Gunpla: The Mobile Suit Mobile Flat (Turn-A Gundam)

The FLAT-L06D FLAT. Simply, "the Flat", for obvious reasons. Also known as the "High heels" for obvious reasons. Sometimes called the "Flaty Flaty Flat Flat", but only by me. This unusual mecha originates from the Turn-A Gundam series circa 1999, and was designed by the recently departed Syd Mead, of Blade Runner fame. Turn-A was a series that invites lengthy digression, because it was so far removed from its own franchise. Part of this is obviously Mead's robot designs, but also due to its alternate War of the Worlds vibe, and the fact that while Yoshiyuki "kill 'em all" Tomino was back directing, he'd beaten his depression. I didn't get on the resulting anime, it would appear many people don't, but I've got huge respect for Turn-A. Because it tried to something new, and compared to the Gundam series on either side of it, that's a big thing. What does any of this mean for the Flat? Well, it means that it's part of very select and obscure group by the standards of the franchise. Turn-A had only a modest model line of, what? 7ish? Kits at the time, which is astonishingly small by Gundam standards, and subsequent additions seem thin on the ground. At the time of writing, this "ungraded" kit is seemingly the only merchandise of this Mobile Suit. And its twenty years old, if seemingly still in production.

Now, the "ungraded" bit is probably the most important part of this discussion. It implies that Bandai isn't bringing its A game to a kit, and that's certainly true here. The Flat is characterised by thin plastic, a low parts count, ill-fitting parts, and questionable colour choices. That said, what ultimately lifts it above those weaknesses, is its execution of the Flexible Ladder Actuator Technology and odd proportions of the suit. The Flat is supposed to have a white inner frame, with blackish armour plates on top, and the kit captures this well. There is an insane number of panel lines on the white components, plus a good few on the black, making for an attractive model if you put the effort in. I would however say the detail is is a little soft in places, defying both marker and inkwash techniques. Maybe I need more practice? Mind you, while the limbs perhaps have too many good opportunities for panel lines, the torso is cast mainly in orange when it's the only segment with 3 colours on the go. Hence my attempts at painting this thing, which I'm not happy with, and may come back to later. The stickers also suck, and dropped off within a day of application.

So, visually it's flawed but unexpectedly good in places. And speaking of unexpected goodness, there's the articulation, the unusual construction granting a very pleasing range of motion. The Flat ends up living up to its technobabble acronym, but that's mainly as a function of its transformation, as it contorts like a yoga enthusiast into a "re-entry mode". Its not gonna win any awards for disguise value or function, the whole fundamental weirdness of things helps. There is only modest partsforming involved too, requiring only the removal of the heel segments, which is entirely acceptable at this scale. It does also manage to have an accessory and dedicated hand, the "box beam rifle". Regrettably, it does not fold up or otherwise store, but it's there. So, looks odd, poses unexpectedly well, transforms, has a gun. That's something.

All in all? It's a case of mecha design overcoming a cheap kit. Not as appealing or as well-engineered as the Hizack, but I like the results more. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, but it met my needs as a therapeutic modelling project. 

Gunpla: The HGUC Hizack

OK, lets see if I can make a regular go of this, or if I'll just loose interest as time goes on. 

I think I'll start with my most recently completed work, the RSM-106 Hizack. It's from Zeta Gundam, the first Gundam sequel, is which is about a less apocalyptic, but dirtier war. Basically, after the Federation beat Zeon, it got into some really bad habits, and the sequel follows a rebellion against it, the Anti Earth Union Group (AEUG). The thing about the Hizack is that there is basically no justification for it that works in-universe. I could be wrong, there was retcons, but still. The Hizack is a modernised version of the Zaku 2, with the same colours. Fair enough, if it was a Zeon spinoff, or even the AEUG, fielding it. Even with Zeon gone, there should be loads of Zakus knocking about for rebels to use. Trouble is, it's the Federation antagonists using this, and more specifically, The Titans. Yes, the famously elitist, Earth-first, fuck-Zeon, Titans special forces group use this thing. Seriously, guys, does this not get confusing? Does friendly fire not happen? I mean, the regular Federation forces at least paint the things blue, FFS. And what's more, isn't this thing technically obsolete versus the GM series you already have? Those can at least carry two beam weapons at once. It's not like you captured these, and went "waste not, want not". That happens in war a lot. No, somebody in the Federation decided to make thier own, seemingly leaving the design unmodified, and then gave the most Zeonic version to the guys specifically about killing Zeon stragglers. Was this a dark joke? The only credible explanation is that Sunrise/Bandai realised the Zaku 2 was a popular design, and wanted another, BUT also refused to let it be heroic.

