Ever since the 16-bit era, there have been side-story games that help flesh out the world of the original Gundam. Now these have been abridged and collected in the new PS3 title Gundam: Side Stories. But what are all these titular side stories and what are they about?
Mobile Suit Gundam: Cross Dimension 0079
System: Super Famicom (SNES)
What It’s About: While the first half of the game is a retelling of the series, the second half follows the pilot of Gundam Pixie as he and his forces try to protect their base from a team of hardened Zeon pilots determined to take the base and the Gundam for their own.
Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: The Blue Destiny
System: Sega Saturn
What It’s About: Set during the One Year War, an Earth Federation test pilot squad is attacked by a mysterious blue mobile suit—barely escaping with their lives. But when they return to base, one of the test pilots finds himself assigned to pilot that very machine.
Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story 0079: Rise from the Ashes
System: Dreamcast
What It’s About: Set in Australia near the end of the One Year War, Rise From the Ashes follows the Earth Federation’s White Dingo team as they counterattack against Zeon to retake the continent.
Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: Space, To the End of a Flash
System: PlayStation 2
What It’s About: Set during the One Year War, Space, To the End of a Flash follows the crew of a Pegasus-class ship (like the original Gundam’s White Base) and her two Gundams who are tasked with disrupting the supply lines leading to an enormous space fortress.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Zeonic Front
System: PlayStation 2
What It’s About: Like the other side stories, this one is set during the One Year War. Unlike the other side stories, this one exclusively follows not the Earth Federation forces, but Zeon forces—specifically an elite unit of mobile suits known as the Midnight Fenrir Corps.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space
System: PlayStation 2
What It’s About: This game tells the story of the One Year War through various viewpoints—namely the series’ ace pilots on both sides. However, there is also an original story for the game that follows the same ship and characters from Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: Space, To the End of a Flash as they guard the aft flank of the Earth Federation Fleet.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Lost War Chronicles
System: PlayStation 2
What It’s About: Lost War Chronicles has two One Year War stories in the same game. One follows a Zeon mobile suit squad commander (and single father) known as the “Pitiless War God.” The other story of the game follows an Earth Federation squad leader who refuses to kill his enemies but is still able to complete his mission goals and keep his team alive.
Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: Missing Link
System: PlayStation 3
What It’s About: Missing Link (an entirely new side story game just for Gundam: Side Stories) is the tale of an Earth Federation penal mobile suit battalion called the Slave Wraiths who are forced to join forces with the opposing Zeon troops to battle a secret conspiracy that threatens them both.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Side Stories was released in Japan on May 29, 2014. There is currently no word on a Western release.
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