Hey Guys,
Took last week off, its just been crazy with work lately.
I'll post hopefully tonight as the HCM Pros that my fiancee sent me arrived. Wing Gundam is awesome but Deathscythe is just unbelievable!
Take care!
Jaa~
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Game Review: SD Gundam G Generation Portable
This week, I’ll be reviewing SD Gundam: G Generation Portable for the Sony Playstation Portable®.
There have been a variety of SD Gundam games released by Bandai in the past, and the original G Generation game debuted back in the 90’s on Play Station 1. It was followed by G Generation 0 and then G Generation F (with an add on disc called F.I.F.).
In its debut for PS2, G Generation was released as G Generation Neo, and featured full 3D animations using somewhat realistic designs instead of being hand drawn. Neo was followed by G Generation Seed which, as you can guess, was focused on the Seed Story line. And most recently, G Generation Spirits, which returns to the 2D roots but with beautifully animated cut scenes, as well as returning to the “choose a series” format. In which you choose a Gundam series, and play the missions associated with that storyline.
G Generation Portable was released for PSP in response to Spirits for PS2 and features many of the newer features to the series as well as the “choose a series” story progression.
General Overview
For fans of the series who played G Generation F for PS1, they will be greeted by a feeling of severe nostalgia. Basically, Portable IS F. But with a few major changes, most notably, the addition of both Seed and Seed Destiny. Bandai included both stories, with Seed being 9 missions long and Destiny being 6. This, unfortunately, forced them to cut other stories, such as Crossbone Gundam (I know! I almost cried!) and G Unit (an offshoot of Gundam Wing).
There are, however, a ridiculous amount of units available to unlock and use. As with G Generation F (which was 3 discs long), almost any unit you can think of from a series is included in the game, including Ace units like Johnny Raiden’s Zaku and Gelgoog. Many units have "abilities" such as Phase Shift armor on the Seed units, which will reduce munition and physical attack damage sustained by 2/3 (but also drains energy every turn until the armor phase shifts down). The Crossbone Gundam X1 and 2 feature the ABC cloak which will negate one beam attack (very helpful!), and so on for the various units.
The player is allotted a battle ship and 4 units at the start, along with a handful of original characters designed for G Generation (some of which have been in the series since the original G Gen on PS1!). From there, you can choose any story to start on (I began with Z Gundam) and can play in any order they so choose. For each story, there are numerous stages that depict the series through dialogue scenes and battles, and of course, given the right circumstances, beautiful CG rendered movies like the picture taken below from Destiny Stage 1 (Sword Impulse Gundam)
There have been a variety of SD Gundam games released by Bandai in the past, and the original G Generation game debuted back in the 90’s on Play Station 1. It was followed by G Generation 0 and then G Generation F (with an add on disc called F.I.F.).
In its debut for PS2, G Generation was released as G Generation Neo, and featured full 3D animations using somewhat realistic designs instead of being hand drawn. Neo was followed by G Generation Seed which, as you can guess, was focused on the Seed Story line. And most recently, G Generation Spirits, which returns to the 2D roots but with beautifully animated cut scenes, as well as returning to the “choose a series” format. In which you choose a Gundam series, and play the missions associated with that storyline.
G Generation Portable was released for PSP in response to Spirits for PS2 and features many of the newer features to the series as well as the “choose a series” story progression.
General Overview
For fans of the series who played G Generation F for PS1, they will be greeted by a feeling of severe nostalgia. Basically, Portable IS F. But with a few major changes, most notably, the addition of both Seed and Seed Destiny. Bandai included both stories, with Seed being 9 missions long and Destiny being 6. This, unfortunately, forced them to cut other stories, such as Crossbone Gundam (I know! I almost cried!) and G Unit (an offshoot of Gundam Wing).
There are, however, a ridiculous amount of units available to unlock and use. As with G Generation F (which was 3 discs long), almost any unit you can think of from a series is included in the game, including Ace units like Johnny Raiden’s Zaku and Gelgoog. Many units have "abilities" such as Phase Shift armor on the Seed units, which will reduce munition and physical attack damage sustained by 2/3 (but also drains energy every turn until the armor phase shifts down). The Crossbone Gundam X1 and 2 feature the ABC cloak which will negate one beam attack (very helpful!), and so on for the various units.
The player is allotted a battle ship and 4 units at the start, along with a handful of original characters designed for G Generation (some of which have been in the series since the original G Gen on PS1!). From there, you can choose any story to start on (I began with Z Gundam) and can play in any order they so choose. For each story, there are numerous stages that depict the series through dialogue scenes and battles, and of course, given the right circumstances, beautiful CG rendered movies like the picture taken below from Destiny Stage 1 (Sword Impulse Gundam)
Basically, G Generation is an RPG where you move a unit, attack and gain experience with each kill. The twist is that both the Mobile Suit AND the Pilot have experience to gain. The pilot gains better stats, where as the mobile suit gains levels and, once a specific level is attained, can be “evoloved” into the next unit in the technology line (I.e. if you Start with a GP01, at level 3, you can then change it to the GP01 FB, 02, 03, and even the 04! Guess which one I use? *wink*).
