via ign

Just prior to the break, we reported on a mysterious new PS3 project called Gundam Musou. Kicking off the New Year, Bandai Namco has unveiled full details on this Dynasty Warriors meets Gundam.

In development over at Koei's Omega Force studio, the folks responsible for the Dynasty Warriors series (known as Shin Sangoku Musou in Japan), this latest Gundam title promises to blend the "tactical action" of the Koei series with the vast array of mechs from the classic Bandai robot anime. You take control of a single Mobile Suit unit in a face off against over a thousand rivals.

Screenshots (which can be seen at Japan's Impress Watch) should hint at the similarities with Dynasty Warriors. There's one major difference, though. The X button is used here to make your mech dash, a change that promises to make you feel like you're piloting a futuristic mech rather than controlling a general ripped from the pages of history.

The main mode of play in Gundam Musou is known as the Official Mode. Playing as one of a number of characters, including the original Gundam's hero, Ray Amuro, and even enemy characters, you work through a storyline told from a variety of perspectives, complete with event and movie sequences. The game features elements from the original Gundam, Z Gundam and Gundam ZZ.

Although news of Gundam Musou appeared out of nowhere last year, development has been going on for some time now. Speaking with Impress Watch, the game's producers revealed that Koei first proposed to Bandai Namco the idea of combining Gundam and Dynasty Warriors. This early phase of development took place around a year and a half ago. The game, incidentally, has always been targeted for the PlayStation 3.

This will be the first "Musou" game on the PlayStation 3 -- surprising, sincá the Dynasty Warriors series has been a yearly event on the PS2. We'll get our first taste of next generation Musou (and Gundam too, since the PS3 launch title was so bad that it doesn't count) when Gundam Musou sees Japanese release this Spring.