Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3- SAHD Review

So I said I would eventually post a more in-depth review of Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3.  The first thing to notice is the graphics have changed.  The first two were straight-up 3D models and worlds, where in this installment, the Mobile Suits are in a cell-shaded style.  I felt that cell shading was overused when it was first introduced many years ago, but thankfully it passed as being the "in" thing to do.  It does work very well with the source material, being from an anime show.  The stages are still 3D, but the two blend seamlessly together.

The newly added suits are again an improvement.  Given that it is a Warriors game, they should add some new characters to the roster to justify the price tag.  Thankfully they added Deathscythe and Duo, but it is still a shame that it took 3 games for them to be in it.  Also, several of the low tier (and not important) pilots from the second one are gone, but no one will miss them.  They've finally added some good pilots from various Gundam series.  I would like them to add some more pilots and suits from G Gundam, as anyone from that show would be an easy addition to the roster.

Also, so far it is far easier to get a suit.  In the second game, you had to find 4 different parts (1 for each section) to be able to use the suit.  Now you just need to defeat it and get a drop for the "plans" for it.  Its actually much easier now.  Also, some damage received can be recovered, similar to most health recovery systems in most shooting games.  Each suit seems to die faster, but each death only takes off a portion of a gauge, similar to the Japanese only Gundam Vs. game, or Lost Planet 2.

In addition, the upgrade system is vastly improved.  Now you get money for doing missions which is used to pay for upgrades.  In the previous game, you had to "send" a part away for a mission and it would come back improved.  It wasn't very intuitive, and thankfully is much better.

The story in this one is closer to the first game.  All characters are thrown into another world, and band together in strange groups (as in they aren't really paired with people from their own series) to figure out what happened.  Its more enjoyable than the story mode last time, which was basically replaying the plot of each respective show.  This time all the plots seem to revolve around the Knight Gundam, which is a great addition to Musha and Musha mkII, from the previous games.

The one thing I don't think that has improved is the levels.  They are very similar looking to levels from the last two games, but the corridors connecting them are more rigid.  While dashing through them, I get caught on corners that don't seem to be there fairly often.  The levels also seem smaller, less interesting, and many "tactical rooms" don't connect to others, making it a chore to take them all or get to an ally in need of assistance.

Overall, as much as I liked the first two Dynasty Warriors: Gundam games, the third is even better.  A better roster, better upgrade system and non-rehashed plot make this a good game.  I have had lots of fun with it so far, playing for about 40 hours.  I'm not even halfway through with all there is to do.  Even the online is kinda fun.  Not bad for $20!

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