For example, take the game's chug-tastic framerate. While many next-gen games suffer from slowdown at points, Gundam takes this issue to an all-new high by failing to maintain a consistent framerate at any time. Even in the most basic moments, such as a simple cutscene circling one of the giant robots, the sporadic motions of the camera indicates a troubling flaw. Things only get worse once actual gameplay enters the equation, the walking animation similar to something one would find in an old timey flipbook.

Now, try to imagine the effect this has on the rest of the game. Headaches aside, precise control proves impossible due to the perceptible lag between a button press and the accompanying on-screen action – the mark of death for an action-based title such as Gundam.

Perhaps if Gundam was pushing some sort of graphical envelope, this would be understandable. But outside of the nice looking robots, of which there are seldom more than three or four on-screen at a time, the entire affair could be mistaken for a lacking PlayStation 2 title. Pixellated low-resolution trees populate one of the early stages, an aspect the introduction sequence inexplicably highlights. Poor draw distance leaves players unable to even see across the small maps, relying on thick fog to obscure everything, enemies included, after a certain distance. Invisible walls then box players into the maps, often keeping them from ambushing the latest wave or giving chase to a fleeing enemy. Given these factors, Gundam's inability to maintain a constant framerate becomes all the more confounding.

Glaring framerate and control issues aside, Gundam's gameplay falters as well. The only way to reliably attack a foe involves locking-on to them, and though this only requires a quick button press, multiple button presses are often required to acquire that lock-on. From there, it's a battle to see who can start firing first while strafing to avoid the attacks of the other. Close-range proximity attacks are also available, the slash of an energy sword often tearing off an opponent's limb or head, but prove fruitless in most scenarios as the attack requires a stationary target. Since a mech must first stop before it can execute a proximity attack, most enemies are out and firing as the slash hits dead air.

Looking like a PlayStation 2 game and performing like one that would've been right at home on the Nintendo 64, Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire manages to do almost everything wrong. And unlike many other games, there's no plausible explanation for these shortcomings beyond rushing an incomplete product to store shelves. With flaw after flaw, not only is Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire the worst game on the PlayStation 3 and the worst launch title in recent memory, it's a prime candidate for worst game of the year.