Either that, or someone asked the Titans "Are we the baddies?" and they gave the hardest yes they could. 

Anyways. Actually putting it together was quite simple, although this probably has more to do with its "2000" stamp on the runners, than any deliberate design choice. It's mainly matter of joining two parts to form a body part, very easy, but this produces many longitudinal seams, with articulation being basic to solid. I also found the process of separating parts from the sprue to be a consistent ball-ache, with unavoidable stubs appearing in obvious places like the top of the head. The golden tubes were also unfun, being made of a rubbery plastic you have to bend, so maybe a bit of glue, there. On the plus side, the Hizack easily benefited from several basic touch-up techniques, being my first test subject for a Gundam Marker. That, and a Nuln Oil wash for the cables, really brought things to life. Mephiston Red was also used to finish the gunsight, and stickers for the monoeye was applied, although not the feet as I felt it was unnecessary. Yeah, I could paint some bits of the feet and backpack, but picking out those details would undermine the military green. I probably need to go back and do the star on that shield though. 

Despite my posing of it, its not actually possible for the Hizack to make use of the side handle on its machine gun. This would require some cutting of the component, and that's a bit of a shame, as otherwise the posability of the kit isn't bad. Certainly does “imposing grunt” well enough, and I'm possibly answering my own question with that. Also, I suppose he'd do well with a beam saber. If he came with one...

Generally, I'm pleased with how it turned out, but I'm disappointed with with the lack of weapon options, and was a little tetchy during assembly.

Return to Gunpla: a ramble ral

So, for a couple of months now, I've been building lots of model kits lately. To be more specific: Gunpla. Gunpla is the generic term for plastic models based on the Gundam franchise, hence the name, which is basically the Japanese equivalent to Star Wars. Its got giant robots, and largely functions as a sprawling war drama, and its been going 40 odd years now, so I'm gonna gloss over a few things here. The major difference between a Gunpla kit and a western model like the Warhammer 40k stuff I do, is that you get a functioning action figure at the end, and paint is optional. Gunpla scales in complexity and price, although these days its not difficult to find examples for a tenner or so. Why am I doing this? Stress and anxiety management via creative outlets. And playing/modelling 40K has shifted into the “non-fun” category. So, after occasional purchases over the last few years, I find myself building robots, and justifying it as a form of self-care.

Well, I tried jigsaws, and that didn't work.

I've mostly done the “serious” Gundam stuff, so far . The so-called High Grade Universal Century line, which gets you a mobile suit of reasonable complexity and accuracy of about 5 inches in height. But I also did an “Iron-Blooded Orphans” with its internal frame, and then a “Build Diver”. The assorted "build" series are quite interesting to me, as these are all about model-making, rather than warfare. On first impression, I'd say this was a pleasant change of pace, and right up my street. Gundam media has a certain tendency toward long-winded bleakness, and wangsty teenage protagonists, so having a lighter toned spin-off doesn't hurt. Also, model kits were of course the original Gundam merchandise, so it's actually a surprise it took the company that owns Gundam, Bandai, so long to do something like this. On the other hand, it is dropping any pretence of artistic merit. What made Gundam important in the first place was the GRIMDARK war drama stuff with giant mecha, so going "hey cool robot model!“ is missing the point by a country mile, even if this has appeal been in the Gundam DNA since day 1. The assorted Build series are transparently model adverts, but as a Transformers fan boy, I'm not necessarily hostile towards this. What I do notice though, is how Build represents a convenient way for Bandai to reuse moulds, in a manner not dissimilar to the Transformers Combiner Wars and the Generations line in general. That said, I've not engaged with any form of Gundam media since about 2009, much less anime in general. So, I've not seen the series I mention, I just read around, so don't consider me an authority. That may change, as there is an official Gundam youtube channel, but I have a low tolerance for certain “problematic” tropes in anime, so maybe not.

