Gundam Versus is kind of like an arena game. Players control a Gundam of their choice and try to take out the opposing forces to achieve victory. The most important note about this game is that you’ll need PlayStation Plus, if you want to get the most out of it. Quite a bit of content is locked out without it, such as the Online Battles. Without an actual campaign, most players will probably look to the Online Battles for much of their enjoyment from the game. There’s still some other content for players to look forward to, however.
When you start up the game, you’ll be treated to a little cinematic to get you hyped about playing. You’ll then be taken to the Main Menu, where you can select one of several modes to play after the game makes an attempt to log in to the game for you. Some modes have different options you can select, such as the Play option having various battle modes for the player to select from. Players can also check information about the game or customize the game’s settings to their liking from the Main Menu options.
Once players are geared up and ready to go, they can select the Play option on the Main Menu to start actually playing the game. You’ll deploy into battle on whatever mode you select and will be tasked with eliminating the opposition. To do this, players will need to destroy the enemy Gundam units and deplete their Force Gauge to zero. As long as either side has enough points in the Force Gauge, they can continue sending out units. Each unit destroyed reduces the Force Gauge by however much the unit destroyed costs. Players take control of a mech and will have allies to assist them in battle. Your unit’s remaining health will be shown in the bottom left of the screen, while your weapons are shown in the bottom right. At the very bottom, players will notice their Burst Gauge and Boost Gauge. You’re able to move with the Left Stick by default and fire your gun weapon with the (Square) button. The (Triangle) button controls your melee attack and the (X) button allows you to jump and fly. All of these controls can be customized at any time by going to the settings, so if you don’t like the default layout, experiment until you find something you like.
You won’t get far without taking the offensive. Players have access to four fixed attacks and these are the Main Ranged, Sub Ranged, Special Ranged, and Special Melee attacks. Each attack has a few different properties that allow players to mix up their combat options to keep opponents on their toes. The Main Ranged attack can be fired by pressing the (Triangle) button and will simply fire a shot from your beam rifle or whatever weapon your Mobile Suit uses. Certain weapons also allow you to charge a shot before firing. The Sub Ranged shot can be fired by pressing (L1) or (Triangle) and (Square) together if you prefer that way. The Special Ranged can be fired by pressing (L2) or (Triangle) and (X), and the Special Melee can be thrown by pressing the (R2) button or (Square) and (X). The Special variant attacks have significantly more attack power behind them, however each of your ranged weapons have a certain amount of ammunition before they must recharge. Melee attacks can be mixed up dashing as you use them. This allows you to perform different combos as well, so change up your approach before your opponents begin to catch on to your tactics.
Attacking is fantastic and all, but you also need defense options. Players can perform a quick step by quickly tapping their movement option in a direction twice. This allows your Mobile Suit to quickly evade in a direction and dodge attacks. This is incredibly useful for baiting opponents in and repositioning to dodge their attacks to perform your own follow-up attacks. You can’t dodge everything though, as sometimes you’ll need to hold your own against powerful attacks. You can do this by guarding, which can be done by quickly pressing the down button followed by the up button. If you hold up after raising your guard, you’ll extend the guard time, but your Boost Gauge will begin to deplete. The key to success is being swift on the battlefield, but also knowing when to let your shield protect you. Use your offense and defense together to keep foes on their toes.
