Super Robot Wars Judgement

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Super Robot Taisen Judgement (Also known as Super Robot Taisen J, Super Robot Wars J, et al) is a turn-based strategy video game released for the Game Boy Advance by Banpresto in 2005.

The game is notorious for many things. The first, and foremost, was that when the game was first announced, it was just weeks after the release of Super Robot Wars Alpha 3 for the PS2. Furthermore, when it WAS announced, it was learned that the game was already complete and missing two of its mainstays: Getter Robo, and the Universal Century variations of Mobile Suit Gundam. As a result, Mazinger Z became the only mecha to show up in every franchise-based SRW game. (Prior to this, Mazinger Z and the Nu Gundam were the only ones).

Another thing it's notorious for was the inclusion of Tekkaman Blade. While only one unit in this particular series is actually a robot, the main character and certain enemy units were not. Instead, these units were given abilities in the form of battle armors, not machines that are normally piloted. This was another first in the SRW franchise, as battle armors have not appeared in prior titles.

Lastly, the series is notorious for having the bounce, previously seen only in console versions of Super Robot Wars. The bounce refers to a female character's animated cut-in with accompanying movement of the breasts, sometimes deliberately exaggerated.

Like other SRW games, J tends to combine different series and scenarios to make the game move smoothly. Instances include:

Koji Kabuto, Sayaka Yumi and Boss going to the same school as Chidori Kaname and the other FMP! characters
When songtress Lacus Clyne is taken captive on the Archangel, Koji Kabuto, Akito Tenkawa, the Combattler V team and the game's main character join Kira Yamato in getting her off the ship.
During the various Naze Nani Nadesico sequences, other characters watch the show or participate in it.

1 Systems featured in SRW J
2 Gameplay
3 Originals
- 3.1 Original Mecha
4 Series included in SRW J
5 Links

[edit] Systems featured in SRW J

Super Robot Wars J features several systems used in previous games, as well as new ones. They include:

Favorite Series- a system introduced in Super Robot Wars MX, it allowed players to increase the number of times a unit could be upgraded and increase the amount of experience points one could earn. Unlike MX, the system could allow you to choose three series at once and could choose new series and keep the ones you chose in subsequent plays until all 15 series have been chosen.

Friendship System- a system that was first introduced in Super Robot Taisen 64, this allowed a certain unit to earn better dodging and attacking stats by standing by a character they're friendly with from a certain series. They are determined by either blue orbs (friends, teammates, etc.) or hearts (lovers). Of course, certain characters feel differently towards other people. For example, in G Gundam, for Allenby Beardsly, Domon Kasshu qualifies as a lover, but for Domon, Allenby is a friend. Similar situations arise for Boss, Jun and Sayaka for the Mazinkaiser units, and Ryoko Subaru and Akito Tenkawa of Nadesico.

Frame and Unit Switch- a new system introduced with this series. If a unit docks with any of the battleships, they have the option of switching out with another unit or, in the case of the Aestevalises and the Strike Gundam, switching out frames (in addition, the Strike can switch frames with an adjacent Skygrasper unit). The player can upgrade each battleship in the intermission menu to increase the number of times this can be done during each mission.

BGM Change- a system first introduced in Super Robot Wars Original Generation 2 and refined in Super Robot Wars Alpha 3, this allows players to change out one character's theme with another, allowing a player to listen to any song they desire for a given unit. However, several units have attacks that will switch the theme to certain, normally unselecteable theme for that attack. Most notibly among these are the Super and Hyper attack themes of the Shuffle Alliance and the V-MAX of the Layzner.

Replay Bonuses- upon completion of a playthrough, starting another run of the game using the previous completion's data allows the player to choose the main character's initial seishin or spirit command/spell, as well as those that are gained at later levels. Also, points allocated to character stats are kept, meaning all pilots start out at with slightly better stats the first time they are encountered or deployed.

[edit] Gameplay

Seishin Seishin (also known as spirit command) is similar to the idea of spells in most fantasy games, though these generally are focused on improving your unit's abilities and hindering the enemies rather than doing direct damage to them. Seishin uses Seishin Points (SP) which is increased every level gained.

Pilot Upgrading For every level that a pilot gains, (s)he gains a bonus point that may be applied to any of the six primary stats of Melee, Marksmanship, Defence, Competency, Evasion and Accuracy (in that order). These points may be assigned either during intermission or during the pre-deployment menu for pilots who have not been sortied already due to events, or they can be set to be distributed mid-battle whenever level-ups occur.

Mecha Upgrading Credits earned from battle may be spent on improving your mecha in terms of stats or weapons. Stat improvements are on a fixed rate of 5% off the base stat for each level of upgrade, with the exception of EN which improves at a rate of 10%. Weapons improve at a varying rate. Units from your selected 'favourite series' have up to 15 upgrade slots for their stats, while others may vary. On your fourth clear though, all units will have the maximum of 20 upgrade slots. Currently, data is provided for the first 15 slots, with updates to follow.

Furthermore, if the unit or it's weapons are improved to the point where the standard maximum upgrade is completed (all black slots filled), this gives you a special 'complete upgrade' bonus that can be applied to the unit. The bonuses are as follows:

Weapon:

Increase of all weapon system's maximum range by 1, excluding MAP weapons and weapons with a range of 1
Increase in accuracy by 20%
Decreased EN cost of 30%
Maximum ammunition payload is doubled
Increase in criticial rate by 20%
All weapons systems have their terrain performance set to S.

