Pros: Sniper scope, four mobile suits, many weapons, beam saber combat, issue commands.
Cons: No multiplayer, too short, no Gundams.
The Bottom Line: Action and strategy fans would enjoy this, although it's so short. Even if you're still not a Gundam fan, you should at least give this game a chance.
Pika312's Full Review: Gundam Side Story 0079: Rise from the Ashes for Dr...
Gundam fans have always been let down. There has never been any good Gundam games, or any Gundam games for that matter. But not only is this game good, it takes full advantage of the potential of the Sega Dreamcast.
A war of independence has just broken out between the Duchy of Zeon and the Federation Army. However, Zeon doesn't have the resources to hold out, so they drop many space colonies to occupy 2/3 of Earth quickly. Zeon invades Australia and Federation doesn't seem to stand a chance. But they begin operations of their own and are successful. Counterattacks begin all over the world as victory shifts from one side to the next. This is where you come in.
You are Pierce Rayer. You are the leader of your MS team, White Dingo. Your men, Leung and Mike, will help you in combat and follow every order you issue. You also have the assistance of Anita, driver of Oasis. She can identify and locate enemies, then you and your men can attack them. Hopefully, you will be victorious.
As any good leader would tell you, getting to know your men and your abilities is important. That's why you need to know how to pilot your mobile suit. Only you know which one suits you right. You'll have to experiment with each mobile suit and try with different weapons and items. Besides the standard machine gun, there are beam weapons, rocket launchers, cannons, shields, and grenades. If you ever run low on ammo, you have your Vulcans mounted on your head. Now all you have to do is learn how to use your mobile suit.
Your mobile suit is very complicated. You have many screens that identify your enemies, tell how much ammo you have left, shows your health, a radar that shows your enemies, how far you are, a message window, and the list goes on and on. All this is important in being a good leader. And let's not forget the command screen.
You are the leader, so that gives you every right to boss your men around. Tell them to attack, search, or protect anything. And Oasis also helps by detecting enemies.
Now here's where the game really shines. How would you like to like to destroy your enemies? Shoot them from far away with your sniper scope? Or make like Heero Yuy and engage in hand to hand combat, slashing your opponents until they blow up? And in this game, you get to blow up a lot of stuff. Depending on the success of your mission, it may determine how difficult your future missions will be. Even though this is an action game, strategy is a must.
It's a shame that this game is not as good as it could have been (I guess they were saving that for Playstation 2). They are only nine missions, with slight variations. Your team mates might say some new stuff and you might see a few more movie clips, but everything is exactly the same. As long as you don't die, you can keep playing (except when you kill your team and get arrested). Even if every part of your mission is a success, it will eventually lead to the same place.
Another complaint is that this would have been a cool multiplayer game. There are four members in total, and there are four controller ports on the Dreamcast, so what's the problem? Not like my friends would help me anyway...
The graphics are very good. The mobile suits are drawn nicely and has smooth texture. But the environments are usually too foggy or dark to enjoy.
The sounds in this game are just amazing. Listen to that Zaku blow up, or listen to those beam sabers clashing against each other. Everything you hear on the television series is right here, except that your team doesn't snap back at you when you talk to them. You can even hear your own mobile suit walking!
If you grow tired from the constant repeats on television and would like to be your own hero, then there is no reason not to get this game.
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