Anyways.

I might blog more on this topic, (as opposed to tweeting,) might not. But here's what you came for, LOW QUALITY MECHA PHOTOGRAPHY! 

Revisiting Martian Successor Nadesico

Or "a dirge for Gai Daigoji"

Martian Successor Nadeisco is a Japanese animated TV series from 1996, and this is not a review. This is an article that got started when I realised how old my DVD of it was. A review would attempt to judge the subjective experience of it in objective terms. Here, its more a stream of consciousness affair, inspired by its TV tropes entry. I like the series a lot, I think more people should watch it, here's a few things in it I want to discuss. We good? OK.

Nadesico starts out with mysterious aliens known as the Jovian Lizards attacking Mars. It goes terribly for the human defenders. Civilians hiding in a bunker are then slaughtered off-screen, and Akito Tenkawa, the only survivor, screams as the gemstone around his neck glows brightly. Not many comedies start that way. Moving swiftly on.

Nadesico more usually starts with a 12 year old girl saying something cynical and dismissive, before the intro sequence starts. The intro theme features a lot of Gratuitous English, although I'm pretty sure it's parodic gibberish in Japanese too. Its amongst the best openings in 90's anime, but it's also a deliberate misrepresentation of what the show is. Thus begins the latest episode in a sprawling space opera that is actually a comedy more preoccupied with sending up its own genre. It's funny, both as parody and farce. And, as I've hinted at, it's also fond of mood whiplash and black comedy. At the risk of ruining a joke by explaining it, the concept runs along the following lines. Akito Tenkawa is a cook, and fate's plaything. He's basically got a superhero's backstory, and a case of PTSD. A chance encounter sees him meet a childhood friend, Yurika Misumaru, whom he believes would know why his parents were killed. Yurika is the captain of the Nadesico, a privately built battleship created by Nergal Heavy Industries. He joins the crew, looking for answers, only to fall into a robot's cockpit and save the day. So far, so mecha cliche. However, the Nadesico is full of people the regular military didn't want, not least if which is Yurika. She, despite her talents, has the emotional maturity of a toddler, and immediately pursues her childhood crush on Akito. What follows is not so much a love triangle, as a love polygon. Meanwhile, the comms officer is a voice actress, the helmsman is a former secretary built like a pornstar, the engineer joined to ditch his family, and the computer operator is that aforementioned 12 year old girl. It's a ship full of idiots and human resource reports waiting to happen. But I want to talk about just one idiot in particular, and from this point: HERE BE SPOILERS.

Jiro Yamada is an obnoxious blow-hard, who defines his entire existence around a childrens TV show of dubious quality. He's brash, immature, dismisses anyone not on his wavelength, and adopted the name of "Gai Daigoji" because his given name is basically John Smith in Japanese, and he's better than that. Like the vast majority of the cast, he's an idiot, but possibly the biggest idiot as he's the only mecha pilot I've ever seen break his leg while pissing about in the hangar bay. Regardless, we love him, because he's us. We've all been the obnoxious fan, evangelising about some obscure bit of tat, wanting desperately to share your obsession with someone. And more than that, he's so obviously enjoying himself. He's living out his fantasy, with every sign of enjoyment and total commitment to it. There is a sense of audacity, but also innocence. I would give anything to be as happy as this man. Then he dies. Not in combat, which I'm sure he would have been cool with, but through being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's a senseless act of murder, killed by an escaping prisoner to prevent him raising the alarm. Jiro for his part is seemingly unarmed and unaware, shot with a pistol, and dying on the operating table. We love him because he was taken from us so violently, and suddenly. His last thought, which ends the episode, are the words, "I'm sorry, Miss Nanako, looks like I'm not gonna take you to the beach like I promised." The following episodes talk a lot about death, and how it gets treated in animes, and Jiro's passing becomes yet another strain on Akito's mental health. As he grieves, he watches the show Jiro loved so much, and encounters a death scene with the same line of dialogue Jiro thought as he bled out in the hangar. The dudes last thought was to pay homage to a pastiche of a 70's super robot show.


