Gundam Versus Is the Best New Fighting Game on PS4 Right Now

Don't play Gundam Versus, kids. Soon you'll be staring at lost early morning hours like cigarette butts in an ashtray; smoldering; reminding you that you don't wield as much self-control as you thought you did. If you have even the remotest love for Gundam or for giant, rad, fighting robots in general, this is a game that deserves your attention. Just know that once it sinks its hooks in, it's going to consume your thoughts during all of your waking hours.

Gundam Versus is the latest in a long-running series of arena-style Gundam fighting games, but this is the first time that the series has appeared officially in the West. It's renowned for its tight controls, accessibility, and intimidating competitive appeal.

If you want to dive in for five minutes, hop in a Gundam piloted by your favorite Gundam persona, and blast some robots into space, you can do that. There are a variety of offline trial and training modes for you to explore. If, however, you're looking to devote yourself to a single mech like you would a character in a fighting game and dive head-first into the competitive scene, Gundam Versus will absolutely open up and blossom for you.

For starters, you'll have over 90 Gundam models to choose from, spanning 17 Gundam series. No matter which show you like to watch, or liked to watch as a kid, you're going to find your favorite mech here. Each unit features a unique moves list with specialized range, melee, and burst attacks. The sheer variety of Gundams (and support mechs called strikers) is overwhelming, but you'll be glad to know that quality and quantity are found in equal measure. There are very few units untenable for competitive play, though I've managed to find a few.

The gameplay itself is as solid as the metallic chassis you'll be piloting across the battlefield. There are only two main attack buttons to concern yourself with, and a few specialty attacks that have been conveniently mapped to the shoulder buttons on the PS4 controller. The core mode will pit two teams of two against each other, though one-on-one and three-on-three matches are also available.

Each team starts off with 1000 points, and whenever a Gundam is destroyed, the value of that Gundam is subtracted from its team score. The team that reaches 0 first loses. Stronger Gundams carry higher point values, and there is a lot of strategy behind deciding which opposing Gundam you and your partner want to take down first.

The order in which you and your teammate die is very important to the momentum of the overall match, but we won't be going into too much detail here. Just know that, once you get your bearings, the competitive scene is such that it can occupy your time, dedication, and practice for years. Fans have been following this series for a very long time, and you better believe that they'll find you online.

You'll take down your enemies by blasting them with cannons, dismembering them with beam swords, and pummeling them with chained mauls. You know -- Gundam stuff. Basic attacks and ranged shots are easy to execute, though at higher levels of play there are crazy levels of finesse employed to cancel shots and combos and chain them together with other moves for longer combo strings. An ever-depleting boost meter forces you to ground your Gundam regularly to recharge, lest you risk overheating and leaving yourself open and vulnerable to attack. Firefights are intense games of cat and mouse, and the best resource manager wins.

Constant boost management, ammunition management, and nonstop action: it all balances perfectly. Every match ends just a little too soon, and you're always left wanting more. On top of it all, the more you fight with a particular Gundam, the more rewards you'll earn in the form of emblems, banners, pilots, and strikers from that corresponding anime series.

The amount of content is just mind-numbing, and the gameplay loop is mercilessly addicting. Gundam Versus came out of nowhere for me. It was barely on my radar, and now it threatens to become the most played game in my library during what is arguably the busiest release spree of quality games we've seen in generations. Do not sleep on this one, folks.

WWG's Score: 4 / 5