There have been many good anime movies or shows which have found themselves on the Playstation in game form from here to there over the past few years, and why not? Titles like Ghost in the Shell, Vampire Hunter D, and Gundam Wing have developed huge followings here in the U.S., and still sell pretty well even if the game isn't really that good to begin with. The PS2 has seen two Gundam titles recently which were mostly successful with die hard Gundam fans regardless of control issues or somewhat bland backgrounds. Well, the Gundam Wing franchise is back again, this time as a sequel to Gundam: Battle Assault which was released back in 2000. For $20.00, it proves to be a fun and solid 2-D fighter. Now, it's not going to remove the Street Fighter franchise from the throne or anything, but it's a good game in it's own right.

OK ... usually I start off with a brief background of what exactly the story is to the game. Gundam: Battle Assault 2 doesn't use one main story exactly, but instead has 5 different pilots like Domon Kasshu and Heero Yuy on different quests to ultimately achieve one thing or another in three different actual stories. Basically, the game relies on each pilot's mission to kind of make the reason for why you're playing the game, and I sure as heck am not going to explain each one of them here. In addition, they're all pretty basic and the dialogue tends to be somewhat nonsensical and cheesy throughout the game as well. Anyway, Gundam: Battle Assault 2 plays out like most 2-D fighters that have hit the market, mimicking the controls as well so it's easy to get into for any SNK or Capcom veteran. Each MS (Mobile Suit) in the game has a standard punch and kick setup, as well as 3 - 6 combo moves which are executed by Street Fighter style controller / button combos. Things like "roll down to back and push punch" or "roll back to forward and push kick" make up most of the attacks, and the methods are standard for almost every mech regardless of what differences they have in looks. Each MS also starts off with the ability to do three special attacks for a possibility of extreme amounts of damage, and can also get farther ground clearance by utilizing a jump jet propulsion mechanism rather than jumping .

The first major difference that any 2-D fighting fan will notice from the first time they hop into a duel is the speed. Since the MS movements are slower than a human's due to their immense size, it takes a lot longer to reset after a punch is thrown or a volley of machine gun fire is released. While this may sound like a negative, I mean it more as an observation. It actually isn't that bad and shouldn't pose much of a problem after the first few battles are played and you get used to it since opposing mechs have the same movement and reset time to deal with. Where it may become a tad frustrating is during a higher difficulty CPU opponent or a boss battle at the end of a story when the computer is firing off chains of moves at 100% accuracy and precision while you just crouch down in the corner waiting for your beating to end. Again, it's more of an observation than a negative since these thrashings only tend to happen in spurts, and it never really did anything on a grand scale to make me continue more times than needed or have a hard time progressing since I would just hop back up and throw right back at the CPU. Overall, it almost makes the game a little more methodical or strategic rather than a furious round of random button pressing since a wrong move at the wrong time can plant you face first into the ground.

Now, there are a couple of issues that some people may have in the grand scheme of things, the first of which is the time it took me to finish the game in story mode. I'm definitely not the guru of 2-D fighters, and even after getting stuck for about 40 minutes total with two different Mobile Suits on a mid boss named Big Zan, I still finished all five stories in 3 and a half hours. On a brighter note, there is a CPU vs. mode which allows you to play as one of your favorite Mobile Suits and battle any computer opponent of your choice. In addition, it also has numerous unlockable Mobile Suits like the Heavy Arms and Master suit, 2 Time Attack modes, and a Survival mode, which can help prolong the enjoyment of the game and give you the opportunity to go into a ladder style competition with any mech of your choosing. The second revolves again around the speed factor. The Mobile Suits cannot start an attack or turn around if they are in mid movement, so if your opponent does something like jump over your head and gets behind you while you are walking, there will be a second or so where you have your back turned to a potential oncoming attack. Basically, the only way to avoid this is to just freeze when your opponent jumps over you to ensure that you are turned the right direction when they land. Both can be minor things to some people, but major to others, so I'll leave it up to you to decide on those.

