Gundam Card Builder
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39)
Thu 2007/01/11 22:46
I've always known about the existence of Gundam 0079 Card Builder but never knew what it actually was until I went to an arcade recently.
Located on the 7th floor in a Shibuya arcade, two sets of Gundam Card Builder machines took up half of the room - a set of machines consist of a huge screen so that by-standers could watch the battle and 8 machines where people sit at - pictures at the official site.
Located on the 7th floor in a Shibuya arcade, two sets of Gundam Card Builder machines took up half of the room - a set of machines consist of a huge screen so that by-standers could watch the battle and 8 machines where people sit at - pictures at the official site.
Seeing Gundam Card Builder for the first time is kind of like watching people turning knobs n dials in a command room prior to a space shuttle launch (on TV^^;)
This main screen would show the progress of battles being held by the players in the room and occasionally zoom in on battles between mobile suits.
This main screen would show the progress of battles being held by the players in the room and occasionally zoom in on battles between mobile suits.
I dont know too much about the game but what I do know is that its set in the 0079 era but after a recent upgrade of the game system, many characters and mobile suits from other generations also appear in the game.
What you need to do is buy a starter pack - which consists of a few cards. The set of cards you buy will depend whether you want to be Renpou or Zeon.
Each card has a ton of information on it and you can see what one looks like here.
Each card has a ton of information on it and you can see what one looks like here.
What you do next is to sit at the command machine which looks like a cockpit. A detailed diagram at the official site shows you what each part of the machine does.
There is a flat area in the middle of the machine and thats where you decide where you want your units on the battle field to be. For example, if you place five cards representing different mobile suits, the mobile suits will appear positioned in that order in the game.
What I found interesting was that depending on where you slide the card and how you do it, the characters/mobile suits will perform different actions. You can see some of the moves available here. The panel also detects if you tilt the cards so that you can attack enemies diagonally. The cards must have some sort of magnetic information embedded or something.
It was intriguing watching all the people shift these cards all over the place and pressing other buttons at the same time. Some of these folks had huge packs of cards on the side - presumably representing other mobile suits and weapons.
Looked like a ton of fun but also looked expensive to collect cards - and also looked very difficult too!
There is a flat area in the middle of the machine and thats where you decide where you want your units on the battle field to be. For example, if you place five cards representing different mobile suits, the mobile suits will appear positioned in that order in the game.
What I found interesting was that depending on where you slide the card and how you do it, the characters/mobile suits will perform different actions. You can see some of the moves available here. The panel also detects if you tilt the cards so that you can attack enemies diagonally. The cards must have some sort of magnetic information embedded or something.
It was intriguing watching all the people shift these cards all over the place and pressing other buttons at the same time. Some of these folks had huge packs of cards on the side - presumably representing other mobile suits and weapons.
Looked like a ton of fun but also looked expensive to collect cards - and also looked very difficult too!
Here are some of the cards available.
Some cards of mobile suits and vehicles.
I'm thinking of organizing an otaku get together this year where we can get together, share ideas and talk otaku. If we do get together then maybe we can all go and play some Gundam Card Builder!
If you are planning on comming over - let me know when and if there is enough of us around the same period of time then we'll get together.
If you are planning on comming over - let me know when and if there is enough of us around the same period of time then we'll get together.
On you way out of the building, you can also pick up some Gundam Card Builder goodies with UFO catcher.
Notice the pic of Reiko Holinger who is one of the secretaries that appears in the game - and such a cutie she is ^^
Notice the pic of Reiko Holinger who is one of the secretaries that appears in the game - and such a cutie she is ^^
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That is something that really makes you want to collect more and more cards, and get addicted to the system! Too bad it's not somewhere else than in Japan...! A blessing for true fans indeed...!
(ID #42909) Posted on 2007/01/12 00:02
Anigao Kigurumi Cosplayer, Professional mask maker.
There are such games around the world too I believe... There are heaps not for the arcade at least. I believe that any game that allows you to gain level or power, will cause addiction... hehe... not safe yet~^_^
(ID #600614) Posted on 2009/05/11 18:45
Christ, danny - WHAT ARE YOU DOING! Taking pictures in a japanese arcade?! NO! I tried it (discreetly, without flash) once in the sega world in Shibuya and a member of staff materialised out of nowhere and did the universal 'no' X shape with their arms! Did you have some kind of press pack, or did they just recognise you as a celebrity? I dont quite get these linked multiplayer card games, but they are a spectacle to behold - all those people sitting down doing wierd things! Idolmaster and that horse one were the best - people stroking their girl/ horse using the touchscreen! Nice work with the Otakurls feature, though its a bit information overload for me as i have a limited time in which to check around 6 blogs and 2 forums every day!
