Released early 2001 in Japan and Aug 2001 in America-- "Journey to Jaburo" is an action game that grows on you. You start the game out in Story Mode where you reenact battles from the first half of the Mobile Suit Gundam series, piloting the Gundam Mobile Suit. You are thrown right into frantic battles with no tutorials and have to figure things out as you play. While this is how Amuro learned, for the player it is frustrating. Especially since the levels are confusing and designed to force the player to memorize the enemy patterns as they replay the missions till they get it right. There are only 9 story missions and inbetween each there are extensive animated cut scenes telling the story of Gundam. The animation is recent redone footage and not recycled from the 1979 series. It looks very good and keeps you going while you get through the poor story mode levels. When you complete the story mode, a new mode is opened--Tactics battle. This is when the game gets fun. Here you pick your MS and mission and as you keep playing you unlock more MS and bonus movies. While there are only 6 missions, the MS all handle differently making the missions very replayable. The controls seem unwieldy but if you stick it out--they begin to feel alright. I didn't really feel confortable with the controls until I started playing the tactics mode. I wish Bandai had left the tactics mode open at the beginning of the game so the player could use that mode to get used to the controls. I only have one major gripe about the controls. It's hard to pick the target you want when you are faced with a large group of enemies. There should have been a way to cycle through available targets once you lock-on. The music is great--and includes some of the Japanese vocal tracks from the MSG series. The graphics are acceptable, but not outstanding--except for the Mobile Suit models which I thought were well textured. So, the story mode is just something you have to grit your teeth and get through--but the very fun tactics mode makes it worth the effort. Plus the great animated scenes make "Journey to Jaburo" a recommended game.

Mobile Suit Gundam-"Journey to Jaburo" Playable MS in the Tactics mode include-- RX-78-2 Gundam RX-77 Guncannon RX-75 Guntank RGM-79 GM RGM-79SP GM Sniper Custom II RX-79(G) Ground Gundam RX-79BD-1 Blue Destiny 1 RX-78NT-1 Alex MS-05 Zaku MS-06 Zaku II MS-06S Zaku II (Char's) MS-06FS Zaku II (Garma's) MS-07B Gouf MS-09 Dom MSM-03 Gogg MSM-04 Acguy MSM-07 Zugock MSM-07S Zugock (Char's) MSM-03C Hygog MSM-10 Zock (retconed) MS-18E Kämpfer

This game was released in early 2000 though I just recently had the chance to play it through on my brother's Dreamcast. "Rise from the Ashes" is an action game with a little bit of stategy thrown in. You command a platoon of Mobile Suits comprising 3 MS and one hovertank. As leader, you will control your own MS and issue commands to the other units as you progress through 9 missions set in Australia during the OYW. The game is played in cockpit view and there is no option for a third-person perspective. Pausing the game will allow you to bring up a map and plot way-points for your other units, as well as give fighting instructions and check their status. With only 9 missions the game is undeniably short, however the game makes up for that with great atmosphere, characters, and story. It also makes the unprecedented move of not giving your character a gundam to fight in. The only MS you can chose between are a standard GM, GM cannon, and RX-77D guncannon MP. Only on the last mission are you equipped with a GM sniper II custom but even then you are only allowed to use your standard weapons of either machine gun or rocket launcher. By limiting you to basic MS and weapons the realism of being a grunt unit is really enhanced. This is one of the best Gundam video games released. It's a pity that the game is so short as it does nearly everything else right.

