![It never made it to the market and was labeled a “flop” in the West. The video sent as proof turned out to be mine—a masterpiece that never made it across the ocean: the PS3 game *Mobile Suit Gundam: Senki* [Ollie’s Robot Game Column]](/imgs/p/JIxo87wJh5Y_xgjF1boGNUXVYNtu3dzb2tnY/46420.jpg)
![It never made it to the market and was labeled a “flop” in the West. The video sent as proof turned out to be mine—a masterpiece that never made it across the ocean: the PS3 game *Mobile Suit Gundam: Senki* [Ollie’s Robot Game Column]](/imgs/p/_zOaUlRqojxBw0ee6C2849PQ-N8W3dzb2tnY/46420.jpg)
![It never made it to the market and was labeled a “flop” in the West. The video sent as proof turned out to be mine—a masterpiece that never made it across the ocean: the PS3 game *Mobile Suit Gundam Senki* [Ollie’s Robot Game Column]](/imgs/p/_zOaUlRqojxBw0ee6C2849PQ-N8W3dzb2tnY/46421.jpg)
![It never made it to the market and was labeled a “flop” in the West. The video sent as proof turned out to be mine—a masterpiece that never made it across the ocean: the PS3 game *Mobile Suit Gundam: Senki* [Ollie’s Robot Game Column]](/imgs/p/_zOaUlRqojxBw0ee6C2849PQ-N8W3dzb2tnY/46422.jpg)
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.
After the release of *Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight*, I remember being very excited to learn that a new installment in the *Mobile Suit Gundam Senki* series (hereinafter referred to as *Mobile Suit Gundam Senki U.C. 0081*, including part of the subtitle, to distinguish it from the PS2 version) including part of the subtitle, “Mobile Suit Gundam Senki U.C. 0081”) would be released for the PlayStation 3. Just as with the previous PlayStation 2 version, I was confident that any game in the “Gundam Senki” series would be a lot of fun to play—and I was not mistaken.
This title also featured a team of exceptionally talented creators. Toshihiro Kawamoto handled the character designs, while Hajime Katoki was in charge of the mecha designs, resulting in newly designed Mobile Suits from the MSV line, such as the RX-81 and Gundam Unit 7.
The game also included animated cutscenes, and the Ifrit Nacht was set to make an appearance. Since I was a huge fan of the *Mobile Suit Gundam Gaiden: The Blue Destiny* trilogy, I naturally thought the inclusion of this mobile suit was fantastic.
However, there was one small problem: *Mobile Suit Gundam Senki U.C. 0081* was not going to be released overseas.
The Legacy of *Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight*
As I explained in last week’s column, *Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight* was retitled *Gundam: Crossfire* for international release and received extremely harsh reviews.
As a result, even though its sequel featured significant improvements in both gameplay and graphics compared to its predecessor, an overseas release was never even considered.
Specifically, the controls were smoother, and the frame rate was far more stable. Furthermore, the addition of anime characters and cutscenes elevated the overall quality of the game, resulting in a visually stunning final product.
This is because anime series such as *Mobile Suit Gundam 0083* and, in particular, *Cowboy Bebop* were extremely popular in the United States and elsewhere at the time, and their popularity has not waned even today. Consequently, the fact that Toshihiro Kawamoto was in charge of character design for this title was a major draw for many anime fans at the time.
However, during this period, there was extremely strong prejudice against Gundam games overseas, and even within companies like Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe, such prejudice was deeply ingrained.
“If you watch videos online, you’ll see right away that this is a terrible game,” declared one producer.
A few years later, I was involved in the development of *Strike Suit Zero*. Since we were initially developing it as a PlayStation 3 game, we had to go through the initial approval process to obtain the product code necessary to properly use the development kit.
To that end, I had to prepare a complete set of materials and art assets to submit to a producer at Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe.
However, when I sent the materials to that producer, the first thing I heard back was, “Robot games don’t sell.” Furthermore, I was even told that a new Gundam game that had just been released in Japan was “proof” of that.
Actually, at that point, I had already beaten *Mobile Suit Gundam Senki U.C. 0081*—the very “new Gundam game that had just been released in Japan”—and had uploaded several videos of actual gameplay to my YouTube channel.
Naturally, I asked him if he had actually played the game himself. He replied, in a rather arrogant tone, “There’s no need to play it. Just watch the videos online, and you’ll see it’s a terrible game that isn’t worth playing.”
Then, as “proof” of just how terrible the game was, he sent me a YouTube video.
Ironically, however, those videos were the very ones I had played myself and uploaded to my YouTube channel, as I had just explained.
Naturally, I explained this to the producer in question and emphasized that I had actually played the game thoroughly and that it was, in fact, a very good game.
Ultimately, my case was handed over to another producer who actually liked robot games. I was also able to successfully obtain the product code afterward.
At the time, things like this happened frequently. In the West, even among people working at companies with close ties to the Japanese market, Japanese games were often viewed as poorly made.
A Very Well-Made Game
In any case, I was already thoroughly enjoying this title and felt that the Mobile Suit controls had been significantly improved. The newly reimagined MSV designs were also fantastic.
There was also a very well-designed customization system that allowed you to unlock parts to enhance the Mobile Suit’s performance.
That said, as a Gundam game, the mechanism for charging beam attacks felt a bit off to me. However, once I’d upgraded my Mobile Suit sufficiently, it wasn’t a problem at all.
If I had to point out one minor issue—and this might just be because my Japanese skills were quite limited at the time, so I may have simply overlooked something—I couldn’t use enhancement parts in some missions. This felt a bit odd and made the latter half of the game somewhat more challenging.
Aside from that, the final few stages of the game, where I got to use the Full Armor Gundam No. 7 and the Heavy Full Armor Gundam No. 7, were truly enjoyable. Above all, these Mobile Suits were all extremely powerful and boasted excellent mobility.
I had been hoping that the newly redesigned Gundam No. 7 and RX-81 would be released as ROBOT SPIRITS figures, but in the end, only a few plastic model kits were actually released.
Yet Another Missed Opportunity
There have been other instances where excellent Gundam games were not released overseas, and since *Mobile Suit Gundam: Chronicles U.C. 0081* was also not released internationally, the perception that “all Gundam games are poorly made” persisted strongly in places like the United States until very recently.
Personally, I strongly feel that this title represented a significant evolution from its predecessor. Furthermore, it featured the participation of numerous renowned creators and incorporated character designs that American fans would surely have appreciated.
For me, this title was yet another wonderful Gundam game. Not only did I play it thoroughly and enjoy every aspect, but I also showed it to my colleagues in game development at the time, and they enjoyed it as well. All of my colleagues agreed that it was a very well-made game.
I don’t know what became of that producer who panned the game, and to be honest, I don’t even remember his name anymore. However, I suspect he’s probably still somewhere else in the gaming industry, grumbling about “Japanese-style elements” that have become far more prominent than they were back then.
By the way, I’ve heard that Mr. O’Leary is looking for a studio or collaborators to help create a “robot game.” If any studios or organizations are interested in working with Mr. O’Leary to create a “robot game,” please feel free to contact him directly via the profile at the end of this article.
