Line #2 YMMV/SuperRobotWars


1	* AdaptationDisplacement: Thanks to NoExportForYou until late into UsefulNotes/TheNewTens, this franchise was not well-known outside of Japan (including parts of Asia); not even the ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration'' games on the Game Boy Advance made a sizeable presence on the international market, yet it unwittingly became a GatewaySeries into the franchise proper. Many newcomers who knew of ''Super Robot Wars'' via ''Original Generation'' were surprised to discover that it is primarily a series of {{Massive Multiplayer Crossover}}s instead of focusing entirely on original characters.
2	* BrokenBase: Now with its [[BrokenBase/SuperRobotWars own page]].
3	* CatharsisFactor: Take a look at the series listing of a ''Super Robot Wars'' title - is your favorite series in? Check one for having the enjoyment of controlling your favorite {{Mecha}} piloted by a character from that property you want and having them kick ass; does your favorite series have a despicable villain? Check two for the satisfaction of having said favorite unit or squad of HotBlooded heroes beat the crap out of that villain! Was the villain a KarmaHoudini from their respective series? ''Jackpot'' for having the series' heroes revoke the villain's KarmaHoudiniWarranty!
4	* CharacterTiers
5	** An inevitable outcome in most installments due to a variety of invaluable pilot skills and unit abilities, pilot/unit statistics, attack power for weapons, etc. The likes of the [[Anime/SpaceRunawayIdeon Ideon]] in ''Alpha 3'', [[Manga/HadesProjectZeorymer Zeorymer]] in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsMX'' and ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsJudgment'', and Anime/{{GaoGaiGar}} and Anime/TekkamanBlade in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsW'' stand at the highest tier, while [[Anime/TekkamanBlade Sol Tekkaman]] in ''Judgment'' are part of the lowest. Note that much of this also stems from each games' mechanics and systems in place that might influence how tiers respond, alongside whether {{Good Bad Bug}}s are present.
6	** {{Zigzagged}} with the [[Anime/MazingerZ Boss Borot]]: depending on the game, it ranges from either JokeCharacter (bottom-to-low tier) to LethalJokeCharacter (high tier upwards to GameBreaker status).
7	* ComplacentGamingSyndrome:
8	** Much of the challenge of the mid- and late-90s entries comes from a combination of armor becoming useless by the late-game and a general lack of funds to go around, often leading players to load up on {{Fragile Speedster}}s (who can avoid getting hit) and {{Glass Cannon}}s (who can wipe out enemies without having to face a counterattack), each with only two or three weapons upgraded.
9	** Modern games, especially after Pilot Points and their equivalents became a [[BagOfSharing shared resource]], do almost nothing to stop players from loading all of their resources onto a handful of their favorite units and watching them crush maps on their own.
10	* CompleteMonster: See [[Monster/SuperRobotWars here]].
11	* DemonicSpiders: [[Anime/MacrossPlus Ghost X-9s]] in ''Alpha'', the [[VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom Katana]] clones in ''VideoGame/EndlessFrontier'', Dimensional Beasts in the ''Second Z'', certain Elemental Machines throughout ''Masou Kishin''
12	* EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame: There are a number of fans who will readily admit that they find the strategy gameplay SoOkayItsAverage and merely a vehicle for attack animations and crossover narratives. Those who go into the games with [[PlayTheGameSkipTheStory the opposite mindset]] tend to be put off by that fact that these games have so many ways to manipulate stats, yet ultimately require very little strategy at all.
13	* FanNickname: [[FanNickname/SuperRobotWars A hefty amount]] by the fandom, with the trio of ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'', ''Anime/{{Mazinger\|Z}}'' and ''Manga/GetterRobo'' being dubbed as the "Holy Trinity".
14	* FranchiseOriginalSin:
15	** Modern ''Super Robot Wars'' games get flak for their {{Final Boss}}es often having one or two non-MAP based attacks, yet [[spoiler:Keisar Ephes]], the FinalBoss of the ''Alpha'' saga, who's viewed as the progenitor of the "NightmareFuel-inducing FinalBoss attack" for the franchise, had only two such attacks to his name ("[[WaveMotionGun Gospel of the Emperor]]" and "[[NightmareFuel/SuperRobotWars The End of Galaxy]]"). In his case, the attacks were so well animated and so terrifying that people didn't care, considering it a case of "Quality over Quantity". However, having few attacks would become a common trait for any FinalBoss from the HD era, and while the animators are clearly trying to compensate by giving those attacks elaborate and high-quality animation, [[spoiler:Keisar Ephes]] ended up being a ToughActToFollow. Some fans also think that having too many bosses with so few attacks in a row makes them look unimpressive as a whole, regardless of how good their animation is.
