SD Gundam G Generation

SD Gundam G Generation is a series of strategy-RPG video games that focus on the Gundam anime franchise.

History

The G Generation series is a follow-up series to six games released by Bandai for their Nintendo Super Famicom Sufami Turbo add-on. A Generation focused on the One Year War, B Generation focused on the Gryps Conflict, and so forth up to F Generation, which covered the plot of G Gundam. Instead of making a G Generation game themed about Gundam Wing, Bandai optioned the title for its new series of games, using the same gameplay. Since "G" was often used as an abbreviation for "Gundam", it was decided that G Generation would represent the series as a whole. When it was finally released in 1998 for the PlayStation, G Generation covered the plot for Mobile Suit Gundam through Char's Counterattack and featured characters from the remaining Universal Century series, as well as G Gundam, Gundam Wing and Gundam X.

Series features

The G Generation's most distinctive feature is the machines being depicted in a Super Deformed style.

The series typically has two kinds of plots: some games faithfully adapt the plot of a series that game is based on, while others feature an original, crossover storyline, focusing on the new relationships between characters of different series. In addition to the familiar cast of Gundam characters, G Generation games often feature brand-new characters. Most of the time, the original characters have no plot impact on the game. However, the game Monoeye Gundams features a new group of characters with their own storyline serves as the overall plot of the game, supported by the events of the One Year War and the Gryps Conflict.

Most of the G Generation games feature brand-new mobile suits and armors designed exclusively for the game. All of the machines are given a backstory that ties them into the canon Gundam storyline, with most being incomplete or rejected prototypes. A vast majority of the original machines represent the Universal Century, but every universe except Cosmic Era has received at least one original machine.

Unlike the popular Super Robot Wars series, G Generation does not limit characters to only piloting machines from their own universe. For example, Amuro Ray could pilot XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero. However, some restrictions still exist, and some machines can only be piloted by characters who belong to certain categories. Other restrictions are plot-based.

Like Super Robot Wars, G Generation lets the player recruit certain enemy characters. Most of the time, you are able to save sympathetic characters who were on the losing side of the conflict, such as Gundam 0080's Bernard Wiseman and Zeta Gundam's Four Murasame. Other times, the player can convince characters who would never join the heroes.

Most G Generation games allow capturing enemy machines, adding them to their own roster. Some games allow the player to capture enemy machines after their Mothership is destroyed, while some handheld games allow capture of damaged machines if they are surrounded by three or more player units.

Featured only in the handheld G Generation games, ID Commands act in a similar fashion to spells in traditional role-playing games, but are based around a character's memorable lines from the Gundam series.

Usually linked to ID Commands, the handheld G Generation games often feature Hyper Modes for characters from all series. Earned through unique circumstances and activated by special ID Commands, Hyper Modes typically represent the peak of a character's power while piloting the mobile suit their most famous mobile suit. Universal Century characters' Hyper Modes are typically a representation of their Newtype power reaching its peak, while the Alternate Universe series characters' Hyper Modes are usually linked to their Gundams' special systems. In console, and some PSP G Generation games like G Generation Overworld, a few units, like Gundam F91, will activate Hyper Mode when pilot has max morale, while pocket games, such as G Generation DS, will let a pilot activate the Mobile Suit's Hyper Mode when a certain SP is reached.

These games also feature Databases, containing information about every character featured in that game.

SD Gundam G Generation Games (Console Releases)

