SDガンダム GGENERATION GATHER BEAT, launched 7/13/2000, developed by Vanguard, launched by Bandai
It is a recreation within the long-running “SD Gundam G Technology” collection. The collection began on the Tremendous Famicom in 1996 with six quick video games that went from “SD Gundam A technology” to “F technology”. Every recreation centered on a unique Gundam collection (authentic, Z, ZZ, Char’s Counterattack/F91, V, and G), and a peripheral referred to as the “Sufami Turbo” allow you to insert two video games directly in order that you can switch mechs from one recreation to a different. These video games could possibly be thought of technique RPGs in case your definition may be very broad, however they failed to satisfy my private standards.
Subsequent, on the Ps, they went to the subsequent letter G however determined that this may be the franchise identify from right here on out and that it could mix all of the collection into one recreation. The 1998 recreation was 42 phases, and lined the story from Gundam 0079 to Char’s Counterattack, together with a number of facet tales (08th MS Group, 0080, 0083, and Blue Future). As well as, there have been characters and mechs drawn from a bunch of different Gundam collection (together with even Wing and G, though I’ve a sense these had been simply cameos or mechs you can construct).
This was adopted in 1999 by SDDG Zero, which added extra collection and storylines and had 50 phases, though these had been now separated by collection somewhat than being performed repeatedly. This was the place the collection had reached when Collect Beat got here out, though a month later the flagship entry for the collection (at the least from this period) got here out — SDDG F. This had 101 phases drawn from 38 collection (together with manga, novel, and online game collection) from each Common Century and the alternate timelines. There have been over 1000 mechs within the collection. I performed this recreation some time again however I discovered it too gradual transferring to actually get into.
With out getting right into a full description of the SDDG collection, listed below are some options of the franchise (not essentially each recreation):
- “Visitor” items which are the characters from the reveals (Amuro, and so forth) after which generic characters that pilot your mechs and ships (in some video games you may get the Visitor items in your staff as effectively)
- The flexibility to seize enemy mechs
- Create new mechs by combining enemy mechs, or mechs with components
- “ACE” items by levelling them up, which may remodel them into new items
- Bonus cash/xp/and so forth for activating occasions from the collection (like attacking Char with Amuro within the first stage)
- Later entries introduce different stuff like “warmth”, extra transfer in the event you kill issues, and different such parts.
SDGGG, Zero, and F are thought of by some individuals to be technique RPGs. To me they’re borderline, and the principle purpose I didn’t play them is that they’re very lengthy video games and there’s a substantial amount of repetition between the three. Normally I don’t plan to play the SDDG video games of this sort (which incorporates video games like Spirits, Wars, and Genesis).
Nevertheless there have been different video games within the franchise that fall extra underneath my definition of SRPGs; they’ve a Tremendous Robotic Wars type crossover storyline and provide you with named characters with identities you could develop all through the sport. The primary recreation of this sort is Collect Beat for the Wonderswan. Though launched within the SDDG identify, it’s extra indebted to Emotional Jam, an earlier SD Gundam technique recreation for Wonderswan.
The storyline is centered primarily across the One Yr Battle, starting with Amuro’s first battle within the Gundam and ending with A Baoa Qu. However there are characters and storyline parts drawn from quite a lot of different Gundam collection (together with Z, ZZ, Char’s Counterattack, G, W, X, Blue Future, 08th MS Group, 0083, and 0080). The sport is 20 phases plus 6 elective phases that may be activated by fulfilling sure circumstances within the stage. The elective phases principally contain the facet tales, and get you extra characters like Judau (from ZZ) or the Blue Future occasions.
One characteristic that Collect Beat has is “ID” abilities. They’re kind of like Tremendous Robotic Wars seishin, however they’re named after well-known quotes the characters say within the collection. This one will increase Amuro’s hit fee.
There isn’t any gear or objects within the recreation; you can provide mechs weapons by utilizing the mech mix (develop) characteristic however that’s everlasting.
Earlier than every stage you assign mechs to the battleships you may have. This display may be very annoying as a result of there is no such thing as a technique to view any details about the mechs on this display. You simply have to recollect what the completely different mechs appear to be and who you assigned to the mechs. It is extremely irritating once you need to ship a brand new unit you simply received into the ship as a result of I usually discovered myself guessing who to sub them in for as a result of I couldn’t determine who was who.