Goddamnit, Gai. You big, beautiful, stupid, nerd.

The series uses Gai's love, Gekiganger 3, as a commentary on both itself and a Greek Chorus. It shows how anime used to be, versus how it was after stuff like Gundam. It even uses it as the basis for a clipshow, where the Gekiganger characters mock the show for falling behind schedule, forming a meta möbius strip. But more importantly for today's discussion, Gekiganger is how we find out if these characters are or aren't fans. But let's put a pin in that for a moment, as we need more context. 

So, while mainly concerned with laughs and in-jokes, Nadesico does actually have a plot running in the background. Mostly, this is a framework to hang the parody on, something to provide the necessary explosions, and justification thereof. But it is there, and ultimately its as subversive in much the same way the humour is. Nergal Heavy Industries is an example of corporate greed and war profiteering, the titular Nadesico itself not being altruistic creation, if a warship can be such a thing(1). No, Nergal wants to reclaim Mars for its stockpiles of alien techno-gubbins. It turns out Nergal is not only as shady as balls, it also knows more about the aliens than they let on. So does the regular military. While the Jovians have only used unmanned weapons and seemingly made no declaration of war, thus obscuring their identities, they are in fact human. Actually exiles driven off Mars, and then erased from history. What was previously a just war of self-defence, proves to be as mucky as any other, with shades of grey everywhere. The crew does not take the news well, resulting in the end of at least one relationship, and a death by misadventure. What? Oh yes, this series is still a comedy. But now we find ourselves edging closer to its deeper point.

Here it is: the Jovian "Lizards" are fans of Gekigangar 3. An entire race of Jiro Yamadas. This makes them likeable as individuals, but the anime does not think this is a great idea. While affectionate in its parody, Nadesico is an argument against escapism, as evidenced by what happened to Gai, and what the Jovians actually are/do. The Jovians base their entire society around Gekigangar, taking on a religious fervour. Unfortunately, Gekiganger is a shallow puddle of cliches, plus the Jovians themselves were originally right-wing separatists. They view Earthlings as inherently evil monsters, while describing themselves as "The Superior Male Forces". Predictably, their attitude to women isn't great either, being something in between geeky embarrassment, and sexism disguised as veneration. The series isn't exactly woke, but the ladies in the cast are either bemused or insulted. If this is sounding anything at all like a certain modern fandom, perhaps one set in space with a historically black and white view of morality, yes, you'd be right. Everyone believes they are the rebels, not the empire(2), and Nadesico does not endorse this myopia. While the Jovians view themselves heroic protectors of life, they place little value on the lives of those opposing them, because they are the bad guys. Their leaders like it that way, and quite happy exploit that zealotry while being as cut-throat as Nergal. The most heartbreaking moment in the series is when the cast tries to broker peace following an actual anime convention, only for the Jovians dark side to be made obvious in the most brutal way possible. Yes, that's right, a convention, and while its spot-on as a depiction of such things, that episode ends very badly. They thought being fans would bridge the gap, and sadly fandom ultimately fails them, prompting Akito to reject Gekigangar. But, while presenting this tragedy to us, Nadesico also rejects cynicism and despair, remaining optimistic despite it all.

