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Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space (Ps2)
A "sequel" of sorts to Journey to Jaburo, Encounters in Space takes on the space arcs and final months of the OYW. Created a few years after Journey to Jaburo, Bandai should have had the time to fix up the kinks for the Gundam PS2 video games. So how does this game stack up? And what goodies are in store for this game now that things have improved for the better?
Game play:
Main Game (White Base): The setting is the year UC 0079. The OYW has broken out between the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon. After several months, they have fought to a stalemate with both sides losing half their respective populations. Encounters in Space picks up on the story after the White Base crew leaves Jaburo and heads up to space, covering the final 1 1/2 months of the OYW. With the war almost ending, Amuro Ray and his Gundam must fight hard to help win the war for the Earth Federation, as well as to survive...
Main Game (Thoroughbred): Fighting elsewhere during the final months of the OYW, another Pegasus-class vessel, known as the Thoroughbred, keeps an eye on Zeon's Lunar city of Granada. Employing their own pair of prototype Gundam units, the Thoroughbred's mission is to prevent Zeon from reinforcing their fleet at Solomon. As Gundam G05 pilot Ford Romefellow, supported by Gundam G04 pilot Luce Kassel, you fight an undocumented war against the forces of Granada, taking on "Special Operations" missions like fighting enemy prototypes and escorting important figures of the war...
Both main games are, to say the least, very entertaining. The story of the Thoroughbred crew is a refreshing, new story for the OYW, and retaining the old favorites like the White Base crew also helps the game's replay value. One notable extra about EiS is its "What-If" story-branching in the game. Your actions and the results of your mission affects the next mission you take part in, giving the game a big replay value so as to reveal alternate results for the game. The controls are easy to use as well.
Ace Pilot Mode: After the main game, you're not done. Along with the two main games, there is an Ace Pilot mode where you can play as various ace pilots during and after the OYW. Learn about each character's side of the story, including pilots like Yuu Kajima, Char Aznable, Johnny Ridden, and Shin Matsunaga. They also have bits from 0083, allowing you to play as Kou Uraki, Anavel Gato, and Cima Garahau.
Mission Mode: Unlike Journey to Jaburo's Mission Mode, this option allows you to create custom pilots for versus mode as well as unlock more units to choose from in versus mode. Fight through 8 missions to customize stats for your created character, earning points and MS for each successful mission.
Versus Mode: Encounters in Space was good already with the various game play modes, and now they have a versus mode as well! With over 70 different mobile weapons available to pilot, along with close to 20 different pilots to choose from, this 2 player versus mode pits 3 unit teams against each other. First to wipe out the other team completely wins.
Versus mode also includes six special mobile suits from Gundam Wing, G Gundam, and Gundam SEED. They're not usable in the main game, but are pretty fun to play with in versus mode.
Graphics:
While the graphics on Encounters in Space are obsolete thanks to the recent release of the PS3 and Crossfire, it had actually been quite advanced for its time. The purpose was to create and render the MS and background settings of the OYW in complete 3D, and that was done well. These graphics served their purpose, simple as that.
Miscellaneous:
Just like in Journey to Jaburo, Encounters in Space is also packing in the miscellaneous section. Consisting of digitally remastered clips from the original series and more, the nearly 30 year-old franchise breathes new life as the animation no longer appears "old and dated." There are also newly animated scenes for new stories like Thoroughbred, Johnny Ridden and Shin Matsunaga's mission modes.
Additional features also include a unit viewer for the various usable MS in the game, as well as a BGM player.
In Conclusion…
Encounters in Space is a Gundam game any Gundam fan would want. With various game modes, some original stories, and fairly crisp graphics, this game is simply one of the best Gundam games to be released for the PS2. This game was a major improvement over Journey to Jaburo.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars.
