Dynasty Warriors: Gundam

It seems inevitable. Gundam games breed like rabbits; the PS3 launched with one, terrible as it was. And, if anything, the Dynasty Warriors games have managed to multiply even faster. But, at the same time, do they go together? The answer is: yes, they go together well. But as you've no doubt heard in other recent Dynasty Warriors reviews, precious little has changed over the last 7 years since the series' debut.

Whether or not you've played several of the game's sequels or simply never touched one before, DW's limitations are becoming obvious. You have a couple of basic attacks. The enemy soldiers - in this case enemy mechs littering the battlefields - barely even notice when you kill them. And the levels are basic as basic gets: broad corridors, flat fields.

But there's still a certain dogged addictiveness to trudging through this bleak landscapes (or trudging through outer space - doesn't that sound weird?) and capturing more and more enemy territory, chipping away at it. The mechs are more agile than the human combatants from the prior games, which adds a little intensity to the proceedings as well.

On the other hand, the lackluster graphics - just barely better than what the PS2 churns out - and repetitiveness aren't likely to get you too excited. Though there's an "official mode" (which badly recaps - or spoils, if you haven't seen it before - the story of several different Gundam series) and an "original mode" which tells a new, incoherent story by throwing together characters from unrelated Gundam shows, you won't find much to care about there unless you're a die-hard fan.

Still, if you just want to smack piles of robots silly without spending any time worrying about weight distribution or upgrading dozens of different parts, this is a game that will get your juices flowing. And if you are one of those die-hard Gundam fans, you'll appreciate the cameos from characters old and new (with appearances covering shows from 1979 - 2000.)