History YMMV / AnotherCenturysEpisode

* AuthorsSavingThrow
** Fans began [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks discontented grumbling]] when notorious ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' series producer Takanobu Terada (who also had a hand with this series), announced that ''Another Century's Episode R'' would be limited to approximately three mecha per series. In an impressive turnaround time, Terada made a second post the same day, explaining any mecha with upgrades (such as the [[Anime/CodeGeass Lancelot Conquista and Albion]]) or alternate equipment setups (like the [[Anime/MacrossFrontier VF-25F Messiah]]) would be considered a single unit for the purposes of headcount, meaning that "three per series" was true FromACertainPointOfView. Of course, fans weren't too upset, seeing as this meant there will be more playables than previously anticipated; for example, ''Anime/CodeGeass'' has six machines (the Lancelots, Guren Flight and SEITEN, Shinkirou, and C.C.'s Akatsuki) and ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'' has all five primary pilots (Alto Saotome, Mikhail Blanc, Ozma Lee, Luca Angelloni and Klan Klein).
*** Unfortunately, this sort of headcount method was slightly taken a bit too far: Lancelot Conquista and Albion? Great; [[Anime/CodeGeass Guren Flight]] and [[FunWithAcronyms S.E.I.T.E.N.]] Eight Elements? Also good; [[Manga/MobileSuitCrossboneGundam Crossbone X-1 Kai and X-1 Full Cloth]]? Very good. The problem is some units are used as an excuse addition (the original Guren MK II is playable for a brief moment, only to be replaced by the Guren Flight a la the same "missile upgrade sequence" from the {{Anime}}), considerably inferior to its upgraded iterations (the Lancelot Conquista performs far better than the original Lancelot and Lancelot Frontier) or the same machine, but with something less (the Crossbone X-1 is really just the X-1 Kai, but without the "[[WhipItGood Screw Whips]]"). Even the [[LightNovel/FullMetalPanic M9 Gernsback]] has identical equipment to the [[LightNovel/FullMetalPanic Arbalest]] minus the "Lambda Driver" and its Specials, thus the M9 is only good if players want to go throughout combat spamming powerful shots.
*** On the other hand, some of the unlockable units gave players a surprise: Klan in a skin tight suit with a [=VF-25=]'s "[=FAST=] Pack" strapped to her? Cool ''and'' canon; a playable [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/ArmoredCore Nineball Seraph]]]]? ''Awesome''.
** [[TrollingCreator Given his reputation]], Terada [[LyingCreator lied about one thing]]: he stated ''R'' would use instrumental ''Super Robot Wars''-style {{Leitmotif}}s, which ''is'' true, but the game features a background music editor, which means players can bring in the original openings and soundtracks to the series by putting it into the console's hard drive. This little addition was universally praised.
** ''Another Century's Episode Portable'' was largely considered this, since it came right on the heels of the critically panned ''R'', was roughly 90% completed when it was announced (presumably owing to the fact that almost 90% of it is recycled from past games) and it does away with elements from ''R'' that were unpopular (see ScrappyMechanic below).

*** Unfortunately, this sort of headcount method was slightly taken a bit too far: Lancelot Conquista and Albion? Great; [[Anime/CodeGeass Guren Flight]] and [[FunWithAcronyms S.E.I.T.E.N.]] Eight Elements? Also good; [[Manga/MobileSuitCrossboneGundam Crossbone X-1 Kai and X-1 Full Cloth]]? Very good. The problem is some units are used as an excuse addition (the original Guren MK II is playable for a brief moment, only to be replaced by the Guren Flight a la the same "missile upgrade sequence" from the {{Anime}}), considerbly inferior to its upgraded iterations (the Lancelot Conquista performs far better than the original Lancelot and Lancelot Frontier) or the same machine, but with something less (the Crossbone X-1 is really just the X-1 Kai, but without the "[[WhipItGood Screw Whips]]"). Even the [[LightNovel/FullMetalPanic M9 Gernsback]] has identical equipment to the [[LightNovel/FullMetalPanic Arbalest]] minus the "Lambda Driver" and its Specials, thus the M9 is only good if players want to go throughout combat spamming powerful shots.

