The above is a gameplay video on YouTube showing the first stage of one of the potential main characters in Super Robot Taisen (“Super Robot Wars”) Z the 2nd, on PSP, sequel to SRW Z, on PS2. As usual, new “original” mecha and pilots are used with a wide mix of mecha anime crossover plots, machines, and characters for a lively mix.

The rough version of the above: the main character, whose name reads like “crow” or “claw” in katakana but is probably representing the name Crowe (while giving the aforementioned impressions), is a man with a million G in debt.

(Eat your heart out, Bernacke; Super Robot Wars apparently functions just fine on a gold standard. Ahem. Anyway…)

So, a desperate man down on his luck due to debts left by his father (and the collapse of his father’s company) makes him receptive to an offer that he really can’t refuse: test pilot an experimental combat machine and earn the money to pay off his debts and be a free man. Since Japanese like to express certain figures in units of “man” (万, or 10,000), the “100 man man” means, in our terms, the million dollar man (or at least, the man in debt for that much!).

As one might cynically expect for the first stage of a video game, it’s not quite some little milk run; a bunch of terrorists are attacking the world’s foremost financial group, but Crowe makes it inside and a deal is struck. I don’t want to vouch for what the name of the machine should be yet, but it reads almost like “Blastia” (like in Tales of Vesperia or something).

Anyway, the terrorists go down fast but, in this completely time-space messed up Earth, there’s such a thing as “Dimension Beasts” that show up to cause more death and destruction, but a mysterious “ally” (?) shows up in the form of Wufei from Gundam Wing, complete with the Shenlong Gundam. The rest of what you see in the video is simply the action.

While the tactical map is all traditional portable SRW type 2D, the battle animations are pretty good, and I found the original music to be not bad at all. Gundam Wing’s music has never been hard to listen to for me.

Now, stage 2, below, introduces another element of this strange new world, the Gundam 00 universe’s content. There’s going to be quite a lot of it in this game.

Prior to the stage, you see some “intermission” (in-between “episodes” i.e. game stages) bookkeeping type work to manage the as yet one-bot army at the player’s disposal. This army will greatly expand in the course of the winding plot. However, this next stage isn’t truly about Crowe; it’s mainly a kick-off of the Gundam 00 plot, with Setsuna starring.

The rest doesn’t require any explanation to fans of Gundam 00, so watch and enjoy. I’m finding the music to be represented pretty well here. – J

Go to this blog for full details on the announcement of Gundam Memories ~ Tatakai no Kioku. One small quibble: Japanese usually leaves singular and plural undefined. We silly Westerners default to singular when we shouldn’t. This could easily be read as “Memories of Battle” (as in, battle in abstract, indicating numerous battles) or “Memories of Battles.”

What caught my eye immediately is the very heavy similarity to Warriors Orochi (in the Dynasty Warriors family, a cross-over between that and Samurai Warriors games) in that mobile suits are separated into Melee Type, Sniper Type, and Speed Type (whereas Orochi was Power, Technical, and Speed). You are able to pick three mobile suits and, like Orochi, you can hot swap between these three while in a game stage.

This system was one of, if not the, best features about Warriors Orochi. Using this with Gundams seems to be a very interesting and promising idea from a gamer’s perspective.

Full series list below:

Mobile Suit Gundam
Mobile Suit Z Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam Char’s Counterattack
Mobile Suit Gundam X
Gundam W Endless Waltz
Gundam Seed Destiny
Gundam 00 (including 2nd season)
Gundam 00: A wakening of the Trailblazer Movie
Gundam UC (Unicorn Gundam)

…Now personally, there’s nothing in here not to like. Even when I have my issues with a television show, I often find the mecha and even the characters refreshing when used in a video game.

Also, the more they stay away from retreading anything in existing Dynasty Warrior: Gundam games (or as I say it fast in loving Japanese, Gundam Musou) , all the better.

So, this actually makes me curious about how it’ll work out. The gameplay system is an immediate draw. We’ll have to see how it goes. – J