This review was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content.

For a moment, let’s pretend that you’re a Gundam fan and find particular enjoyment in watching the anime series, customizing imaginary mechs, and pondering what the ideal weight/power ratio would be for the franchise’s ultimate weapon. Let’s also pretend that I strongly dislike anything remotely connected to the word “Gundam”, and as such, can’t be expected to provide an unbiased review.

You’d be half right. I do despise Gundam. I’m extremely unfamiliar with the series, can’t stand giant robots at all (with the exception of Front Mission), and the very notion of enduring a full plot’s worth of the Gundam universe is enough to make me physically ill, but MS Saga: A New Dawn does have one positive quality that (for me) overrode the obvious downside: it’s an RPG. It has giant robots, true, but it also has the mandatory travel/adventure, leveling up, boss battles, quests, new characters, and all the normal junk that goes along with being an RPG. Unfortunately it’s also the most lackluster, barebones RPG I’ve ever played on a current-generation console (and I’ve played many). You should already know where this is headed.

MS Saga, perhaps to stay in line with its gameplay, has an extremely basic storyline. Players are cast as Tristan, a poor youth who barely escaped death when his orphanage was tragically blown to bits by a mysterious black mobile suit. Since that day Tristan has sworn revenge, and he’s joined by his friend, Fritz, another orphan survivor, as well as other traditional characters: Aeon, the “girl without a past”; Tremmie, the high-strung, easily irritated woman; Gavenger, the “wise old man”; Vargas, the wild and promiscuous arms dealer; and so on. The group’s goal is to defeat the “Dark Alliance” by killing its leader, and all of this eventually ties in with Aeon’s unknown, potentially vile history and Tristan’s burden to save the world. Though the cast is hardly colorful and the game’s plot extremely direct, having some kind of a storyline does help the action along.

MS Saga also appears true to its anime parent and boasts a ton of mobile suits and customization options; this customization process is essentially the title’s sole and best feature, as it enables players – with the aid of G or Mini-G systems – to create suit parts, weaponry, and standard gear add-ons (i.e., HP +, protection from acid, etc). You can set parts and adjust other settings (including color schemes) in towns, which also host a mobile suit (“unicorn”) headquarters (for tune-ups and rest), weapon shops, and item shops. Rather than having each mobile suit hold one melee weapon, one range weapon, and one shield, players are given the opportunity to equip their mechs with multiple gun types, armor guards (which offer defense boosts), and one melee device, usually a sword, axe, or spear. What a suit can equip is limited by its natural allotment of storage blocks, which all weapons also feature; obviously the most powerful weapons take up the most blocks, so pack carefully.

The game’s battle system is also very straightforward – some would even say plain – and sports a short learning curve. Battles in MS Saga are initiated in two ways: either they’re marked by orange targets or randomly generated depending on the color level of the group’s radar (blue for safe, yellow for threatening, red for extremely dangerous). The player is allowed three active team members while the rest warm the bench and slowly regenerate. Each character of course fights in his mobile suit and can perform a basic attack (either melee or ranged), a boost (special) attack, or a technique (a “spell” that requires TP). All actions require an EN cost, and this number is higher for more powerful attacks. Each suit can also defend to take less damage (great when an opponent is about to boost), charge (quickly raise stored EN for boosts), and switch with a member on the bench. To both quicken and freshen the battles, Bandai threw in a small table that displays enemy actions so players can easily determine their next move, along with typical status effects (acid, terror, confuse, etc) and close-ups during attacks that decimate enemies. For a slight twist, melee attacks leave players vulnerable to counterattacks while ranged attacks – usually the less potent of the two – enable gamers to play conservatively during tough matches.

Though most of the game’s techniques (spells) are restricted to battle, some – like repair (small cure) and high repair (large cure) – are very convenient during travel on the expansive world map. Invisible is a nice technique that decreases the chance of encountering low-level enemies, while escape (from dungeons) is only second to Tristan’s auto-drive, which quickly places the team in front of a previously visited locale. The battle oriented techniques are basic but effective, like grenade, armor up, speed up, healing (which removes “hurt” status), and so on.

As far as presentation is concerned, MS Saga has a typical, forgettable soundtrack that’s not too annoying (or enjoyable), exaggerated but bearable voiceovers, and short cutscenes that, though they’re placed sort of haphazardly in the storyline, do help establish the game as an RPG.