%%* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: To be expected, since many of the units use memorable themes from their respective series. Shinku, the main theme of ACE 3, also counts.

*** On the other hand, some of the unlockable units gave players a surprise: Klan in a skin tight suit with a [=VF-25=]'s "[=FAST=] Pack" strapped to her? Cool ''and'' canon; a playable [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/ArmoredCore Nineball Seraph]]]]? ''SoCoolItsAwesome''.

* AuthorsSavingThrow - Fans began [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks discontented grumbling]] soon after notorious director Takanobu Terada announced R would be limited to approximately three mecha per series. In an impressive turnaround time, Terada made a second post the same day, explaining any mecha with upgrades (such as the [[Anime/CodeGeass Lancelot Conquista and Albion]]) or alternate equipment setups (such as the [[Anime/MacrossFrontier VF-25F Messiah]]) would be considered a single unit for the purposes of headcount, meaning that "three per series" was true FromACertainPointOfView. Of course, fans aren't too upset, seeing as this means there will be more playables than previously anticipated; for example, ''Anime/CodeGeass'' has six machines (the Lancelots, Guren Flight and SEITEN, Shinkirou, and C.C.'s Akatsuki), and ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'' has all five primary pilots (Alto Saotome, Mikhael Blanc, Ozma Lee, Luca and Klan)
** They probably went a little two far, though: Lancelot Conquista and Albion? Great; [[Anime/CodeGeass Guren Flight]] and [[FunWithAcronyms S.E.I.T.E.N.]] Eight Elements? Also good; [[Manga/MobileSuitCrossboneGundam Crossbone X-1 Kai and X-1 Full Cloth]]? Very good. Then it gets worse: the original Guren MK II is passable because you play it for a minute so that they have an excuse to use the missile upgrade sequence from the anime, but the original Lancelot and Lancelot Frontier? Conquista's far superior! And the Crossbone X-1? That's just X-1 Kai, but without the [[WhipItGood Screw Whips]]. Sad...
** Don't forget about Souske's [[LightNovel/FullMetalPanic M9 Gernsback]], it has identical equipment to the Arbalest minus the Lambda Driver and its Specials, so its only really good if you want to play without spamming Powerful shots.
*** At least many of the unlockables are really good: Klan in a skin tight suit with a [=VF-25=]'s [=FAST=] pack strapped to her? Both cool and canon; a playable [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/ArmoredCore Nineball Seraph]]]]? Just AWESOME.
** Terada ''still'' did [[LyingCreator lie about one thing]]: he said R would use instrumental SRW-style themes...which ''is'' true, but the game features a background music editor, which means you can bring in the orginal openings and soundtracks to the series. Fortunately, this little addition is almost universally praised.
** ''A.C.E. Portable'' is seen as this, since it comes right on the heels of the critically panned R, was at 90% when it was announced (presumably owing to the fact that almost 90% of it is recycled from past games) and it does away with elements of R that were unpopular, like the Tension-based weapons set-up and the RailShooter segments.
* BreatherLevel - Subverted in 2, where a back-to-back set make up the game's ''final'' two levels
** Also subverted earlier in the same game, where the player must play through two back-to-back levels: one involving an EscortMission, the other involving a boss battle, who you must face with damage carried over from the last mission
* GameBreaker - The "Limiter Removal" option allowing infinite ammunition once a mech's stats are upgraded to max. It's especially bad for the likes of the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Wing Zero Custom]] and the two [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED METEOR]] units, who can clear entire maps with ease when they don't need to reload
** The Buster Ark's Riot Shot attack in 2 which, due to a GoodBadBug, can literally OneHitKill any enemy if used at point-blank range
** And of course, the [[Anime/EurekaSeven Nirvash typeZERO Spec 3]] in 3, easily the most powerful unit in the game (and indeed, is a BraggingRightsReward for clearing each and every hidden mission). It only has three attacks/weapons, two of which are on par with the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam RX-78-2 Gundam's]] Beam Rifle and Wing Zero Custom's Rolling Buster Rifle, and a third which ''prevents nearby (non-boss) enemies from attacking for a short while''. Couple all that with reduced damage compared to other mechs, and moderately swift reload/recharge times, and you have a playable unit that can make even the FinalBoss run home crying for mommy
** That line about Spec 3 being the strongest? That is true... to a point. Get Anime/TurnAGundam to a Limiter Removal, and it gets an infinite supply of hand grenades. Doesn't sound like much? Well these hand grenades happen to actually be Nuclear Warheads! Combine that with the Moonlight Butterfly, which does insane damage to all units anywhere close to the Turn-A, and its extremely potent HealingFactor, made all the nastier by the really high armor rating it'd have by then, and you have a unit that can beat even the FinalBoss in a matter of seconds.
** One of the ART-1's Tension attacks can one shot almost all large {{Mooks}} if you hit the right place. That, and it's a LightningBruiser. In fact, were you to max Ryusei's stats early in the game, the rest of the missions makes R a joke.
** In 2, [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Altron Gundam]]. Its Dragon Fang attack does damage on par with Wing Zero's [[{{BFG}} Twin Buster Rifle]], but it reloads '''much''' faster (as in, as soon as the fang returns to Altron's arm, it's ready to go again). The TBR has better range, but Altron can single-handedly tear through just about any enemy in the game; the main exception is Large-sized enemies like mobile armors and battleships, since the Fang doesn't work on them. Of course, it's still a pretty good machine even without that move.
* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: To be expected, since many of the units use memorable themes from their respective series. Shinku, the main theme of ACE 3, also counts.
* GoodBadBug - R features a handy little trick that'll let you max all mecha in the game as soon as you can upgrade a single unit a single level, legitimately. Characters require at least 1000 experience points each to do the same trick, but it's possible to maximize just about every single character in one playthrough.
* ItsEasySoItSucks - A common complaint about The Final is it's significantly easier in difficulty than its predecessors.
* ScrappyMechanic - R's Tension gauge system; replacing the ammunition-based combat system of the previous three games, R's system gives your standard weapons infinite ammo...but anything ''other'' than your basic gun, you have to build up Tension in LimitBreak-fashion, then expend it to perform your bigger moves. Also applicable to R's boost system, which reduced the speed of the game (except when you need to get somewhere fast, in which case you're a runaway freight train).

