Most, if not all Gundam episodes run at a length of 24 minutes long. More often than not, there will be a big battle that lasts from 8-11 minutes and features an array of enemy mobile suits that the heroes must slice and shoot through. It's an opportunity for character-building and spectacle, and sometimes even the best part of the show (e.g. Victory and Stardust Memory).
The SD Gundam G Generation series translates this structure into video game format, providing a multitude of stages and no end to the enemies you can fight. The primary issue is that the numbers in each stage are too accurate. The game throws enemies at the player almost too readily (yes that's 83 enemy units on one map), leading to battles lasting up to 1 or even 2 hours long. At first, it's engaging when you're playing on EXTRA difficulty and juggling with health and percentages, but the more you play, the more tired you will inevitably get. High-level Cross Rays games are like 80-minute sessions of whack-a-mole, repetitive and tiresome to the end. I am loath to say this, but there is simply too much "game" here, and the mechanics are not complex enough to back it up. While the quality of life changes are more than appreciated (the move-all function is excellent), some have been removed like the powerful multi-target attacks from previous titles. Not only that but many of the stronger attacks from the same titles have been nerfed or locked behind killstreaks, which only serves to pad out the already long maps. On the subject of maps, the objectives are much simpler than Overworld, an entry that was released 7 years earlier. The gameplay can best be described as one step forward, two steps back.
The saving grace of Cross Rays is its fanatical devotion to presentation: specifically, making every mobile suit included look damn good. There is a visual appeal to even the most flawed of Gundam's many series, and that's the mechanical design. Cross Rays shrinks down the mobile suits to SD proportions without making them look ridiculous, and pairs them with excellent battle animations to boot. Don't believe me? Check out the animations of the Tornado Gundam, one of the weak early-game units. In terms of content, there's a ton. Unlockable characters, music, the works. If you like Gundam shows outside of the Universal Century, then this is an easy sell. Just try not to get drowned in the content like I did.
The SD Gundam G Generation series translates this structure into video game format, providing a multitude of stages and no end to the enemies you can fight. The primary issue is that the numbers in each stage are too accurate. The game throws enemies at the player almost too readily (yes that's 83 enemy units on one map), leading to battles lasting up to 1 or even 2 hours long. At first, it's engaging when you're playing on EXTRA difficulty and juggling with health and percentages, but the more you play, the more tired you will inevitably get. High-level Cross Rays games are like 80-minute sessions of whack-a-mole, repetitive and tiresome to the end. I am loath to say this, but there is simply too much "game" here, and the mechanics are not complex enough to back it up. While the quality of life changes are more than appreciated (the move-all function is excellent), some have been removed like the powerful multi-target attacks from previous titles. Not only that but many of the stronger attacks from the same titles have been nerfed or locked behind killstreaks, which only serves to pad out the already long maps. On the subject of maps, the objectives are much simpler than Overworld, an entry that was released 7 years earlier. The gameplay can best be described as one step forward, two steps back.
The saving grace of Cross Rays is its fanatical devotion to presentation: specifically, making every mobile suit included look damn good. There is a visual appeal to even the most flawed of Gundam's many series, and that's the mechanical design. Cross Rays shrinks down the mobile suits to SD proportions without making them look ridiculous, and pairs them with excellent battle animations to boot. Don't believe me? Check out the animations of the Tornado Gundam, one of the weak early-game units. In terms of content, there's a ton. Unlockable characters, music, the works. If you like Gundam shows outside of the Universal Century, then this is an easy sell. Just try not to get drowned in the content like I did.