WS = Wonder Swan, WSC = Wonder Swan Color

Title	System	Date	Notes
SD Gundam G Generation	PS1	1998/08/06	Focuses on all events leading up to Char's Counterattack. This game also has a Premium DIsk version.
SD Gundam G Generation Zero	PS1	1999/08/12	This release focuses on everything in the Universal Century Timeline. It also includes a bonus Scenario for G Gundam, Gundam Wing, and Gundam X.
SD Gundam G Generation-F	PS1	2000/07/13	Covers events of all Gundam anime through Gundam X as well as many manga and video game spinoffs such as Gundam Sentinel, Crossbone Gundam, and G-Unit/Last Outpost. Includes bonus scenarios for Turn A Gundam. The 2006 PSP game, Portable, is effectively an enhanced remake.
SD Gundam G Generation GATHER BEAT	WS	2000	The first G Generation game to feature a crossover plot. Also the first G Generation to use the three-man squad setup that would become standard for the handheld games. In 2003 an expanded remake, Advance, for the GBA was released.
SD Gundam G Generation-F IF	PS1	2001/05/02	Expansion disc for G Generation-F. It includes difficult bonus missions, a complete unit encyclopedia, and the ability to freely alter the player's original characters.
SD Gundam G Generation GATHER BEAT 2	WSC	2001/06/14
SD Gundam G Generation MONOEYE GUNDAMS	WSC	2002/09/26	The first G Generation game that includes original characters with their own unique storyline. Also the first to include Gundam SEED with an early design of the Strike Gundam, placed in the game as a hidden unit. Fans consider the 2005 DS game to be an enhanced remake.
SD Gundam G Generation DA	PC	2002/10/31	A typing tutor game.
SD Gundam G Generation NEO	PS2	2002/11/28	First 3D G Generation game, and the first console G Generation that uses combined universe storyline, rather than near faithful adaptations of the original stories. Includes the Strike Gundam and Aegis Gundam from Gundam SEED as bonus units.
SD Gundam G Generation Advance	GBA	2003/11/27	An enhanced remake of GATHER BEAT, including units and characters from Gundam SEED.
SD Gundam G Generation SEED	PS2	2004/02/19	Focuses primarily on Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Astray, with units from the Universal Century, and other four alternate timelines, as bonuses.
SD Gundam G Generation DS	NDS	2005/05/26	Considered by fans to be an enhanced remake of MONOEYE GUNDAMS, though it focuses on a new original character and storyline. Also the first G Generation to include combination attacks, as well as Gundam SEED Destiny characters and units.
SD Gundam G Generation Portable	PSP	2006/08/03	An enhanced remake of G Generation-F, removing most of the manga and video game storylines in favor of adding complete storylines for Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Destiny. Sidestory units and characters are still present as bonuses.
SD Gundam G Generation Cross Drive	NDS	2007/08/09	First true G Generation, excepting Generation of C.E., to include Gundam SEED Astray.
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny: Generation of C.E.	PS2		Focuses on Gundam SEED, Astray, and Gundam SEED Destiny, but diverges from the latter's plot approximately halfway through. Though not officially a G Generation game, it uses the same engine as NEO and SEED, albeit with full-size, cel-shaded mecha instead of super-deformed ones.
SD Gundam G Generation Spirits	PS2	2007/11/29	Focuses only on the UC timeline up to Victory Gundam, but features a stage referring to the Black History of Turn A Gundam. In this game, certain mobile suits and battleships will take up a different number of "tiles" compared to conventional units. Unlike the previous two PlayStation 2 G-Gen games, Spirits will no longer make use of the 3D combat and battle engine, instead reverting to the original PlayStation and PSP titles' system of battle. This game also incorporates the Haro Points system, which was first introduced in G Generation Portable.
SD Gundam G Generation Wars	Wii PS2	2009/08/06	Debuts Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73: Stargazer and Mobile Suit Gundam 00. Using the same system from SD Gundam G Generation Spirits with an additional Wars Break system. This is the largest scale game, including more than 700 characters, more than 700 Mobile Suit units, more than 30 Gundam series, and more than 50 battle stages.
SD Gundam G Generation World	Wii PSP	2011/02/24	Features some elements from G Generation Spirits and G Generation Wars, along with new elements. This includes the introduction of the Secret Levels that can be unlocked after 2 Wars Breaks, which means that a character in a large Mobile Suit or Mobile Armor appears. It covers many new Gundam franchises, like Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn and Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie: Awakening of the Trailblazer, as well as Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Second Season, as well as allowing players to use the other 00 characters alongside 00 Raiser, like Seravee, Cherudim, and Arios Gundams. Some characters from SD Gundam Sangokuden Brave Battle Warriors are also included.
SD Gundam G Generation 3D	3DS	2011
SD Gundam G Generation Overworld	PSP	2012/09/27	This is a sequel to World, with an English fan translation available.
SD Gundam G Generation Genesis	Switch PS4 VITA	2016	First to use an English localization for its South East Asia release.
SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays	PC Switch PS4	2019/11/27	The first game to be released in North America, though only via Steam.

SD Gundam G Generation Games (Mobile Games)

The following titles have very little official English information, and chart data is completely based on the JP Wikipedia page using google translate.

Title	System	Date	Notes
SD Gundam G Generation-i	Mova Dona	2003/04/08	The first mobile phone game release.
SD Gundam G Generation-V	V App S! App	2004/04/14	Almost identical to "i".
SD Gundam G Generation-ii	Mova Dona	2005/03/18
SD Gundam G Generation-iii	Mova Dona	2007/07/10
SD Gundam G Generation Mobile	i-appli	2009/09/28
SD Gundam G Generation Mobile Next Universe	i-appli Android	2010/11/25 2012/02/16	The Android version only installs correctly with Android 2.2, and requires root permissions for anything above that.
SD Gundam G Generation Touch	IOS	2010/12/15
SD Gundam G Generation Frontier	Android IOS	2013/04/11	An online game. Closed October 26 2017.
SD Gundam G Generation RE	Android IOS	2017/08/12	An online game. Closed October 30 2018.
SD Gundam G Generation Eternal	Android IOS		An upcoming game with a planned English release.

External links

• Official site (in Japanese)
• GGOverWorld (in Japanese)