Gundam Extreme VS is a pretty popular arcade game in Japan. The latest installment in the series was released exclusively for the PlayStation Vita. This was meant to hopefully be the arcade experience on the go. Even better, Bandai Namco announced that there will be a localized English version of the game releasing in Asia, making it very import friendly. Needless to say, this was a fairly anticipated release for the handheld. The game finally came out in Japan, and reviews and impressions from critics and importers were not exactly positive. The game was criticized for its lack of modes and mobile suits in comparison to the previous releases. It did not have an arcade mode or a free battle mode, either, which many fans were looking for. As a result the game received a significant price drop on Amazon.jp down to what we would consider the $20 or budget range.
My copy of the Asian English release arrived a few weeks ago and I have to say, while I was enjoying it as a nice pick up and play experience on the bus, something felt off about it. I was reading about the recently released version 1.03 patch that made its way to Japan and saw all the additions it brought to the game and immediately wondered if my copy of the game will receive the same treatment. Well it finally did, and I have to say: Its like a whole new game and a pretty good one with lots more replay value. Here is a brief rundown of the additions:
- 6 more mobile suits (Mack Knife, 00, Strike Freedom, Master Gundam, GP02A, Turn X)
- Free Battle mode – Pit the mobile suits against each other
- Course Battle mode – Pretty much a traditional Arcade mode
- Your mobile suit is no longer locked to a mission once it is completed. So you can use any mobile suit in any mission as long as it has been cleared at least once.
- You can now customize the buttons with options for the Vita TV
These additions addressed nearly all of my concerns with this game when I initially got it. I believe there are more updates coming too, so it’s great to see what was once a average title become something truly worth playing and owning. Bandai Namco gave announced this title for release in the west, however no release date has been announced so far. It is also unclear if the western release will contain all of these updates from the get-go. I will say, if you are interested in some fast paced Gundam action check our Gundam Extreme Vs Force, or even the recently released Gundam Breaker 3, which also looks really fun and is getting an English version released in Asia as well. Now if you will excuse me, I have a fight to finish…
