If you're a mech fanatic, then you might say that the GUNDAM series is a mix between Transformers and Voltron. You have to give much credit and respect to the people behind the series, for creating such a vast world with a deep variety of good looking mechs (though they're called "mobile suits" in the GUNDAM world..because FASA owns the trademark on "Mech".). Add a bit of drama, romance, war, and you've got yourself a rather addictive cartoon series.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs. Zeon is one of Bandai's worthy attempts to bring such high drama to the Playstation 2. In the end, they (and the folks at Capcom they enlisted to help on this.) succeed in more ways than they fail. Upon choosing the campaign mode, you have the option of participating with the victorious Federation side, or fighting the doomed war of Zeon. The storyline of the game is not altered, unfortunately, depending on what side you choose. The major heroes and villains of the story are in place and will inevitably act their roles; your job is to fight alongside them.
That being said, the storyline is not a strong aspect of this game. Whether you're familiar with the Gundam series or not, the little tidbits of cartoon drama that they give you won't move you in any way, form, or fashion. It's very clear that the focus is in an area where the game shines the most: pure mobile suit warfare.
It's the variety of mobile suits, their differences, and their various effects on the field that make this game worthwhile. Whether you choose to fight for Federation or Zeon, you'll start out with a small garage of mobile suits that will claim additions as you carry on with the game. In a game played along a series of campaigns that can last anywhere from 5 minutes to a half hour, you have to figure out what mobile suit would be most efficient for the job. And it isn't as if you can just pick your most powerful mobile suit every time; each one will need time to recharge after battle.
Having to choose weaker mobile suits may seem like a pain at first, but the expert controls, the graphical quality, and the abilities of each one can be appreciated as a thing of beauty. Add to that the various terrain of battle, from mesa deserts to city streets, or from underwater lagoons to the non-gravity of outer space, and the game rises far above the generic term "beat-em up". As each side has at least 100 missions in their campaign (that's over 200 in all, folks), each mobile suit has ample time to be used and abused. With controls that are far, far, easier to learn than those in other mech games, (like the Armored Core series) learning to master a particular mobile suit isn't impossible.
Looking closer, the quality of combat is high. There are a large number of different weapons that have their own advantages and disadvantages. While a laser gun is fast and does high damage, the machine gun can trail an opponent and still be around to strike a foe after their feint. And yes, you can feint, dodge, fly, or speed away from heat seeking missiles, grenades, and torpedoes. If a foe gets too close for your shoulder artillery to be affective, most mobile suits are equipped with unique close-combat weapons. Some fight with their feet and fists, actually doing martial art moves in machines. Others will pull out an energized axe, and of course there's the crowd favorite, the blazing sword.
However, the highlights dim from that point on. For many people, "Monotony" might eventually replace the word "Mobile" in the title. Monotony in music. Monotony in campaign goals. There are quite a few campaigns between Federation and Zeon that are mere reflections of one another. Without the advantage of a strong storyline, this will surely cause boredom in some. Only those who are absolutely thrilled by the great combat will be able to see the game through to the end.
Doing so does indeed have its just rewards. Normally, when fighting as Federation, you will look upon Zeon's sleek and fast mobile suits with envy. If you're fighting as Zeon, you'll quite often wish that you had the Federation's devastating long range attack abilities. Beat the game in both modes, and if you have the patience to go start another campaign yet again, you'll have a garage filled with both kinds of mobile suits. By then, you'll be quite the professional fighter. Luckily, the game's already impressive A.I. will increase to give you one last challenge.
There is also the arcade mode, which is rather fun because you can actually choose to fight as one of the main characters in the storyline. If you type one of their names as your own pilot name, you'll be able to hear their grunts, curses, and comments as they fight in mobile suits. Other than that, the arcade mode isn't very significant aside from campaign mode.
The V.S. mode is where you'll likely find the greatest challenge in pure combat. An added level of fun can be had with the ability to bring along a computer sidekick to back you up. The battles are perhaps not as grand as when you're having to deal with a battalion of mobile suits at one time, something that can happen in campaign or arcade more, but they are challenging in their own way if your friend is a good fighter.
A little bit concerning the graphics and sound of Federation vs. Zeon. The former is most certainly better than average, while the latter is just acceptable.
One reason the graphics will impress many PS2 owners is because all of the various environments in the game are done so well. While the land battles simply look well done, the fights from outer space will definitely raise some eyebrows, due to the beautifully detailed views of the earth below. There is also a nice touch upon jumping in a body of water, where there is the initial blur of bubbles and distortion. The lighting also changes as long as you stay immersed, giving the realistic effect of being underwater.
The mobile suits fall short of looking as good as the A.G.W.S. in Xenosaga, but certainly surpass what you might find in Armored Core 2. There is such a variety of mobile suits that it's difficult to pick on just one, but they all are clearly detailed and stand out just right from their environment. Among the mobile suits that operate on two legs (that's most of them), their movements look too human, actually. It's debatable, but it might have been a good idea to make their actions more stiff.
The special effects and sound work together hand in hand. However, there's nothing truly spectacular on this side. The sounds of lasers, machine-gun rattle, explosions, rockets, electric whips, blazing swords...you've heard them all before. That being said, they are all done sufficiently, so that they don't stand out as being awesome, yet you're not left disappointed either.
Perhaps the most annoying aspect of the game's audio performance is the music. Not only does it get quickly monotonous, but there are times when a particular song simply doesn't match what's happening before you. When you're involved with decapitating and dismembering enemy mobile suits, you don't want to have teary music tugging at your heartstrings!
Depending on what you're looking for, Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs. Zeon will have extraordinary replay value and worth for some. For others, getting through the game will be a trial of patience and endurance. In the end, however, nobody will be able to complain about the lack of good mech fighting games on the Playstation 2. Along with Zone of the Enders 2 and Armored Core 3, true mech fans will certainly have their fill.
