Famitsu have put up the first of a two part article detailing some of the mechanics in the recently announced free-to-play 6v6 online PS3 game, Gundam Battle Operation. Hit the jump for some screenshots and the article.
All-range gameplay
The game will feature a variety of Mobile Suits from the One Year War, each with different strengths and weaknesses. Some units like the GM Sniper will excel at long ranges while other like the Z’Gok (and I’m guessing the Gouf) will be better at melee/close combat.
Online Features
So far we know there’s going to be Quick and Custom Matches. The host can change the minumum/maximum number of players as well as select the map. Text and voice chat is also fully supported.
Mobile Suit Special Actions
Grapple
There’s a grapple move which can be used at close range. How it works is that the attacker will press one of the face buttons for a different type of attack, if the defender correctly inputs the same move they will avoid the attack, otherwise they will be ‘thrown’.
Cover
Like every 3rd person shooter these days, MS can slip into cover using the circle button and can also blindfire.
Pilot Basic and Special Actions
You can exit the mobile suit and run around as the pilot. As a pilot you have access to a machine gun and bazooka, and really low HP, but you can also do a larger variety of things than if you were in a MS.
Pilot characters can attack the weak legs of enemy mobile suits as well as enter various vehicles around the battlefield…
…and can also enter enemy bases to set bombs.
Repair
Pilot can also repair MS, it seems there’s a body part damage model in the game, so you’ll need to repair each part (eg legs arms) individually.
“Pick Up”
More like Hang On! but it seems you can also hitch a ride on other player’s MS as a pilot.
Unit Customization
Winning battles win net you custom parts, which you can use to improve the specs of your chosen MS.
The part shown above looks like it increases the HP of a MS body part by 1500…
…but there’s also more cosmetic stuff like changing the colour of your MS or your pilot suit. I’m also guessing that some of these items you’ll probably have to pay for.
The screenshots also confirm the following MS suits for each side so far:
Included mobile suits (so far)
Federation
GM Sniper
GM Cannon
Prototype Gundam
GN Sniper Custom
GM Light Armor
Gundam Ground Type
GM WR (?)
Zeon
Zaku II
Zaku II S
Z’Gok
Gelgoog (Mass Production)
Z’Gok E
Dom
Zaku Cannon
So far the game looks amazing for a free-to-play, and I’m hoping that players outside Japan will be able to download and play it. Hopefully the MS gameplay is not too slow and clunky, as with most ground based Gundam games.You can find the original Famitsu article here.
