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[PS3] Gundam Breaker 2

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    [PS3] Gundam Breaker 2

    I know I should not build up too many expectations about a Gundam game handled by BandaiNamco, but...holy **** this looks good!
    The game doesn't waste any time and right after a brief intro you get into the game piloting a RX-78, helping out two NPCs (they have a face and a name too!) against a mix of baddies from Wing, Victory, and 00; the first mission ends with a battle against the Dendrobium! It has multiple parts to destroy, there are turrets you can use, and the terrain is not a flat surface as in the previous Gundam Breaker!

    Compared to the first GB, this one has a lot of improvements, from interface, to loading times (although there are still a lot of loading screens), to the number of MS available, to the pacing you get new kits and parts. It's also possible to load data from the previous Gundam Breaker, though it seems you need to connect to the Japanese PSN to load it.

    Anyway, the game itself doesn't look too different from its predecessor: you select a mission and destroy every enemy in it. This time around there's a story, with single player missions feeling much less generic the in the first GB. Still haven't tried online, mostly because I'm still trying to get a good grip on the interface: played on a US account, the game doesn't seem to decide which button is used to confirm, circle or X. Buttons feel a little crowded, for example to start a mission you need to hold start, also used to access game settings by pressing it.
    In-game controls are the same as before, although I think they moved ranged attacks to L1 instead of the face buttons, and added more variety to close combat with a separate charge button.

    First impressions are positive, but so were those about the first Gundam Breaker. The new one looks like a definite improvement, however, but I fear that the game structure will prove as repetitive as before.

    #2
    Time for an update, this time a bit more structured.
    As said before, Gundam Breaker 2 is a huge improvement over its predecessor, though both share many pitfalls.

    You still play missions to collect model parts, but this time you also collect base materials and parts no longer havea quality rating: you cna improve the parts you want by spending base materials. Upgrading a part can be just improving its overall quality or transforming it into something new: for example I "evolved" the Beam Rifle of a RX-178 into the Beam Rifle of a Hyaku Shiki; you can also give special attributes to a part via this process, like improved EX Acts (special actions during battles).
    This essentially removes any difference between online and offline play: in the first Gundam Breaker playing online would give more and much better parts than offline, and the main problem was that you didn't know whom you will be playing with. Unfortunately this problem carries over in GB2: you can set a minimum and maximum Builder Level for online lobbies, but 99% of the players don't care, and I ended up in playing with players well below my level, I would one-shot every enemy...prompting everyone to disconnect
    It must be said that finding an online game is much harder than in GB, as most lobbies are password protected, and not many players seem prone to enter in an unknown lobby. In the few multiplayer missions I've played, however, the experience was great, no real difference between off- and on- line.

    Still on building your model, the "workshop" interface has been greatly improved. You can now save colours and surfaces (colours, patterns, and material specs like glossiness, weathering, and lightness); it's possible to customise colours for camouflage patterns, and all parts now are divided in sub-assemblies that you can colour at will; the colour picker ranges from predetermined colours, RGB, and HSV pickers. Higher your Builder Level is, more material options you have, and you can change the workshop's background to see how your creation will react to different lighting conditions. There are several poses you can use to take a snapshot of your model and upload them to Gundam Perfect World, although every time I try to do so, I cannot establish a connection. Everything load much faster the before (this might be due to the SSD I have in my PS3), and BandaiNamco essentially covered all my grievances about this aspect of the game. If anything, I still haven't understood how to sell parts you don't need, although every menu now has a pretty handy filtering option, along the possibility to "mark" your favourite pieces.

    There's much more model variety in Gundam Breaker 2 as well, and kits cover the most recent HGs and MGs to non-Grade kits, like early V Gundams, which is kinda surprising. Sadly, enemies and friendly NPCs seem happy with stock models, and despite the greater variety, you will still face hordes of the same suits over and over. Even boss and mid-bosses don't use customised models, although they always use more "exotic" MSs, like R-1A Zaku IIs.

