One of the best representations of what Gundam is really about.
Gameplay- Gundam series anime has long been about the strength of a Gundam. Gundams are supposed to be much more powerful than there mobile suit counterparts. For those who remember the introduction of the 5 Gundams in Gundam Wing, it was a display of extreme power. The five destroyed aircraft carriers, hundreds of aires and leo suits, and scores of underwater cancer suits. Never has there been a Gundam game that allows you to destroy hordes of mobile suits as depicted in the anime series. Gundam Dynasty warriors lets you dismember, destroy, and wreck thousands upon thousands of mobile suits with the ease that has been long expected from a Gundam. If you want to feel like a powerful Gundam pilot, this game delivers that feeling. The combos are satisfying and the action never stops. The missions are taken from multiple Gundam series and the orginal mode is creative and surprising for those who are familiar with the series. The leveling system is fantastic, and the customization of suits is satisfying.
Graphics- for a dynasty warriors branded title the graphics are superb. Dynasty warriors 6 was a let down because the graphics failed to utilize the power of the PS3. This however is not the case for the Gundam iteration. In fact, the graphics far exceeded my expectations considering the excellent draw distances and number of onscreen enemies. This is definitely a step in the right direction for the Dynasty warriors franchise
Music/Sound- Its decent, however unlike a narrative title like heavenly sword or MGS4 the music is not meant to be a main component of the game. However, the music is satisfactory and the title tune is tolerable during mission selection. The sound effects are wonderful, with the sound of clacking joints, powerful jet boosters, crisp beam sword slashes, and the classic vulcan cannon sound we are all used to.
Interface- decent. The addition of an interim save system makes the sometimes hour long missions bearable and playable. No longer does a dinner outing make your last 45 minutes playing irrelevant, nor does your defeat at the hands of the boss at the end of a mission undo 30 minutes of progress. Unfortunately, experience gained does not carry over between modes. The experience you gain in official mode is not reflected in original mode. This is true of the mobile suits, but not of individual characters i believe. This is disappointing but tolerable.
Complaints- Difficulty is a major concern, even on the easiest setting the game puts up a considerable challenge. Often on higher difficulties allies become endangered too quickly, and bosses become too tough. For whatever reason bosses cannot be 'juggled' like they can in the regular dynasty warriors franchise. Whether this is an improvement or problem is up to you, however juggling is what made difficult bosses easier. The camera is often frustrating when holding L1, sometimes it stays locked onto a boss and sometimes it doesn't. It is also impossible to switch the camera rotation along the x-axis from inverted to normal, which can make the right stick difficult to use when controlling the camera. The story lines are also very confusing as information is consistently left out of the game. Why is core 3 important? why are there two Purus? Who is Glemy Toto? These questions won't be answered for newcomers, and are vaguely memorable from the Gundam series.
Conclusion- Despite the few shortcomings, Dynasty warriors Gundam captures the essence of what it means to be a Gundam pilot. If you like Gundam, you will enjoy this game.