Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Full Boost review: a Gundamn good game

Let’s get real for a second. You will never be a pre-pubescent boy who somehow finds himself in the cockpit of a multi-billion dollar robot. You will never pilot said robot in a full-scale war, killing hundreds of adults with real military training and eventually saving humanity. But thanks to this game, you can come as close as it gets. You sicko.

I haven’t used the word ‘extreme’ this many times in a paragraph since the 90s

A follow-up to the extremely successful Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs.(EXVS), Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Full Boost (EXVSFB) is a game based on the iconic mecha anime series franchise Mobile Suit Gundam. The game has been out in Japanese arcades since April 2012, and the next entry in the series, Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Maxi Boost, is set to be released in Japanese arcades next month.

Don’t worry about playing an “outdated” game, though; the arcade version is highly unlikely to get a release outside of Japan, so for non-Japanese residents, this is going to be the latest version you can play for a very long time. Lucky for you, it’s a goodie. EXVSFB has been consistently ranked as the #1 arcade game all across Japan since its release, and it’s a title that has been well-earned.

The gameplay is pretty much the same as it was in the original EXVS; you pick a robot (or mobile suit, as they are known in the series), and proceed to team up with an A.I. or human partner to defeat the enemy team. Every time either you or your teammate’s mobile suit gets scrapped, your total team’s hit points (HP) goes down, and if your team HP hits zero, you lose. On the positive side, reducing the enemy team HP to zero makes them lose, which is nice. Good going, champ! Take that, mom who said I’d never amount to anything!

The deadly yet ridiculously named Tallgeese III.

As every gamer knows, what’s important isn’t winning, but how flashy you can look doing so. EXVSFB understands this perfectly. Each mobile suit has its own distinct playstyle, and they are all ready to display the myriad of EXTREME ways to kick ass. Fans of the series will be delighted to know that there are over 90 playable mobile suits in the game, with more on the way. If you’ve got a favourite Gundam, it’s probably in this game, and properly represented. Gundam Deathscythe Hell cannot mount a frontal assault, but is well suited for sneak attacks, and the Strike Gundam has multiple weapon packs which can be freely switched between to suit various situations, just like in the anime.

The iconic ‘Last Shooting’ pose from the original Gundam series.

Colonel Smirnov’s Top Secret Original Recipe for Fun

I think the reason behind the game’s immense popularity is the fact that it is incredibly accessible to all players. The basic controls can be picked up in a matter of minutes, and unlike traditional fighting games which have complex inputs, the commands are really easy to pull off. But the real secret behind the game’s appeal would have to be the fact that although it’s easy to play, it’s a real challenge to win at.

EXVSFB is incredibly fast-paced, and although you can’t physically feel the wind in your hair, the rush of speed is definitely there. The action can get real hectic, and whenever I have friends over to watch me play, the most common comment I hear is, “this game looks cool but I have no idea what’s going on.” EXVSFB really tests your reaction speed, and your ability to keep a cool head despite having dozens of missiles and laser beams raining down on you.

Another aspect of the game that adds a bit of extra challenge and really sets it apart from traditional fighting games is that it’s often played in teams of two, with up to four players going head to head. While individual skill is important, sometimes the game requires you to make decisions or plays that benefit the team as a whole. For example, I might be using a Gundam suited for long range support, but I might have to move into close range to draw attention away from my teammate, or to mount a stronger frontal assault. On the other hand, if I am using a Gundam which excels at melee attacks, I might have to temporarily retreat to a safe distance, waiting for my teammate to create openings for me to launch a surprise attack.

Teamwork is really, really important in this game. Frequent high-fiving helps keep team morale high.

Although the single player modes are quite difficult, things get really challenging, but in a good way, once you take things online and go head-to-head with other players. We’re not talking about artificial difficulty or bad game mechanics making things difficult. It is instead a very organic and fair difficulty. This is some home-grown, fresh off the farm, wagyu-tier difficulty. And it is delicious.

