Gundam: The Battle Master, later known as Battle Assault, is a series of fighting games released for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and Game Boy Advance. The series features mobile suits from several eras of the Gundam metaverse and some non-traditional fighting game elements. Every entry was developed by Bandai in co-operation with Japanese developer Natsume, [1] who also made the 1996 Shin Kidō Senki Gundam Wing: Endless Duel .
Gundam: The Battle Master | |
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Developer(s) | Bandai, Natsume |
Publisher(s) | Bandai |
Platform(s) | PlayStation |
Release |
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Genre(s) | Versus Fighting |
Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
Gundam: The Battle Master is the first game in the series, released for the PlayStation in 1997. Even this first game features the large multi-jointed sprites and 2-screen-high stages that the rest of the series would follow on. The game would also feature its own unique pilots that are exclusive to this game, replacing the regular pilots that are often associated with each mobile suit in the franchise. It includes the following mobile suits from the Universal Century era:
Gundam: The Battle Master features gameplay unlike most fighting games, let alone the other games within its series:
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed: Battle Assault Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny | |
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Developer(s) | Natsume |
Publisher(s) | Bandai |
Platform(s) | Game Boy Advance |
Release | Mobile Suit Gundam Seed: Battle Assault
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Genre(s) | Versus Fighting |
Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
In 2004, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed: Battle Assault was released for the Game Boy Advance and featured units exclusively from the then-recent localization of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED . The units included all the Gundams from the show sans the Providence, as well as Rau Le Creuset's CGUE and the Gundam Astray Red Frame. It was released exclusively in the US.
The gameplay for this portable installment is similar to its three PlayStation predecessors, with the difference of being faster and more user-friendly. The player had the option of choosing a manual method for executing special moves or an automatic one (similar to the easy mode of Capcom's Vs. series). The player could also adjust one of three parameters (HP, Phase Shift Armor or Thrust) at the cost of the other.
There was also an updated version of the game focusing on the SEED Destiny sequel series, named simply Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny . Unlike the original game, however, it was released only in Japan and included the original game as an unlockable. This version features all the units from the previous plus the initial suits of the SEED Destiny anime (it lacks GOUF Ignited, Murasame, Dom Trooper, Strike Freedom, Infinite Justice, Destiny, Legend and Akatsuki).
Battle Assault 3: Featuring Gundam SEED | |
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Developer(s) | Natsume |
Publisher(s) | Bandai |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
Release |
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Genre(s) | Versus Fighting |
Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
Battle Assault 3 is the fifth game in the series. It was released on the PlayStation 2, four months after the GBA installment. It was the first to feature full 3D graphics and it also focused on units from the Gundam Seed anime, including grunt mobile suits like GINNs. However, the Wing Gundam Zero Custom, Tallgeese III, Burning (God) Gundam and Master Gundam appear as unlockable secret characters. It was only released in the US.
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, also known in Japan as New Mobile Report Gundam Wing, is a 1995 Japanese mecha anime series directed by Masashi Ikeda and written by Katsuyuki Sumizawa. It is the sixth installment in the Gundam franchise, taking place in the "After Colony" timeline. As with the original series, the plot of Gundam Wing centers on a war in the future between Earth and its orbital colonies in the Earth-Moon system.
Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory is a 13-episode anime OVA series set in the Gundam universe. The first volume containing two 30-minute episodes was released in Japan on May 23, 1991. Subsequent volumes, containing one 30-minute episode each, followed every one or two months; the final volume went on sale on September 24, 1992. The series was directed by Mitsuko Kase and Takashi Imanishi. A movie compilation, also directed by Imanishi was released in Japan on August 29, 1992, a month before the final OVA volume went on sale. The characters were designed by Toshihiro Kawamoto. Mechanical designs were by Shoji Kawamori and Hajime Katoki.
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED is an anime series developed by Sunrise and directed by Mitsuo Fukuda. The ninth installment in the Gundam franchise, Gundam SEED takes place in a future calendar era, in this case the Cosmic Era. In this era, mankind has developed into two subspecies: Naturals, who reside on Earth, and Coordinators, genetically enhanced humans capable of amazing feats of intellect who emigrate to man-made orbital colonies to escape persecution by natural humans. The story revolves around a young Coordinator Kira Yamato who becomes involved in the war between the two races after a third, neutral faction's space colony is invaded by the Coordinators.
The RX-78-2 Gundam is a fictional manned robot (mecha), introduced in 1979 in Yoshiyuki Tomino's and Sunrise's anime series Mobile Suit Gundam. In the series, it is a prototype weapon for the Earth Federation when it falls into the hands of Amuro Ray, the son of its designer in story, who goes on to pilot it in the Earth Federation's war against the Principality of Zeon.
Another Century's Episode 2, abbreviated as A.C.E. 2, is a third-person mecha action video game produced by Banpresto and developed by From Software. It is the sequel to the popular 2005 game Another Century's Episode. It was released for the PlayStation 2 on March 30, 2006.
Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness, also known as simply Cyberbots, is a 1995 two-dimensional fighting video game produced by Capcom. It is a spin-off of the beat'em up game Armored Warriors and consists of versus battles between mechas, each with their own human pilots. Built on the CP System II arcade board, it saw limited distribution in arcades outside Japan; the game was ported to the Sega Saturn and PlayStation home consoles domestically featuring additional content. With the exception of an untranslated PlayStation Network release in 2011, none of the console ports were released overseas. The arcade version of Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness was released as part of Capcom Fighting Collection (2022) on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. The game was succeeded by Tech Romancer (1998).
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Fighting Edition is a 2D competitive fighting video game based on the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television series that was released exclusively for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System developed by Natsume Co., Ltd. and published by Bandai in 1995. Unlike previous Power Rangers video games, which had the player controlling the titular heroes, the player controls their giant robots in this title. A bootleg Genesis port is known to exist, though who actually made it is currently unknown.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Journey to Jaburo is an action game based directly on the Mobile Suit Gundam films and series. The game begins at the start of the series and ends at the ending of the second film. The game plays in an action game format with a standard third-person view. It features newly hand animated cutscenes that depict events from the original television series as well as a CGI opening depicting a space battle from the One Year War and then a scene of the Gundam destroying several Zaku IIs before being attacked by Char Aznable. A sequel, Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space, was released in 2003.
Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed: Rengou vs. Z.A.F.T. is a third person arcade game based on the Gundam Seed franchise. It was developed in 2005 by Capcom and published by Banpresto, Bandai, and Namco Bandai Games in Japan. Similarly to Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Zeta Gundam, the player can choose to ally themselves with either O.M.N.I., Z.A.F.T. or Blue Cosmos and fight against the other factions. The Arcade Mode has 9 stages plus a bonus Extra Stage.
Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed Destiny: Rengou vs. Z.A.F.T. II is a 2006 third person arcade game developed by Capcom and published by Namco Bandai Games. It is the sequel to Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed: Rengou vs. Z.A.F.T. with a slightly revised fighting system, new units and characters, and updates to old characters. Playable characters and units are taken from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED as well its sequel Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. Whereas the console version of its prequel had only a few units and playable characters from the beginning of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny such as the Impulse Gundam, RvZ2 includes characters and units from the entire series, such as the Strike Freedom Gundam and Infinite Justice Gundam
Model Suit Gunpla Builders Beginning G is an anime produced by Sunrise to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Gundam plastic model kits. It was directed by Kou Matsuo and written by Yousuke Kuroda, and features character designs by Kaichiro Terada. The show was originally broadcast on BS11 and streamed on the Internet from August 15, 2010 to December 19, 2010 with 3 15-minute episodes before being released on both DVD and Blu-ray on December 22, 2010. Unlike other Gundam titles, Gunpla Builders Beginning G takes place in a present-day timeline.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. is a 3D arcade fighting game and the second latest in the series of Gundam VS video game series developed and published by Namco Bandai Games prior to Gundam Versus which is on PS4. Extreme Vs. is the sequel to Capcom's Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam NEXT. The game was first unveiled at the AOU 2010 and released on September 28, 2010. The game was later released on the PlayStation 3 on December 1, 2011, featuring balance tweaks.
Mobile Suit Gundam AGE is a mecha action role-playing game developed by Level-5 and published by Namco Bandai Games. Considered as an adaptation of the anime of the same name, the game is divided into two versions: Universe Accel and Cosmic Drive, with each version having differences in the additional content. Both games were released on August 30, 2012.
Shin Kidō Senki Gundam Wing: Endless Duel is a 1996 fighting video game developed by Natsume Co., Ltd. and published in Japan by Bandai for the Super Famicom. It is the first game to be based on the Mobile Suit Gundam Wing anime series. Set in the year After Colony 195, players take control of a pilot from the Colony Liberation Organization or the Organization of the Zodiac. Its gameplay consists of one-on-one fights, with a main four-button configuration, featuring special moves, as well as three playable modes.
Gundam: Battle Assault is a 1998 fighting video game developed by Natsume Co., Ltd. and published by Bandai for the PlayStation. Based on the Gundam franchise, it is a follow-up to Gundam: The Battle Master (1997), which was released only in Japan. The plot involves Heero Yuy, protagonist of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and pilot of the XXXG-01W Wing Gundam, on a mission to destroy remaining enemy Mobile Suits under command of Treize Khushrenada to stop a war from starting. Its gameplay consists of one-on-one fights, with a main six-button configuration, featuring special moves and two playable modes, while players can select any available mech to battle against enemies in story mode.
Gundam: Battle Assault 2 is a 2002 fighting video game developed by Natsume Co., Ltd. for the PlayStation. Based on the Gundam franchise, it is a follow-up to Gundam: Battle Assault (1998). The story is divided into three storylines following a pilot from Mobile Fighter G Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and Mobile Suit Gundam. Its gameplay consists of one-on-one fights, with a main six-button configuration, featuring special moves and two playable modes, while players can select any available mech to battle against enemies in story mode.