Common Sense Media Review
By Marc Saltzman, based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 13+
Fun robotic brawler adds larger multiplayer combat.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Gundam Versus is a fighting game between people in giant robot-like battle suits. The game is based on the long-running anime series that started in the 1970s, which covers movies, books, games, and more. There's no blood or gore, but there are frenetic melee and ranged attacks using weapons that include swords, guns, and energy blasts. Apart from the focus on battle, there's no inappropriate content to be found.
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Violence & Scariness
a little
Not realistic or graphic violence; focuses primarily on fighting. Players use swords, energy attacks to attack other robot-like mobile suits.
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Products & Purchases
a little
Based on the Japanese Gundam series of action/fighting games for arcades, consoles, which got its start as an animated television series in the late 1970s. Series has also spawned popular toy characters, apparel, movies, more.
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Ease of Play
a lot
Simple controls, easy to learn.
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Positive Messages
very little
No real messages, positive or negative.
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Positive Role Models
very little
Gamers play as "Gundam" fighters, but you never get to know character, personality, motivations of these fighters.
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Gundam Versus
Parent and Kid Reviews
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- Parents say (1)
- Kids say
age 11+
Based on 1 parent review
nuenjins Parent
February 8, 2018
age 11+
Harmless Brawler is quick and well done with a steep "western" learning curve.
First off, aside from the fact that this is a fighting game, there is nothing inappropriate here for young players as with many Japanese games that push that border with their anime suggestive themes. The game is fast and fluid done in a third person perspective where all of the combat revolves around a 'lock on' system that has your Gundam suit always honed in on an enemy which you can switch between with a simple button press. Naruto Ultimate Ninja fans will feel very familiar with this fighting layout. The one major drawback is learning some of the attacks as much of the learning is done through lackluster tutorials which allow you to skip entire sections without ever pulling off the correct inputs. For some attacks it really is a matter of playing with button loadouts and experimenting as things like jet' transformations' and certain dodges are never explained in the game directions. If you can get past it's initial fall backs and the total lack of English dialogue, there's alot of fun to be had with a huge roster of 'mech' Gundam charecters to choose from that is almost overwhelming with 60+ suits to choose from. Even if you ARE familiar with the series, you won't be hearing the English actors appear here as it is ALL in mandarin with subtitles where necessary and for those looking for G Gundam suits, that, unfortunately is locked behind DLC for a large part as well as other very popular suits from other series. The core gameplay is thrusts, flight for those that transform, blocks, 2 melee attacks buttons which vary in use from one suit to the next, and essentially 3 ranged weapons, 2 of which are limited by ammo reserves. Like I said the buttons can be confusing , many of the suits that transform use the second special melee to be held down to transform and fly. The free battle mode can be used as practice to even make an enemy stationary or make a custom layout where you can engage enemies from 1 to 2 with the choice of a CPU partner, all of which you can set to your skill level and preferences. Other modes include a Boss mode, wave mode with various settings, and several online modes that pit you against other players over the internet. Although this English translation of the game seems like a complete afterthought, once the controls are figured out and a few hours invested into filling in the gaps where the game leaves you guessing, there is a deeply rewarding fighting game inside that offers more than the average Brawler. If you can get past the initial learning gap, or have a younger player with some patience, you can dig up a unique experience that is worth the time to play. But for those who are looking for a purely Arcade, pick up and play experience you may be disuaded from going very far beyond the very Japanese music, asthetics and flimsy tutorials. Also being a 1 local player only game, although you can play up to 6 people online, it is one of the only brawler games that does not include couch co-op/ local multiplayer which is unusual for a game of this type.
See all 1 parent review
What's It About?
In GUNDAM VERSUS, you'll climb into massive Mobile Suits from all across the series history and engage in epic combat across massive battlefields. And for the first time, you'll have a chance to engage in two-vs.-two or even three-on-three mech battles. Players can now team up to strategize and work together to destroy the rival team, using machine guns, energy weapons, swords, and more (including the option to call upon Striker support characters to assist you in the heat of battle). You can lock onto enemies, choose an ideal way to strike, and when. It also features several online and offline modes to indulge in for players of all skill levels.
Is It Any Good?
This sci-fi fantasy brawler is a fun, frantic, and good-looking game for fans of the franchise and newcomers to its robotic battles. The core gameplay hasn't changed much over the years: You take control of giant robot-like fighters and duke it out on various battlefields. But instead of only fighting against the game's AI (artificial intelligence) or against a friend beside you or online, the two-vs.-two or three-vs.-three play marks an evolution of the franchise, and is well-executed, for the most part. Along with unlocking and selecting your favorite fighters (a treat for fans of the franchise), you can choose between two different Awakening Systems: Blaze Gear and Lightning Gear -- each with their own characteristics that can be advantageous during combat.
Gundam Versus features online matchmaking via a worldwide server, so you can choose to play against those with similar skills, to ensure a good and fair match. That said, while the matchmaking lobby worked effectively, there's some difficulty in the multiplayer servers during gameplay, with some sluggish frame rates with two-vs.-two matches. It doesn't always happen, and the odd hiccup didn't take away much from the overall experience. Finding six simultaneous players for three-on-three matches can be tricky as well. The game is quite a looker, too, both in the detail (and animation) of the fighters and in the environment, including landscape deformation and lighting techniques. Well done. Too bad the shoddy menus and mostly Japanese text make this game feel like there was little effort put in to porting it over for western audiences. Overall, though, if you like Gundam games, you'll get a thrill out of this new "versus" exclusive for PS4.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in the media. Is it OK to play fighting games if it's giant robots (which are clearly rooted in science fiction) without blood or gore? Or does it not matter that it's fantasy-based, because violence is still violence?
Talk about merchandising in games. Do video games based on popular franchises motivate players to become more involved in those franchises (buying products, watching shows, and so on)?
Game Details
- Platform : PlayStation 4
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Bandai Namco
- Release date : October 4, 2017
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Topics : Cars and Trucks, Magic and Fantasy, Sports and Martial Arts, Robots, Space and Aliens
- ESRB rating : T for Fantasy Violence
- Last updated : September 19, 2021
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