Super Robot Wars

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Super Robot Wars: Alpha Gaiden, one of many SRW games released by Banpresto in Japan.
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Super Robot Wars: Alpha Gaiden, one of many SRW games released by Banpresto in Japan.

Super Robot Wars (スーパーロボット大戦 Sūpā Robotto Taisen?, or Super Robot Taisen, abbreviated as SRW) is a series of turn-based strategy video games produced by the Japanese gaming company Banpresto, a division of Bandai, for various video game consoles.

The game's main feature is the use of mecha units from multiple Anime and Manga titles, mixing them together in a battle simulation and adding a complex plot involving some of their respective storylines, characters, and backgrounds. Another feature is a simple menu interface that can be understood by the gamer, even if he or she does not know how to read Japanese.

The very first SRW game was released for the Nintendo Game Boy system in 1991. The first anime mecha series featured on the game (and the ones usually present in all the series' games) are Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, and the earliest incarnations of the Gundam series. The first two, both creations of famous Japanese manga artist Go Nagai and his production company Dynamic Productions, are representatives of the "Super Robot" type of units, while Gundam represents the "Real Robot" type of units.

As more games were released, more characters, units and storylines were added to these games, both from existing mecha series and/or original units designed by Banpresto exclusively for the games. As the number of series involved in the games increased, the stories have become increasingly complex.

Some series that have been featured, including Evangelion and Gundam, are well-known in the US market, whereas others, including L-Gaim and Raideen, are virtually unknown.

Because much of the appeal of any SRW game resides in the player's knowledge of and familiarity with the various series involved, the games are most successful and have their biggest fanbase in Japan. There is, however, a small but loyal fanbase for the games in other countries, including the USA. It was widely believed that the series would never see release outside of Japan, largely due to potentially complicated rights and licensing issues (a problem that also affects series such as Jump Superstars). Because of this, fan translations of some of the games have been made. (see below)

On March 3, 2006, Atlus USA announced that they will be releasing the two Original Generation games in America, thus making them the first games in the series to see release outside of Asian markets.[1]

Contents

[edit] Basics

Most games in the Super Robot Wars series follow the same basic premise: the player begins by selecting a character and a machine (though in some games, the characters have default machines), and the game begins in proper. From there, the original character is drawn into the events of the constituent anime for the game, all while an overarching storyline and enemy force, always connected in some way to the original character, ties them all together. Typically, some of the anime featured also has its plot intertwined with others. For example, Super Robot Wars Alpha combines the White Fang plot of Gundam Wing with Scirocco's rebellion from Zeta Gundam, resulting in the two enemy forces working together. Notably, Banpresto tends to wait until three years after a series has finished airing to include it in the game, so as to avoid spoilers, but there are exceptions.

All the games follow a basic structure: when a stage begins, the character gets some introductory dialogue between the characters. After this finishes, the battle begins. To complete the battle, the player orders his units to attack the enemy, taking careful considerations into what weapons and spirit commands to use. Many games also feature skill points, optional goals that are more challenging to achieve that affect the game's difficulty. After the player accomplishes the stage's goal, he receives more dialogue to close out the stage before being taken to the intermission menu. From there, he can upgrade units, install optional parts, change pilots, save, and perform other maintenance actions before continuing on with the game.

The Devil Gundam is one of the most powerful enemies you can encounter during the game. Screencap from SRW MX (PS2)
The Devil Gundam is one of the most powerful enemies you can encounter during the game. Screencap from SRW MX (PS2)
The ZZ Gundam is one of the most versatile units, capable of air, land, and space combat. Screencap from SRW MX (PS2)
The ZZ Gundam is one of the most versatile units, capable of air, land, and space combat. Screencap from SRW MX (PS2)
The "Final Dynamic Special" combination attack teams the strongest members of the Mazinger and Getter families in each game with visually stunning results. Screencap from SRW MX (PS2)
The "Final Dynamic Special" combination attack teams the strongest members of the Mazinger and Getter families in each game with visually stunning results. Screencap from SRW MX (PS2)

During battle, the player chooses a unit and takes an action by the commands available (move, attack an enemy unit, use a unit's ability or power, etc.). Some units have unique characteristics. For example, units such as the MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam have the ability to transform from a humanoid mode to a vehicular mode, thus making them unique among other units that cannot transform or fly; or in the case of units such as Getter Robo, they can transform into different robotic forms with new weapons and different defensive attributes.

