Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3 (ガンダム無双3, Gundam Musou 3) is the third title within the Dynasty Warriors: Gundam series. Unlike the first two titles, this game strives for a cel-animation motif and is created to look more like the anime series. Visuals are completely revamped with brighter and flashier effects.

The producer remarks these measures were taken due to fan response and to be more like an anime, hoping to create a title appealing to more Gundam fans. They hope they made a game that better captures the tension felt while watching Mobile Suits fight. According to comments from the talk show event, Koei barely finished the product on schedule and were still putting a lot of heart into the downloadable contents at the time.

Early buyers of the game can earn a download password to make Musha Gundam and Musha Gundam Mk-II playable in the game. During the week of its release in Japan, it was the second highest selling game of the week. About 17% of its sales were for the Xbox 360 version while the rest were for the PS3.

The English version of the game includes a Japanese voice option with English subtitles.

Gameplay

 * Basic controls remain the same as previous titles. Duels -when two mecha simultaneously clash their weapons in a deadlock- are still done like Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2.
 * Missions tend to be timed to be much shorter than the older titles, ranging from a maximum of five or fifteen minutes. Time can be increased by completing objectives or capturing fields. The longer times continue to exist most of the time for story missions.
 * Enemy AI for crowds is much more aggressive than before, feeling somewhat similar to Dynasty Warriors 3 as far as difficulty. Even the weakest of Mobile Suits will use Charge attacks against the player. This makes capturing and defending Fields on the map a crucial factor for the player's survival and victory. The mecha have been tweaked and fine-tuned to be practical to the standards set within the anime series.
 * When players fight through enemies, often they will encounter a situation where they either block or get hit by an attack. This title seeks to add diversity by implementing an "Emergency Dash" system. If the player times their dash moments before they are hit, their character will perform a special evasive maneuver to get them out of danger. Emergency dashes drain a portion of a MS's Boost gauge, however, so players need to use these escapes with caution.
 * When the player finishes off an enemy character with a SP or charge attack, the defeated MS may explode and damage nearby enemy units. The effect can be identified by a unique pink explosion.
 * The forces gauge in the upper right hand corner has the ability to affect the player. Theoretically, as long as it has troops, defeated ace pilots may continue to revive themselves in battle. When a unit takes damage with the forces gauge still filled, there is a chance they may regenerate health from hits. They can gradually regenerate purple marked health unless they are shot down. When the forces gauge drops to zero, the player may experience a sudden change in the battle's behavior. Depending on how the player chooses to play the stage, it may make it deliberately harder or change their current mission entirely.
 * This time, when the enemy pilot who is the "final boss" of the stage appears, the action on the map will momentarily pause to emphasize their arrival on the field. If the player doesn't want to keep defeating the same opponents over and over again, it might be in their best interest to take the ace down.
 * Mobile Armors now have a tougher defense and come with a new feature for defeating them called the "Chance Gauge". The idea is to pummel the mecha repeatedly in order to fill up the meter located beside the mecha's name. When the gauge is filled, the player will then have a chance to cripple the giant and hit designated spots for critical damage. Mobile Armors will still lose armor as the player hits it but getting the Chance Gauge filled is ideal for quickly taking them down and locating its weak spots.
 * Fields have been updated with several new features. These instances are marked with special icons while entering a field.
 * Missile Base - launches a destructive missile to blow up another field, marked on the game's mini map. If it's an enemy base, conquering the field can disrupt the order.
 * Communications Facility - if the building is present, the field will continue to summon reinforcements on the map for whichever side has it under their control.
 * Vanguard Base - if the field is subdued with this active, their Partner Gauge and SP Gauge will gradually increase.
 * Catapult - any field with a catapult allows the player to instantly travel to another field on the map. The player may occasionally have the option to choose which particular field they want to hop into.
 * Fortress - makes forces harder to decrease when present on field.
 * Mobile Suits Factory - claiming a field with this facility can restore a small portion of army forces gauge.
 * Repair Hanger - restores the armor gauge for all ally pilots.
 * Newtype Laboratory - strengthens ally army.
 * Home Base - a star icon is for the player's forces while the winged icon represents the station for enemy troops. When the pivotal position is taken down, the morale for the affected side will drop instantly to zero.


