Gundam Wing: Endless Duel is probably one of the better 2D Gundam fighting games available out there. A lot of Gundam fighting games during the SNES days were very poorly made (the G Gundam fighting game for the SNES is an example; it was terribly slow and special moves didn't really link up very well). This game however brings a gameplay that’s similar to those of Street Fighter and any fighter game of that sort. There are 9 mobile suits (Wing Gundam, Deathsycthe, Heavyarms, Sandrock, Shenlong, Wing Zero, Tallgeese, Mecurius and Vayate) plus a secret mobile suit to choose from, and each mobile suit fights with its own distinctive style.
Gundam Wing: Endless Duel is probably one of the better 2D Gundam fighting games available out there. A lot of Gundam fighting games during the SNES days were very poorly made (the G Gundam fighting game for the SNES is an example; it was terribly slow and special moves didn't really link up very well). This game however brings a gameplay that’s similar to those of Street Fighter and any fighter game of that sort. There are 9 mobile suits (Wing Gundam, Deathsycthe, Heavyarms, Sandrock, Shenlong, Wing Zero, Tallgeese, Mecurius and Vayate) plus a secret mobile suit to choose from, and each mobile suit fights with its own distinctive style. For example, even thought both Wing and Wing Zero are in the game, Wing
Gundam is better at close range whereas Zero has better control at all ranges. The game also utilizes an energy system (something like a "super bar" in other fighting games) that restricts what attacks you can do. Super moves, vulcans, and long range moves all require a certain amount energy (which you can replenish by hitting the enemy successfully). You can also power up one of your special moves using the energy system.
The game offers three modes; story mode, vs. mode and training mode. Story mode is your standard arcade mode, and training mode (despite its name) pits you against an infinite amount of mobile suits. It actually gets really hard after a few matches (I have never gone past 10...). While there's not much in terms of unlockables (there's only one secret mobile suit; it can be unlocked by inputting a code and can only be used in vs. and training), the game provides hours of fun in vs. mode and training mode.
While this game is not as deep as other fighting games (there's nothing like Roman Cancels from Guilty Gear or any sort of "canceling" or "interrupting" mechanic), it's still very fun. The graphics are considered to be pretty decent for its time. I used to play this game all the time with my friends on the SNES, and we could not put it down for hours. It's a shame this game never made it to the US (probably due to the fact that the show never came to the US until a few years later), but if you're either a fighter fan or a Gundam Wing fan, this game is worth checking out; it certainly will not disappoint you!