Battles are carried out in different kinds of terrain scenarios (land, sea, space, etc.) which affect the development of the battles, since some units can move or fight better in one type of terrain, while having a lot of difficulty in others. The effect of terrain is also affected by the statistics of the pilots (for example, most Gundam characters are excellent in space combat, but suffer major handicaps underwater). In addition, terrain also affects certain attacks (for example, like in their series, the Gundams and mobile suits' beam weapons are weakened or unusable underwater. Another example is how attacks that need atmosphere, such as Mazinger Z's Rust Hurricane, are unusable in space).

Later games included more complex combat -- for example, allowing ranged weapons to be used after moving -- and longer, multi-part missions; and adding tactical features in combat, like support attacks and defense, and simultaneous attack by two or more units. Also, as games were developed for more advanced consoles such as the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, and Dreamcast, the games included fully-animated battle sequences, complete with detailed graphics, whether larger 2-D sprites or, in the case of games such as the Dreamcast port of Super Robot Wars Alpha and Super Robot Wars GC for the Nintendo GameCube, 3-D graphics; and voice acting provided by the seiyuu from each anime series. Some have CG mini-movies depicting a certain mecha's dramatic appearance and/or transformation during the battle.

In most of the entries in the series, most missions involve a storyline directly taken from a specific mecha series. This ensures that some of the gamer's actions must follow some steps according to the events of the specific mecha series to accomplish the mission or acquire a new unit. In some cases those events are predetermined and will occur no matter the player's course of action, sometimes one action taken by the gamer will lead to or skip an event. Most games feature at least one path split, in which the team is split roughly in half and each goes to deal with different problems and the player chooses which series of events he wishes to follow.

One noteworthy and popular aspect of the Super Robot Wars games is the fact that character death happens only rarely; players will often have the chance to prevent the death of a "good guy" character as depicted in his or her anime series, while some games take this a step further and prevent heroic deaths freely, without any extra effort on the part of the player. Additionally, the player can often convince certain enemies (usually those who are not completely villainous, or who have good hearts) to abandon their evil allies and join the heroic side, whether they do so in their respective series or not. When these two concepts are combined, the player can create a team that would have no chance of existing within the original series.

Many games also feature hidden units and characters that can only be gained through a special sequence of events. These include following one specific series' plot, convincing a certain enemy multiple times, defeating certain enemies with certain characters, and others. Sometimes the bonuses are simply enemy machines captured and handed over to the heroes, while other times they are special units, such as the IWSP Pack for the GAT-X105 Strike Gundam.

[edit] Units, Weapons and tactics

Like other strategy games, SRW boasts a variety of units which excel at various roles. The units in-game are generally separated into two categories: "Super Robot" and "Real Robot." Mazinger Z, for example, being an archetypical "Super Robot", has exceptionally high hit points and armor, which enable it to sustain heavy attacks; and powerful, close-range weapons such as the Rocket Punch and Breast Fire. On the other hand, the RX-78 Gundam, a "Real Robot", is faster and more agile than Mazinger, but has less armor and hit points, relying instead on dodging the opponent's attacks rather than absorbing damage. As a whole, its weapons have longer range and better accuracy towards opponents than that of Mazinger Z; however, the increased accuracy comes at the cost of doing less damage per hit, requiring it to attack a single enemy more than once in most cases. Furthermore, it requires less energy for its weapons, whereas a unit such as Mazinger Z would lose its energy faster when using its most powerful attacks. There are exceptions to these rules -- for example, despite being classified as a Super Robot, Reideen is a long-range attacker, with most of its best weapons requiring it to attack from afar; and despite having stats equivalent to that of other Real Robots, Dunbine is primarily a close range fighter.

In addition, some units make use of Map Weapons, attacks which target several enemies in a selected area, such as ZZ Gundam's High Mega Cannon. While not as strong as other, single-target weapons, they are capable of eliminating several weakened enemies, or softening up a group of enemies for other pilots to take out. Later games also feature weapons that inflict status effects on the enemy machine, from draining their energy to weakening their armor; some weapons, such as those used by Macross 7's enemies, also damage the stats of a pilot.

