A first-person shooter/strategy game based on a Japanese  animation series,Gundam Side Story 0079: Rise from the Ashesis  strictly "fan fare." Set around the time of the originalMobile Suit  Gundamcartoons, the war-story plot here is from the grunt's  perspective, with players cast as the leader of a combat unit of Mobile  Suits (think giant robots). Gameplay is broken down into missions in  which players command their own Mobile Suit as well as issue orders to  comrades.Although recentGundamconverts may be less than thrilled with  the old-school looks (circa 1978) of the Mobile Suits inGundam Side  Story 0079, the 3-D graphics and animation of the Mobile Suits are  incredibly faithful to the cartoons, as are the sound effects. On the  other hand, the experience of piloting a Mobile Suit leaves much to be  desired, as it's not nearly as graceful as it looks in the cartoons,  and feels more like you're piloting a tank. The controls here are  oversimplified, and the first-person cockpit-view perspective is about  as effective as a peephole in combat situations.WhileGundam Side Story 0079is the firstGundamtitle to  be released in the United States, it comes from a line of officially  licensed titles that have always had a spotty history, one which this  title simply doesn't rise above.--Joe HonPros:Excellent Mobile Suit 3-D graphics and animationSound effects faithful to the cartoonsCons:Oversimplified controls; clunky combatShort game length