Mobile Suit Gundam - Gundam VS Gundam Next Plus Impressions part 4

Mobile Suit Victory Gundam

NEW Gedlav

 A Gerobi, tons of different projectile tools, and a few melee tools? This is one adaptable mobile suit! I quite like this one, and I wouldn't mind seeing it return, since it looks quite different from anything else on either(Extreme VS and Next Plus) roster

Victory Gundam

 Virtually identical to Extreme VS, it even retains the same Assist move. Actually, I think it didn't have a Mobile Armor mode in Extreme VS, oh, and when it loses all body pieces, the "ship mode" lasts way longer, but it's way worse, it can't boost and flies at a snail's pace. I might be crazy, but I think the melee combos look much cooler in this one. All in all? I like it a lot, as much as in Extreme VS, throwing exploding limbs never gets old.

Mobile Fighter G Gundam

NEW Shining Gundam

 This one is... amazing. Instead of a Beam Rifle, it shoots Hadokens out of his hands. HADOKENS. Has brutal melee attacks, has the Shining Finger and... has a secondary mode that enhances its already great melee and grants it a Gerobi beam. This one is returning in Maxi Boost, hopefully it plays just like it does in this one.

God Gundam

 It's a 3000 cost unit here(Just like Maxi Boost, which bumped it up to 3000 again), and... it's fairly good. It's also fairly different to how he plays in Extreme Vs. It has a much better ranged game here, it now shoots beam slashes with its sword, and can charge it up for a exploding wave attack. It can also change into a "Sheathed sword" stance that can rapid fire projectiles or turn into a beam sword tornado. Lastly, it has the Head spread gun, like in vanilla Extreme Vs. I prefer this one to Extreme Vs, much more fun!

Master Gundam

 Its a 2000 cost unit now, which makes no sense since Domon's Shining Gundam is a 2000 unit as well, but I digress. First thing you'll notice? It can't run, rather, it walks really, really slowly. The ranged attacks consists of throwing its beam cloth, which makes sense, but isn't too useful. Among its features, its melee attacks usually cover a wide area, which is kinda cool unless your ally happens to be close by, and it has an epic looking, but hard to hit with, melee attack in which it dashes forward, crosses the opponent, strikes a pose and the enemy explodes. Conclusion? I didn't like it too much, Extreme VS' version is much better.

NEW Nobel Gundam

  Eh, it's kinda lame. It's not that it's a bad unit, it simply feels like a Shining Gundam reskin, it even has an alternate, timed, mode. Almost everything it can do, Shining Gundam does the same and better. I can see why they axed it from Extreme Vs, and unless they revamp its moveset, I really don't care about it.

Gundam Spiegel

 Admittedly, I didn't play a whole lot with Spiegel in Extreme Vs, buuuut, it seems pretty similar in this one, as a matter of fact, I think it has a couple more moves in this one. It also retains the special blur effect when it runs, which looks quite neat. I happen to notice a trend, most of the units re-introduced in Full Boost seem to play the most similar to their Next Plus counterparts, hmm...

BONUS

New Mobile Report Gundam Wing

NEW Gundam Heavy Arms Kai

 Preface: When I was younger, Heavyarms was my favorite Gundam Wing mobile suit. I loved the color scheme and the fact that it had a friggin' minigun on one arm. Also, since it's the TV series version, with only one arm holding the miniguns, I expected it to have some kind of melee attacks(I despise ranged-only units!), the Heavyarms did have a knife under the minigun, so I wanted to try it out as soon as possible... Well, it only has one melee attack, and it does use the knife, but it isn't too useful. For some reason, I find it more fun to play than it its Extreme Vs counterpart, probably has to do with me liking the color scheme a lot more and I like the sounds for the minigun a bit more. Also, I think it recharges ammo faster? Besides that, it has basically the same moveset as Extreme VS, but with a different assist call. I like neither version, but if I had to choose, I'd go with this one!