Unit:

Increase the maximum HP by an extra 20%, calculated from the unupgraded HP value.
Increase the maximum EN by an extra 30%, calculated from the unupgraded EN value.
Increase the maximum Mobility by an extra 20%, calculated from the unupgraded Mobility value.
Increase the maximum Armor by an extra 20%, calculated from the unupgraded Armor value.
Increase the maximum movement by 2
Change unit terrain performance to S on all terrains

Unit and Pilot Abilities Many units and characters can activate a special ability when the pilot's morale reaches a certain point, usually 120 or 130. Besides increasing attack and evasion stats, they also enable certain attacks other units couldn't use at lower morale levels. These abilities include:

Mazin Power- Used on Mazinger Z, both Great Mazingers (original and new) and the two Mazinkaisers (with and without Kaiser Scrander), they increase strength and enable new attacks for the new Great and Kaiser Scrander Mazinkaiser.
Aggressive Beast- Used on Dancougar and Final Dancougar, it also increases power and activates new attacks.
V-MAX and V-MAXIMUM- Used on the Layzner, Enhanced Layzner and Layzner mk-II. Besides adding new attacks, it also enables new abilities for the unit.
Lambda Drive- Used on the Arbalest, it activates new abilities and completely changes the animations for its attacks.
Meikyou Suishi- Used with the Shuffle Alliance, their Mobile Fighters turn gold and enable new attacks with increased strength.
SEED Mode- Used by Kira Yamato, Athrun Zala, Cagalli Yula Athha and Lacus Clyne. Increases accuracy and evasion.

Partner Bonus The main character can select one of three copilots as a partner throughout the game. The most immediate effect is a partner bonus which varies with the copilot. As a delayed effect, the final attack of the main character's unit is influenced by how often a given copilot was used.

[edit] Originals

Main Characters

Touya Shun: An ordinary 17-year old high-school student, he basically has a straight sense of justice, but nevertheless, a coward, and not the type to act on chance. At first, he's pushed by his partners to fight, even though reluctantly, he feels like he can't be trusted. As the story progresses, he starts to fight on his own will.

Super Robot Type: The super robot type Touya is a melee-based character, defined when the selected original mecha is either the Granteed or Volrent. A major difference between the super robot type Touya over Calvina is the Acceleration seishin.

Real Robot Type: The real robot type Touya is a range-based character, defined when the selected original mecha is either the Coustwell or Bellzelute. In the case of the Coustwell, a melee-based machine, the Hit and Away ability, the Assault seishin and the extra points on the range stat all become disadvantages.

Calvina Coulange: A 22-year old former Alliance Space Forces 2nd lieutenant armor pilot. During her days at the military, she was a genius pilot, with an alias known as the "White Lynx". After retirement, she became a contract employee at the moon branch of the Ashalley Kreutzer Corporation. As part of the weapons development section, she served as the appraisal of the newly developed mobile weapon and was assigned as the instructor to the pilots. However, 2 months ago, the branch was destroyed by an unknown enemy attack. All developmental data, mech, staff and equipment were lost. Though seriously injured, she was the sole survivor of the incident. Calvina was once a cheerful girl, but has become a quiet person since then.

Super Robot Type: The super robot type Calvina is a melee-based character, definted when the selected original mecha is either the Granteed or Volrent. Major differences between the super robot type Calvina over Touya is the Iron Wall seishin and the leadership ability.

Real Robot Type: The real robot type Calvina is a range-based character, defined when the selected original mecha is either the Coustwell or Bellzelute. Although she possess a weaker defense than Touya, her leadership ability allows for certain advantages to surrounding ally units.

Partners

Katia Grineal: A not so polite, but quiet person, Katia is emotionally stable, but rather stubborn, and confronts the protagonist several times. She tends to speak seriously, and sometimes proposes to do dangerous things. Among the three co-pilots, she appears to be the eldest, and the leader among them.

Partner Bonus:

Unit Mobility + 10
Weapon Range + 1

Festenia Muru: An extremely bad mouthed, but cheerful girl, Festenia, or Tenia, for short, loves to tease other people and see their reactions. On the other hand, she tries to overcome her insecurity of others with her cheerfulness. She is the shortest (also on the chest) of the three co-pilots, and eats a lot.

Partner Bonus:

Weapon Attack + 200
Weapon Critical Rate + 10%

Melua Melna Meia: Because of her lack of self-insistency, she is an unpredictable, yet intelligent girl. Melua is always the one to stop any argument between Katia and Tenia, and will resort to tears if the fight is not resolved. However, out of the three, she has the most stable emotions, and prefers chocolate delicacies.

Partner Bonus:

Unit Armor + 300
Unit Movement + 1

Al-Van Lunks: Al-Van disguised himself as an Earthling part of the Earth Alliance Forces to prepare the growth of Fury's power. As he meets Calvina at the Earth Alliance, he becomes her boyfriend.

While participating in the development of mobile weapons at Ashalley Kreutzer, he leads the operation to erase all traces of the project for the sake of Fury, but doesn't know that Calvina became the sole survivor of the incident.

He decides to bear all the responsibility on his own, for the sake of all the comrades that are still asleep.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Original Mecha

Bellzelute - a Real Robot, designed for ranged battles. Its color scheme is blue and white. It has no melee weapons whatsoever, but it has a MAP weapon to compensate. It later gets upgraded into B. Brigandy.

Coustwell - a Real Robot, designed for fast-paced close combat. It is mainly pink and white in color, and all of its weapons can be used after moving. It is not known for its range, even after upgrading to C. Brachium.

Granteed - a Super Robot, easily identifiable by its blue color and the ring mounted on its head. While its finishing move is used at point-blank range, it can fight in ranged battles as well. It upgrades into G. Dracodeus.

Vorlent - a Super Robot, a purple version of the same unit used by the Fury. It is later replaced by a Laftkranz, another Fury unit used by enemy commanders. To get the Vorlent, the game must be beaten three times, using a different starting robot each time.