Gundam Side Story: Missing Link MS

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Gelgoog Jager
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Re: Gundam Side Story: Missing Link MS

I have checked and the MS-06Z do is a playable unit, both in campaign and VR missions.

Also, several DLC MS have been added recently, and according to a guide these will include:

EMS-10 Zudah
MS-08TX/N Efreet Nacht
MS-10 Pezun Dwadge
MS-14Fs Gelgoog Marine Commander Type
MS-18E Kampfer
YMS-15 Gyan

RGC-83 GM Cannon II
RGM-79N GM Custom
RX-0 Gundam Unicorn
RX-78-3 Gundam G-3
RX-78NT-1 Gundam Alex
RX-79[G]Ez-8 Gundam Ez8
RX-81LA G-Line Light Armor

I do will say that I feel a bit disappointed that they didn't at least reuse assets from the PS3 Gundam UC game to include more Axis/Neo Zeon units. Not only they could have used the Musai Kai as it is, but with minor modifications the Dreissen could have been added. The fact that the Dooben Wolf do was added makes me think that they simple modified a bit the assets of the Silver Bullet from Gundam UC.
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AmuroNT1
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Re: Gundam Side Story: Missing Link MS

If they'd reused assets from the Unicorn game, people would have complained about that too. :P You just can't win sometimes.
Sakuya: "Whatever. Stop lying and give up your schemes, now."
Yukari: (Which lies and schemes are she talking about? It's hard to keep track of them all...)

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Xenosynth
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Re: Gundam Side Story: Missing Link MS

Though they are reusing the MS models from Battle Operation, if you compare them side by side. MS that were in Side Stories have been coming out in Battle Ops as well, and vice versa, and some at the same time (The G Line Light Armor JUST came out for Battle Ops).
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AmuroNT1
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Re: Gundam Side Story: Missing Link MS

Also, the Unicorn game was done by From Software rather than Bandai Namco, so the models might not be available to them to begin with.
Sakuya: "Whatever. Stop lying and give up your schemes, now."
Yukari: (Which lies and schemes are she talking about? It's hard to keep track of them all...)

-Touhou 07.5 ~ Immaterial and Missing Power
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Calubin_175
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Re: Gundam Side Story: Missing Link MS

So G Line/Zudah, GM Cannon II/Custom and Alex/Kampfer will be the rest? All of these have a battle operation model already, except for the GM Custom and I think there was a leak of the GM Cannon II somewhere.
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Gelgoog Jager
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Re: Gundam Side Story: Missing Link MS

Actually, botht he models for Battle Operation and Side Stories were added some lights on some parts of the MS, such as the shoulders, which change color, most noticeable in the case of the EXAM units. Indeed those seem like a direct use of the same models in both cases.

Still, Side Stories do may use some modfied assets from Gundam UC, namely:
-The AMS-119 Geara Doga
-The AMX-006 (besides the Sleeves version, the standard NZ version is included as an enemy in a DLC mission)
-The ARX-014 could be modified into a Dooben Wolf
-The RX-0 Gundam Unicorn

I guess my biggest disappointment is that neither game bothered to include the Endra: in Gundam UC being the only one of the 3 standard NZ cruisers not included (Musaka and Musai Kai do appear) and the setting of the epilogue of Side Stories would have been perfect to basically have Endras as the lone type of ships that could appear on said mission, being the ship class most associated with the NZ forces from ZZ.

Back to the game itself, while I like seeing units such as the Zaku I Sniper and Zaku Cannon rounding up better the Zeon forces, I still feel that they are somewhat out of place, specially with the background of these units which insist on a late introduction and very limited deployment.

Just for some context, the YMS-09D/MS-09D, a variant of the California built YMS-09/MS-09A had its production cut really short due to the recapture of California Base: Besides 4 early prototypes, 30 units were planned to be converted from MS-09As, but only 20 were completed and just 10 sent to the fronlines.
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Calubin_175
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Re: Gundam Side Story: Missing Link MS

I don't think they could fit models from Gundam UC namely it would make the styling inconsistent with the rest of the battle operation styled models.

So even non BO units such as Hygogg had lights? I know they all had real grade two shade colouring.
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Gelgoog Jager
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Re: Gundam Side Story: Missing Link MS

Calubin_175 wrote:So even non BO units such as Hygogg had lights? I know they all had real grade two shade colouring.
Yes:

http://sidestory.ggame.jp/jp/system/ms.php

I assume the main reasons for which the Gogg and Hygogg haven't been added to BO is partly because of their large size, specially the Hygogg, and in the case of the Gogg, also the lack of a weapon that can be used while laying down (both torso weapons are unavailable in such position).