Mobile Suit Gundam - Gundam VS Gundam Next Plus Impressions part 3

Mobile Suit ZZ Gundam

ZZ Gundam

 IT'S A WRESTLER! Another unit that is fairly different to its Extreme VS counterpart. While I prefer its Extreme VS incarnation, hot damn, I love how the melee moveset works, it has like 3 different grabs, one of them being a pile driver. Epic. As a mid-long range unit, it's really friggin' good, for just a 2000 unit, and the grabs deal a ton of damage to boot.

NEW Hamma Hamma

 This one. WOW. It's like the Rozen Zulu in that it has extending limbs... however, this extends to its melee as well, its arm flies towards the enemy with the beam saber. It can also extend its arms to grapple towards the enemy. Not my kind of suit, but I like it and wouldn't mind seeing it return, but I guess the Rozen Zulu kinda took its place.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack

Sazabi

 Fairly similar to how it plays in Extreme VS, but it feels a bit weaker. Maybe because the last time I played it, it was a 3000 in Full Boost. Instead of a green gerobi-like beam, it has a sort of funnel carpet-boming that is kinda cool, but hard to hit with. All in all? While I quite like it in Extreme VS, here it lacks some oomph, specially compared to other 2000 units I've used in this one, regardless, it has one amazing shotgun attack that comes in the form of a charge attack, but, I think, it's the fastest charging move I've ever seen in the VS series! Pretty useful, strong and charges quite fast, the only downside it that it has a tiny bit of startup before it finally goes off.

Nu Gundam

 It has the same basic toolset as its Extreme VS counterpart, minus the Beam Shield which is now activated when Nu Gundam has less than 100 HP. Also, it has a special melee combo that looks downright brutal. I prefer this version to Extreme VS, sheesh, I wish they'd give it that combo back!

Mobile Suit Gundam F91

NEW Vigna Ginha

 I kinda like it. It's an all around 1000 cost unit, with a rather basic moveset. It has a swirling shooting move pretty reminiscent of Full Cloth Crossbones Gundam. It also has the Berga Giros' Drill that stuns. It's a pretty alright unit, I kinda like it and I wouldn't mind seeing it return, Cecily deserves to go back into the playable realm, but the Berga Giros kinda took its place.

Gundam Formula 91

 Whoa! This one is fairly different. In this game, Formula 91 can switch between a long-range only form and a mid-close range form. Extreme VS kinda merged tools from both forms into a single one, and in my opinion, is much better. However! F91's base form looks really badass, holding a bazooka in one arm and a beam rifle in the other.

Bonus

Mobile Suit Victory Gundam

V2 Gundam

 It's basically the same as Extreme VS. Really. I've not much else to say, it's really good, it has both modes, it has the Wings of Light.... it's basically the same damn mobile suit!

Mobile Suit Gundam - Gundam VS Gundam Next Plus Impressions part 2

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam

Gundam Mark II / Super Gundam(Emma)

 Fairly different to Extreme VS, it has 3 modes instead of 2, and they are not timed! Works fairly well at mid-close range, the Super Gundam being only good at mid-long range, since it has no melee and the missiles don't work up close. I actually prefer its Extreme Vs counterpart.

NEW Gundam Mark II(Kamille)

 This is actually a FB DLC unit, but since Full Boost's DLC was made up of, mostly, clones, I didn't bother with it. As for Next Plus? It's really, really good. It's a 1000 unit, instead of Emma's 2000, but it has a wide variety of tools at its disposal with no need to swap equipment, unlike Emma. The melee combos look much more badass, and it has an specially badass melee kick. I like this one a lot!

Hyaku Shiki

 My favorite Mobile Suit! In Next Plus it plays more like its Gundam VS Zeta Gundam Counterpart and... I like it that way. Its melee combos now have fancy kicks, which look amazing, and instead of flying on top of a Mobile Armor, when boosting, it uses the Mega Bazooka Launcher to propel itself, it looks hilarious! The Mega Bazooka Launcher takes a long while to shoot, which isn't so neat. All in all, I prefer this version over Extreme Vs's!