    Combat has been reworked as well, now featuring two buttons for close range attacks, one normal and a second to start aerial combos. Performing special actions like killing multiple enemies at once, long air combos, normal-to-special attack transitions, and so on grants Ace Points, used to unlock rewards at the end of a mission. The special status triggered by pressing R3 and L3 now lasts less, and takes more time to be recharged. There's more difference between weapons, and shields are divided into small, medium, and large shields, although their usefulness is less than in GB1. While not the deepest combat system, the various changes make it more enjoyable, and juggling opponents in the air is kinda fun, especially because you know there will be a reward at the end for doing so. If anything, getting the highest rank in all mission is rather easy, but more on this later.
    The campaign takes place in various locations, each with a variable number of available missions. Despite briefing showing missions taking place in different parts of the main location, all missions in one place always use the same map. Maps are much larger and more complex than in GB1, and so far GB2 did a good job in not basing too many missions in one place, but boredom due to repetition does kick in after a while.
    Likewise, mission structure is always the same: destroy everything. Despite missions being divided in different catergories (defend, team battles, "survive"), the only real difference is the icon used. The greater terrain and MS variety improves things a bit compared to GB1, but it seems that BandaiNamco aren't particularly well versed in level design.

    It's also possible to board vehicles, like Base Jabber or Super Mega Launchers. Vehicle effectivness is meh, to be generous, and even turrets to fight Mobile Armours aren't that great. It's a nice addition, but could have been better thought.

    Mobile Armours now act as location bosses, and no longer are simple big target with a single hit location. All of them have multiple spots that can (and sometimes must) be destroyed, and the process is much more engaged than in GB1. Against the first MA you face, the Dendrobium, you need first need to destroy its I-Field Generator, the the weapon containers (shooting down missiles when fired), and finally the GP03 acting as its core. All following MAs follow a similar pattern, and while tha last boss I faced was just a couple of previous MAs together, battles are much more interesting.

    What have't been touched are the AI and lock-on mechanics...and that's very bad. Calling the AI as such is kinda of a joke, as enemies stand still untile fired upon or very close to them; in certain maps, enemies don't face the path you're coming from, and you can have them stand still until you touch them. Even during battles, some will stand still with you right in front of them, something that friendly NPCs will do as well. Allies seem happy just to follow along, giving only a modicum of support. This becomes infuriating when you get knocked down, and only allies can revive you: more than once I've got all three allies standing still, few meters from my MS doing absolutely nothing; in other occasions, they leisurely walked toward me, getting fired upon, not attempting to dodge, and getting destroyed as a result. Usefulness of allies against boss battles is very low, but at least there's one character that almost constantly uses the repair special, freeing you from using that or optional items.
    The lock-on is soemthing else that BandaiNamco don't seem to get right whatever game they do. You can change target by nudging the right stick, but only if a target is seen by the camera: if there's a non-hotile, immobile target in the camera, the lock-on will go on that instead of one of the closest hostile threat behind you. The only way the target that is to run around for a bit, maneuvering the camera. Even if enemies are braindead and it's easy plowing through them, it would be nice if I didn't have to fight against the only way for me to accurately attack something.

    Other drawbacks are born from the improvements made, especially from the environment. Some maps feature bottomless pits and ramps used to get across those. To use those ramps you need to hold the square button, your primary close-range attack, which propels you forward...a wrong input and you'll go right into the pit, spawning at the beginning of the map, a rather infuriating decision; your allies will start coming toward you, while you move toward your previous locations, with enemies trailing behind. There's nothing worse than seeing you chasing an enemy chasing your allies chasing you. And space doesn't count as zero G, you can still fall to oblivion! Controls are way overcrowded, one other example is that you need to enter the options menu by pressing start and there hold start to quit the game.
    The camera also seems more prone to be struck in bad places, possibly due to the more complex environments.

    As a whole, Gundam Breaker 2 is much better than its predecessor, even if it still uses a basic and repetitive mission structure. In fact, it's even better than Missing Link, but it's still not as good as it could have been, failing to improve on the most glaring flaws of its predecessor.

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      #3
      Final post, I've completed the story (new missions are still unlocked after that) and will move to an other game.
      Just after the previous post the game introduced capture-the-flag missions, and for some reason everything got better. The game still features terrible AI, lock-on, and camera, but I can say that I've enjoyed the ride, and I would have continued to play it if it wasn't for other games. Definitely better than GB1 and any other Gundam game by BandaiNamco, and possibly a bit better that Unicorn (by From Software).

      For those with a bit of time to spare:

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