Salmagundi (Day 244)

Super Robot Wars J

I am really excited about this game! As I mentioned in my entry yesterday, I'm a huge fan of the Original Generation games on the Game Boy Advance. Evidently, a fan translation existed for yet another GBA entry called Super Robot Wars J. It's more of a traditional entry into the series featuring mecha from several different anime series although it does include quite a few original characters as well. This is awesome because it allows me to try out a game with a more traditional style with gameplay that I'm intimately familiar with.

The graphics, art, and animations are all very similar to Original Generation, although it's clear when certain characters have inherited the art style from the anime they came from--some of which were clearly originally aired in the 80s. Anime series like Tekkaman Blade, Mazinger, Brain Powerd, Gundam Seed, and Full Metal Panic feature prominently in this game, most of which I've never seen or even heard of. I've heard of Gundam Seed and I've actually watched Full Metal Panic. Whenever I run into a mech from that series I'm definitely going to use it because I thought it was a pretty great anime.

Just like Original Generation, Super Robot Wars J is incredibly dialogue-heavy. Even though it's a glorified crossover of different anime series, Banpresto chooses not to skimp on the plot as they weave different stories into a complicated tangle. Each character's individual lore plays a part in the overall storyline in really interesting ways. I can only assume I'd find it more compelling if I'd watched more of the anime series in question--which, honestly, is something I might consider doing. I've always been a fan of giant robots but never watched much anime at all. My love of this series might motivate me to do something about that, although I can already tell by some of the character and mech designs that I most likely wouldn't be a big fan of a few of them.

Super Robot Wars J features very similar gameplay to Original Generation and to be honest, it's been so long since I've played it that it would be difficult for me to pinpoint all the subtle differences. What I can say is that it's much more common for robots to feature multiple pilots. You're prompted to select between two protagonists at the very beginning of the game. In Original Generation you chose between the young hothead Rysuei and the older level-healed Kyosuke, whose Alteisen mech is a personal favorite of mine. This time around you choose between a male and female protagonist and you even get to choose your mech between three different unique choices with differing strengths and weaknesses. The coolest part of this is that you get to name not only the unit itself, but all of its weapons. I appreciate it when games feature customization aspects like this.

The game is a blast to play but the fun I'm having is bittersweet because I realize there are precious few Super Robot Wars titles in English for me to enjoy. The first three Super Robot Wars titles are available but of course their gameplay is rather dated in comparison. Maybe I'll just have to watch a few of these anime series and pretend.