Gundam 0079: The War for Earth

Gundam 0079: The War for Earth is an FMV quick-time/point-and-click game developed by Presto Studios and published for the mh:awesomegames:PlayStation and mh:awesomegames:PC in 1997, based on the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise. This is actually the first piece of Gundam media to be released in the United States, way before Cartoon Network began airing Gundam Wing through Toonami 3 years later.

Plot
The story is loosely based on the first Mobile Suit Gundam series that started the entire franchise. The main character, a random civilian implied to be the player incarnation of Amuro Ray, pilots the Gundam mech after a close encounter with a Zaku mech and must defeat the forces of Zeon and their commander Char Aznable.

Why It Lost the War

 * 1) The game's main problem is that the concept of the game is a really bad way to start the Gundam series in the US because its main gameplay consists of full-motion video sequences and point and click elements, concepts that don't fit in any way with the active nature of the anime series. If this was the first game that was made after the anime's success in general, it would be kinda passable, but we're talking about a franchise that already had some previous action and simulation games in other platforms and even in the proper PlayStation, which is one of the platforms in which this game was released. What is more insulting is the fact that the two original Gundam games released for Japan could've been adapted to the US without a lot of problems, but for some strange reason, this never happened, and instead, we got this terrible idea to get introduced with the series' games in Occident.
 * 2) Despite Presto Studios promising to deliver quality fanservice to the game, the game itself makes it abundantly clear that said fanservice is relatively lacking.
 * 3) *In fact, the opening cutscene has split-second text that reads: "Look at this dorky guy running into the door — he looks like Jodie Foster on crack. If you had to measure his IQ: .000068438 plus or minus [...] Blah blah double blah [...] I hope nobody is reading this crap. Here are some numbers: 213882068437Y"
 * 4) The story is barely explained upon, other than through pages of exposition on the main menu.
 * 5) Horrendous gameplay, most of which relies on sudden quick-time events and frustrating point-and-click moments.
 * 6) Most of the characters are flanderized into bland, paper-thin facsimiles of their original portrayals.
 * 7) *Amuro suffers the most from this, as here he is portrayed as a random civilian who decides to drive into a military base, no questions asked, and is then suddenly asked to pilot the Gundam.
 * 8) *Char (here known as "Shar") also suffers significantly, as his actor wears a clearly low-budget costume, was mocked for his large chin (thus giving birth to the "Chin Comet" meme), and his character is reduced to constantly taunting the player. He also barely puts up a fight at all in the climax, deciding to retreat after his mech's right arm is severed.
 * 9) The controls are neither properly explained nor completely functional; in fact, figuring out how to get through a quick-time event can take as long as half an hour.
 * 10) Pitiful cliffhanger ending where Char swears revenge on the player.

Winning Qualities

 * 1) The FMV cutscenes are rather decent for the time, despite incorporating much of the frustrating elements of gameplay.
 * 2) Even the 360-degree scrolling point-and-click screen is innovative. Especially for 1997!

Videos
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