Mobile Suit Gundam: Zeonic Front, known in Japan as Zeonic Front: Kidō Senshi Gundam 0079 (ZEONIC FRONT 機動戦士ガンダム0079, Jionikku Furonto Kidō Senshi Gandamu 0079), is a video game for the PlayStation 2. Set in the Gundam franchise's Universal Century timeline, Zeonic Front places players in the role of the Midnight Fenrir Corps, a mobile suit special forces unit of the Principality of Zeon, as it undertakes missions against the Earth Federation during the One Year War. This marked a notable departure from previous Gundam UC games, in which the player always fought on the side of the Earth Federation.
| Mobile Suit Gundam: Zeonic Front | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Sunrise Interactive |
| Publisher(s) | Bandai |
| Composer(s) | Takanori Arima Koji Yamada Satoshi Ishikawa Yasuharu Takanashi |
| Series | Mobile Suit Gundam |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release |
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| Genre(s) | Strategy |
Zeonic front allows players to take control of a variety of Principality of Zeon mobile suits from a third-person perspective across a linear sequence of missions that take place on sprawling battle zones around Earth. Before missions, players select which mobile suits they wish to control directly, with the remaining units of the Midnight Fenrir Corps being directed by game AI. Once a mission is underway, the player can swap between their selected units in order to manage different combat situations on the map as they arise. Completing a mission requires successfully achieving one or more progressive objectives, some of which can be tackled with multiple different tactical approaches. As the player advances through the campaign, more pilots join the Midnight Fenrir Corps, expanding the available mobile suit selection.
In March of UC 0079, the Midnight Fenrir Corps is deployed on its first mission: capturing an Earth Federation base in North America as part of the Principality of Zeon's second Earth Drop Operation. Midnight Fenrir captures the base easily, demonstrating the effectiveness of Lt. Garret Schmitzer's idea to use small mobile suit groups to carry out surgical strikes on enemy targets. Midnight Fenrir goes on to capture the Federation's key California Base, which becomes a major regional headquarters for Zeon's military operations. Zeon's eventual victory seems inevitable until the demise of Garma Zabi, overall commander of Zeon's Earth Attack Force, in the Battle of Seattle, and the emergence of Federation mobile suits, which turns the tide of the war. As the One Year War progresses, Midnight Fenrir is also hounded by EFSF Lt. Agar, who wounded Schmitzer earlier in the war and develops a grudge against his unit. Although Midnight Fenrir fights admirably during the pivotal Battle of Jaburo, the assault on the Earth Federation's underground military headquarters, the mission concludes in defeat for Zeon. As Zeon's forces evacuate from Earth and the primary battlefront moves into space, Midnight Fenrir decides to depart last and cover their comrades' retreat, but their evacuation shuttle is destroyed and they are left with no choice but to make their way to Australia to link up with other Zeon remnants. The final mission of the Midnight Fenrir Corps is to rescue a stranded allied unit in the Australian deserts that has been besieged by Earth Federation troops. Schmitzer's unit once again adroitly accomplishes its objective, but there is no time for celebration, as the Battle of A Baoa Qu was raging in space simultaneously and resulted in a decisive victory for the Earth Federation. Upon receiving the official ceasefire order from Zeon's prime minister, Midnight Fenrir returns to its makeshift base, with Schmitzer musing that while the war may have ended, the idea of an independent Zeon would live on in the hearts and minds of its people.
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 71/100[1] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 6.33/10[2] |
| EP Daily | 8/10[3] |
| Famitsu | 35/40[4] |
| Game Informer | 7.75/10[5] |
| GamePro |    [6] |
| GameRevolution | B[7] |
| GameSpot | 6.8/10[8] |
| IGN | 6.5/10[9] |
| Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine | [10] |
The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[1] In Japan, however, Famitsu gave it a score of 35 out of 40.[4]