The one major complaint I had with Gundam: Battle Assault 2  is something that I think should be a law in all 50 states. In 2003, it should be illegal to not provide dual analog support in games, especially when you have to depend on rotating from back to down to forward and so on. Having to rotate a four point control pad to pull off a move can be cumbersome, especially when timing is of the essence, and caused me a few bumps here and there. Regardless of how good you are or get at a game, nothing beats a joystick style control scheme when having to loop or rotate controls for accuracy and speed.

Graphically, this is a great looking PSX title. Each MS, pilot, and background was hand drawn and colored to provide a bright, anime style presentation overall. In addition, the Mobile Suits will also begin to show damage here and there when hit hard a few times with missing armor and exposed circuits. While it was neat seeing the pilot pop in and yell things like "Gundam smash!" or "I'll kill you" when a special move was pulled off in a brief pause during story mode, it got a little repetitive after 9 consecutive battles. The backgrounds are colorful and nice to look at ... but don't do much more than set a tone for the area that is being fought in. Each one has it's own unique style, and some include such additions as transports taking off or police barricades, but for the most part they don't have too much going on in the background while you are duking it out to present any kind of other life forms present other than you and your opponent. The sounds during battle consist of things such as launching missile whooshes, explosions, and gun fire, and the music ... while not bad or terrible ... is somewhat uninspired and doesn't really do anything more than just add in some background noise during the battle.

Personally, I enjoyed and am still playing Gundam: Battle Assault 2 for the fun of it. The $20 price tag also is a plus in itself, and although the story mode was short, the time attacks and survival mode made up for it to me overall. I was happy to see that this didn't wind up being another mediocre bargain bin title which would just wind up getting tossed onto the 30 + other PSX titles I own, and if you're a Gundam fan, I'm sure that you will agree with me on that statement. 

Gameplay: 7.9
While the control scheme is similar to games like Street Fighter, some 2-D fighting fans may have some issues with the slower paced gameplay. There are some other things like no mid movement facing changes or attacks, and two button simultaneous presses to set off special moves which can be a potential frustration to some. While each MS has similar movements and buttons to set off those moves, and each MS can be used with ease once one is mastered, having to use the regular control pad can be cumbersome during times  where precision is needed. Since there is no analog support available, it is not an option.

Graphics: 8.5
Great looking hand drawn anime and a colorful presentation makes this easy on the eyes and a really nice looking PSX title. For you PS2 owners out there, I recommend turning the texture mapping to smooth ... it makes it look REALLY good. The backgrounds could have been a little more "busy" here and there, but look great colorwise.  

Sound: 7.3
Overall the sounds reflect the smashing, shooting, and explosions in battle ... and are done pretty well. The music, while not horrible, doesn't really set the tone or make things more exciting, but instead just seems to serve as background noise for the most part. There is dialogue between the pilots before and after battles, but it's all pretty cheesy and doesn't make much sense at times.

Difficulty: Easy
2-D fighting veterans should have no problems picking this up and diving right in. People who don't play 2-D fighting games should have this down after a few matches. The game has three difficulty levels, depending on comfort level, and difficulty can be set for 1 on 1 CPU vs. battles as well to increase the challenge. Players who have had a difficult time with the "roll down to forward and press x" style in past games will find the same thing here as well.

Concept: 8.0
While the overall underlying game style and control setup have been done before here or there, using Mobile Suits instead of people or humanoids is fun and was done well.

Multiplayer: 7.5
What's fun with one can be better with two. Getting to have two friends or family members square off as their favorite Gundam MS and go head to head makes it a little better. More 2 player game modes would have made it even more fun since it is only a one on one battle setup.

Overall: 8.0
Most of what is going to determine your enjoyment of this game is listed in the review above. For me personally, it was a good fit and I thought it was a well done and solid title. Toss in a $20.00 price tag and I was pleased to have it added into my collection. I would recommend this to 2-D fighting fans to at least give it a try, and after playing a couple of rounds you will probably enjoy it overall and ultimately I don't think you will be disappointed with it ... especially for the price. I would definitely recommend Gundam fans pick it up, since they will ultimately find the lasting appeal in it even long after it has been run through time and time again.