 * A new attack feature for this title is the "Partner Strike". Like the "Team Assist" from Warriors Orochi 2, players can order a secondary pilot to accompany them into battle. To order a partner to attack, the player needs to sacrifice a portion of the Partner's respective CP gauge. Partners can be chosen by players before they enter the battlefield. The Partner's Gauge can be refilled by destroying other MS or by conquering fields. Partner Strikes fall into one of seven categories:


 * Although a minor feature, the player can also see their mission navigator, or Operator, before a battle begins. As they progress through missions, players may earn characters to act as the part and can change them at will.
 * The customization feature of the game is replaced with the "Design Plans", which is a return to the first game's method of strengthening MS. As opposed to just increasing the parameters of parts, the player may obtain designs from enemies that can lead to changing and improving the structure of the MS itself. Players may then boost select parameters of their MS. Within each parameter lies the "Strengthening Slot", which is where the designs the player obtains are uploaded. Plans can be obtained in the same manner as Parts in the previous title. The best structure node for each MS is still rank 4, which still need special missions to unlock.
 * Upgrading remains relatively the same. Three Attachments, or special abilities, can also be grafted onto each Mobile Suit.
 * Players can also earn multiple versions of the same Mobile Suit, meaning they can experiment with different Attachments and Plans to their liking more than once.
 * Each Mobile Suit has a hidden passive trait that can be unlocked as the player's progress through the game. Once earned, this ability stays as a uniquely named trait for the MS.
 * Unlike previous titles, every action needed for customizing their Mobile Suits requires a monetary fee. Players can gain money by completing missions or by selling unneeded designs in the Shop.
 * Gold can also be used to help the player's character. If desired, the player may participate in special Training Missions with a monetary fee. These sessions may instantly level up their characters without having to participate in a mission. Skills are bought within a shop this time as well, letting the player choose specific skills they wish to purchase and learn. Licenses are available for purchase in the Shop, as long as the player can afford them and has played over five missions.
 * Downloadable content is available for usage in Story Mode and Online Mode. However, downloadable characters and Mobile Suits will not have an entry within the Gallery section, relationship levels, and do not participate within the original story arcs.

Story Mode
An amalgamation of the previous two games, the Story Mode acts as the Original Mission Mode and the Official Mode in the game by offering various types of missions. Its original story is similar to the first title with characters participating in one of four basic arcs on a mysterious world. They are:
 * Those who Understand (わかり合う者たち, Wakariau Monotachi) - Amuro Ray, Kou Uraki, Setsuna F. Seiei and others are separated from their comrades. They join forces to find their respective friends. Whilst finding other stranded pilots, they encounter a planetary mystery and work together to solve it.
 * Those who Doubt (疑う者たち, Utagau Monotachi) - Banagher Links, Char Aznable, Ribbons Almark and others deal with challenging their perceptions of their own abilities. Seeking to test their power against unknown opponents, they encounter several dangers whilst trying to solve their inner dilemmas.
 * Those who Pass By (すれ違う者たち, Surechigau Monotachi) - Audrey Burne, Haman Karn, Paptimus Scirocco and others has Audrey being saved by Garrod Ran. She soon discovers his comrade in arms is Scirocco, who is well aware of Audrey's real identity. As he uses her name as a means to perpetuate war, Audrey seeks Haman's help. With pilots choosing to join the princess or the manipulator, the story is a battle between Haman and Scirocco.
 * Those who Fight (戦う者たち, Tatakau Monotachi) - Full Frontal, Treize Khushrenada, Anavel Gato and others have their own individual objectives and don't question the morality of war. They attack the other forces while staying true to their own beliefs.

Finishing other story modes or other missions are needed to unlock chapters in either arc. As the player finishes each story, the final acts to wrap up the conflicts between the forces emerge. The three conclusions are named For Peace (平和のために, Heiwa no Tameni), For Victory (勝利のために, Shouri no Tameni), and For Reform (革新のために, Kakushin no Tameni).

Other mission categories include:
 * History Missions - reenacts events of the original Gundam series for the cast. Unlike previous titles, these type of missions are available for the Universal Century based story arcs -excluding Char's Counterattack- and alternate universes (Wing, X, G, Turn A, Seed Destiny and Double O). Completing these missions unlocks alternate outfits and significantly boosts friendship ratings with associated pilots.
 * Collection Missions - lets players seek designs for a category of MS, such as Zeon types, red colored MS, etc.
 * Memorial Missions - when the player has shot down 10,000 or so MS, these type of missions appear. They allow the player to obtain rare Plans for their MS or rare Pilot Skills.
 * Challenge Missions - difficult tasks for the player to put their skills to the test.
 * Friendship Missions - opens the door for meeting other pilots by categorizing various characters into select missions. The players can choose to only fight alongside women, Mobile Fighters, or other such types of groups.
 * Relation Missions - missions that boost the player's relationship rating with other pilots to Level 5 (maximum).
 * Special Missions - if the player is low on Gold, they might want to partake in these missions to get more.
 * Download Missions - the location for downloadable missions in the game.