I may be reading too much into it, but the series stops short of blaming fandom, and the team of halfwits and weirdos that crews the Nadesico do ultimately win on their own terms. The ending sadly isn't as strong as the rest of the series, but at least its true to the tone of the work. In the final 3 or so episodes things get real, but it's not the depression grand tour that Evangelion and it's imitators took. Maybe the writers found themselves in a corner, and decided to go out with a bang. Things are definitely played with less humour, but then the series always did know when to take things seriously. And perhaps, mocking anime tropes only to play them straight for the climax is an example of having your cake and eating it too(3). But, remember the point I made about black and white morality above? You know which character brings that up in the final episodes? One of the series' few actual arseholes, someone whom was never a fan of Gekigangar, and preferred animes where both sides had realistic reasons to fight. He'd have a point, if he didn't immediately follow that with justifications for his own greed. Its not Gekiganger that's wrong, its us, and those power-brokers manipulating people. In this case, the long plans of a weapon manufacturer,an Earth Government trying to cover is own backside, and a political class defined by war. The crew of the Nadesico seem to know this, if not put that way, and they certainly don't accept it. After much faffing about, they opt to remove the actual reason for the war, the alien technology on Mars. And when presented with the option to undo everything via timeywhimey in the climax, the cast chooses not to. Instead, they choose to remember both the good & bad. You could almost say it was breaking a cycle, or something, given that so much aggro was caused by conspiracies to hide the truth and “pragmatic” thinking. It ends with them accepting Gekiganger 3 for what it was, and valuing the time they spent together, above erasing the past. Please don't ask me about the movie.

Meanwhile, everything descends into farce, plotholes appear, time travellers turn up, Yurika tries to detonate the ship, plotholes are called out, and Akito comments that the last episode of Gekiganger was terrible.

Conclusion
In my younger days, I liked Nadesico simply because it made me laugh. Later, because I recognised myself in it. And now, for all those things, plus its critique of fandom and what arguably counts as left wing politics. Perhaps it is just because I am old now, or maybe because time has changed its meaning. If you have to be a fan of something, you could do a lot worse than this.  Go watch the first episode dammit. 

Footnotes

1. I'd love to see a Marxist reading of the show.
2. Or in more Japanese terms, honestly believe the Republic of Zeon was fighting a war for independence, not a genocidal power grab.
3. Although, using that phrase makes me guilty of grammatical pedantry.

The Space Marine Problem

 

Or “how to ruin something through repetition”

This article is like the fifth iteration of an article that I write every time there's an editorial about Space Marines on BLOS, or a new rulebook for them is announced. And a new one has been. A completely new Space Marine codex was just revealed, with new units, the controversial Bolter Discipline rule, and a new rule giving them a bonus attack in the first round of combat. I have no actual reason to believe this will be less than a quality product. GW has been pretty good in 8^th edition, and nobody actually has this book in hand. So, fingers crossed. The thing is though, I do feel that a lot of unwarranted complaining has preceded this announcement, and I'd hate to think this was influencing the design process. To get my own bias up front, I play Orks, I basically could not run a shooty army until I got a codex, which was a long wait, but it was worth it(1). This means I only have, um, limited sympathy for people complaining about their army being flawed, when they were first in line for new releases. I also find this sort of article to be an unproductive and inherently negative use of my time, but once it's published, I can put it down, and move on. I have clouds to yell at. So lets get into this, The Space Marine Problem.

The Problem, as expressed by the Internet

Since 8^th edition launched there has been a general feeling that Space Marines are underpowered in some quarters. There is not a single issue highlighted, more a general feeling that things aren't right. Some point to the fact Marines now suffer penalties to their armour save, and are proportionally more vulnerable to Mortal Wounds. Some complain that bolters do not ignore armour saves of light infantry. Some feel that 8^th edition favours generally favours quantity over quality, as templates have been removed for simplicities sake. Some point to marines generally not being better performers in the tournament scene. Some point enviously at other factions, which may actually do something better than a marine. Some point at the open nature of 8^th ed allowing for things like “Imperial Soup”, where you mix and match and remove the unpopular beakies. Stuff like regular Tactical Marines have been unpopular for a while, often ignored in favour of the cheaper Scouts. As I say, its rarely one agreed complaint. Meanwhile, the response from people not currently playing a Marine faction is along the lines of “What? You've been the company favourite forever, adapt.” None of viewpoints are completely without merit, some more than others TBH, but its ultimately missing The Space Marine Problem.