As soon as you’re on the map, you ship out your items from the ships. Fortunately this recreation didn’t carry over the Emotional Jam system the place ships battle one another on separate maps, sending out items. They stored the “three particular person squad” system from EJ however considerably otherwise. You possibly can ship out items collectively in a squad (as much as 3 items), or you can also make squads on the map by transferring items on high of different items (in the event you do that, it’s a must to instantly assault or the flip ends for all of the items within the squad).
There are two sorts of assaults. You are able to do a direct assault the place the squads battle one another. One fascinating system ingredient is that each one the gap assault (beam/rifle/and so forth) occur first for each side, then the melee assaults. I did see occasional exceptions to this however I used to be by no means fairly certain how they operated. I believe additionally if the squads are unbalanced (like a single unit attacking 3 individuals) there are some extra modifications to the assaults or protection however I’m not certain about this and I by no means seemed it up.
The opposite type of assault is an “oblique assault”. Battleships have these, however some items do as effectively. When this type of assault is used in opposition to a squad, they’ve two choices. The primary is to keep up formation and simply take the hit (I don’t know if defend is utilized). The second is to interrupt formation, which halves the assault probability of the attacker but it surely causes the squad to interrupt up into separate items on the map. Utilizing this in opposition to enemy formations, particularly boss class items, makes the phases significantly simpler to beat as a result of the enemy almost all the time makes use of the formation break in response and solely typically tries to reform the squad. If you should use your ships to interrupt up the formations after which decide off the enemies individually, they’re quite a bit simpler to cope with.
If certainly one of your items is destroyed on the map, you completely lose the mech, however the pilot survives. This is applicable even to distinctive mechs that can not be recreated by way of the Develop characteristic (resembling Shining Gundam). It additionally applies to instances the place items are NPCs in the course of the stage however be a part of up after the stage is over. You possibly can ship your items again into ships to heal, although. If a battleship is destroyed it simply retreats from the map, though no matter battleship Brilliant is commanding is normally a recreation over if it’s destroyed. (I assume any items on a battleship that retreats are unavailable till the subsequent stage however this by no means occurred so I’m undecided.)
One system that I do like is that you simply get a lump sum of XP on the finish of a battle which is then (I believe?) divided up in opposition to your surviving items. So that you don’t have to verify sure items get kills to keep away from falling behind.
You get new mechs in a couple of methods. Characters will be a part of with a mech, and some story occasions provide you with new mechs. You possibly can seize enemy grunt mechs by surrounding them after which utilizing the “seize” command, however I by no means discovered this very helpful. You may as well purchase mechs, or develop them by combining mechs with objects that you simply get both by shopping for them, or by some story occasions. That is the principle technique to get new items. Sadly there is no such thing as a database that tracks your completion of getting all accessible mechs (that is accessible at the least in F, I don’t know concerning the earlier ones).
General I loved the story. It was a very good choice given the quick size of the sport to deal with the OYW and embrace the opposite collection as seasoning — in some instances I believe they overdid it (just like the transient look of the Flip A moonrace) however general it was effectively completed. We get some story parts which are uncommon in these video games (like Char showing as Casval and a youthful pre-Zeta Haman). The story ends with an authentic mech.
The gameplay is OK. I discussed the interface problem beforehand with the battleships, however there are different annoying parts of the interface as effectively — I’ve stated this many instances, however will be unfair to criticize these handheld video games an excessive amount of till you get to the purpose the place they might do in addition to the consoles (which is the PSP or possibly the Recreation Boy Advance).
I typically felt like the person mechs weren’t distinguished very clearly. A few of that is the interface not permitting you to get as a lot info as you may want earlier than dispatching the items, however that’s not all.
The phases are positive, they’ve some various targets and occasions, and you’ll have a few of your characters discuss with the enemies or allies to activate occasions that provide you with extra XP. I didn’t assume it was particularly tough both (in the event you use oblique assaults).
Collect Beat 2 is for the Wonderswan shade, and Advance is mainly a remake of this recreation. I imagine that that is the final monochrome recreation I’ll play (SRW Compact 2 components 2 and three are nonetheless forward however I already performed them). I gained’t be sorry to see the top of monochrome video games…
