Gundam Versus, an arcade fighting game featuring the massive robots of the Gundam anime franchise, will have an open beta before it arrives to the PlayStation 4 on Sept. 29.
Gundam Versus will be the first game in the spinoff fighting series to be released in North America with complete translations. The preorder bonuses for the title have also been revealed, in a bid to further drum up excitement for the mech battler.
Gundam Versus Open Beta Coming Soon
Bandai Namco announced the North American release of Gundam Versus for the PlayStation 4 earlier this month at the Anime Expo 2017. There were several details revealed for the fighting game, including 94 playable characters such as RX-78-2, a life-sized statue of which was recently dismantled; new mechanics, such as the Boost Dive skills and a simpler Burst system; and 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 multiplayer modes.
Gundam Versus will appeal to a very specific niche of anime-loving gamers, so it was speculated that the multiplayer modes will not be restricted to only match players within regions. This appears likely to be the case, and this is probably the reason why Bandai Namco is planning an open beta for the game's North American release.
The Japanese version of Gundam Versus also had an open beta but only allows players from the country to participate. It is unknown how the game's servers will handle hosting multiplayer matches in North America and worldwide, so Bandai Namco will hold the open beta to find out and to have time to solve any issues that may arise before Gundam Versus is launched.
Unfortunately, no specific date has been revealed on when players can start registering for the Gundam Versus open beta and when testing will launch. Bandai Namco, however, said that more details will be announced soon to the latest PlayStation 4 exclusive.
Gundam Versus Preorder Bonuses
Bandai Namco has also revealed that gamers who send in their Gundam Versus preorder will gain access to three bonus mobile suits, namely, Gundam Barbatos Lupus, Gundam Virtue, and Hot Scramble Gundam.
With all three mobile suits part of the Gundam Versus preorder bonuses, the North American release already looks better compared to the Japanese launch, as players in Japan had to purchase a more expensive version to acquire those characters. However, it should be noted that the Hot Scramble Gundam, similar to the Japanese release, will only be available as a preorder bonus. There is no way to acquire the mobile suit at a later date.
