Legs are just decoration! Let's Play Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation!

"Cold As Ice"

If anyone's wondering, I'm using the translations from OG2's sound test when possible, since some of the offical romanizations sound quite silly.



"Psychic Energy"



Before finishing off the first wave of enemies, I move Rai to the south so that he can deal with the reinforcements that will appear soon. Some Battle Masteries later on are almost impossible to get if you don't know where reinforcements are going to appear, which can be quite annoying. Luckily, it's possible to save at (almost) any time, even during dialogue.



Ryu defeats the last of the tanks and gets a level up.



Ingram: Let's move on to the next stage. Deploy the targets.
Crew: Affirmative.



Ryusei: Fighter jets this time, huh?
Ingram: They're formidable opponents for land warfare PTs.

Figher jets are MUCH more annoying than the tanks. The damage they do is pitiful (unless you have a very low armor rating), but they can dodge like crazy, so you pretty much have to use Focus (or Strike, which gives you 100% accuracy for one turn) if you want to be able to hit them reliably.

Ingram: Work together to defeat them.
Ryusei: Heh! This shouldn't take long.



The Gespenst TT's that Aya and Ryu are using in this mission are pretty much the same as in the last mission, but this time we get a fun weapon called T-Link Ripper. Its one of the few weapons that only pilots with the Telekinesis skill (that both Ryu and Aya have) can use.

The whole Telekinesis thing is never fully explained in this game (or the sequel), so I'll put up a explanation in a later update, if MarsDragon doesn't beat me to the punch.



Rai has nothing to do with that whole Telekinesis business, but the Schutzwald has a pretty sweet weapon itself, with a very impressive range.



We wipe out all enemies and earn the Battle Mastery with one turn to spare.



Ingram: Get out of the PT simulator and come see me, Msg. Ryusei.



Ingram: You'll need to start over from the beginning again.
Ryusei: H-Huh? Why!?
Ingram: ...You know why. I won't tolerate such grandstanding.
Ryusei: Ugh...
Ingram: Listen...
Ingram: If you can't be a team player, then get out of that PT.
Ryusei: !
Ingram: PT are valuable mechs and not meant for everyone.
Ingram: Remember that.
Ryusei: Tch! I know they're valuable!



Ryusei: Huh?
Garnet: We'll be using the PT--I mean simulator, next.
Ryusei: Oh. Well, I'm done, so...
Garnet: Giado! We got the simulator!
Garnet: Giado! Giado!
Garnet: *groan* I told you not to listen to music on duty!



Garnet: W-What? You wanna go get him?
Latooni: .....
Garnet: That's OK. I'll go. Can you prep the simulator for us?
Latooni: .....
Ryusei: By the way--
Latooni: !!

*Latooni runs off*

Ryusei: Oh... I didn't mean to scare her.



Garnet: Next time you don't listen to me, I'm taking your D-Con!
Giado: No! Please don't! I can't live without me ragga!

If I remember correctly, Giado was actually supposed to be Italian, but they changed it in the translation. Can you guess why?

Garnet: *sigh* How's the prep work going, Latooni?
Latooni: .....
Garnet: Finished already? Good job!

Latooni isn't very talkative, to say the least, but luckily Garnet seems to be fluent in "Ellipsis". Must be a very handy skill to have in a RPG.

Giado: Ah-right! Let's begin de anti-PT combat sim!
Ryusei: .....



Another mission done. As you can see, the game already switched into Hard Mode since I got all the Battle Masteries so far. Unless I miss some Battle Masteries (which I won't, since this is a LP), we're going to be stuck in Hard Mode from now on, but the difference isn't that noticable - at least in my experience.




End of Update #6, mon

Mooks blasted: 10
Training sessions botched: 1

However, since I don't care and I'm more used to the official ones anyway, have vocal Ice Man and Psychic Energy, as well as their respective lyrics.

They're Newtypes with the serial numbers filed off. And they can be born on Earth. Done. That's really about all you need to know until the Alpha 2 plot.

But as you might have guessed the SRX team pretty heavily involves these psychics, so let's go into the long and complicated history of the SRX team. This really is going to take awhile, so get a drink or something.