Game Play
Game play is fairly straight forward. You command your units, plus the main characters of the story and duke it out with the enemy force. Typically, if the main character (i.e. Amuro, Kamille, etc…) are shot down, the game is over. However, usually this main character is a “master unit” and does not need to rely on a ship to refuel or repair itself.
Stages typically start with an opening story to read (explaining the series) and will most likely start with a “mini-skirmish”, i.e. Amuro will have to fight off Denim and Gene in the first stage of Gundam. Then the next part of the battle starts, usually with dialogue, and finally the player can set forth his personal units to fight alongside the story characters.
Overall Rating
Overall, I’d give this game a B+. I was a little disappointed to see the same stages from F reused, but honestly, its such a great game and there is just so much to do that it doesn’t matter after about four stages in. The shear number of units to unlock will keep you playing long after you’ve finished every mission!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
We're Back!
Okay, well after a crazy..CRAZY week, I'm back.
And the Wing Gundam...
Sorry for being MIA there gang, and thanks Q for sending comments, even in my absence! Glad to see you're still checking in -
Okay, well, I should update the situation on the GPO4..because I've gone completely crazy over the design. As stated in the last post, I found a private dealer on Ebay. Yes, Q, you're right, kinda sketchy, but the guy is legit has nothing but positive feed back and assured me his products are 100% G-System made. And seems G-Systems won't get back to me, I'll take the risk. Now, the GPO4 he had wasn't a finished version, but he is going to finish it for me. Again, another risk, but I was given assurance that the final product will look exactly like the picture to the right. We'll see what happens, as it'll be about a month before its done. The things I do for Gundam sometimes....
I've run my funding into the ground though so it will be a while before I make any new purchases. As luck would have it, my fiancee called me at 5:30 am this morning (in the US) because she was in the electronics store in Kawasaki picking me up a couple of HCM Pro Gundams...just because she loves me that much....awesome sauce. I was pretty groggy but after she listed off to me what was available, I got to pick the Gundam Deathscythe....
And the Wing Gundam...
Again...awesome sauce. Both the Wing and the Deathscythe come with display stands I believe, so I may take the Deathscythe's and donate it to the Impulse Gundam (with some minor modifications), which will look great I think.
I know some of you don't care too much for the HCM Pro's (Ngee, I think you said you're not a big fan) as they come pre-assembled, but for being pre-assebled, and basically action figures, I honestly love the little guys. Plus it is a good thing they are, seems I have plenty of MG kits to assemble.
Which brings me to the final part of this post: The Crossbone's legs are nearly complete. I've got pictures, but I'll upload them when I finish the kit and do a whole "kit" review type of thing. Next up on my list is the hip armor pads and weapons...followed by the skirt armor, and arms, and finally the chest and head. The ABC cloak will be last but that's because I have a secret plan to use for getting a great looking cloak as the kit comes with a god-awful nylon-ish thing..utterly useless.
So that's the scoop. I'll post tomorrow on my review of SD Gundam G Generation Portable for the PSP.
Jaa~
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Crazy: An Update III
Q's comment on the last post reminded me I need to post an update. Unfortunately, I'm so swamped with work this week, that's all I have time for.
Yes, unfortunately, the Gundam and GP04 heads were out of stock. And what's worse, I've become so taken with the GP04 design that I've gotten even MORE crazy and started a search for a finished kit while passing, for now, on the Z Gundam head. I like the Z, but not that much. And certainly not as much as the GP04.
What I found was the Gundam Proshop on Ebay. He's a private seller, of sorts, but I'm currently working out details to have a finished GP04 done for me, and possibly* in a custom color scheme (mainly switching the blue for combat orange/red...I like the blue, but that sure would look nice!)
We'll see what happens. The worst case scenario would be, I'd just order the unfinished kit and test my skills to the utmost max.
Until next time,
Ja matta~
*I doubt this will fly, but we'll see what kind of response I get
-----------------------------------------------
On a side note, part of my funding for this is an auction on Ebay where I'm selling my makeshift Decepticon Collection. Pay a visit if you'd like. If you're interested, let me know and I can certainly cut my readers a deal on the price.
Yes, unfortunately, the Gundam and GP04 heads were out of stock. And what's worse, I've become so taken with the GP04 design that I've gotten even MORE crazy and started a search for a finished kit while passing, for now, on the Z Gundam head. I like the Z, but not that much. And certainly not as much as the GP04.
What I found was the Gundam Proshop on Ebay. He's a private seller, of sorts, but I'm currently working out details to have a finished GP04 done for me, and possibly* in a custom color scheme (mainly switching the blue for combat orange/red...I like the blue, but that sure would look nice!)
We'll see what happens. The worst case scenario would be, I'd just order the unfinished kit and test my skills to the utmost max.