Gameplay Modes

As far as gameplay modes go, you’ve got your variable pick of the litter. Arcade mode takes you through multiple battles rounding up with a fight against the diabolical Extreme Gundam (voiced by Japanese celebrity musician Gackt). Free Battle is basically for one-off fights where you can choose your battle stage and opponents. In Mission mode, players complete missions and earn points to upgrade their Mobile Suits for battle. Lastly, we have Online Battles, and for competitive players this will be the main arena to hone their skills and engage in exhilarating matches. Players can take part in free or ranked battles, the latter of which adds a neat little emblem to your player profile, showing off how great a player you are (or, in my case, how badly you suck. Maybe my mom was right about me after all.)

Gundam Banshee is 20m tall, glows, and is probably very loud, yet still manages to sneak up behind the enemy.

Game changes that aren’t game-changing, but neat nonetheless

EXVSFB’s console version did more than just add new mobile suits to the already awesome original EXVS. The graphics received a slight overhaul, with the mobile suits sporting a more matte texture as opposed to how shiny they were in the previous game, and they are looking better than ever. Most of the mobile suits have also received some form of balancing, either getting new attacks or having their old attacks changed.

Additionally, there have been numerous, clever, non-battle related changes that I didn’t even know I wanted. You can now add your own custom music to the game’s background music list, so you can listen to your own private jams when fighting online. Finally, you can duke it out with giant robots while listening to your little girl Japanese anime tunes! It’s like a dream come true!

Imagine how much this battle could be with some Vocaloid tunes.

The online system has also been greatly improved, with the ability to join rooms that your PlayStation Network friends are in; you can also play through arcade mode together with a friend via the online function. The netcode in this game is also just as awesome as the last version’s, and it is truly the best that I’ve ever come across. I can play online with minimal lag, head-to-head with three other players in Asia, which is unprecedented and truly amazing. I can barely get a good game of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 going against another guy in my own country, so you can imagine just how spectacular this is.

You can also customize your in-game Graphic User Interface (GUI) and even have your own Navigator girl who will narrate things to you, though at a cost. These functions are available as DLC, and although not expensive, they are also not important gameplay-wise, so it’s really up to players if they want to drop about three bucks on a talking head. I would also like to caution that this game is pretty pricey on its own, with a typical price point of around S$90 ($71), although to me the amount of content and replayability this game offers totally justifies the cost.

I’m not a huge fan of memes but this fits way too well.

Out of journalistic obligation, here’s some things about the game that could be better

I’ve been raving about this game non-stop, but due to my belief that no game is a flawless 10/10 (except this one), here are some areas I think could have been improved on.

For starters, one of the only bad new additions to this version is the fact that you now need an online pass to play EXVSFB online. This essentially means that you can only play your copy of the game on your own PlayStation 3 (PS3), so if you wish to bring this game to a friend’s house, you won’t be able to go online on his PS3. This will make tournament hosting and even casual meetups with friends a challenge.

Another similar issue is that offline, the game can only be played split-screen with one additional player, though that’s not really a problem as much as it is that this game isn’t really designed to be played on a tiny rectangle quarter of a screen.

What is really starting to look iffy, though, is the DLC. The game hasn’t even been out a week, but the amount of DLC that has been announced already borders on redonkulous. While it’s nice that the full non-DLC roster is available upon launch, and there is nothing that requires unlocking on arcade or mission mode, there are quite a few mobile suits that will only be available at a price, and depending on how you feel about DLC this may turn you off.

Yeah, I remember being an angry teenager. *Cringe*

Conclusion

Overall, as a long-term fan of both the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise as well as the EXVS game line, I can safely say that the game does not disappoint. I honestly believe that this game is solid enough to appeal even to gamers who are not fans of Gundam to begin with. And if giant fighting robots isn’t your kind of thing, why isn’t it? Why do you hate fun?

(Pics: Siliconera)

Sidenote: The author is a member of a great SEA community for fans of this game to discuss the game and have online sessions. Feel free to join us on Facebook.

The post Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Full Boost review: a Gundamn good game appeared first on Games in Asia.

The post Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Full Boost review: a Gundamn good game appeared first on Games in Asia.