16	** The franchise has never been shy about {{Fanservice}}, with many female characters having voluptuous bodies and {{Stripperiffic}} clothes, and once SuperMovePortraitAttack became a common trope in the games, a lot of women got animated portraits that bring attention to their breasts bouncing. For a long time this wasn't seen as a huge issue as the franchise wasn't crazy about it: there still were modestly designed girls, and even those who did have eye candy in their designs weren't exaggerated about it ([[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsCompact2 Excellen]] is TheTease and a buxom, but is usually seen in an uniform that covers most of her skin, for example). However, a common complaint about ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsXOmega'' is that it goes too far on the {{Fanservice}}. The title has a large number of original female characters, most of which are given {{Stripperiffic}} or skin-tight clothes, and the body proportions of some of them are seen as FetishRetardant due to how unnatural they look. And even those outfits managed to became more and more {{Stripperific}} with flimsy justifications through the game's lifespan. This lead to many complaints that the games are acting as if the players are there for the sexy girls instead of the robots that are supposed to be the main appeal. Some fans were also wary when [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsDD the following mobile game]] already started its life with lots of {{Stripperiffic}} girls and added even more later on.
17	** ''Super Robot Wars Z'' splitting the series' backstories between multiple Earths was seen as a novel change of pace and the best way to incorporate ''Anime/SuperDimensionCenturyOrguss'' into ''Super Robot Wars''. The usage of alternate Earths in subsequent games was met with complaints, mainly because, with ''Orguss'' never returning, each title has to come with their own reasons for why dimension-hopping is happening, with varying results. It's also seen by many as an excuse to make things easier for the writers, since each individual Earth has a smaller number of series that need to have their settings and backstories connected with each other. Those opinions are common enough that ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsT'' was praised for [[RevisitingTheRoots going back to having everything except isekai and deep space series take place on a single Earth]].
18	* GameBreaker: See entries [[Gamebreaker/SuperRobotWars here]]
19	* HilariousInHindsight
20	** Any time {{Fanart}} or a parody video depicting a HumongousMecha series that hasn't made a ''Super Robot Wars'' appearance yet, then makes its debut for a new installment, will be this. Case in point, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWAh6ULyNJE this 2006 video]] showcases ''VisualNovel/{{Demonbane}}'', ''Anime/OvermanKingGainer'', ''Franchise/Patlabor'', ''Anime/GunXSword'', ''Anime/{{Godannar}}'' and ''Anime/GaikingLegendOfDaikuMaryu'', while [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTj-YNFwJQk this 2010 one]] includes ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', ''Anime/ArmoredTrooperVOTOMS'', ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn'', and ''Anime/CodeGeass''.
21	** ''Scramble Commander 2'' might not be one of the most well-received games, but it had ''Anime/MacrossZero'' and ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny''. In other words, two series where the protagonist was named "Shinn". One could say this is an area where it gets [[{{Pun}} a leg up - twice]] - on the other games.
22	** Using the names [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsW Kazuma]] and [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsMX Aqua]] for the protagonist names in separate games sounded normal for its time, but when mentioned in the late-2010s and early-2020s, during the ''[[TrappedInAnotherWorld isekai]]'' boom, those two names would end up bringing [[Literature/KonoSuba a hilarious duo]] to mind instead.
23	* ItsEasySoItSucks: While fans generally don't want a game to be unfairly difficult (as evidenced by ItsHardSoItSucks), a common complaint about the "International" games (''V, T, X, and 30'') is that they've swung too far the other way. The games have been streamlined to the point that there's no difficulty or strategy. {{Gamebreaker}}s aside, terrain isn't an issue, there's no strategy to using Spirit Commands since they can be activated during an enemy attack, players get MoneyForNothing and there's no monetary penalty for losing units, the game rely on waves of weaker enemies, and as such combat can feel rote rather than dynamic. Additionally, games since ''X'' offer multiple difficulty modes (with ''30'' having six in total) but basically ''none'' of them are seen as adequate for fans who want a challenge -- most just inflict EarlyGameHell that goes away less than halfway through the game, and even ''30's'' Super Expert Plus mode gives broken items to mitigate the heavy upgrade restrictions.
24	* ItsHardSoItSucks: The general opinion among the fandom seems to be that a game seen as "too easy" is preferable to a game that is deemed to have "unfair" difficulty. Installments that are difficult beyond a handful of [[ThatOneLevel troublesome scenarios]] tend to elicit complaints. ''Masou Kishin III - Pride of Justice'' is an infamous case, having caused an uproar resulting in a number of players returning their copies due to its difficulty; ''[[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAdvance A Portable]]'' is another notable instance, due to the enemies' unusually high evasion rates, "[[DiminishingReturnsForBalance evasion decay]]", and several other balancing choices combining to create a surprisingly NintendoHard game. Common arguments against more difficult titles are that [[CurbStompBattle one-sided battles]] allow players to run their favorite units, and that [[EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame animations and cross-series interactions are more important than challenging gameplay]].
25	* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: Recycled animations have historically been met with derision from the fanbase. With the developers well aware of how the fandom feels about recycled graphics, the HD games make a flimsy attempt to avoid this trope by tweaking a couple of attacks for each recycled series' protagonist (typically a standard attack that can be shown off in trailers and the FinishingMove), only to leave everything else the same.