What's Actually Wrong

So, here's the actual problem. Its not a matter of how this faction in all its variety is designed, nor of game mechanics, its more appearances. Space Marines are described as the best of the best, the closest thing the setting has to superheroes, rare and special. They are positioned as the starter army, with 40K designed around them. They have also become, over time, a majority of the forces in the game. This has created something of a conflict between their key concepts and how to play. Tactics 101? Tool your army to murder Space Marines, and you'll probably be OK. However, there is an unavoidable assumption that Marines should be the best army, special, but they absolutely cannot be that and ubiquitous at the same time. Sliced bread is pretty amazing, objectively, but do you care since its everywhere? This is not a problem of things being underpowered, this is a problem of mediocrity through over-exposure. If, say, Astra Militarium was the defacto default and given the same focus, Marines would look utterly spectacular in the comparison. The rules as they are do back that up. If we go straight to the bottom and compare Conscripts with Tactical Marines, the beakies trounce the cannon fodder. Some stats are actually double, nothing is worse, and the area where the beakies match the plebs is foot speed. You do pay for this, but well, you should, shouldn't you?(2) Actually competent Guardsmen fair a little better, but it's still a case where there is an overt gap in capabilities. So why don't we judge Marines higher in the army rankings? Why are they reputedly poor performers in tournaments? It certainly not because they lack in other areas, they are very well-supported. It's because everything else is judged against them as a baseline, and everyone knows how to beat them. This is The Space Marine Problem, and it will not be solved by just making units “better”, or applying an army-wide special rule, as GW seems to be doing.

The Why
This is ultimately a problem of GWs own making. They always favoured beakies, but things didn't really get out of hand until 3rd edition, an admittedly bloody long time ago, but there we are. It was during this period GW favoured the "mini-dex" concept where there was a single major Beakie codex which would receive a supplement to make more specific chapters. This grew into the Index Astartes series of articles, and is the forerunner to army variants found in the modern 8th Ed codex, although it would take 20 odd years before this applied to everyone. GW now had an easy to do a 40k release, just to apply a new special rule to the Marines and add a new model or three , and you're done. Easy money in the sort term. The long term effect was that Marines became the default, these new armies pushed non-beakies to the back of the queue for support, and marine players would begin to squabble jealously over who got what hat. Each subset of the Marine faction assumes, on some level, that they are the best Marines and there's such overlap between them. The first codex the Blood Angels got was shared with the Dark Angels. Does every first founding chapter/legion deserve its own book? Should Deathwatch be its own thing? Should maybe they and Grey Knights be under the Inquisition banner? With so much overlap in rules and models, does this not become like picking between flavours of potato crisp? If, just if, GW had been more restrained, this would be less of an issue. And now, things have gone full circle, with the mini-dex concept returning for this new release. 

To their credit, GW has demonstrated the self-awareness to address these problems, as there's evidence of it long term. Notably, the Black Templars and Salamanders got rolled back into the main Marine rules, and it would be hard to argue with a straight-face that Space Wolves aren't their own thing. Their most recent attempt is the entire Primaris concept, which is proving to be something of a long term revamp of the army from the foundations up. Its too early to say if this will work, and speculation enters the realm of tinfoil hats and chemtrails. On the one hand, this would bring Beakies closer towards their fictional depictions, but what its mainly done so far is highlight the “weaknesses” of the traditional Marine. Almost, as if, GW wants Marine fans to buy a completely new army? Right now, what they mainly do though is add yet more units to a faction already very well-equipped to the point of redundancy. It is FAR too early to tell what the new Codex will mean for the faction, but if they are getting a new bonus rule for the Fight Phase, one hopes for a price increase. Even so, none of this doesn't actually address The Space Marine Problem. Should GW update all Space Marine factions to Primaris, or otherwise rebalance things with their new codex, that would leave us in exactly the same position of beakie over-exposure, and potentially over-correcting versus other factions. Remember, the tactics you would use to defeat Primaris are the same as other forms beakies; they are good, but they are still ultimately a small/quality force with no special resistances to anti-tank guns and Mortal Wound effects. They are fated to be the new average.