Some units are treated as "support units", which give health and/or energy to other units. While most of these units are weaker in attack and defense, they tend to be valuable in a lot of battle situations. These resupply units are usually the sidekicks of the title character units. Examples are Aphrodite A and Boss Borot (from Mazinger Z), the Methuss (from Z Gundam), and Ginrei Robo (from the Giant Robo Ginrei specials OVAs). Another type of support unit, seen only in Super Robot Wars D and Alpha 3 thus far, is from Macross 7; Using music, the main protagonists' machines can bolster the stats and morale of their allies as well as deal with the enemies they face in Macross 7.

The games also feature battleships, whose main purpose is to transport units and resupply them. Ships like the White Base from Mobile Suit Gundam and the Ra Cailum from Char's Counterattack, to the SDF-1 from Macross and the Exelion from Gunbuster are some of the battleships used in some of the games.

The pilots in the game play a role in determining the usefulness of a machine. Each pilot has abilities in ranged and melee combat, accuracy, critical hit skill, dodging, and defense that increase the effectiveness of a machine offensively and defensively. In addition, the pilots may carry special abilities that allow them to use their machine's sword to intercept missiles and other sword attacks, or use a shield to defend themeselves; as well as abilities that increase their strength when their machine is low on hit points. All pilots carry a set of six Spirit Commands, similar to magic in traditional RPG's, which give them the ability to deal double damage, ensure a hit or dodge, drastically lower the amount of damage taken per hit, and other beneficial effects. Furthermore, some characters from series such as Gundam and Dunbine have special stats that affect their aim, dodging, and even allow them to use specialized weapons, such as the Funnels on Sazabi or nu Gundam. One may switch pilots into other machines from their same series, such as placing Z Gundam pilot Kamille Bidan into Judau Ashta's ZZ Gundam, or if you so desire, you may place Nu Gundam pilot Amuro Ray back into the original Gundam. The same applies for pilots from the Mazinger series, and in later games, one may place the Getter Robo team into an older Getter Robo even after obtaining an upgrade machine.

The enemies featured in the games range from simple A.I.-controlled mechanical minions and units with common pilots to giant beasts and powerful arch-enemies in mobile suits. Classic anime villains, from Char Aznable, The 17 Angels of Neon Genesis Evangelion and Master Asia to Dr. Hell and the Great General of Darkness are a few of the foes encountered throughout the series.

[edit] Influence

The Super Robot Wars games eventually would have an influence on the anime industry itself. They sparked a fan interest in old anime mecha shows, some of which were first heard of or seen by anime fans playing the SRW games.

Banpresto also has released a Game Boy Advance version called Super Robot Wars: Original Generation, that reunites the original Banpresto characters and units that had appeared through the series. This version of the game has become very popular, creating a fanbase around the storylines and plots involving the original Banpresto characters and mechas.

The JAM (Japan Animationsong Makers) Project, consisting of veteran anime theme musicians like Ichiro Mizuki, Hironobu Kageyama, Rica Matsumoto, Eizo Sakamoto, Masaaki Endo, Hiroshi Kitadani, Masami Okui & Yoshiki Fukuyama, has also contributed to many of the SRW games soundtracks, usually providing the opening theme song and the song played over the closing credits. The Super Robot Wars series also spawned a series of concerts and albums called Super Robot Spirits, in which veteran vocalists -- some of whom would go on to form the JAM Project -- sing covers of popular mecha anime openings, and in some cases, live versions of songs they themselves originally sang.

But the games' main influence has been in the creation of anime shows influenced by original units and characters that were created for the games. The best examples of this is are Getter Robo Armageddon, Shin Getter Robo vs. Neo Getter Robo, and the Mazinkaiser OVA released in the US in 2002. The main robots in both anime originally appeared in Super Robot Wars games. Shin Getter Robo first appeared in the Super Famicom game 4th Super Robot Wars and was later made canon both by Ken Ishikawa in the manga for Getter Robo Go, and the aforementioned Getter Robo OVA's. Mazinkaiser appeared for the first time in the game Super Robot Wars F, released for the Sega Saturn and the PlayStation in 1997, as an upgrade to Kouji Kabuto's Mazinger Z; Mazinger Z writer and illustrator Go Nagai implemented it into his manga as the prototype of the other Mazinger machines. A 1999 anime called Cybuster loosely adapted the story of the first original design in Super Robot Wars (the anime's titular machine) into a 26 episode series featuring both characters inspired by the allies of Cybuster's pilot Masaki Andoh and original characters created for the anime. There is also a manga series, Chokijin RyuKoOhDenki (超機人 龍虎王伝奇), which provided the background story for RyuKoOh.