Until next time,
Ja matta~
*I doubt this will fly, but we'll see what kind of response I get
-----------------------------------------------
On a side note, part of my funding for this is an auction on Ebay where I'm selling my makeshift Decepticon Collection. Pay a visit if you'd like. If you're interested, let me know and I can certainly cut my readers a deal on the price.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Crazy: An Update II
I heard back from G Systems.
The GP04 isn't in stock. What is currently in stock: Gp03 (bleh), Gp02 (kinda cool but..meh) and Z Gundam.
Done. Z it is. My plan is to have this be a part of my collection that is not incorporated elsewhere. I originally wanted the RX-78-2, because I don't have a model of the Gundam. I don't have a model of the GP04 or Z either, and seems Z is pretty important to the Gundam universe, it will do the job quite nicely.
So now I just have to wait for the confirmation back from G Systems.
I'll take full pictures when it arrives as well.
Ja na~
The GP04 isn't in stock. What is currently in stock: Gp03 (bleh), Gp02 (kinda cool but..meh) and Z Gundam.
Done. Z it is. My plan is to have this be a part of my collection that is not incorporated elsewhere. I originally wanted the RX-78-2, because I don't have a model of the Gundam. I don't have a model of the GP04 or Z either, and seems Z is pretty important to the Gundam universe, it will do the job quite nicely.
So now I just have to wait for the confirmation back from G Systems.
I'll take full pictures when it arrives as well.
Ja na~
Monday, August 4, 2008
Typo
Whoops.
I just realized I had the Mobile Suit of the Month section titled: Mobile Suite of the Month.
Fixed.
I just realized I had the Mobile Suit of the Month section titled: Mobile Suite of the Month.
Fixed.
Crazy: An Update
After all weekend and no word from G Systems on my last post, I emailed them again to see what the deal was.
After a short while I received very polite email apologizing for the delay but also letting me know that the RX-78-2 Bust was out of stock.
I emailed back stating that I understood and would like to go for the GPO4 then (I have a soft spot for the GPO4...plus...just look at it!). I haven't heard back, but considering it was 11Pm in Asia when I replied, I'll wait until tonight with patience. I hope it's in.
Also, I've decided this isn't so crazy. I'm totally making up the money by selling some things on Ebay...most notably, my Masterpiece Megatron and Transformer Collection. Sad to see him go, but Megatron doesn't hold a candle to Gundam in my book (Sorry Megs! Don't blast me for that).
Anywho...I realize the last two posts are basically me rambling. Work is crazy and I have to get back. I took pictures of the X1's legs (complete inner frame and feet) that I finished and I'll post on that tonight or tomorrow.
Until then -
Ja matta~
After a short while I received very polite email apologizing for the delay but also letting me know that the RX-78-2 Bust was out of stock.
I emailed back stating that I understood and would like to go for the GPO4 then (I have a soft spot for the GPO4...plus...just look at it!). I haven't heard back, but considering it was 11Pm in Asia when I replied, I'll wait until tonight with patience. I hope it's in.
Also, I've decided this isn't so crazy. I'm totally making up the money by selling some things on Ebay...most notably, my Masterpiece Megatron and Transformer Collection. Sad to see him go, but Megatron doesn't hold a candle to Gundam in my book (Sorry Megs! Don't blast me for that).
Anywho...I realize the last two posts are basically me rambling. Work is crazy and I have to get back. I took pictures of the X1's legs (complete inner frame and feet) that I finished and I'll post on that tonight or tomorrow.
Until then -
Ja matta~
Friday, August 1, 2008
I'm doing something Crazy
Okay, I'm doing something kinda crazy here, because I'm totally broke, but just made 100 bucks and can make up the rest pretty easily.
I'm ordering the 1/35 RX-78-2 Bust from G Systems. I'm opting for the completed kit because well...c'mon, look at it (Just click on the title of this post).
If they don't have it in stock, I'm ordering the S Gundam.
This thing will end up being the center piece of my collection. I honestly don't have a RX-78-2 Model (my Perfect Grade was changed to the RX-78-1) and what better way to honor the Gundam?
Uh, I can't believe I'm doing this, my fiancee would freak! But what she doesn't know (until its staring her in the face) won't hurt her!
I'll keep you guys posted. The price for the completed kit is $195 USD (sans shipping fees, which I'm sure will jack up the price a lot).
Oh, and I'm back in town.
Oh, and this way, I don't have another model to get in the way of the X1!
I'm ordering the 1/35 RX-78-2 Bust from G Systems. I'm opting for the completed kit because well...c'mon, look at it (Just click on the title of this post).
If they don't have it in stock, I'm ordering the S Gundam.
This thing will end up being the center piece of my collection. I honestly don't have a RX-78-2 Model (my Perfect Grade was changed to the RX-78-1) and what better way to honor the Gundam?
Uh, I can't believe I'm doing this, my fiancee would freak! But what she doesn't know (until its staring her in the face) won't hurt her!
I'll keep you guys posted. The price for the completed kit is $195 USD (sans shipping fees, which I'm sure will jack up the price a lot).
Oh, and I'm back in town.
Oh, and this way, I don't have another model to get in the way of the X1!
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