The Solution

I dunno, is there one? Fanbases are notoriously hard to please. One possibility I've already hinted at is to put the toothpaste back in the tube, and simply release marines less often. Yes, they sell, but that's confirmation bias at work. If only marines are sold, only marines sell. Let the diehards have the Horus Heresy setting, and start amalgamating these chaps into omnibuses. If this seems unfair, well, its still more in the way of spin-offs than your average Xenos race gets. Alternatively, people could gain some self-awareness and realise how “first world problems” this all is and accept Marines can't be the entire game. But that's probably even less likely than the first solution. Whatever, I'm done being grumpy now.....

Foot notes

1. Then there was the 7^th ed book, but lets not get sidetracked.
2. If you think the answer is “no”, maybe you should stop reading.

Retro Review: Kidou Senshi Gundam F91 - Formula Senki 0122 (Super Famicom)

In terms of genre influence and sheer relentless merchandising, the Gundam franchise is very much the Japanese Star Wars. Not the first of its kind, but one of those works that came along, dropkicked the status quo, and became the establishment. Anime wasn't the same after. It even has its own laser swords and Space Nazis. As it has nearly 40 years of material, of wildly variable quality, its not easy to generalise, but the gist is as follows. People live in space stations, some on Earth, bad feelings all round, so war with giant robots, piloted by angsty teens. Lots of moral ambiguity and war is hell motifs. Today's game, Kidou Senshi Gundam F91 - Formula Senki 0122 , or F91 for sanity, fits into the original Gundam canon, where a bunch of Space Nazis from Mars are causing trouble. They use robots which look exactly like those from the 1979 original, though updated, seemingly just for reasons of brand recognition(1). But is F91 any good? Well, interesting is perhaps the better word. 

The games big selling point is that while it looks like a SRPG it's actually a , honest to god, turn-based/real-time hybrid. A faintly underwhelming map screen, gives way to a faux cockpit, with 3rd person battle animations. Your main inputs are manoeuvre and positioning in real time, but with attacking and the map screen handled in a turn based fashion. Its a a rush to line up a shot against rapidly moving targets, with each weapon having own its optimal range, and your Gundam having limited fuel. Succeed, and you get an animation of the attack connecting, and hopefully an explosion. Fail, and see it miss. You can dash back to a capital ship for a top up, and switch between fancy weapon packs mid battle. The Gundam(2) you use for most of the game has modular parts, allowing you to tailor it to your requirements, adding a layer of strategy to an otherwise tactical game. But the battle continues without you, Jegans and Zakus beating 7 bells out of each other, meaning you can get flanked, and so on. Its not rendered in 3D, but feels a solid representation of Mobile Suit combat as presented in the various animations, with the music being a highlight. Meanwhile there's a story going on, depicted mainly by cutscences between battles. Any good? Well, it's a Gundam sidestory where the antagonists are cosplaying warmachines from 40 odd years prior. A translation patch is required, which seems to work OK. The narrative definitely looks and feels appropriate to the franchise, if not one of it's best. And that's the game in a nutshell, really. It looks and feels right, having pretty good production values, if not necessarily exceptional in its execution. The general feeling of above average is also backed up by it having a battery save, even though the game is light of justification for one. This game could have easily worked with a password system, as it has only 12 levels and is not an RPG, so I can only assume Japanese convention was happily at work here.

The battles do however get a bit samey. As the battle animations are repetitive, what the game ends up doing is training you to stare at the radar in the bottom right, as that's where most of the useful info is. That sense of repetition also increases as the game goes on, where you end up on Earth after fighting in space, and the game plays the same. Kinda disappointing, that. Its also something of a coin toss if an attack connects or not, as the game doesn't see fit to let you aim yourself, or tell you the odds. Also, choosing between the weapon pack doesn't actually represent that big of choice, as there's only 2 at first with limited weapons. This makes things a little frustrating, although new weapons and equipment do unlock and ease these complaints. Ultimately though, its not that deep of a game, despite nailing the setting. While by no means bad, I feel this game needed to be either more of a simulation, or more a bangy-zoomy game.