In May 2005, Banpresto released an anime OVA series called Super Robot Wars Original Generation: The Animation, a sequel of sorts to the second Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation game. The OVA was followed up by a TV series, Super Robot Wars OG: Divine Wars, which retells the plot of the first Original Generation game.

[edit] Super Robot Wars titles

The Super Robot Wars series spans a variety of consoles, with only a few major consoles never seeing an installment of the series.

Below is a list of some of the Super Robot Wars games available for each platform (some with a short description):

(Note: this is a list of the games' first availability for a certain console. Some titles have been re-released for other consoles).

[edit] Nintendo Game Boy/Game Boy Color

[edit] Nintendo Famicom

  • 2nd Super Robot Wars (December 19, 1991): First SRW to feature recruitable characters. First to feature an original, Banpresto-created character, the Cybuster piloted by Masaki Andoh. Ported to Playstation as part of SRW Complete Box, and to GBA as an exclusive "Famicom Mini" game available only as a bonus with the purchase of SRWGC. Series premiered: UFO Robo Grendizer

[edit] Nintendo Super Famicom

  • 3rd Super Robot Wars (July 23, 1993): The first SRW to receive a full fan translation. The first game to include backgrounds during battles, discrete stats for pilots and units, and upgrades for units. In addition, this was the first SRW to feature non-Gundam and non-Dynamic Productions anime. Series premiered: Brave Raideen, Choudenji Robo Combattler V, Daitarn 3, Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. Ported to Playstation as part of SRW Complete Box.
  • Super Robot Wars EX (March 25, 1994): First SRW to focus on the Masou Kishin plot, unique for having a multiple scenario system wherein the order in which you play the storylines affects the plot. First to allow players to upgrade weapons. Series premiered: Aura Battler Dunbine, Demon God of War Goshogun. Ported to Playstation as part of SRW Complete Box. (Currently being translated by AGTP)
  • 4th Super Robot Wars (March 17, 1995): The first SRW to feature an Original Character protagonist, along with separate Real and Super paths. First SRW to feature items that can be equipped to a unit to improve its performance or restore its HP or EN. Additionally, most stages contain hidden items or money on the map, which can be collected by moving a unit onto the items' locations. First to allow players to manually decide whether to counterattack during enemy turns. Debut of Shin Getter Robo. Series premiered: Tosshou Daimos, Super Bestial Machine God Dancougar, Aura Battler Dunbine: The Tale of Neo Byston Well, Gundam Sentinel, Heavy Metal L-Gaim, Zambot 3. Ported to Playstation as 4th Super Robot Wars Scramble.
  • Super Robot Wars Gaiden - The Lord of Elemental (March 22, 1996): The first Super Robot Wars title to give original characters the spotlight exclusively. This particular title follows the storyline of Masou Kishin and its cast. It was the first to feature non-superdeformed graphics, unlike most Super Robot Wars titles. It is also the only regular SRW in which a unit's elevation and the direction it is facing at the end of its turn are important. Doesn't include other super robot/real robot series. (Currently being translated by AGTP)

[edit] Nintendo 64

  • Super Robot Spirits (July 17, 1997): Not a strategy game, but a fully 3D fighting game featuring non-super deformed robots. The first appearance of SRX character Levi Tolar and her machine the Judecca.
  • Super Robot Wars 64 (October 29, 1999): Uses non-animated 2D sprites over rendered 3D backgrounds during battle animations. Secret units can be acquired by linking with SRW Link Battler, and the first to feature multiple-unit combination attacks. Series premiered: Giant Robo, Rokushin Gattai Godmars

[edit] Nintendo Game Boy Advance

[edit] Bandai WonderSwan/WonderSwan Color

[edit] Sega Saturn

[edit] Sega Dreamcast

  • Super Robot Wars Alpha for Dreamcast (August 30, 2001): Remake of SRW Alpha, with 3D battle graphics and increased difficulty in many stages. Features G-Breaker, the robot from Bandai's Sunrise Eiyuutan, which was not included in the Playstation version.