By the way, the Jegan depicted in this page is a RGM-89D from Unicorn rather than a RGM-89 (or RGM-89A/RGM-89A1?) from CCA. You can also comapre the Gaza D in this page, to the one from Gundam UC:

http://uc.ggame.jp/ms/neozeon06.html

The main differences are that the ones from Side Stories have fragmented armor plates with many details (including the lights I mentioned in my previous post), while the ones from UC are less fragmented and more simplistic, but have reflective surfaces. Here are the Geara Dogas too for further reference:

http://sidestory.ggame.jp/jp/missinglin ... eRider.php
http://uc.ggame.jp/ms/neozeon09.html

I just wish there was also a gallery for watching the ships from Side Stories, just like Gundam UC, to comapre the Musai and Musai Kai.

Edit:

I just noticed a minor screw up on the game: when playing as Nimbus you watch a scene of the Efreet Kai and 2 Doms arriving to California Base... on board of Dodai IIs. the problem is that while a Zaku, Gouf or Efreet can board a Dodai with no problems, a Dom type (and most likely also Gelgoog types) would have feet too large to fit on the Dodai (even a YS or GA type).
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Calubin_175
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Re: Gundam Side Story: Missing Link MS

Ever since the 30th anniversary flagship production Gundam Senki 0081 came out back in 2009, and recently the Side Stories tribute game, I have come to realise that these video game side stories have certainly lost their originality as they're sticking to a certain formula, but I am content with it.

In terms of their MS rosters, they generally go like this:

For the Federation side, the protagonist always starts off with a GM type, either the bog standard GM or at least a high tier GM(Command, Ground, etc). Later on, they will either get an RX-79[G] or its derivative, or a numbered RX-78 Gundam.

On the antagonistic Zeon side, the starting unit might be a Zaku and eventually lead up to an Efreet and/or Gelgoog or equivalent such as Act Zaku. Each side story always try to introduce a new MS or a rendition from M-MSV. Surprisingly, the MS-14G was the only new design in LWC, and Rise from the Ashes had the Rhinoceros.

It is these side stories games that glorified the Gelgoog as a boss unit and repetitively presented the Efreet as a formidable rival to the Federation side.

The relatively more unique side stories would have been Zeonic Front, Space the End of Flash, and a bit with Rise from the Ashes as it had zero RX-78/9 appearance.

The idea of a side story(video game ones mainly) is to break away from the standard TV/OVA series set of conventions, but then the side stories themselves have developed ones of their own. Most of the OYW ones still stuck to the rule of needing some form of an RX Gundam to appear in it.
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Gelgoog Jager
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Re: Gundam Side Story: Missing Link MS

The most common complains about these games, that I have heard, are:

-The further inflation of the numbers of the RGM-79[G] (this I could see it being reconciled by simply applying the same explanation as for the RGM-79: the number given is for units made in Jaburo, but more were produced elsewhere and records are not available).

-The inclusion of more Gundam types: the main issue is that at first everything made it sound like the RX-78-2 Gundam was such one of a kind machine which is why it became so famous. However, we keep getting more units and in some cases even better than the Gundam, and sometimes even achieving more than it (Blue Destiny units, G04 & G05, etc.). For the same reason, non-Gundam units like the Pale Rider and G-Line series are quite welcomed in my book.

One personal complain I have is the depicted poor performance of MAs: these are largely Zeon's equivalent of Gundams (very costly, almost one of a kind units with new weapons, which are meant to outperform standard MS), yet for gameplay purposes they keep appearing as stage bosses and get shot down sometimes even on their first deployment by the very kind of units they were supposed to surpass.

For example, look at the Bigro: the units that Amuro fought and at least one which appeared in the 0081 A Baoa Qu Flashback OVA, not to mention any in-game appearances, are al easily shot down without achieving much. Yet, in MS Igloo we have the Big Rang which despite its mobility limitations showed how devastating the Bigro's weapons are. IIRC:

-It can sank 3 Salamis with a single shot from its MPC.
-It sank at least one Salamis and all it's Ball and GM escorts.

The Bigro's weapons are clearly extremely effective at tearing down entire fleets, effectively justifying their existence as much as the Gundam, but for plot or gameplay purposes they are never shown doing so. The 0081 OVA is the closest we get and still falls quite short compared to what the Big Rang achieved using only the Bigro's weapons.