The O

 Fairly different to Extreme VS, I don't really like it much. In this one, its assist can let it see the enemy boost gauges, which is certainly unique. It also has Gundam VS Zeta Gundam's Awaken system, which is kinda neat. Thing is.... its moveset is fairly limited, it doesn't have much tools, which really, really sucks.

Qubeley

 Not too different from Extreme VS, here its a 3000 unit that can fight fairly well at close-mid range. Probably due to its cost, it feels really, really strong(This is the first 3000 I've used in this game!).

Bonus

Mobile Suit ZZ Gundam

NEW Qubeley Mark II(Elpeo Ple)

 I was expecting it to be fairly different to Haman's Qubeley, hey, Extreme VS' Haman's Qubeley and Puru Two's Qubeley are different from each other, and.... they were very different indeed!  Elepeo's Qubeley is much better at long ranges than Haman's, but it certainly isn't as powerful(It is a 1000 unit after all). It also has two different modes, it can enter a ranged-only funnel based mode that runs out of ammo fairly quickly but grants it a longer range. I quite like it.

Qubeley Mark II(Ple Two)

 I expected this one, since it's a 2000 cost unit, to be a mix of both Qubeleys... I was wrong, The other Mark II is a mix of this one and Haman's. This Qubeley... is my least favorite, by far, it's a ranged only unit, like Elpeo's Qubeley secondary mode. I didn't like this unit at all.

Mobile Suit Gundam - Gundam VS Gundam Next Plus Impressions part 1

 Mobile Suit Gundam

RX 78 2 Gundam

 Pretty basic, but pretty decent all around unit. Definitely a great unit to start with, it's pretty similar to its Extreme VS counterpart but with less tools.

NEW Guncannon

 A long range unit, it has some hilarious melee moves that end with it falling on the ground! It can also throw a giant rock. I'd love for this unit to return in Extreme VS!

NEW Guntank

 A Long-range exclusive unit, it has no form of close-quarters defense, so if anything gets close, it's as good as dead. It was basically replaced by the much more adaptable Tank in Extreme VS.

NEW Zaku II Char Custom

 For a 1000 unit, it does have a nice selection of tools at its disposal. I'm especially fond of the Movement boost that allows it to zip through the battlefield 3 times as fast as the other units!

Zeong

 I didn't like the Zeong in Full Boost, it was a bit too complex for my taste. Well, its Gundam VS Gundam incarnation plays very differently to Extreme VS, and it's very strong and much simpler to use, however, it's only good at mid-long range, with no melee tools at its disposal.

NEW Rick Dom

 A fairly straightforward close-mid range unit, it's a bit boring in my opinion, but it can summon the other Tri-Stars as its Support attack! It has a stunning sub weapon that is fairly hard to hit with. All in all, while I'm not too fond of its moveset, the Tri-Stars were fairly iconic characters, the Rick Dom should make a comeback on Extreme VS!

Acguy

 Fairly similar to its Extreme VS counterpart, it has less support calls, but I think the support Acguys come out in a funnier way in this one. They just dash and jump towards their target! It has different and longer melee chains in this one.

Bonus
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam

Z Gundam

 The Acguy was similar to its Extreme VS counterpart, but the Z Gundam is almost identical. A 2000 unit that works pretty nicely at close-mid range. While it supposedly gets a boost when it goes "Newtype", the melee attacks become so slow that they are a hindrance more than anything else, which really, really blows.

Now Playing: Mobile Suit Gundam - Gundam vs. Gundam NEXT PLUS

 Sweet Jesus almighty, this game, THIS GAME!

 Holy. I just took this UMD for a spin, didn't think I'd think in about 2-3 hours, I had stuff to do... Ah well, this game is really, really good. I always felt that the Gundam VS series were tailor made for me, ever since I first placed my grubby hands on Federation VS Zeon.