(ID #42911) Posted on 2007/01/12 00:06
Web Developer/ウェブデベロッパー, Photographer/写真や
Hey! We have arcade games with similiar concept over here as well, too bad they are not gundam :/ And yes, it looks very fun and exciting whilst watching the others play. ^^
(ID #42912) Posted on 2007/01/12 00:07
XYZPDQ in Pennsylvania, United States
THAT SETTLES IT. A trip to Japan is in order. The general arcade in America these days is a rarity. Home consoles have made their way into homes, and fewer people are breaking out the roles of quarters/tokens to play games at an arcade. Shame really I spent a lot of time as a youth in frindly and safe arcades. Whether it is a sniping game that has moton sensitivity, The large Star Wars games, the Tank shooter games, or the 360 degree starfighter games, I absoloutly love the large gaming arenas and what they have to offer. I MUST check this Gundam Card game out, I would be one of the first to probably start collectng ^^ I don't play card games with others because I don't have any friends, but I still have a "Duel Monsters" deck from the older days that I play with old friends when I met them once year. I always enjoy table-top RPG games like the Wizkids BattleTech series. Warhammer is unfortunatly too expensive for me as a hobby.
(ID #42913) Posted on 2007/01/12 00:08
Writer/Academic/Code Monkey
Glad to see a post on this finally! I don't know much about the game, but i absolutely fell in love with the Reiko figure when I saw a photo of her on your site. I just finally recieved the figure a few weeks ago (http://www.figure.fm/post/6485/Reiko/), but I have yet to find any non-figure pictures of her, have you?
(ID #42914) Posted on 2007/01/12 00:51
I dun indulge in card builder game cos it can be a real money sucker for those who are engrossed in it, it always have such thingy called the Super Rare Cards and the Rare Cards who are usually the ace chrs (in this case I will assume its Amuro, Gundam0079 so on and so forth) The hard part abt Card Builder Game is not the game mechanics but whether you want to spend to get the rare cards which are usually either more powerful or with nicer artwork or special coated.
(ID #42915) Posted on 2007/01/12 01:03
Trentblades in Minnesota
That is so cool! These are the kinds of games I dream of. It looks like somthing out of Yu-Gi-Oh...anyway, the closest thing we have in America would be "Dinosaur King" at places like Gameworks. When you play, you pay for a little card that has either a dinosaur, a power-up, or somthing similar, and you scan your cards to play a "complex" game of Jin-Gen-Pon...It's kind of fun, but it is mostly just gimmicky...
(ID #42916) Posted on 2007/01/12 01:42
Hotel Manager
I can't wait! I've started planning a four week trip to Japan in a couple of years. It's crazy trying to work out where to go! Shibuya looks like it will have to be added!
(ID #42918) Posted on 2007/01/12 01:56
marvin (Registered on 2006/12/25 00:54)
at first when you said arcade card game, I thought it was like the arcade card game mushiking: http://www.mushiking.com/index_j.html but after reading your post I realized it was more than just rock/paper/scissors/beetles. ^^ It looks more like a Yu-Gi-Oh type game. I wish they had cards written in english, so they can market it out internationally as well.
(ID #42919) Posted on 2007/01/12 02:03
seems intresting...looks fun but complicated...and pricy. Hey danny, when u were at the arcade..did u see Initial D Arcade Stage 4?
(ID #42921) Posted on 2007/01/12 02:36
ColdFusion Developer
I was rather intrigued when I saw these in majority of the arcades I visited. It was fun watching others play it to see how it works but it reminds me too much of YuGiOh.
(ID #42922) Posted on 2007/01/12 04:26
seems too expensive for the fun it dishes out.
(ID #42923) Posted on 2007/01/12 05:41
BUMMER MAN!
wow, wish theres one here in the Philippines, also translated in english, hehe, anyways, thanx danny for the inspiration, ive been posting some things in my blog, hope you could find time to check it out and post some comments, i really would appreciate it coming from you, thanx man!