 

Conclusion
<Indecisive noise>, okay. F91 is a game that sets out to capture the spirit of its setting, while defying gaming convention, and largely achieves both aims, but I didn't love it. I wouldn't really call it a great game, but it is an mechanically interesting one. And, despite nitpicks, I can certainly imagine Gundam fans then and now warming to it. Some distance from a classic, but it doesn't have much to apologise for. If the concepts discussed above appeal to you, maybe check it out.

Foot notes

1. I am deeply cynical about this, and it makes less and less sense the more I think about it.
2. The term “Gundam” is also used mainly for brand recognition, as in universe it was the most famous Federation mecha.

Retro Review: Chō Jikū Yōsai Macross (Famicom)

I think we need some context, here. In 1982, Big West went and made The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, a very influential Japanese anime. They did however run short of money, prompting some poorly worded contracts, and a never ending legal nightmare for all involved. It is for this reason Macross is known as the foundational instalment of Robotech, a series where 3 unrelated properties were nailed together by the famously litigious Harmony Gold. Its a long story, but eff those guys. Transformers fans will also recognise the main mecha from it as Jetfire. Meanwhile, the UK gaming scene was off being its own thing, dominated by low-cost computers like the Sinclair Spectrum, and then by the Sega consoles and stuff like the Amiga. This is also a long story, but suffice to say the NES/Famicom wasn't as a big thing here as in America and Japan. Advance forward thirty odd years, and I'm experimenting with retrogaming platforms. I chance upon a Famicom Macross game, and decide it would make a good test subject for my Retrofreak.

I kinda hate it.

Now, this is not automatically the same as saying its a bad game. I lot of people make that mistake, especially fanboys, you disliking something is not automatically a failing in that media(1). Objective flaws of course do exist, coding bugs for example, and when writing a review it's best to keep some kind of dispassionate viewpoint, lest you confuse an emotional response for an actual fault. What this game does wrong is mainly be very old, and not especially creative with the licence, while I generally suck at this sort of game and don't have the necessary nostalgia goggles. 

So, lets talk mechanics. CJYM is a side scrolling spaceship shooter, a shoot-em-up, the Battle Royale of its day. You advance from left to right, shooting baddies, and eventually fighting bosses. It's fairly typical of its time, although with two major exceptions. Your Valkyrie can change form, behaving differently in each, and has a health bar. I didn't find much reason to transform, but the latter change goes some way to making the game tolerable for me, if still having embarrassing difficulty with the first level. Presentation is also quite reminiscent of the series, with recognisable enemy designs, and a Minmay doll starting the action with a gong, while a chip tune version of the series' track Shao Pi Long also plays. In so far as the technology of the time allowed, it's a reasonably mix of gameplay with licence, like putting Bruce Lee in a Street fighter 2 clone(2). Mind you, "of the time“ is probably the most obvious stock complaint I could make of the game. Its production values show its age, and the gameplay isn't good enough to compensate. Less subjectively, it would appear to be a game with no actual ending, instead looping indefinitely the same level, just with an increasing enemy count. I can't confirm this, and the let's play I found tend last 20 minutes at most, but I honestly can't bring myself to check. It's Transbot all over again. 

Conclusion

There could have been a good game here, but what we have here is a best a prototype that wasn't finished. Video games based on licensed properties do have a terrible reputation, and my self-doubt aside, this game is an example of why. I honestly can't recommend it. Maybe look into Scrambled Valkyrie on the Super Famicom, I hear its rather good.

Foot Notes

1. I'm looking at you, people complaining about female characters in Star Wars and Captain Marvel.
2. Which they did. And a Bruce Lee clone in actual Street Fighter 2.