In the case of this game we have two Adzams, yet neither of them nor the one from the first TV series are ever said to have accomplish anything. Realistically speaking, these machines should be ideal to deal with the EF's GM[G] and GM units, which are commonly depicted equipped mainly with machine guns for most battles on Earth, which would have a hard time destroying a heavily armored aerial target. GMs should also suffer the same mobility problems as the Zaku on the ground, making them easy targets for the Adzam's MPC turrets, and the later should be particularly deadly since at that point no ground use MS has any means of defense against beam weapons.
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Calubin_175
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Re: Gundam Side Story: Missing Link MS

I just realised that Missing Link's original MS were also the first chimera concept MS to be introduced in Universal Century. The Slave Wraith is a RX-79[G] with the visor of the GM Sniper Custom, the backpack of the GM Kai and the shoulders of the GM Striker/Desert GM. The Pale Rider appears to be an amalgamation of top of the line Augusta MS. While its base form appears to the be the GM sniper II, it has a similar visor to the GM Sniper Custom, leg verniers of the Alex, and then for its space equipment, the rifle the backpack are from G04 and G05. Todesritter obviously took armaments from various Neo Zeon MS, namely the most powerful shield, gun and incoms, but the sub arms appeared to be original.
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Gelgoog Jager
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Re: Gundam Side Story: Missing Link MS

I would think that the first "Chimera" MS is the MS-06V Zaku Tank, an its variants:

-"MS-05V" Zaku Tank (Zaku I chassis)
-MS-06V Zaku Tank (standard version)
-MS-06V Zaku Tank (cannon/artillery type)
-MS-06V-6 Zaku Tank Green Makaku
-MS-06V-8 Zaku Tank Wild Boar

I would also like to mention how the "Assault Type" Zaku II seems like a clever alternative for essentially having an early Zaku Cannon: It's a J-type equipped with leg missiles, a Magella gun and has the additional head armor seen on some ground use F2-types:

http://sidestory.ggame.jp/jp/cd/ms/zeon02.php
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Calubin_175
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Re: Gundam Side Story: Missing Link MS

I was playing Side Stories and learnt that the RX-79[G] modified Slave Wraith was already available before Operation Odessa. Now, that just doesn't really make sense as the extra parts came from MS that were rolled out a bit later, maybe the parts were already in the works.
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Gelgoog Jager
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Re: Gundam Side Story: Missing Link MS

Calubin_175 wrote:I was playing Side Stories and learnt that the RX-79[G] modified Slave Wraith was already available before Operation Odessa. Now, that just doesn't really make sense as the extra parts came from MS that were rolled out a bit later, maybe the parts were already in the works.
Maybe it is the other way around: the Slave Wraith was used to test various new parts, which ended up being used other MS.
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Calubin_175
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Re: Gundam Side Story: Missing Link MS

That's the other possibly that came into mind. Does anyone have a profile of the Armored Slave Wraith?

Funny how parts for other lines of GMs(Kai and Sniper Custom) were tested on the RX-79[G].
Xenosynth
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Re: Gundam Side Story: Missing Link MS

Technically no full art (and also technically from the manga, and not the game), but I noticed this variant of the Pale Rider last night on GBO's updates:

Pale Rider Calvary
Missing Link Manga Cover (Volume 2?)
Scan from the manga.

No lineart yet, but I imagine we'll get some soon. Seems to use a beam rifle with an underslung gatling gun, beam javelin, and the backpack reminds me of the Light Armor G-Line's backpack, though minus any of the additional weapons the LA G-Line has on its backpack (Gatling/Assault/Missiles).
Xenosynth
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Re: Gundam Side Story: Missing Link MS

Ah, the Heavy Gundam frame launcher, spaced on making that connection. Hopefully we'll get line art for it soon, I'm happy with any Pale Rider art we get, anything for more Takigawa.
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balofo
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Re: Gundam Side Story: Missing Link MS

RX-80PR2 Pale Rider Cavalry. MP MS with limited HADES. Custom weapon is called Shekhinah(Top barrel is Mega Beam Launcher, under is Giant Gatling and it also has built-in Micro Missile Launchers which seem to be above the beam barrel). Beam Javelin and Reactive Armor are options. Designer is Takigawa.

http://i.imgur.com/y8d4Zxp.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7PG1fU7.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/I7r41jw.jpg

Just a correction on the mech designers for this series: Juu Ishiguchi(石口 十) appears to have done all the other MS/new weapons while Takigawa only did the Pale Rider family. I'm basing this from the FA Slave Wraith lineart that mentions him as the designer, so there should exist lineart for all the his other customs like the vanilla Slave Wraith and the new Dom Large Heat Sword.
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