(ID #42924) Posted on 2007/01/12 05:45
High School Graduate... Now what?
Fuuuun-looking. Too bad I understand Japanese et all. Nor have I kept track of anything Gundam. What I have to say about this is: Good catch! This looks totally fun no matter how you look at it. Sorta reminds me of Idolm@ster and YugiOh instead. Still this is something worth passing on to friends, thanks!
(ID #42925) Posted on 2007/01/12 05:46
Visual Communications and Web 2.0
this looks very interesting, I'm not sure I actually understand it 100% lol but I still like it.
(ID #42926) Posted on 2007/01/12 06:09
Gordon Pekeur in south africa -cape town-
Looks awesome, Id love to give it a go one day!! .... =P
(ID #42927) Posted on 2007/01/12 06:19
WoLF-[x] in Malaysia
Good idea on the meetup, Danny. I don't mind especially if its in the midst of Wonderfest or some other toy convention. Timing is hard to organise though so i'll have to see. It would be nice to sit down and have a chat and shop together instead of just bumping into each other in a crowded con. ;)
(ID #42928) Posted on 2007/01/12 06:34
anime/cosplay events organizer
that looks like so much fun! even though i don't understand how it plays XDDD
(ID #42929) Posted on 2007/01/12 06:34
Student
If we had one of those Gundam card machines over here, I'd pour all my money into this game, even if it'll cost me an arm and a leg. As as avid TCG player, there's nothing better than having Gundam on cards. Gundam war is fun, but seeing the Gundams on a big screen fighting it out is just so much cooler!
(ID #42930) Posted on 2007/01/12 07:40
Hot DAMN! Nice to see some new information popping up on the blogosphere regarding this game. Frankly, it's been a little under reported in the otaku community. Nice to see you've got some good photos too. I recently went in to an arcade and shot a short documentary about the basic gameplay, and am currently editing it for my site tiltyhouse.com Perhaps we'll have to collaborate on this if we can get together at your next meetup.
(ID #42931) Posted on 2007/01/12 09:14
Otaku Webmaster
Never played the game, but as many people I love the 2 secretaries, I bought them in figure http://www.figure.fm/post/4570/Today's%20arrivals/ and they are huge :D
(ID #42932) Posted on 2007/01/12 09:20
Thanks Danny for your awesome nuggets of life in Japan! The game looks awesome, kinda like the horse racing game thats big over here in the states (sorta) you raise a horse and race it. I wonder if we will ever see that in North America!?!?
(ID #42933) Posted on 2007/01/12 10:23
I'm so coming over to Tokyo before Spring is over
(ID #42935) Posted on 2007/01/12 11:42
jonhohx in australia
ill b in tokyo frm the 1st of april for two weeks
(ID #42936) Posted on 2007/01/12 12:35
they started disapearing as i remember...last year (like beginning) they were everywhere, now its something like gundam cockpit arcade game thingy...
(ID #42937) Posted on 2007/01/12 13:14
Somehow i interested in sharing some information i know ... Actually nowdays many trading card arcade game in japan... even Druaga that kind of action arcade MMORPG using some card... and those trading card game all using IC card to save our data (battle information ie. win lose etc) ... other than Gundam, there is soccer game WCCF2007? . D? . Sangokushi Taisen 2 ... In gundam card builder, u stack ur pilot card + mobile suit card + weapon + skill card? in special card slot ... and then u move it in arcade table, its kinda hard to explain but i will write a link that will make u understand what i mean While in WCCF, u set ur soccer player in formation u like, and u play like a manager in CM (u accumulate money and other stuff)... and for making the game more interesting, you control the player defense position . kick and goal defense in quest of D ... u need to insert ur deck card in deck reader and then u can use all item card that u include in ur deck for use in game battle, quest of D is mmorpg action type like diablo and last Sangokushi Taisen (the game which until now still play) u control ur general card to fight ur enemy general card Playing the game isnt as hard as u might imagine, first time player (if u insert new ic card) will get tutorial + battle train ... ps : each ic card can be used for 100 play ... after that u need to buy new ic card And all this arcade game have >/ solo/PC versus game/Story mode >/ Player vs player >/ in special occassion there is special added menu usually if there championship under run Collection the card isnot expensive like u think, well if u ever collecting a card the price is almost same, Every time u play (u can play max 3 battle if u dun lose at the way) you get 1 card/battle ... so if u play 3 battle then u get 3 cards maybe this game is not cheap game for some people, since its cost 300yen/battle, while next battle cost 200yen and last battle cost 100yen... the price is for sangoku taisen, i dun really sure for gundam and wccf... imho this game not that expensive if u not obsessed to the game If u feel u need power up for ur deck, u can buy specific card in yahoo auction (http://openuser.