[edit] Sony PlayStation

[edit] Sony PlayStation 2

[edit] Nintendo GameCube

  • Super Robot Wars GC (December 16, 2004): Like the Dreamcast port of Alpha, this game boasted fully 3D battle scenes; in addition, it included a new battle system in which some pilots could target the head, arms, legs, or body of a machine specifically; as well as the ability to capture disabled enemy units for sale or for your own use. Series premiered: Ginga Reppuu Baxinger, Ginga Shippu Sasuraiger, Saikyo Robo Daioja, Mazinkaiser (Anime OVA), Zettai Muteki Raijin-Oh

[edit] Sony PlayStation Portable

[edit] Cellular phone (FOMA)

  • Super Robot Wars i (still in development): Port of SRW Advance.

[edit] Nintendo DS

  • Super Robot Wars DS (still in development)

[edit] Xbox 360

  • Super Robot Wars XO (November 30, 2006): Enhanced port of SRW GC. It is the first (and thus far only) SRW game to feature an online multiplayer mode.

[edit] Trading Card Game

  • Super Robot Wars Scramble Gather (1996-2001): Card game featuring robots and characters from series represented in games from SRW4 through Compact 2 and Alpha Gaiden; notable for containing the first appearance of Katina Tarask, who would later appear in SRW OG.

[edit] Continuities

Most of the preceding titles are standalone games, whose background stories may involve the plots of the series but no other SRW titles. However, there are two main continuities with an overall storyline.

The first series is SRW 2, 3, EX, F, and F Final (in that order). F/FF replaced 4 in the continuity, and 2G is not considered to be canonical because of its non-inclusion in the Complete Box set. The side-story Masou Kishin is in two parts; part 1 takes place before SRW 2 and part 2 takes place after SRW 4 (it came out before F/FF).

The second series is the Alpha series, which consists of Alpha 1, Gaiden, 2, and 3 (in that order). Part 1 of the Masou Kishin side-story also provides relevant information (taking place before Alpha 1).

Original Generation is also a series, with only two entries at the present time. It spawned both anime OVAs (as a sequel that takes place sometime after the second game) and a regular anime show (subtitled as Divine Wars, which retells the beginning of the OG plot).

The Compact 2 trilogy for the Wonderswan Color had its own continuity; the three games were compiled, with updated visuals and sound, as Super Robot Wars Impact.

[edit] Anime series included in SRW games

 

[edit] Games in English

As of now, there is currently one Super Robot Wars game in English unofficially, and two Original Generation titles officially released by Atlus USA. Below, the translated games are listed by name and translator. Atlus released Original Generation on August 8, 2006, while Original Generation 2's release date was November 14, 2006. It should be noted that the Original Generation series of Super Robot Wars games are easier to release outside of Japan due to a lack of licensing issues.

[edit] Trivia

  • As many of the seiyuu who feature in the Super Robot Wars have worked in various anime over the course of their careers, many of the games include injokes concerning their other roles. For example, Amuro Ray from Gundam and Misato Katsuragi from Evangelion flirt often, referring to their seiyuus' roles as Tuxedo Mask and Sailormoon respectively. In another example, Hojo Shingo (the pilot of Goshogun) once did impersonations of Haran Banjo (pilot of Daitarn 3) and Bright Noa (the joke being that all three were voiced by the late Hirotaka Suzuoki).
  • A number of the theme songs to the Super Robot Wars games have been performed by JAM Project, some of whose members have also performed theme songs for the various robot animes represented in the games.
  • Hikaru Midorikawa, the seiyuu of characters like Heero Yuy and Masaki Andoh, is a huge fan of the Super Robot Wars. In fact, he even volunteers to do extra lines for no charge.
  • It is tradition for a Super Robot Wars game to include a Mazinger series, a Getter series (from Getter Robo) and a Gundam series. Originally, this so-called Holy Trinity was made up of Kouji Kabuto from Mazinger Z, Ryouma Nagare from Getter Robo and Amuro Ray from Gundam, but as of 2006, Kouji is one of the two human characters (the other being his girlfriend Sayaka) who has appeared in every incarnation of the Super Robot Wars.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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