Produced by: Bandai Japan
Genre: 2D Fighting
Players: Two
Whenever there's a discussion about classic Japanese anime shows, you can be sure that at some point Gundam will crop up. The series has been going since the 70's, and is as important to the Japanese as Star Wars is to us Westerners. Gundam is often compared to the aforementioned sci-fi epic - both are "space operas" featuring tales of love, war, friendship and hatred.
However, Gundam: The Battle Master 2 does not trouble itself with all that. This is a standard one-on-one fighter - plot means little here. For those of you who just have to know - none of the anime cast from the Gundam series feature in this game - it's an all new line up. Only the mobile suits will be recognizable. Available for selection are Z Gundam, Ziong, Zaku, Hamma-Hamma and Quin Mantha, amongst others. Every Gundam fan should be more than happy with the units on offer here, and it makes up for the disappointment of not having the "real" characters. The Mechas themselves nearly fill the screen, and they have flowing, faultless animation. How is this possible on the RAM starved PSX? Simple - each Mecha is made up of segments. They don't have animation frames as such - movement is achieved by moving and rotating each segment. This technique wouldn't work when animating humans, but is perfect for animating stiff-jointed robots. The size of the fighters is really impressive, and the attention to detail on each mobile suit is stunning. I'd have to say that this is the best looking 2D fighter on the PSX.
Seeing as you're supposed to be piloting a huge walking tank, you wouldn't expect it to be able to do backflips and forward rolls, as in Street Fighter or King Of Fighters. And you'd be right. The units are slow and cumbersome, but speed bursts and jumps are attained via the use of thrust jets. At first I thought the heavy feel of each fighter would hinder the gameplay, but it actually helps to make it more enjoyable and more original, and the game is also more authentic as a result. Those of you who've watched Gundam or Patlabor and wished you could get behind the controls of one of those machines and kick some ass - here's your chance.
In terms of moves, each mech has a standard "shot" weapon, which can only be used a limited amount of times, as well as a "super gauge" which allows you to perform a super move (again, this is limited). It has to be said that this is the area in which the game falls down. There just aren't enough moves for each mobile suit. Of course, the developers had to get around the problem of mobility - after all, you can't expect a hulking robot to pull off a hurricane kick - but I still think a little more imagination could have been put to use. I suppose that Bandai wanted to stay true to the anime series, and give the units basic shot and laser sword weapons, but it limits the gameplay options, and means the game isn't nearly as deep as other 2D fighters. The game this is most likely to be compared with is Capcom's Cyberbots. Cyberbots may not look as nice, but it certainly has more to offer in terms of gameplay and depth.
Gundam should only be considered as an interesting diversion from the "true" 2D fighters. It offers an original approach that's fun for a while, but just doesn't have the depth to keep you coming back for more months after purchase. Fans of the series will lap it up, but if you're indifferent to both Gundam and Japanese mecha games in general, you may end up feeling short changed.
2 1/2 out of 5