 As for this game... It's certainly slower than Extreme VS, not necessarily a bad thing. It's got 66 units, more than vanilla Extreme VS, if I'm not mistaken(But then again, this was an updated port of Gundam VS Gundam Next, which in turn was Gundam VS Gundam's sequel, so technically, this is Maxi Boost's equivalent, or rather, Full Boost with all the DLC). I've tried about 8 different units, and some play noticeably different that their Extreme VS counterparts.

 Route system is completely different, more akin to the Gundam VS Z Gundam game, I actually prefer Extreme Vs', but whatcha gonna do? I am starting to prefer these stages to Extreme VS' though, these feel a bit larger and with a lot more variety in terrain and obstacles.

 All in all? I wish I had a secure way of taking the PSP and some UMDs without fearing the screen or the UMDs scratching, as having these game when I'm out on a trip would be amazing.

Now Playing: Dark Cloud 2

 The only game in which you can create an energy pack out of milk cans.

 If you allow me to dust off a sentence that I love using: "I used to love this game when I was younger, but I never got around finishing it", oh yes, it's another one of those. I invested a solid hour into the game, and I'm impressed. Enhancing weapons is pretty straight forward, and I love how rogue-like it feels! There are traps, healing pools, dungeons, I think, are randomly generated and weapons break. Combat is very basic, and surprisingly, very enjoyable.

 The game has a certain je ne se quois about it that reminds me of Okage: Shadow King, albeit a bit toned down, this is a good thing. Graphics are gorgeous, certainly among the PS2's best, not just on a technical level, but on an artistic one, characters are very unique and stylized, and the environments, so far, are very colorful and detailed(I might've just copy/pasted this into my notes, so as to tweak it for the review, sneaky!).

 Overall, I'm very impressed.

Month Overview: April

Games completed in April:
 Shadow Madness                                                                                             4.0
 Killzone - Liberation                                                                                         4.5
 Orphen - Scion of Sorcer                                                                                 5.0
 Flower, Sun and Rain                                                                                       6.0
 Castlevania - The Dracula X Chronicles                                                            10
 Dragon Ball Z Shin Budokai - Another Road                                                    7.5
 Final Fantasy VIII                                                                                            7.0

Overview:
 Gee wiz, this month started out pretty grim, and in the end, most games shared a common theme: When they were at their best, they were very good, but at their worst? They were terrible. Shadow Madness had a lot of promise, they just needed a more experienced team to make it shine. Flower, Sun and Rain had that amazing Suda 51 flavor, which made it triumph over it's oh so dull gameplay.  As for Final Fantasy VIII, I think that 7.0 was a bit too generous, but at times I was having a blast with it, it's a shame its worst was so, so bad, terrible gameplay design coupled with some very stupid plot devices... This month definitely had ups and downs, with Castlevania - The Dracula X Chronicles easily being the highlight of the month(Spoiler?).

Game of April:

 A Castlevania game that can satisfy any kind of fan. You like the Retrovanias? You get one of the most sought after, and dare I say better, retrovanias in the form of Rondo of Blood, but you also get a phenomenal remake that, in my opinion, is far superior. Retrovanias are not your thing? There's also a remastered version of Symphony of the Night, arguably the best Metroidvania, the game has aged gracefully and is every bit as good as it once were. The only drawback would be the fact that you actually need to unlock Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night by playing through the remake, but you don't even have to finish it, heck, you don't even need to finish the levels, just pick up the Icons and exit the levels, they are easier to find than some of the maidens actually!

Runner-up:

 If there's one game that I won't soon forget, it's Flower, Sun and Rain. Suda 51 just can't help himself but to make thought-provoking games. It's a wonderfully bizarre trip to the weird, a cast of memorable and downright insane characters that are Suda's staple... The game would've been a borefest would it not have such an engrossing atmosphere and narrative, even though it can get confusing at times. Funnily enough, this is a game that I can't easily reccomend, this is not a game for everyone, but a very niche audience that enjoys off-the-wall writing and can forgive clunky, unpolished and dull gameplay.