Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space

"The best Gundam game yet!! Here's why!"

First off, let me just say this game is great. If you are debating on whether or not to buy this game, do yourself a favor and buy it. You will not be disappointed. I own all PS2 Gundam games and this is by far my personal favorite. Let me explain a few aspects that make this game the best.

Story 8/10
What is unique about this game is that it doesn't entirely revolve around Amuro and the One Year War. You can play as and learn the stories through the eyes of Amuro, Char, Black Tri-Stars, Johnny Ridden, Shin Matsunaga, Yuu Kajima, Kou Uraki, Anavel Gato, and Cima Garahau. In White Base mode you go through 8 missions from Amuro's perspective. The story mode (Whitebase) doesn't get into much detail and is a bit lacking but where it makes up for that is the side stories of the other Ace Pilots (Char, Johnny Ridden, Kou Uraki, etc.). Overall, the game is well set up and will suit most of your expectations story wise.

Graphics 10/10
The graphics in this game are unbelievable! From the second you turn on the game you will know exactly what i mean. These graphics far superior and noticeably different than the previous Gundam games. The animations and CGs of the game are just as superb.

Sound 9/10
The music in this game is great. A majority of it you will probably recognize. The background music is usually appropriate for the mood. The dubbing of the voices are surprisingly well. My only complaint is that sometimes the characters voices are a little soft and sometimes hard to hear with all the other music and action taking place.

Controls 10/10
The controls in this game are going to take a lot longer to get used to than previously (took me about an hour of playing before i was good at them). The majority of you will struggle with the controls at first but once you get used to them it is incredible how well you can control your mobile suit. The reaction time of the controls is just as great. You get immediate response (you will know what i mean once you get into it). The action in this game is very fast paced and you will sometimes find yourself destroying 5 mobile suits all in a span of 5 seconds! Overall, you couldn't really ask for more when it comes to the controls.

Miscellaneous Info
- In the versus mode of this game it does have the mobile suits Wing Zero Custom, Tallgeese 3, Burning Gundam, Master Gundam, and 2 others from the Gundam Seed series. All these mobile suits are extremely awesome to use and are superior to most others in the game. The only thing bad about this setup though is that they may only be used in Versus mode and also the game doesn't have the original pilots in the game for these mobile suits (so don't expect to see Heero, Zechs, Domon, etc.).
- The only flaw in the game that i noticed was the fact that there are no land battles. The game consists of entirely space conflict (with a couple exceptions).

Final Recommendations
If you are a Gundam fan, buy this game. It is well worth your time and money!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/17/04