** 2 has two (no pun intended): the Neue Ziel, which only takes 25% damage from any and all EnergyWeapons (it's the only boss battle that separates into two missions and you only need to damage 50% of its full HP in each), and the Buster Ark due to general [[GameBreaker hax-ness]].
** 3 has the [[Anime/EurekaSeven Nirvash Type-theEND]], which is insanely fast, will deflect any and all missle attacks thanks to its chaff, and can BeamSpam you to death fairly easily
** R has the [[Anime/MacrossZero Bird Human]]. Who the hell sics a 10-kilometer wide boss with a 15-kilometer wide attack at you!?

** Defending the [[Anime/BlueCometSPTLayzner Resistance Base]] in 2 and the final [[Anime/EurekaSeven Gekko]] defense in 3.
** ''R'' brings us [[Anime/MacrossFrontier "The Two Divas"]], a level that has been tossed onto the scrappy heap by fans not for being difficult, but for consisting of nothing but [[UnexpectedGameplayChange Swift Chase]] segments interspersed with lengthy, unskippable cutscenes and ending with a CutsceneBoss.
* TheyChangedItNowItSucks - R generated harsh criticism in Japan for removing nearly everything about the older games but the {{crossover}} nature and action-oriented style, fixing what wasn't broken
** The staff had stated outright that R is an ObviousBeta. At this rate, there won't be a release version.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot - Another major complaint about 3 is how the "Earth A" plot focused predominantly on ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack'', which was already featured prominently - and handled ''better'' - in the original game. The fact several series were present with absolutely no plot, including newcomers ''Anime/TurnAGundam'' and ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'', certainly didn't help matters
** This has become a bit of a complaint concerning R, as well: of all the included series, only ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'' has its plotline resolved within the context of the game. The other series' denizens are simply sent back to their original worlds in order to work out their differences amongst themselves.