Relationships are built in tiers (level 1~5) and building friendships with other characters has the ability to affect the player's character. When a character reaches a specific level of friendship, it can unlock new Partners, power up the character's MS, or allow more Operators for the player's character to select. The specific characters who affect these changes are shown as icons on the Relationship Level chart for the player's character. Additionally, creating various friendships is needed to unlock new missions.

There are over 300 different missions in this mode.

Online Mode
This mode has four man online co-op for fifteen unique missions. These missions are designed to be impossible to complete alone and encourage teamwork with other players. Characters are not allowed to use special equipment or Pilot Skills they have earned in this mode. The forces gauge is also not allowed to drop to zero at any time, which means trying to rely on it for resurrecting players or losing too many ally fields will result in an instant defeat. Gold and experience earned in Online Mode is higher than playing a solo game, so it might be a good opportunity for completionists to work together.

During this mode, players themselves act as Partner Strikes for one another and is instead called Partner Support. A rank 1 Lamp restores a fixed amount of armor for the team; rank 2 restores the armor to optimum settings. A rank 3 Lamp has the same effects as the second rank except it also completely replenishes lost troops for allies. Knowing when to use a Lamp is highly dependent on the team member who finds them. Players can communicate with one another using a voice communicator or with text. If players choose to not talk with one another, automated text appears over the player's avatars to describe their situation.

Players can either join sessions already taking place or create their own for others to join. If there are no available spots, players can also place in tickets for a particular mission and character they wish to play. Downloadable characters are usable in this mode. However, in order to use them, all participating members will need to have the selected character downloaded as well -regardless of whether they wish to use the character or not.

System
Includes the Library section found in previous titles.

Playable
* Mister Bushido, Marida Cruz, Lockon Stratos, Allelujah Haptism, Tieria Erde as well as their respective Mobile Suits are available as downloadable content only. Musha Gundam and Musha Gundam Mk II are available as a bonus to early buyers of the title via a downloadable code. Characters who appear as downloadable content do not participate in the main story arcs, but each downloadable character has one mission dedicated to themselves.

Sub Characters
Characters who may talk to the player's character or play a part in the story but are not enabled for the player's usage.


 * Gaia, Mash, and Ortega
 * Kycilia Zabi
 * Fa Yuiry
 * Apolly Bay
 * Roberto
 * Henken Bekkener
 * Bask Om
 * Dunkel Cooper
 * Ramsus Hasr
 * Kyoji Kasshu
 * Rain Mikamura
 * Relena Peacecraft
 * Dianna Soreil

Operators
Every playable character can be made into an operator with a high enough friendship rating. This section lists the characters who are just regulated to this role for the player in battle.


 * Haro
 * Astonaige Medoz
 * Leina Ashta
 * Chan Agi
 * Nanai Miguel
 * Audrey Burne (Mineva Zabi)
 * Tiffa Adill

Related Media
Bandai-Namco performed a staged event on 1:30 PM, November 23 (Japan Time), which was broadcast live on their Ustream channel. The producer from the Bandai-Namco side, Yoshitaro Goto, and Hisashi Koinuma took to the stage to reveal more about their upcoming product, including the just finished second promotional trailer for the title. At the time of the stage event, the main game was in its completed stages and development for downloadable content was still underway (Susanowo's model, for instance, wasn't shown since Koinuma said its actions and model weren't complete yet). After explaining the overall game mechanics, Harutoshi Fukui came on stage to comment on Unicorn and his thoughts about various characters and Mobile Suits. Fukui then played as Banagher and was surprised at how tough and exciting his experience was -even if he did lose to the stage's final boss, Scirocco.

Allusions

 * Opening cinematics from the previous titles make a brief appearance for this game's introduction movie.
 * Music in the game features trademark themes from various Gundam sagas. When a character launches in their default Mobile Suit, there is a good chance a theme from their respective series will play in the background. As with previous games in the series, the English version had all tracks from all Gundam series removed (most likely due to licensing costs and copyright issues).
 * When characters initiate a Gundam Fight in this title, they will actually say their own versions of "Ready!? Go!" at the start of each match. This is a trademark line found throughout the G Gundam series.