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ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 5.03 - JUNE 2000
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Gundam Wing: America’s Next Pokemon?
Bring on the Game The television network is working with Bandai America Incorporated to create a new line of models, toys, figures and to release an adventure video game for the new Sega Dreamcast, "Gundam Side Story 0079." The video game story begins in the year 0079, making it a pre-quell to the television series and, like the cartoon series, is being transported to the United States from its original Japanese release form with minor changes including English voice-overs and some scene changes for the American audience.
"Gundam is very successful in Japan and each time a new system is released, Bandai Japan leverages the introduction of these new platforms by launching a Gundam game for that system," says Ken Nakata, VP Electronics, Bandai America. "With Gundam's tremendous popularity, it is a guaranteed sale." This Dreamcast title is a single player mission based 3D shooter. As battle mech pilots, players don a virtual 50-ton mobile warrior suit. Player perspective is from within his mech, though players can switch into a first person sniping mode during battles. At other times, visual obscurity, such as heavy fog, allows the player's vision field to be inside the battle mech only. Bandai America has included some marvelous fully voiced pre-mission briefings and gorgeous real-time cinematic movies that intersperse the missions. "Sega's Dreamcast is a very user-friendly system on which to develop games and it was a simple decision for them to produce the game for the Dreamcast because of the ease of use for the developers," explains Nakata. "Because Dreamcast is so much more advanced than the existing platforms, it seems they can do so much more." Anime often carries with it extremely violent scenarios and though the Cartoon Network series has been adapted for a youth audience, "Gundam Side Story 0079" is being released with an ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) rating of ‘Teen with Animated Violence’ with a target audience age of 13-19.
"The Gundam saga is based on futuristic warfare and by its very nature, it is inherently violent," explains Nakata. "However, it is animated mobile suits that are under attack from animated robots and other mobile suits, which while relatively violent, is not the same as seeing violence acted out on human beings." While previously popular with a cult audience and college students, Japanese anime (animated cartoons) and manga (comic books) are gaining increased popularity in the United States with a more mainstream and ever younger audience, as proven by the continuing popularity of Sailor Moon, Princess Mononoke and Pokemon. "Gundam has always had a strong following in the States whether it be the snap together model kits, collectible cards, videos or wall scrolls," reports Nakata. And surely Bandai America and the Cartoon Network are looking for Gundam Wing to reach tsunami levels of popularity here in the United States. Gundam Wing can be seen weekdays at 5:30 pm (EST) during Toonami (4:00 to 6:00 pm nightly.) The show also re-broadcasts uncut each evening at Midnight. Saturday morning cartoon fans can catch Gundam Wing at 10:30 and 11:00 am. A Washington, DC-based freelance journalist, Jacquie enjoys writing about the electronic entertainment and edutainment mediums, including the Internet. She is a frequent contributor to the Washington Times and Krause Publication magazines. She has won the 1998 Certificate of Award granted by the Metropolitan Area Mass Media Committee of the American Association of University Women. Jacquie is a fan of animation and video games! |
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