They first started off as the new originals for the early PSX Shin Super Robot Wars (sometimes called Neo Super Robot Wars until the Wii game stole that title). Back then it was just Ryusei, Rai, and Aya*, and they all had different, rougher personalities. Ryusei and Rai were pretty much worse versions of how they start out and didn't get any character development, Aya was quite a bit more forward and she had a crush on Amuro. Back then the SRX Project was a subproject under the Voltes V scientists, and they didn't put too much stock in this "psychic" thing. Aya was the only one, and it was only for using her personal machine. The original enemies were the generic invading alien empire, ending with a blatant sequel hook hint they'd be coming back. Shin never got a proper sequel, but...

*Pictures from a Shin guidebook. Almost all of those expressions were directly translated into game portraits, with one exception. Guess which one! Hint Rai is never actually happy

This is where it gets a bit odd. A couple of years after Shin Banpresto released a fighting game called Super Robot Spirits for the N64. Ryusei was a character in it, and the basic story was invading aliens kicked the SRX team's butt, putting Rai in the hospital, so now Ryusei has to beat up every other defender of Earth before taking on the alien's boss. Well...it was a fighting game. There was no explicit connection to Shin besides generic invading aliens until the official guide to Spirits came out, including a 15-page prequel to Spirits itself, mostly involving the SRX team fighting against the new alien's boss. It was explicitly cast as a sequel story to Shin, kind of tying the story together.

It's actually an important little development in the OG story. For instance, a lot of people will tell you that Elzam is original to Original Generation. These are filthy lies, because he actually shows up in this story in the mech he has later in OG1. Along with him are Mao Industries and some scientists and mechs we haven't met yet, as well as explicitly putting in some details of Rai's background. It might've introduced Megillots, those alien grunt units we fought in the beginning, but I'm not sure. I can't find anything about them in Shin, but that's not saying much. Either way, this story laid some foundations for Alpha, though we're not quite there yet.

Shin and Spirits are mostly forgotten today, barely remembered as where the SRX team got their start. And for a very good reason, as they were both absolutely terrible. Shin did have very pretty sprites, and it does have the minor claim to fame of being one of the two non-SD SRWs, but the sprites didn't actually move, the animations were unskippable, and the loading times were long. Here's the V2 Assault Buster Gundam if you want to see what I mean about the sprites. Spirits was just incredibly janky and didn't look very good thanks to a combination of early 3D and the fact that Banpresto's never been good with polygons. About the only thing it has going for it is nice music. Here's the R-1 versus Dunbine. Note that we haven't actually met the R-1 yet and I'm trying to avoid showing it, but it's about the only video I can find of Spirits that doesn't also show off the final boss. So...don't watch if you don't want to see Ryusei's upgrade.

About a year after that came Super Hero Sakusen on the PSX. This was a normal turn-based RPG like that Hero Senki that I mentioned earlier. This one starred Ingram or a female counterpart as they investigated the Devil Gundam and got thrown into a time warp, leading to a big mess on all sides. This one didn't have Kamen Rider, but it did have a bunch of Ultraman series, G Gundam, Gundam Wing, a whole mess of random toku shows, and the SRX team, back again. This is actually where Kusuha and a few other characters we'll meet later got their start; Kusuha was originally an item shop clerk as part of the SRX team, or at least wearing the uniform. Her Alpha SO ran the equipment shop, and two other Alpha originals ended up as Ingram or the lady's assistants while Ingram and the lady take charge of the SRX team. Speaking of, Aya's still the only psychic, but Ryusei's toned down a little and Rai's basically in his Alpha form. The main villain this time wasn't an invading alien, but the main villain from Shin did show up in something like a dream sequence and they shared a name. Huh. Either way, the entire thing was just a giant ad for Alpha. Not kidding. At least it was a reasonably fun ad, while the graphics were a little awkward PSX 3d, in general SHS was a fairly inoffensive 32-bit RPG. I hope they get around to a translation someday.

