Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space

"All We Need Now is Heero."

I'll say it now. I adore this game. I really do. Its innovative design is quite remarkable. As a fan of the Gundam series; I can say that this game was overall impressive. A few of the previous games were... Not so good. But this one stands out from the rest; this is the best of them.

Graphics: 9/10

Short version? Awesome. Long version? The textures are great, the movements are dead on to what one would expect a massive mech to move like. The movements of humans are fluid and the designs of the Gundams are nearly exactly like their Anime Counterparts. The effort put in is great. This is one game that won't disappoint you. In some scenes, you even get a bit of the Anime thrown in when your pilot, or someone else, is talking.

Sound: 10/10

Clear and smooth sounds; the music is crisp as well as the voices. Most of the voices, if not all, are from the Anime(s). Ones who watch the Anime will probably immediately recognize the music and voices. This is one part a fan will be pleased with.

Gameplay: 8/10

I was a bit skeptical about this before I bought it. I was wondering how well they could pull off the whole “360 Degree” movement. I was surprised for two reasons. There are two types of battle, a straight forward path where you just shoot as much as you see, and a Battle-Sphere in which you can move in any direction and change your latitude using the R buttons. In addition to your Beam Saber, Primary Gun, and Secondary Fire, you also have a “Special Attack” which in essence, is just a stronger version of your primary fire.

You also have a handy little feature, which would be your Thrusters. Though it makes the game fairly unbalanced if you choose to use them, you can dodge nearly any attack. Regardless of what it is; but it still looks cool. The Tube part is pretty much the CPU controlling your Gundam's movement, though you can control it to some degree. You just aim and shoot whatever you can and dodge what you can. Simple, really; most people who play this game will get the hang of it in 30 minutes or less.

Story: 10/10

Its main focus is on Amuro Ray of Mobile Suit Gundam through the One Year War. Though there are three other options. Ace Pilot, which is something of an RPG in a “Create Your Own Character” sense and “Thoroughbred.” Though it is based on Amuro Ray, there are things from the other series. Ones such as Gundam Wing; long story short, Gundam Aficionados will love the story.

Replay Value: 8/10

The replay value can be good. There are three modes to complete, then you get “VS” mode. This can be played by yourself, or with a friend. You can choose up to three Mobile Suits and Pilots per team. You have 300 points to spend, each Suit has a certain amount of points it takes up. So don't expect to use three Wing Zeros on the same team. You can then choose your Stage, and Time Limit. You get more Suits by completing certain goals throughout the game. If you want 100%, you'll probably be at it for a while. And even after, sometimes if you're bored, you can just play VS mode and just blow some stuff up.

Overall: 8/10

The only thing I was disappointed with was the fact that we didn't get Heero Yuy, or any of the Gundam Wing pilots for that matter. But that's just because I'm an avid Wing fan. To sum up this review, definite buy, even if you're not a Gundam enthusiast. It's still a great game.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/05/06