What is the appeal of Super Robot Wars?

I am not a fan and even from watching some playthroughs, it doesn't seem any different from other SRPG game accept for the funniest looking robot sprites I had ever seen. I gotta ask just what is the appeal of the series? It almost feels like Banpresto is a fixing all the flaws in the mecha series while telling a story of its own. It just seems to mean like Character X does or prevents this and this happens but something unexpected happens. It doesn't seem like a bad game but I am not a mecha fans so it doesn't appeal tome. My question why do most fans even on this wiki make it like its all about superheroes being awesome when ther eis more to do serier than that?

It's pretty much every "X vs. Y" fan fantasy in game form. Having legitimately good SRPG gameplay and a great deal of original content doesn't hurt either.

Also the insanely awesome attack animations.

Any games you recommend off the bat? Am I gonna have to go out of my way to import anything?

Original Generation games are here, and don't need any importing (at least in NA; I haven't checked in Europe but see no reason they wouldn't be there too). The normal Super Robot Wars games are a licensing nightmare here in the states, and may never see localization as a result of that.

Their appeal is a combination of all of the super robot and real robot shows, ever, into one continuity, by virtue of some bizarre space-time whahoozits that don't really matter. What's important is you get to have your favorite heros from all of these old shows team up to battle a common evil that none of them have faced before (and some old rivals and villains from their own continuities as well). In the PS 2 remixes, the attack animations are superb, and often nostalgic for those familiar with the series in question.

If you have to ask the question in the title of this thread, though, it makes me wonder if this game series is really for you.

I always feel left out whenever the games are mentioned, and would really like to play them.

... Are there any translations for the games in the series, or are they games that you can just pick up and play?

I definitely recommend trying to import/emulate the PS 2 version of Original Generations. Though the GBA versions will suffice if you can't find a translation patch.

I'll try and look for that.

Speaking as someone who's not a big super robot fan (I like the genre,concept,and hot blood, just haven't seen most of the shows) I'd say most of the appeal comes from the Crazy Awesome attack animations. I'd like to play some of the games, event though I'm not too good at strategy RPG's.

Is the PS 2 region-locked?

I played Endless fronteir and thats my only interation with super robot wars

I loved Saya

Super Robot Wars J has a full Fan Translation and is pretty fun, good looking, and standalone

It seems I am needed here.

Wait what.

Anyway. This is the appeal: giant robots kicking the crud out of each other with the greatest, and most improbable, of style. And that video's middle of the road on the over-the-top scale. Also, to see your favorite robot anime portrayed in such a way. If you're into that, of course.

There's a solid strategy RPG under there, but the series' primary draw is in the above, and in upgrading your favorite units to absurd levels of broken so you may watch them wreck havoc on your unworthy foes. If that doesn't appeal to you, though, the games just aren't your thing. It's really that simple.

edited 29th May '11 12:16:45 AM by Weissritter

And if you are lucky enough to understand japanese or get a translation, the writing and crossover work is FANTASTIC that alot of crossovers sadly skip out on.

Most crossovers just make up an Excuse Plot to have all the characters there and they never even really interact. In SRW the plots can merge and mingle and its fun seeing characters like Kamina interact with Zero.

MX has alot of good moments, like the one kid from Gear Fighter Dendoh fanboying over Domon, and Rom Stol saving Asuka from her fate from Eo E with the my favorite Big Damn Heroes moment ever. Also Raideen, Rah Xephon, and Berserk 01 just completely decimating everything in its way was fun as hell. (I also beat the game with a combination of the Final Dynamic Special and the Shuffle Doumei Ken together. )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdErfR-Iu0c&feature=related or this moment from Alpha 3 (skip ahead a bit), the Gunbuster Finale when Akira, Gai, and Ryoma encourage Noriko to activate the bomb, while using the power of their mecha (probably the 3 strongest energy sources outside of the Ide too! Mutron Energy, G Stone/Courage, and Getter Rays? You could run an entire galaxy with that much power!) to help out.

Also watching Master Asia alone get on top of the Archangel and wreck its shit, then immediately jump to the Nadesico and do the same in SRW J was just fantastic.

edited 29th May '11 1:31:06 AM by Thorn14

That is a good point; it is interesting to see how characters from these different universes interact, and they do so in ways that are believable and natural-feeling. You also get another chance to see your favorite characters pull off something they didn't get a chance to, for any number of reasons, on their home turf. SRW is the land of possibilities.

That again emphasizes the appeal of the series, though: fanservice. Pure, distilled fanservice. It's a mashup of fantasies, shout outs, throw backs, and what-ifs in the genre, more or less turned up full blast. And there are a ton of entries to choose from, so chances are you'll find a title with a style and cast you'll enjoy. If you're a robot fan, a strategy fan with a taste for robots, or anywhere in between or around, it doesn't get much better than Super Robot Wars. If you're not though, well, move along. Nothin' to see here.

edited 30th May '11 10:27:49 PM by Weissritter

Where the hell have you been, Weiss?

what super robot wars game has Kamina and Zero

edited 29th May '11 4:09:50 AM by Envyus

Barring Super Robot Wars Judgement, a translation patch for Alpha Gaiden is also available.

But if you really don't like mechas, the problem isn't with the series in general but with the fact that you don't like mechas. No use trying to make someone like strawberry parfaits if he doesn't even like sweets from the beginning.

Super Robot Wars in general is really fueled by Rule of Cool with lots of crossovers. If you don't watch mecha anime, then you can always plays Original Generation 1 & 2, although they might be outdated (they still look pretty good for GBA games). Gonna give them props for putting all these shows together though, and make a believable scenario that entangles all of them.

Some of them are also Nintendo Hard, might or might not surpass Radiant Dawn about this.

edited 29th May '11 4:18:25 AM by Delles

So original generation is not a crossover?

that's a shame.

You can say they're a crossover of Banpresto's own mechas. They're still pretty good nevertheless, it's like playing Fire Emblem, with mechas.

They appear in SRW Z2, the latest one.

Funny thing about Original Generation: it still uses most of the plot from the crossover games, meaning they actually have to create original stand-ins for licensed characters.

As far as translations go, I'm only aware of the OG GBA games getting an official one. SRW J and Alpha Gaiden have fan translations, which makes the latter the only translated Playstation-level game that I've seen.

Not to mention the characters stealing each other's moves.

edited 29th May '11 6:10:03 AM by Fluid

I guess it doesn't appeal to me as I am not mecha fan, it looks almost likea fixfic crossover story but crossovers aren't known for their plot anyway. Even so, the battle sprites look really weird and super deformed. Do the Banpresto writers really don't like the decisions made by the original writers of their respective series? It really is just fanservcie but I'll give the Banpresto writers, at least they admit that they are just having fun instead creating a supposedly 'complex' plot lik another series I know of.

It's not necessarily so that they don't like the decisions made by the original creators. However, to make the crossover elements merge well, they'll occasionally have to rewrite bits of story.

In Alpha Gaiden, for example, this is how they basically turned Turn A Gundam, Gundam X and Xabungle into a single continuity.

And of course, if Asuka died before the events of the crossover story, you wouldn't be able to have her in the story, now could you? It's not fixing, it's glue.

SRW Z did Fix Gundam Seed Destiny though

Hell, even Shinn's voice actor liked what they did with that one.

Most, if not every voice actors like what they do though (some of 'em even do the voices for free).

I mean, they did manage to un-Mind Screw Neon Genesis Evangelion of all things.