* {{Wangst}} - Barrel goes through several bouts of this alongside [[Anime/EurekaSeven Renton]] in ACE 3.

----

* AuthorsSavingThrow - Fans began [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks discontented grumbling]] soon after notorious director Takanobu Terada announced R would be limited to approximately three mecha per series. In an impressive turnaround time, Terada made a second post the same day, explaining any mecha with upgrades (such as the [[Anime/CodeGeass Lancelot Conquista and Albion]]) or alternate equipment setups (such as the [[Anime/MacrossFrontier VF-25F Messiah]]) would be considered a single unit for the purposes of headcount, meaning that "three per series" was true FromACertainPointOfView. Of course, fans aren't too upset, seeing as this means there will be more playables than previously anticipated; for example, ''Anime/CodeGeass'' has six machines (the Lancelots, Guren Flight and SEITEN, Shinkirou, and C.C.'s Akatsuki), and ''Anime/MacrossFrontier''has all five primary pilots (Alto Saotome, Mikhael Blanc, Ozma Lee, Luca and Klan)

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot - Another major complaint about 3 is how the "Earth A" plot focused predominantly on CharsCounterattack, which was already featured prominently - and handled ''better'' - in the original game. The fact several series were present with absolutely no plot, including newcomers Anime/TurnAGundam and Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED, certainly didn't help matters

** R has the [[MacrossZero Bird Human]]. Who the hell sics a 10-kilometer wide boss with a 15-kilometer wide attack at you!?

** This has become a bit of a complaint concerning R, as well: of all the included series, only MacrossFrontier has its plotline resolved within the context of the game. The other series' denizens are simply sent back to their original worlds in order to work out their differences amongst themselves.

** 2 has two (no pun intended): the Neue Ziel, due to the fact it only takes 25% damage from any and all EnergyWeapons (it's the only boss battle that separates into two missions and you only need to damage 50% of its full HP in each), and the Buster Ark due to general [[GameBreaker hax-ness]]

** And of course, the [[EurekaSeven Nirvash typeZERO Spec 3]] in 3, easily the most powerful unit in the game (and indeed, is a BraggingRightsReward for clearing each and every hidden mission). It only has three attacks/weapons, two of which are on par with the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam RX-78-2 Gundam's]] Beam Rifle and Wing Zero Custom's Rolling Buster Rifle, and a third which ''prevents nearby (non-boss) enemies from attacking for a short while''. Couple all that with reduced damage compared to other mechs, and moderately swift reload/recharge times, and you have a playable unit that can make even the FinalBoss run home crying for mommy

** 3 has the [[EurekaSeven Nirvash Type-theEND]], which is insanely fast, will deflect any and all missle attacks thanks to its chaff, and can BeamSpam you to death fairly easily

** Defending the [[BlueCometSPTLayzner Resistance Base]] in 2 and the final [[Anime/EurekaSeven Gekko]] defense in 3.

* AuthorsSavingThrow - Fans began [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks discontented grumbling]] soon after notorious director Takanobu Terada announced R would be limited to approximately three mecha per series. In an impressive turnaround time, Terada made a second post the same day, explaining any mecha with upgrades (such as the [[Anime/CodeGeass Lancelot Conquista and Albion]]) or alternate equipment setups (such as the [[MacrossFrontier VF-25F Messiah]]) would be considered a single unit for the purposes of headcount, meaning that "three per series" was true FromACertainPointOfView. Of course, fans aren't too upset, seeing as this means there will be more playables than previously anticipated; for example, ''Anime/CodeGeass'' has six machines (the Lancelots, Guren Flight and SEITEN, Shinkirou, and C.C.'s Akatsuki), and ''Anime/MacrossFrontier''has all five primary pilots (Alto Saotome, Mikhael Blanc, Ozma Lee, Luca and Klan)

