japanese Release Date: April 5, 2007
Number of Players: 1 - 4
Wi-fi Mode: Ad-Hoc
When I heard that Mobile Suit Gundam Seed: Rengou vs. Z.A.F.T Portable was coming to the PSP, I immediately went for it. This is the arcade version of the Gundam vs series that I've been playing at the arcades. So, I preordered it from an online store & waited.
About the game
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed: Rengou vs. Z.A.F.T Portable is a port of the PS2 version. However, it does have a few differences from that version. The firmware requirement is 2.80.
Graphics
The graphics are pretty good & makes good use of the PSP's capabilities. It's pretty realistic & the sceneries are very detailed. The mobile suits & armour are very sharp from afar & up close. Although there are some blurry parts, it wasn't blocky. The same can be said about the backgrounds. The character designs are the same as you will find from the Gundam Seed series.
The colours are on the bright side; giving it that anime feel. The mobile suits are a bit dull, thus creating a more realistic effect.
Music & Sounds
The sounds are pretty good as they were clean & crisp. I haven't notice any silly sounds in the game. Also, it's got that Seed mode sound when you turn it on for any character.
The voices are the same ones from the Gundam anime shows. Although they are clean & clean, the timing is a bit off. This is mainly because of the loading. After your mobile suit explodes & you have re-landed from the skies, your pilot would start talking about their failure or death. This doesn't happen all the time, but I do notice this happening a bit.
The music has all the Gundam Seed songs in the game. It's even got the first opening & ending theme songs. However, all the music is from the Gundam Seed show, not the Destiny one.
Gameplay
There are several ways to play the game. The main part is the new mission mode created exclusively for the PSP where you create a pilot when you join one of the two forces. You pretty much replay the scenes from the Gundam shows using your custom pilot. All missions are timed & need to meet certain requirements to advance in the stages properly. You get ranked as well based on your performance. Certain stages unlocks mobile suits & armours when you complete them. Also, the game offers different story paths such as going to space or staying on Earth. Between the two forces, I do notice that the stages are similar to each other with some of the challenges being a bit higher than the other. Basically because you are following the same storyline as the show with a different character's point of view.
The other option is the Versus battle mode where you can have up to four players battle each other out in teams or against each other. You can set the requirements for victory & difficultly level as well. It's all freestyle battle royales. Here, all the mobile suits & armours are unlocked for your playing pleasure. I spend most of my playing time here. Also, there's the original arcade mode as well which should not be confused with the mission mode.
The controls isn't too hard. If you have play the Gundam VS game series, the style here is the same. But the controls here can be hard to navigate at times for the mobile armours such as the Sky Grasper. I had problems controlling the thing & aiming at my targets. The game auto locks on the enemies for you, but it's not a guarantee hit. I enjoy playing the suits more than the armours.
As for loading, it's insanely fast. Pop in the game & load it up, it took less than five seconds to get the game going. The start of the battles are fast as well with around two to three seconds of loading time. Very nice!
As a portable game that was designed for the PSP, the saving feature isn't too bad. You can save anytime as long as you aren't doing a mission or in the actual gameplay. The game is really generous here.
The game has a fair amount of different stories depend on which force & paths you take. Although the game follows the Gundam Seed original storylines, it's possible to make some slight adjustments to them depending on the path you take & how you manage to complete each stage, such as defeating Freedom Gundam.
Extras, Bonuses, & Secrets
I don't believe there are any extras or bonuses in Mobile Suit Gundam Seed: Rengou vs. Z.A.F.T Portable since all mobile suits & armours are unlocked at the start. That is if you are aiming for the versus mode play.
Replay Value
With a lot of different storylines, it's more than enough to keep you busy. If the story isn't your thing, then the VS mode is entertaining enough as it is. With up to four human players to go at it, this game provides endless hours of entertainment.
Overall Conclusion
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed: Rengou vs. Z.A.F.T Portable is a great game for many Gundam fans. Whether it's Gundam Seed fans or old school one, this game is surely to appeal a lot of people. If the mission mode isn't to your liking, the VS mode will keep you interested.
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed: Rengou vs. Z.A.F.T Portable gets a score of 8/10 from me. The game can be addicting if you are playing the VS mode. Lots of mobile suits & armours to choose from at the start in that mode. However, some of the suits needs to be unlocked in other modes. Unless the second Seed game gets ported to the PSP, this is worth your investment.
Last updated on August 1, 2007
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