On Friday, the 25th of August, Namco Bandai Games announced the future release of a Mobile Suit Gundam title for the PS3. The game, which is due to be put out later this year, has the full title of Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire. The game takes place after the invasion of Earth by the military forces of the Duchy of Zeon that, some nine months into this climatic struggle, the Earth Federation will be tossing you into the fray against Zeon or it can happen the other way around if the other way is more palatable. According to the press release there will be the chance to pilot numerous famous, or infamous, mobile suits from the series as you proceed through the game. There were also hints of a strategic element in the game that will allow you to command units of the player's choosing and use these forces to formulate the quickest way to conquer the enemy. If this proves to be successful and as the game progresses, more types of mobile suits will be unlocked that the player will be able to include into their forces and win the game.
That's the official spiel and now it's time to tell you the first hand glimpse that was provided through the screenshots Namco Bandai provided. The environments are simply beautiful; they should a dessert area with a blue sky that looks just as real as if it was a postcard taken from somewhere in Arizona or Nevada.
There was also a ruined city area evident, with the structures of the ruined buildings clearly defined, and with added bits of detail likes bent fences, metal railings, torn and twisted pieces of metal sticking out of ruined buildings to complete the apocalyptic tableau. But the main focus of the game is on the Gundams themselves which, speaking truthfully, look even better then the environments around them. They look..real, as if you were watching them on TV.
Details like the joints at the elbow, the shine of the sun on the glass faceplates of the robots, painted symbols and stickers on the armor, and even the joints of the fingers. This team play or large AI combat, whatever it will turn out to be, was revealed in one of the screenshots. It showed a single Zaku being fired upon by a number of tanks which were protected by three Earth Federation Gundams.
This little spoonful was very sweet and when it makes it full appearance on the PS3 it will be a feast large enough to keep us full for weeks.
–Nick McCavitt