Gundam Side Story 0079- "Rise From the Ashes" (Dreamcast: Domestic release)

The makers of "Rise from the Ashes" return with this action/strategy hybrid for the PS2. Taking the unprecedented move of making the Zeons the game's heros; you take command of a MS company and engage in battles during the OWY. The basic point of the game is to control up to three squads of three MS each as you complete missions over large battlefields. You do this by plotting routes before the battle for each team to take, then in combat, giving commands as the situation dictates. You will have direct control over one of the lead MS and this is where the action part of the gameplay comes in. You can switch between squad leaders in battle and have direct control over that unit.Your squad mates will follow your lead. In this way, if one team is in trouble, you can switch over to them and use your arcade skill to help them out. Unfortunately for strategy buffs, good planning and tactics will only get you so far, this game does require a bit of arcade finesse. Before starting a mission, you have to prepare your units. You choose which pilots you want to take, which Mobile suits you want to give them, and which weapon to equip them with. There are a variety of weapons available such as machine guns, shotguns, rifles, bazookas and beam rifles for example. Even a Zaku I can be deadly if it has a sniper rifle. MS also have a number of slots for extra equipment. These take the form of sensors, smoke grenades, electronic jammers, extra armor, etc. Selecting and outfitting the right team is important for success. Next, take a look at the mission map and plot the route your teams will take. Then go into battle. During battle, the game doesn't have the fast pace of "Journey to Jaburo" it's slower and there are new considerations to think of. There is a definite fog of war. You have three different sensors, sonar, radar, and thermal. Learning to switch between sensors is vital and will help you find the enemy before he finds you. This is doubly important because MS in this game are best destroyed from the back. Firing a zaku machine gun at the front of a GM is nearly useless given it's high frontal armor, but from behind, only a quick burst is needed to finish it off. Thus stealth in "Zeonic Front" is very important. The missions tell the story of "Midnight Fenrir" a Zeon unit which just happened to be at all the important land based events of the OYW. The story and atmosphere isn't as involving as "Rise from the Ashes" but it's better than most other Gundam games. There are also simulator missions. The first of these are tutorials to help you learn to play the game. Later, they are extra missions which just give you more gameplay and even let you use federation mobile suits. "Zeonic Front" is a good game. There is a little bit of a learning curve but after 4 or 5 missions the game pull you in. You will find yourself replaying missions over a number of times in order to figure the best routes and MS to use. Missions sometimes seem impossible, but if you find the right combination, they don't become too hard. It's a thinking man's action game.

Mobile Suit Gundam- "Zeonic Front" In Zeonic Front you can experience the intricacies of Zeon variant models such as... MS-05A Zaku I Prototype MS-05B Zaku I MS-05S Zaku I (commander type) MS-06F Zaku II MS-06S Zaku II (commander. type) MS-06FZ Garma's Zaku II MS-06J Zaku II (ground type) MS-06F2 Zaku II (final production) MS-07A Gouf Prototype MS-07B Gouf MS-07B3 Gouf Custom MS-09 Dom MS-09 Dom Funf MS-09F Dom Tropen

This game is based on Gundam: The Battle Master 2 with many new characters included for the North American market. New backgrounds have been created and now utilize 3-D effects. There are several play modes. There is a story mode where you follow either G-Gundam, Wing or UC characters through a number of stages. There is also a time attack, survival mode, and naturally a versus mode. The game plays no different from the 1998 Battle Master 2, so it's rather dated. Thankfully Bandai is only charging $20 for this simple game. If you're a G or Wing fan, then it's certainly worth the price, but there's nothing new here for UC fans. Here's a rundown of the MS in Battle Assault 2. MS from G-Gundam Burning Gundam Gundam Maxter Gundam Rose Bolt Gundam Dragon Gundam Master Gundam Dark Gundam MS from Wing Gundam Wing Gundam Zero Custom Gundam Deathscythe Hell Custom Gundam Heavyarms Custom Gundam Sandrock Custom Altron Gundam Tallgeese III Gundam Epyon Gundam Hydra (from G-Unit) MS from UC Gundam RX-78-2 Gundam RX-92 Nu Gundam RX-78 GP02 Full Armor Double Zeta MS-06 Zaku II MS-06S Zaku II (Char's) MSM-04 Acguy MSM-03C Hygog Quin-Mantha Sazabi Zeong RB-79 Ball Also, the Big Zam, Neue Ziel, and Psycho Gundam MK.III bosses return once again.

Gundam Battle Assault 2 Tip: Play GBA2 on the PS2 with the texture smoothing option on for vastly improved graphics.