"A demi-first person shooter and action UC Gundam game for an outdated system? Neat!"

I am UC Gundam's biggest fan. If you could not figure that out having read the rest of my reviews, please, bend over and allow me to put my foot up your ass. In my search to find more and more UC Gundam games, I stumbled upon this gem.
Please, allow me to break it down for you.

Story:
This game takes place during the stint of time between UC 0087 and UC 0088. Yes, the show Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam covers this time. This game recreates the show's classic battles, but has no dialogue nor characters, thus it is very difficult to pin point as to where you are in the time line. Because this game has no definite story, it does not gain a great digit here.
It follows the time line... But if you know not that time line, do not expect to find clarity anywhere among these lines. 2/10

Graphics:
How did the first first person shooter fair (I know that sounded rather awkward)? Well... Castle Wolfenstein was... Er... How should I say- Horrid! Simply horrid! How did this fair? Wow, for the NES, this game looks good. I do believe part of that is due to the fact that the game moves for you, as if a standard space craft shooting game where you are not in control, but yet shown to you in the first person. The first person graphics are done well, but the third person graphics are a bit droll. The Mobile Suit designs are flawless and superb, but unfortunately, the third person stage designs are not up to par with that of the first person.
Not bad, but not spectacular. Nothing blew me down. 7/10

Sound:
The sound effects are great, but the music is a bit bland and humdrum compared to the action. There is basically one song that loops.
Well, at least that one song was a good one. 4/10

Game Play:
There are both good and bad things about this game. I shall focus on both as I move along in order or what happens in this game chronologically. You begin on earth in your Z-fighter form. You fly around destroying gun turrets, petty GM cannon fodder, and other enemy Mobile Suits and air crafts. After traveling a ways, you lift off into space. The ground mission seems fun, but unfortunately, unlike space in which you can maneuver well, you are very restricted. In space, you can turn a good three-hundred-sixty degrees to annihilate enemy Mobile Suits. Usually, by the end of the seemingly endless assault wave, a war ship or heavy Mobile Suit or Mobile Armor comes to challenge you. After destroying you opponents, you travel into some sort of base, which could range anywhere from being an asteroid, space colony, or war ship. This is where the game makes the leap into the third person, which is just as fun and strategic as the first person- er, in space anyway. The only down side to this is the fact that each base looks the same and no terrain is given- just layers of pipe-lined floor and the same reactor to destroy in each stage, and each base is in space, and none seem to be on the earth itself. The third person plays well, though. You can fire your weapon off in six directions, annihilate Hizacks in a single shot, and transform into your Z-fighter to dash by enemies at high speeds. As I stated, at the end of the mission, you battle a giant reactor that does nothing but attack when you bombard it with beam riffle fire. Interesting, no?
There are ups and downs to every game. I am just glad that this game has more ups than downs. 8/10

Let me see those digits:
Story: 2/10
Graphics: 7/10
Sound: 4/10
Game Play: 8/10

Mobile Suit Z-Gundam gains a 7/10 for its unique outlook on game play.
Buy or Rent?
Rent: I doubt you could find a copy. There are so many advances in Emulation and ROM pirating that this game is an easy find.
Buy: If I could find a cheap copy of this game at an import store, I know that I would snag it.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/01/03, Updated 07/01/03