Mobile Suit Gundam: Journey to Jaburo

"A well made Gundam game"

To be honest it wasn't until Gundam Wing that I began to enjoy the Gundam series at all. I know that Bandai isn't know for making the greatest games of all time, to be honest the recent Gundam Battle Assault was above average (it at least introduced me to my favorite mobile suit, the Sazabi). Journey to Jaburo is well worth anyone's time.

Plotline/Story: Gundam fans are well familiar with the story of the series. The Earth Federation is at war with the Principality of Zeon, with Zeon fighting for ''independence'' and the EF fighting to prevent their dictatorship from spreading. The game flows the series up to the point where White Base leaves Jaburo, a good point to cut it off since the series isn't even as far as the game goes. It does give players a trailer at the end, showing what it to follow next.

Graphics/Visual: The visuals are wonderful. The opening movie is spectacular, especially the second half in which Gundam destoys a trio of Zaku IIs. The visual of the in-game CG movies are well done too. I personally love to see Char's Z'Gog pierce and desstroy a GM-79 in the final level. The animes cutscenes in the game are rematered and look brand-new and are good at advancing the plot.

Audio/Sound & Music: The music is straight from the series, and while it sounds old, it sutis the show and game rather well. I personally love the 'Dashing Char' music, the tune that plays in the opening movie whe Gundam throw the Hyper Hammer. The sounds effects also are straight from the series. The beam sabre sounds, beam rifle sounds, and all the others are there and make it far more realistic.

Replay: True the game is short. I had it beat in a little more than a day, but it still is fun. The Tatics Battle mode is great though. It is unlocked after story mode is beaten, and it alows you play in some missions as either the EF or Zeon. It allows you to weild all kinds of mobile suits, even those not in the first Gundam series.

All in all, this game is well worth your money, even if you are not a Gundam fan. It should last you awhile, especially the Tatics Battle mode. Hopefully next we will see a PS2 Char's Counterattack that is as good (or even better) than this game. Until then....

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/14/01, Updated 08/14/01