How Did “Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight” Influence the Reception of “Gundam” Games Overseas? [Ollie's Robot Game Column]

Ollie Bader, a subculture journalist, has become known to many Japanese people as “the foreigner who knows way too much about robot games and robot anime.” In recent years, his name has appeared not only in international publications like *Forbes* but also as a contributor to the official *Mobile Suit Gundam* website. He is also a game creator who has worked on various titles, including *Fortnite* and *Gears of War: Judgment*.

In this article, we’d like to share a glimpse of his perspective and aesthetic sensibilities regarding “robot games and robot anime” through his writings.

How *Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight* Influenced the Perception of *Gundam* Games Overseas

*Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight* was released during the early days of the PlayStation 3. I recall that this game received favorable reviews in Japan.

However, overseas—in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere—it was released under the title *Gundam: Crossfire* and received extremely harsh reviews from both gaming media and players.

Unlike previous international releases of *Gundam* games, *Gundam: Crossfire* was released almost simultaneously with the Japanese version. In other words, the delayed release dates that had previously hindered promotion for *Gundam* games overseas were not an issue for *Gundam: Crossfire*.

Furthermore, since this title was a PlayStation 3 launch title, it received relatively robust promotion overseas, and reviews were published in nearly all major gaming media outlets.

Harsh Reviews Overseas

To understand how *Gundam: Crossfire* was received by overseas gaming media, one must consult Metacritic. This site aggregates review scores from various media outlets to calculate an overall average score. In the case of *Gundam: Crossfire*, its Metacritic score was 33.

Let’s take a closer look at the individual review scores. IGN, one of the largest gaming media outlets overseas, gave the game a score of 32 and criticized it for “employing outdated gameplay mechanics.”On the other hand, GameSpot, another major international gaming outlet, gave the game a score of 39, criticizing its extremely low frame rate, describing the gameplay as “primitive,” and pointing out that it lacked online multiplayer support.

Overall, many reviews expressed similar reactions to *Gundam: Crossfire*. Therefore, it’s almost certainly safe to say that the general consensus overseas was that this was “a very poorly made game that was rushed to market.”

Why were the reviews so different overseas?

First, many overseas gamers and game media outlets fundamentally view mecha games as a type of shooter. Consequently, they expect certain standards for the camera and controls, and they demand a very smooth frame rate.

Furthermore, in Western shooting games, competitive online multiplayer is highly valued. Consequently, smooth and precise controls and a high frame rate are absolutely essential.

In other words, when *Gundam: Crossfire* was released, it was directly compared to highly polished, meticulously crafted shooting games developed overseas.

Given this context, I think it’s understandable why *Gundam: Crossfire* failed to gain traction among overseas players.

However, there is one more important point to add regarding this story.

The Era When Japanese Games Were Disliked

Around this time, the perception that Japanese games were poorly made had spread overseas, and there was a prevailing trend where games released from Japan were almost automatically deemed to be of low quality.

One factor behind this was the release of the Xbox 360, an American-made game console. As a result, the United States witnessed a level of patriotic fervor toward its own products—to the point where it felt somewhat unsettling—when compared to competing products from other countries.

Another issue was that, unfortunately, there was some truth to the view that Japanese games were falling behind.

After the PlayStation 2 era ended, Japanese game development studios struggled to meet the far more complex technical requirements demanded by both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360.

Furthermore, the organizational structures of Japanese development teams were not well-suited to the game development methodologies that were beginning to gain traction overseas.

Reviews of Japanese games during this period clearly had an element of bias. At the same time, however, there was some truth to the claim that Japanese game development studios were falling behind their overseas competitors.

Naturally, I countered this trend through the gaming media and wrote numerous articles defending Japanese games. However, my position was in the minority, and at the time, the general perception was that a Japanese game was synonymous with low quality.

A Lack of Understanding of “Gundam”

Another major problem “Gundam: Crossfire” faced was that the original “Mobile Suit Gundam” anime, on which the game was based, was not readily available overseas.

Furthermore, in places like the United States at the time, relatively newer series—such as *New Mobile Report Gundam Wing*, which featured faster and more powerful Mobile Suits—were far more popular.

*Gundam: Crossfire* was a game that sought to recreate what it was like to be a Mobile Suit pilot during the One Year War, but such an experience was not in high demand in the U.S. and elsewhere, and its appeal was not fully understood.

That said, the generally low regard for Japanese games at the time also had a negative impact, and even titles like *Armored Core 4* received extremely negative reviews overseas.

Incidentally, the person harshly criticizing *Armored Core 4* in the video below is Jeff Keely, who currently hosts “The Game Awards” and is a big fan of FromSoftware’s games. Even someone like him felt that way back then.

My Own Assessment of *Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight*

That said, this was one of the very few instances where I actually agreed with the overseas game media’s assessment.

I played through the entire game and unlocked every element. I had thought that once I progressed far enough to obtain the higher-performance Mobile Suits that appear in the latter half, the gameplay itself would improve—but I was wrong.

I had no particular complaints about the animations or controls, and I understood that it was a faithful recreation of the original *Mobile Suit Gundam*. However, I was extremely disappointed by the extremely low frame rate.

Some reviews at the time described playing this game as “like watching a slideshow” due to the low frame rate, and I felt the same way. It was clear that the release had been rushed, and I believe much more optimization work was needed to improve the frame rate.

That said, shortly after the game’s release in 2006, I wrote an article for “Game Set Watch” highlighting excellent *Gundam* games. I later republished that article on my own website, “Mecha Damashii,” in 2009.

The Lingering Legacy of *Gundam: Crossfire* Overseas

It’s been 20 years since *Gundam: Crossfire* was released, but its impact continues to linger.

The problem was that the negative coverage of Japanese games by the gaming media at the time, combined with the obvious gameplay issues in *Gundam: Crossfire* itself, created a very unfavorable situation for mecha games and *Gundam* games in general.

From that point on, Bandai Namco became extremely cautious about releasing *Gundam* games in the U.S. and Europe for a very long time. This was particularly unfortunate, given that many of the titles released afterward—such as *Gundam Senki 0081*—were actually excellent games.

Although the situation has changed in the 20 years since the release of *Gundam: Crossfire*, I believe the excessively negative reaction to that title has cemented the perception overseas that “Gundam games are inherently poorly made” as a kind of collective memory.

That said, I remain optimistic about the future of *Gundam* games. Titles like *Mobile Suit Gundam EXTREME VS. Maxiboost ON* have been very well received overseas, and the original *Mobile Suit Gundam* anime is now available to a much wider audience than before.

Furthermore, younger generations of gamers overseas are beginning to reevaluate classic mecha games and are starting to realize that many of them did not necessarily receive fair evaluations at the time of their release.

However, I would like everyone to be aware of this historic development that has taken place overseas, and, if possible, to learn from it.

Incidentally, Mr. O’Leary is reportedly looking for a studio or collaborators to help him create a “robot game.” If any studios or organizations are interested in working with Mr. O’Leary to create a “robot game,” we would appreciate it if you could contact him directly via the profile at the end of this article.

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