Let’s start with the really important stuff. The battle system, albeit functional, is extremely simple and devoid of almost any strategy whatsoever – battles therefore become more of a numbers game that the player almost always wins so long as she upgrades her suits. The only exception is the occasional boss battle, while most fights during “intense” moments are actually staged endurance challenges that, again, strictly pose a numbers war to the player; lots of somewhat-capable enemies come in boring waves that you can easily prepare for beforehand, limiting this game’s battle appeal. Even the boss fights only require a bit of forethought, which mostly culminates in the player just learning when to wait out an opponent by defending or when to rush in for the kill.

Visually, MS Saga’s graphics are as far standard as you can get on the PlayStation 2, if not below. The game’s environments are extremely bland, from the world map to towns to cutscenes and back again. Character design is similarly unremarkable, which is fitting considering that the characters themselves are equally uninspiring. Boost attacks provide some graphical panache, but when navigating throughout a world where most of its inhabitants still have yet to discover the color wheel, some battle flash isn’t sufficient.

As if the game's sub average presentational offerings weren't enough, MS Saga also comes equipped with an annoying camera you can't maneuver (frustrating in tight spots), a world map that features unlabeled locations (there's a lot of time spent locating towns for a first visit), and lots and lots of that horrible gameplay aspect known as "backtracking", which does nothing but aggravate the player and cheaply tack on extra hours. There’s also a 10-12 second wait every time you perform a load/save, which further cheapens the experience (why developers haven’t figured out a way to remove these waiting periods still vexes me – we’re preparing for another generation of consoles, and yet I bet the first Mario title I play on the Revolution has a loading wait).

MS Saga’s storyline is as basic and boring as an RPG’s can get: stop the “Dark Alliance”, kill its leader, protect the damsel, and save the world – all of which is not even mildly intense for third graders. The weak plot is supported by dialogue that can, at times, be incredibly ridiculous, featuring lines like “Noooooooooooooo”, “We mean you no harm”, and “We’ve got to stick together!” After 20 hours in I half expected to hear “Take me to your leader” or, even better, “Think of the children!” Developers, take note: RPGers appreciate RPGs with strong plots, dynamic characters, and stimulating conversation. Periodic bouts of “we’re a team” don’t cut it. Hire some writers.

Though this may seem downright fraudulent to fans, those of us unfamiliar with Gundam are going to complete more than 10 hours of MS Saga without the slightest clue of what the hell is going on. The game gives very little background information, except that years ago there was a “Great Fall” and people used “Gundam Mobile Suits”. If you’re a Gundam fan, chances are that you’ll know when/where you are in the franchise’s timeline as well as what your ultimate purpose (beside “save the world”) is. If you're not a Gundam aficionado, however, then you'd better hope that the shockingly bland, outdated visuals, miniscule, pathetic plot, and flat characters will keep you on the edge of your seat until someone finally explains the history of Gundam to you, which will probably be never.

MS Saga’s audio isn’t much better than its visual “substance”: you’ve got the occasional voiceover that gives you a 10 second glimpse into a character’s persona (frightfully efficient for such static, dull characters) and a ton of forgettable, bland music, though the boss theme is somewhat of an improvement. All in all, though, the game is an extremely generic RPG – only each character fights inside a giant robot.

I remain unimpressed by MS Saga: A New Dawn as well as the Gundam series it's based upon. While Bandai has crafted a playable game with some points of enjoyment, the majority of its content is extremely dull and flat. The battle system is nearly as far from refreshing as a game can possibly get; the plot is boring and supported by poor, trite dialogue; the visuals are definitely unexceptional; and the audio barely manages to set the tone. Add on loads of backtracking (or simply the amount of time you’ll spend, lost, in search of the next town), a noticeable load/save wait, and stereotypical, static characters to get the full feel of this game. MS Saga is perhaps a functional RPG for Gundam fans, but for hardcore (or even typical) RPGers, it’s one to skip. Save your money for Kingdom Hearts II or try out Nautilus's Shadow Hearts: From the New World.

It’s functional, but strictly barebones. Even Gundam fans should find this far from engaging.

Definitely below average, but not completely ugly. Boost attacks offer some flair.

It’s not horrible, but it’s far from good. Voiceovers could use work. Dull ambient sounds.

You may enjoy customizing your mobile suit and battling. I only cared for boss fights, though.

I’ll certainly never pick up MS Saga again, and if you finish it, I doubt you will too.