26	* JustHereForGodzilla: It should come as no surprise that some players only become interested in a given ''Super Robot Wars'' title based on certain licensed series making the cut, which is understandable given the nature of the franchise. This became noticeable during the midst of the ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsZ'' saga when popular series such as ''Anime/CodeGeass'' and ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' made their debuts. By the time ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsXOmega'' was released, this became literal when Franchise/{{Godzilla}} [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGcFOvAFuUw himself made an appearance]].
27	* MemeticMutation: See examples on its own [[Memes/SuperRobotWars page]].
28	* PlayerPunch: If a character's death was a significant impact on the overall story from their original series (as opposed to a gratuitous or base-breaking death), ''Super Robot Wars'' will often punch players by not averting that death at all, [[TearJerker forcing them to experience the heart-wrenching event from the cast's perspective]]. Some examples include [[spoiler:[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED Mu La Flaga]] in ''Judgment''[[note]]{{Irony}} ensues when [[SparedByTheAdaptation Mu survived]] during the ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'' debut in ''Alpha 3''[[/note]], [[Anime/GoLion Takashi Shirogane]] in ''W'', [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Kamina]] and [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Neil "Lockon Stratos I" Dylandy]] in the ''Second Z'' and [[Manga/MagicKnightRayearth Princess Emeraude and Zagato]] in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsT'']].
29	* ScrappyMechanic
30	** "Classic" games featured a unit stat called "Limit": intended as a nod to ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'', where Amuro Ray's [[PsychicPowers Newtype]] abilities become too potent for his Gundam to handle, Limit throttles a character's accuracy and evasion rates if their level is too high for the unit they're using. This forces players at spending credits for additional upgrades just so units can perform as they're supposed to. Limit lasted all the way up to ''Alpha Gaiden'' before being quietly discontinued.
31	** Early games also have individually-upgraded weapons, as opposed to a unit's entire arsenal being tied to a single upgrade bar in later games. Individually-upgraded weapons effectively force players to choose two or three weapons to focus their upgrades on, since there's not enough money to upgrade everything. This upgrade system, combined with the Limit stat, the RocketTagGameplay caused by armor becoming irrelevant later in the game, and a whole host of LowTierLetdown units, heavily encourages MinMaxing instead of exploring unit variety.
32	** 2010s and later titles have a nasty habit of giving protagonist units from series with interchangeable pilots (like Universal Century ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' series and ''Anime/AuraBattlerDunbine'') finishing moves that are exclusive to their canon pilots, such as "[[RammingAlwaysWorks Waverider Crash]]" only being usable by [[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Kamille Bidan]]. This defeats the purpose of granting the ability to change pilots in the first place. It's doubly frustrating for the aforementioned series as they already have tiered Newtype and Aura Power pilot skills that could be used to make it challenging, but not outright impossible, for supporting characters to use these finishing moves -- which ''Dunbine'' units ''already utilize'' to make most incarnations of "Hyper Aura Slash" a mid-late game upgrade. The Waverider Crash is a standout example as its debut in ''Alpha Gaiden'' started it as an attack any pilot could use to becoming locked to Newtypes only and lastly where it is exclusive to only Kamille Bidan.
33	* SequelDifficultyDrop: With very few exceptions (''A Portable'' perhaps being the most notable one) the average difficulty of ''Super Robot Wars'' has, and continues to, drop with each new entry. The death of the "Classic" games' EarlyInstallmentWeirdness is a major contributing factor, as is the introduction of mechanically-diverse pilot skills and unit abilities, new gameplay mechanics, increasingly powerful items, and slowly but surely eliminating unit flaws (such as a tendency to slap AlphaStrike finishers onto units that don't have a SignatureMove) that caused separation in CharacterTiers.
34	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: There are numerous examples of players feeling that the developers had missed opportunities with utilizing certain series' characters and plot elements. One multi-appearance example that deserves special mention is ''Anime/Daitarn3''. Beginning with the ''Super Robot Wars Z'' saga, ''Daitarn 3'' often ends up consisting of just its protagonist Banjo Haran and the titular SuperRobot without the series' plot or villains. This has led to all manner of theories as to why the series is kept around, such as nostalgia for older ''Super Robot Wars'' games, for the sake of having a 1970s HumongousMecha series around, and/or for Banjo's InUniverse wealth to be used as a convenient narrative crutch.
35	* VindicatedByHistory: While the general attitude is that ''Super Robot Wars'' [[EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame is not meant to be particularly challenging]], this wasn't always the case. ''W'' and the original version of ''MX'' were [[ItsEasySoItSucks derided for their non-existent difficulty]] upon release; in response to complaints, the PSP port of ''MX'' famously inflated enemy HP across the board. Nowadays, both titles are known more for their well-regarded narratives rather than being total cakewalks.

Context YMMV / SuperRobotWars