Me and Gundam have a weird relationship. I love the robots but think the TV shows pretty much all suck. So what is a distant fan like me supposed to do in this sort of situation? Why, play Gundam video games and build Gundam models, of course! I get all of the fun of awesomely designed giant robots (mostly) without the dumb terribad story. My favorite Gundam game is Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3, which is today's featured title for Eric Vs. 365. Read more and watch gameplay here.
I don't really play Dynasty Warriors much. And I don't like Gundam "that" much. But somehow the combination of the two really hooked me. Of course, Dynasty Warriors Gundam 1 and 2 weren't that good - 1 was too basic and boring and 2 had crazy difficulty spikes that weren't any fun - but Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3 hit a sweet spot of amazing presentation, fantastic difficulty balance, and tons (and tons and tons) of content. I loved it back when it came out in 2011 and I love it just as much when I picked it up again to record this video. It's just so satisfying and fun to play.
Back to Dynasty Warriors in general, though. It isn't that I dislike it or anything. I'm not one of those people that think it's all just the same thing and too repetitive and whatever other excuses people make. No, I know that it's a deep and complex series that doesn't get the respect it deserves. My problem is more that it is too overwhelming. There's a million characters and all sorts of mechanics and options and my eyes sort of glaze over and I can't pay attention enough to actually learn how anything works. And I don't dare put the game down for a day or a week because then I literally forget everything and can't get back into it unless I start over.
I do enjoy the core gameplay in musou titles, though. Smashing your way through thousands of mindless sword fodder soldiers is really satisfying, and it's always a thrill when a general shows up and actually gives you a mild challenge. I liked Ninety-Nine Nights II back in the day and I like Warriors Orochi a lot. Considering what I said about Dynasty Warriors being too overwhelming, it seems weird that I like Warriors Orochi, which is just a mash up of "everything" sounds counter-intuitive, right? Well, I'm weird.
Anyway, Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3 is the bomb. Everyone should play it.
