Choose Your Side Indeed....

Lets get down to it. Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs. Zeon is a joint Bandai-Capcom shooter/fighter that originated for the Japanese Sega Dreamcast and ended up being such a great hit, it was upgraded fully and released on the U.S. Playstation 2. What was so great, you ask? Well, allow me to elaborate. Federation vs. Zeon is the first Gundam game that lets the player assume the roll of the Earth Federation Space Forces and the Principality of Zeon Forces in the same game. The premise being that the Earth created space colonies to reduce overpopulation of the planet, and 80 years later the colonists wanted total independence from Earth. When the Earth Federation refuses, the colonists call themselves the Principality of Zeon, create giant humanoid mechs, and wage a 'space civil war ' that starts with over half the human population dead. Federation vs. Zeon starts where the Earth Federation creates their own mechs to bring the fight back to Zeon. This is where the player gets to choose their side. Graphically the models and backgrounds are of slightly lesser quality than the two previous Gundam games if only to get the job done, which it does well enough. The gameplay is revolutionary for a PS2 Gundam game in that it is the first one that offers easy to use controls. Direction pad moves the mech, double tapping allows side stepping, square shoots, triangle slashes for close combat, x allows 'boosting ' for jumps, and pressing certain buttons together allows for more attacks. Actually, aside from the other Gundam games, close combat is where Federation vs. Zeon shines (perhaps from Capcom's influence). The player can a variety of slashes, punches, and kicks that make playing more interesting. You can also use the circle button to issue 4 basic commands to an AI ally, such as back-up and hide. All of these gameplay features allow for a gameplay style to be more on the lines of almost 'party game ' fun rather than serious simulation the other Gundam games tried to accomplish. Game modes feature 4 modes: Arcade, Versus, Campaign, and Options. Arcade is a character fighting mode that allows you to play with a character from the 1979 T.V. Show, such as the Federation hero Amuro Ray and his rival, the Zeon ace Char Aznable. You chose a mech for ground and another for space, something the Dreamcast version didn't have, and pick one of several starting points to battle through about 10 stages, unlocking more mechs and characters for Versus mode. Speaking of which, Versus allows you to engage up to two AI opponents, one human and one AI opponent, or tag with a human partner to fight under simular conditions as arcade mode. Honestly, neither Arcade or Versus do Federation vs. Zeon justice as much as its true 'bread and butter ' mode, the Campaign Mode. This mode is where you truly choose a side as no other character but yourself and fight for you allies as a test pilot and independent fighter, gaining up to seven different Federation mechs or FIFTEEN Zeon mechs fighing on ground and space choosing the mech and battlefield of your choice. Unlike the other modes, you can realistically destroy the enemy with one or two attacks like in the show, making it feel like you are in the 'One Year War '. Throughout the fighting, several Gundam music scores and cutscenes (though unimpressive) will play. Guaranteed, this mode is where you will be spending your time, with more than a hundred missions for each side. Options lets you change the various difficulties and whatnot according to your specifications. All in all, Federation vs. Zeon will let fans and newcomers get the Gundam experience in the most fun way possible but sacrificing a bit in return.