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/user/kroeger2423 this no.1 infamous yhj cardseller) or in akiba, u can try go to bluesubmarine 4th floor / 5floor (located in same building as kotobukiya akiba) in there u will find any card u want either arcade trade card or table trade card like magic the gathering ... well there lots card shop not only in akiba though... The price of card its really depends on the release and the rarity(new release / version update card will be expensive at the beginning and going cheap later) If i dun forget a ronaldinho legend card 2007 wccf sold at 90000yen at yhj! when it release nowdays... since new version soon coming, the average rare and superrare card should be arranging at 100yen at lowest and 5000yen at the highest (usually only for legend card) average price at 1000yen only and i like said, if u want to know more about the game play, please check the link below http://www.famitsu.com/fwtv/?800012 PS: the link is sangokushi taisen championship video, If u not a card collector type... there is new arcade game, i forgot what the name... but its Gundam game too... in that gundam game u enter special cockpit arcade... and u will feel just like gundam pilot seems the game consist 4 people (2vs2) ... never try the game though though another unit should on the game (AI com)
(ID #42938) Posted on 2007/01/12 14:04
NEO in Fort Lauderdale USA
I guess this is not the right place to post this but I just wanted to let you know the site search isn't working, it seems there is some kind of issue with your Google account. If you need more information about this please feel free to contact me. BTW I love your site Danny, keep up the good work!
(ID #42941) Posted on 2007/01/12 16:51
Hmm, I think I read about this in this year's January Dengeki Hobby, I also think I saw something like this in my local arcade, only it was based on the Romance of The Three Kingdoms...
(ID #42959) Posted on 2007/01/13 02:53
.NET/Web Developer
cool stuff...i always liked card games. love to try this one out. :D
(ID #42961) Posted on 2007/01/13 04:02
CEO MIrai Inc
NEO, Thanks for the headsup - am working with google on this matter now. Freya, Thanks for the detailed info ^^ ihorner, Sounds good ^^ Knives25, Your site was down when I clicked but will have another try later. iheartassassinmaids, I wish I had more pics too! AndyH, They didnt say anything - maybe they were too tired.
(ID #42975) Posted on 2007/01/13 08:42
Yay Member Status!..ok ya love card games/collecting them too :P Presently: Magic the Gathering.
(ID #42990) Posted on 2007/01/13 22:48
DEXTER
I dig card games...but can you collect them all???it just so happens that yugiyo you can't...that makes it fun cause you'll always run into some bugger thats got sum new trick up his/her sleeve!
(ID #43895) Posted on 2007/02/07 17:58
Part trooper, part -timer, 100% loser...
Gotta collect em' all! Pokem@ns!
(ID #69333) Posted on 2008/01/11 14:42
System Design Engineering (UWaterloo)
I don't know if you play a lot of card games, but this will be the second generation of card games for Gundam (first being Gundam war). I don't know, but the new Gundam cards only refer only to 0079 Zeon and Earth Federation units and characters, but Gundam war has all the units and characters from all series. However, I still like the concept of seperating generations by colour coding them. I am eager to try out the new system though.
(ID #69338) Posted on 2008/01/11 16:18
Raven, AMV & MAD maker, Otaku
i tried one of these but i find them a bit boring and fun at the same time because the controls arent what i am used to lol
(ID #69398) Posted on 2008/01/12 07:58
D: If only they had these for Yu Gi Oh, and not the 5D machines...
(ID #428135) Posted on 2008/12/29 10:13
Otaku Programmer/Gamer/Artist/Photographer
WOW I WANT THAT GAME TO COME HERE IN CANADA!! Thats soo EPIC! ^^ only if they made like the Destiny season with up to date gundams and you pilot your own gundam thats fully upgradeable in your own profile without using cards..=___= lolXD
(ID #595535) Posted on 2009/05/08 06:09
Holy crap thats awesome~ So much information on this website~
(ID #660364) Posted on 2009/06/29 12:59
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