Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation
August 7,2006 - The GBA has seen its fair share of strategy RPGs this far into its lifecycle, many hinging upon the success and gameplay of the popular Fire Emblem series. Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation presents similar strategic fare with one major difference; giant mecha, or giant humanoid robots to the layman. For some, this alone makes the game worth playing; for the rest, a four-year delay between Japanese release and North American release means dated gameplay and a series more reliant on fan service than structure.

The Super Robot Taisen series has thrived in the Japanese marketplace, due to both the proliferation of Mecha anime and the willingness of mainstay Mecha series willingness to lend their robot-likenesses to the cause. The result has been a slew of Super Robot Wars games, on every system from the NES to the PS2, starring robots featured in anime ranging from Gundam to Getter Robo to “Big O.” If those names mean nothing, fear not; Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation represents the first and only storyline in the series to include only original robot designs.

The plot revolves around the discovery of technology on Earth with the Earth Federal Government has collected and used to create giant robots. These robots, representing the military forces on the continentally-local Earth, are designed to defend the planet against an impending invasion from the very aliens who developed the technology; or so says the scientist who wants the EFA to build more of these robots to prepare for said invasion. Enter the main characters of the game, Ryosei and Kyosuke, two pilots with similar but separate storylines the player can play through. Joining up as the newest member of an elite team of Mecha pilots with high-end specialty robots, the hero must play through the space-opera scenario, full of intrigue, betrayal, dozens of characters and mecha, and the most overly political storyline seen since Final Fantasy Tactics.

The game plays less like a functional storyline and more like constant fan service and homage to anime stereotypes. The plot meanders and then leaps, and the characters, distinguished only by small portraits and sometimes outrageous, sometimes bland personalities, often become cartoonish or indistinguishable. The story seems more manic-depressed than arching and resolving, yet these peaks and lows are truly representative of the style of anime storytelling that usually accompanies these mecha pieces; finding a relationship with God through man’s relationship with the power of technology and some men’s ability to utilize the technology through natural inherent abilities. SRT presents this entire supposedly deep plot through single background bouncing dialogue windows, which only further serves to weaken the confusing story. Between the heavy-handed plotlines and the political intrigue, SRT attempts to tell a tale a bit too ambitious for the GBA.

More simplistic in its execution, the game plays similar to the Fire Emblem standard; characters move about a grid map and use actions, based on the distance to the foe, to engage with and ultimately defeat enemies. Level-specific goals sometimes come up, such as stopping missiles fired at a base without destroying the missiles, but more often than not a simple “Defeat All Enemies” goal ends the level. Characters gain experience from defeating foes as well as specific Pilot Points that can be used between battles to learn new abilities or power up statistics. The monotony of battle is often broken up by dialogue between characters, and battle scenes are animated with close-ups of the robots and character action portraits as well. As the game progresses, the main team of four is joined by more teammates, and new models of robots become available as well. Robot weapons can also be upgraded and new weapons purchased between battles. But ultimately, the defining characteristic, aside from the partially deep weapon and statistic upgrading system, is the fact that piloting a giant robot, even in a GBA game, is always cool.

Graphically, Super Robot Taisen betrays itself as an older title. Character portraits lack detail and the battle maps barely reflect any depth whatsoever, often harkening back to the early days of SNES graphics. The robots certainly look cool, though, and feel as real as any other Mecha anime, following the established rules and physics for architecture. Again, players interested in superior graphics or current graphic trends should look elsewhere. The sound as well reflects this dated weakness, and provides nothing spectacular or even at times mood-appropriate for the given plot.

Laser swords, distance-firing missile fists, explosive claymore mines from shoulders, epic battles between robots with German names, outrageous personalities, battles against insurmountable odds, and the natural and uncanny ability of the one turning away the forces of evil, all with the subtle intricacy of a Shakespearean royalty play; these are the pieces that, when combined, create a true Mecha story. Giant robots do not define the genre; they represent it. In this way, Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation succeeds in its goal; it truly is a Mecha game. But a game 4 years late is a game 4 years old, and strategy-RPG players can find more intriguing fare available for the GBA.

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