In order to choose which mobile suit you want to play through the story mode with, you have to first beat the story mode. To put it another way, you have to beat the game in order to unlock a feature that’s printed on the box! When you do unlock the ability to select your mobile suit, your selection is limited to just a few of the suits. If you want to broaden the selection, you have to gather all the parts to build the mobile suits and then unlock them by completing License Missions in “Mission” mode, which requires you to complete other missions first in order to unlock those missions... . Defining infinity by using a vast, finite number may be futile, but Gundam 2 comes close to defining infinity through a game play experience. [Or it takes arms against overseas problems]
Now, this has all been a lot of talk about the game itself without much discussion of the co-op experience, but all of this has been to set-up what that experience is like. Are you ready? Dynasty Warrior: Gundam 2’s co-op experience is summed up in eight words: it makes infinity seem a little bit shorter. Destroying countless armies of giant fighting robots with a friend is fun, but that fun quickly turns into a dull, unrelenting tedium that, like being on a family road trip when you were a kid, has no immediate end in sight. (are we there yet?) If you feel up to the challenge of taking on infinity, then the best use of your friend’s time is to use a character/mobile suit that you’ve already leveled up on your own to make unlocking things for another character easier. Of course, I can’t say that using your friends in a mad quest to find an end to infinity is the best way to enjoy a co-op game, or keep friends. [this it is the madness, still there in the method]
Being a spin-off, and a new iteration of, the Dynasty Warriors games, Gundam 2 has its own variations and tweaks to the typical Dynasty Warriors elements in order to make the game fit in the context of the Gundam universe. Unfortunately, none of the tweaks are improvements, and the changes to the character and RPG mechanics cause the hack and slash action to turn into the ultimate example of what it feels like to be a snake eating its own tail. This leads to a fairly mediocre, and potentially friendship altering, co-op experience. [one of smaller parents and less pleasant] In summation, the developers of this game forgot that brevity is the soul of wit, or as babelfish so kindly translated, is consciousness the heart of the cause.
Verdict
Co-Op Score
Overall
The Co-Op Experience: Hack and slash your way through the Gundam universe with a friend by your side.
Co-Optimus game reviews focus on the cooperative experience of a game, our final score graphic represents this experience along with an average score for the game overall. For an explanation of our scores please check our Review Score Explanation Guide.