If playing as Ray Amuro in the Chronicle mode of the game, the first battle takes players all the way back to the escort mission where Amuro defends White Base against Zeon insurgents. After successfully defending the cruiser against attack, White Base lands on Jaburo where a fierce battle takes place. Amuro defends the ship alone against Zeon ships and an army of Zaku troops who attack from all sides.

In addition to the Chronicle Mode, there's a Progress Mode where gamers create a brand new character and interact with the cast of the Gundam universe and join in on classic battles from the series. A Versus Mode allows for split screen action where two players jump jet, throttle, and rush at each other with swords drawn and guns blazing.

View the back cover and screenshots on the main NCSX website.

NCS Game Notes
* In the intro for the game, a camera takes in a wrecked Empire State Building and leads to impact-cratered surface before the Climax UC logo appears followed by an image of Gundam mechs in repose as they wait for action. Worker robots carefully pivot and assemble parts and then blazing attacks are shown as Gundam battle in outer space, at sea, and in dusty, rainy landscapes. Interspersed with the scenes of battle are mundane scenes of home, a store, mountains, and other serene images that are at odds with the violent Zaku and Gundam battles that are shown in the dazzling intro. The intro ends with images of Gundam underwater as the camera quickly rises to the surface.

* Press Start and a Gundam wheel of fortune appears with the following options to select:

TUTORIAL / Learn the ropes on handling a Gundam properly. The first mission puts you in a green Jegan RGM-89 and a briefing explains the objectives. The mech handler is Kamna Tachibana.
CHRONICLE MODE / Relive the mythos with key characters on a timeline
PROGRESS MODE / Create a new character and go on missions with back story accompaniment
VS MODE / Go head to head against a second player
CARD COLLECTION / View cards for units (72), pilots (64), characters (94), stages (26), histories (30), BGM (42), and movies (95). Everything is locked at the outset of the game and that's a total of 423 cards to uncover.
OPTION / Controller config, sound volumes, autosave toggle, camera play, item look toggle.

* In the Now Loading screen, a silhouette of a Gundam may be seen sauntering in the lower-right corner while a 3D geometric grid pans and swivels in the background. .

* In the first Tutorial Mission, a voice over from Kamille explains the workings of the RGM-89 and the objective is to thrust the mech to various points on the map and then just practice the workings of the mech such as jump jetting, thrusting, and learning how to maneuver the mech. Learning how to twist it in midair by jump jetting and turning which might come in handy. There's also a forward thrust move (hold X) where the Gundam propels itself forward in a straight line. This propulsion and the jump jet both heat up the mech quickly and should be used conservatively in battle lest the moves not be available when a jam takes place. Once you've learned the two propulsion methods, they'll come in handy when pursuing or running away from foes. They can also be used to close distances quickly on a runaway opponent. The second tutorial mission takes place in space and teaches the ways of shooting at foes by using the targeting scope and the laser rifle on stationary targets that don't fire back. The third tutorial is a full blown space battle against crews of rampaging Zakus that rush and attack aggressively.

* CONTROLS

L-ANALOG / Thrust in the direction pushed
R-ANALOG / Camera control
TRIANGLE / Sword slash attack
X-BUTTON / Thrust forward ; Hold X for sustained propulsion
O-BUTTON / N/A
SQUARE / Energize gun and shoot
L2-TRIGGER / Target an enemy
R2-TRIGGER / Jump jet ; Hold R2 for sustained short-distance flight

* Chronicle Mode allows the playing of the game by taking on the persona of the following key characters of the Gundam series:

Amuro Ray(E.F.S.F) U.C.0080
Shiroh Amada (E.F.S.F) U.C.0080
Christina Mackenzie (E.F.S.F) U.C.0080
Kou Uraki (E.F.S.F) of Stardust Memory in U.C. 0083
Kamille Bidan (AEUG) of Z-Gundam in U.C.0090
Judau Ashta (AEUG) of Z-Gundam in U.C. 0090
Amurao Ray (Londo Bell) in U.C. 0095
Seabrook Arno (E.F.S.F) of Gundam F-91 in U.C. 0125

* If playing with Amuro Ray in 0079, the game starts at the outset of the Gundam mythos where a narrator recounts the story while an image of Char and Amuro sit in the background. After the briefing which explains the situation, Amurao is sent into space in an RX-78-2 Gundam to defend the White Base against Char and a number of wingmen as it nears the Earth. Thrust directly at Char while shooting and wallop him a few times with the blade and he'll run away . The level is easy and most will earn an S rank and three cards are unlocked. The next level takes place in Jaburo where Amuro has to defend White Base on the ground by his lonesome. Again, this mission is fairly easy - guard White Base and destroy all of the Zakus that cluster around it in an attempt to destroy it. A bunch of airborne ships also pose a threat but destroy the first wave and the rest don't factor any more in damaging White Base. It's the ground units that are converging that should be destroyed quickly before they can devastate White Base. The third mission is a space battle against Dozle Zabi who's piloting a big customized Zaku-II that's a sitting duck. The game continues to take players through key battles in the Gundam saga on land and in space.

* In the Progress Mode, only two Gundam are available at the outset but your man engages with the crew of the Earth Federation. The first mission takes place on a busy Jaburo battlefield where you're apprised of the situation by Shirley and Pamia. If Bandai's aim was to create the feeling of the carnage of war, they've succeeded - the sound of bombs bursting, lasers rippling and the number of enemy robots that engage and attack is chaotic. Along with slashing down enemy mechs, the first mission also requires that you shoot down a few enemy ships that are flying overhead and appear as grayish silhouettes.

* After each mission, your total number of kills is shown along with remaining life, bonuses, and a letter RANK. Each successful mission also opens up new cards that are listed and added to the library. Allocation of AP points may be allocated amongst your attributes after they are earned as well.

* Once a few cards are unlocked, you may inspect them. If you have a mech card unlocked, you may inspect the mech and rotate it by moving the R-analog while L2 and R2 focus out/in on the rendered piece of armor. If you have a character card, his or her voice may be listened to.

Jan Code: 4543112396525

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