* AuthorsSavingThrow - Fans began [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks discontented grumbling]] soon after notorious director Takanobu Terada announced R would be limited to approximately three mecha per series. In an impressive turnaround time, Terada made a second post the same day, explaining any mecha with upgrades (such as the [[CodeGeass Lancelot Conquista and Albion]]) or alternate equipment setups (such as the [[MacrossFrontier VF-25F Messiah]]) would be considered a single unit for the purposes of headcount, meaning that "three per series" was true FromACertainPointOfView. Of course, fans aren't too upset, seeing as this means there will be more playables than previously anticipated; for example, ''CodeGeass'' has six machines (the Lancelots, Guren Flight and SEITEN, Shinkirou, and C.C.'s Akatsuki), and ''MacrossFrontier''has all five primary pilots (Alto Saotome, Mikhael Blanc, Ozma Lee, Luca and Klan)
** They probably went a little two far, though: Lancelot Conquista and Albion? Great; [[CodeGeass Guren Flight]] and [[FunWithAcronyms S.E.I.T.E.N.]] Eight Elements? Also good; [[Manga/MobileSuitCrossboneGundam Crossbone X-1 Kai and X-1 Full Cloth]]? Very good. Then it gets worse: the original Guren MK II is passable because you play it for a minute so that they have an excuse to use the missile upgrade sequence from the anime, but the original Lancelot and Lancelot Frontier? Conquista's far superior! And the Crossbone X-1? That's just X-1 Kai, but without the [[WhipItGood Screw Whips]]. Sad...

** Defending the [[BlueCometSPTLayzner Resistance Base]] in 2 and the final [[EurekaSeven Gekko]] defense in 3.
** ''R'' brings us [[MacrossFrontier "The Two Divas"]], a level that has been tossed onto the scrappy heap by fans not for being difficult, but for consisting of nothing but [[UnexpectedGameplayChange Swift Chase]] segments interspersed with lengthy, unskippable cutscenes and ending with a CutsceneBoss.

* {{Wangst}} - Barrel goes through several bouts of this alongside [[EurekaSeven Renton]] in ACE 3.

* ScrappyLevel - Defending the [[BlueCometSPTLayzner Resistance Base]] in 2 and the final [[EurekaSeven Gekko]] defense in 3.
** ''R'' brings us [[MacrossFrontier "The Two Divas"]], a level that has been tossed onto the scrappy heap by fans not for being difficult, but for consisting of nothing but [[UnexpectedGameplayChange Swift Chase]] segments interspersed with lengthy, unskippable cutscenes and ending with a CutsceneBoss.

** The Hi-Nu Gundam. JUST, the Hi-Nu Gundam.

** Don't forget about Souske's [[FullMetalPanic M9 Gernsback]], it has identical equipment to the Arbalest minus the Lambda Driver and its Specials, so its only really good if you want to play without spamming Powerful shots.

** They probably went a little two far, though: Lancelot Conquista and Albion? Great; [[CodeGeass Guren Flight]] and [[FunWithAcronyms S.E.I.T.E.N.]] Eight Elements? Also good; [[Manga/CrossboneGundam Crossbone X-1 Kai and X-1 Full Cloth]]? Very good. Then it gets worse: the original Guren MK II is passable because you play it for a minute so that they have an excuse to use the missile upgrade sequence from the anime, but the original Lancelot and Lancelot Frontier? Conquista's far superior! And the Crossbone X-1? That's just X-1 Kai, but without the [[WhipItGood Screw Whips]]. Sad...

** They probably went a little two far, though: Lancelot Conquista and Albion? Great; [[CodeGeass Guren Flight]] and [[FunWithAcronyms S.E.I.T.E.N.]] Eight Elements? Also good; [[CrossboneGundam Crossbone X-1 Kai and X-1 Full Cloth]]? Very good. Then it gets worse: the original Guren MK II is passable because you play it for a minute so that they have an excuse to use the missile upgrade sequence from the anime, but the original Lancelot and Lancelot Frontier? Conquista's far superior! And the Crossbone X-1? That's just X-1 Kai, but without the [[WhipItGood Screw Whips]]. Sad...

** In 2, [[GundamWing Altron Gundam]]. Its Dragon Fang attack does damage on par with Wing Zero's [[{{BFG}} Twin Buster Rifle]], but it reloads '''much''' faster (as in, as soon as the fang returns to Altron's arm, it's ready to go again). The TBR has better range, but Altron can single-handedly tear through just about any enemy in the game; the main exception is Large-sized enemies like mobile armors and battleships, since the Fang doesn't work on them. Of course, it's still a pretty good machine even without that move.

* AndTheFandomRejoiced - WHAT TH-!? [[SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration Alt Eisen Riese, ART-1 and the Cybuster]] are in R!? Terada, you MagnificentBastard, you!
** A fair bit of the fandom's also appreciating the Black Overman XAN from ''[[SuperRobotWarsZ Super Robot Wars Z Special Disk]]'' as an unlockable unit, with Gainer being its sole pilot.
** As is the [[CharsCounterattack Hi-Nu Gundam]] (whom fans have been clamoring in past installments), [[FullMetalPanic Bonta-Kun]], [[CrossboneGundam "Skull Heart"]], and an [[MacrossFrontier Armored Klan Klang]]. The fandom is pleased, indeed.
** Now there's the mechanic where you can essentially create what music you wish to be in during missions (through [=MP3s=] stored on the PlayStation3 hard drive). And, yes, you can also change what music plays at certain points in cutscenes.
** [[spoiler: Second-to-last boss fight: HOLY SHIT! [[VideoGame/ArmoredCore NINEBALL SERAPH?!]] HELL YE- wait... [[ThatOneBoss NINEBALL]] [[OhCrap SERAPH]]?!!]]

* GameBreaker - The "Limiter Removal" option allowing infinite ammunition once a mech's stats are upgraded to max. It's especially bad for the likes of the [[GundamWing Wing Zero Custom]] and the two [[GundamSEED METEOR]] units, who can clear entire maps with ease when they don't need to reload

** And of course, the [[EurekaSeven Nirvash typeZERO Spec 3]] in 3, easily the most powerful unit in the game (and indeed, is a BraggingRightsReward for clearing each and every hidden mission). It only has three attacks/weapons, two of which are on par with the [[MobileSuitGundam RX-78-2 Gundam's]] Beam Rifle and Wing Zero Custom's Rolling Buster Rifle, and a third which ''prevents nearby (non-boss) enemies from attacking for a short while''. Couple all that with reduced damage compared to other mechs, and moderately swift reload/recharge times, and you have a playable unit that can make even the FinalBoss run home crying for mommy
** That line about Spec 3 being the strongest? That is true... to a point. Get TurnAGundam to a Limiter Removal, and it gets an infinite supply of hand grenades. Doesn't sound like much? Well these hand grenades happen to actually be Nuclear Warheads! Combine that with the Moonlight Butterfly, which does insane damage to all units anywhere close to the Turn-A, and its extremely potent HealingFactor, made all the nastier by the really high armor rating it'd have by then, and you have a unit that can beat even the FinalBoss in a matter of seconds.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot - Another major complaint about 3 is how the "Earth A" plot focused predominantly on CharsCounterattack, which was already featured prominently - and handled ''better'' - in the original game. The fact several series were present with absolutely no plot, including newcomers TurnAGundam and GundamSEED, certainly didn't help matters

*** Although the only other thing R does of note is foreshadow [[spoiler: a sequel for Original Generation, or at least Ryusei and Kyosuke have been teleported to who knows where]]. Even with all that rejoicing, [[YourMilageMayVary all the stuff just makes up for the fact the game has an]] ExcusePlot.

* FetishFuel - Autumn, just Autumn
** ALL of the Season [[spoiler: androids]]. It's like [[spoiler: Banpresto thought we needed more characters like [[SuperRobotWarsAdvance Lamia Loveless]]]].

* YourMileageMayVary - Ultimately, R has received quite a bit of rage from Japanese fans, with a few good bits of it justified, even though it sounds a lot like TheyChangedItNowItSucks. The rest of the series only receives the standard MechaGame [[YourMileageMayVary YMMV]]