And this leads us to Alpha, where the SRX team finally gelled into the form we generally know today. Ryusei, Ingram, and the lady from SHS all got upgraded into psychics, and in fact psychics in general become much more important, since the main character is one too. Ryusei gets his video game champ recruited into the military background thrown in and everyone's personalities are about to where they are in OG. Rai and Aya even get their own personal themes instead of sharing Ryusei's. The entire thing was mostly put straight into OG, so I can't really say too much about it without spoilers. Banpresto does make good on the foreshadowing and this time all the villains from Shin, Spirits, and Super Hero Sakusen are part of the invading empire with a bunch of other anime aliens thrown in. The scientists that were previously just part of that little Shin/Spirits side-story get portraits, and while Elzam doesn't show up, he's in Rai's character bio with the same background we got to play through in the first Ryusei route stage. (Maier is as well, actually. And then never mentioned again.) Alpha just takes everything from the previous games, mixes them together and serves up something really great. And I'd be remiss if I didn't say that Aeon Genesis finally found an editor for the massive script, so we should be seeing it translated by the end of the year. Cross your fingers, it's a bit archaic now but it really is one of the best SRWs.

Other than those, the SRX team has made some appearances in other action games around the PSX era. They were pretty much all terrible and didn't add anything to the story, so I'm just going to politely ignore them. Really, it's for the best.

Greg: Ha! Well, we've got some hell cats here, especially...



Kyosuke: ...?
Greg: Well, speak of the devil. What can I do for you, Dr. Radom?
Marion: Where's Bullet? He was supposed to return from Florida 12 hours ago!
Greg: Calm down, Doctor. These things happen.
Marion: But, the completion of the units will be delayed!
Greg: OK, OK. I'll call the Corporal.
Greg: I'm looking forward to seeing the Altei...
Marion: Commander, its formal name is the Gespenst Mk III.
Marion: I won't allow it to be called that code name.
Greg: OK, OK. Anyway, I look forward to seeing the mechs that will back up the Type O.
Marion: Yes. Well, please remind them not to be late again.

*The Doctor leaves*



Greg: That was Dr. Marion Radom, Project ATX's lead scientist.
Kyosuke: I see. She's kind of a--
Marion: Oh, I almost forgot...

"-friendly and forgiving person and most definitely *not* a cranky bitch wait did I just say that out loud"

Kyosuke: Ugh...
Marion: You're Lieutenant Kyosuke Nanbu, right?
Kyosuke: Yes, ma'am.
Marion: You have a high rate of damage. Avoid close-range combat.
Kyosuke: .....
Marion: The mass production Mk II is modeled after the Type-R. So even though it has close-combat weapons, you should really limit your use of them.
Kyosuke: .....
Greg: Easy, Dr. Radom. This is my office, remember?
Marion: Very well. Come to MY office later, Lieutenant.

*The Doctor leaves... for real*

Kyosuke: Commander...
Greg: Ha! Like I was saying, we have some hell cats here, so be careful!
Kyosuke: ...Roger...




Marion: (But, he may be able to handle my Mk III...)
???: ...Don't think too hard, you'll get wrinkles.
Marion: Such a rude comment could only be from Master Rishu...
Marion: Have you finished with the Colossal Blade's motion input?



Marion: Is that it?
Rishu: Yes. That is all it needs to do.
Rishu: One strike with the Colossal Blade inflicts the desired amount of damage.
Marion: But, what if it can't use the Colossal Blade?
Rishu: Well, that would be ideal now, wouldn't it?
Marion: What!? I don't understand.
Rishu: A good sword is the one left in its scabbard.

This is a real Japanese proverb, apparently. I couldn't find a source, but I'm pretty sure I've heard it somewhere before.

Rishu: It's not the weapon that wins the battle, but your will.
Marion: *sigh* Your outdated concepts may work for Project SRX, but they don't work for me.
Rishu: I disagree. Your mechs are identical to theirs.
Marion: Not true. My mechs don't run on some suspicious technology from a meteor.
Marion: Anyway, how is Major Sanger doing so far?
Rishu: Quite well. His swordsmanship is improving everyday.
Marion: Well, I hope so. If he were to fail, some may begin to doubt your ability to teach, Master Rishu.
Rishu: ...Talking with you is more difficult than sparring with Sanger and Bullet, you know.




Kyosuke: (...Bugs? Is that a code name?)
Excellen: Boss, is the carrier you're talking about Bullet's T3?
Sanger: Yes.
Kyosuke: Bullet?
Kyosuke: Our other member is Master Sergeant Brooklyn "Bullet" Luckfield?
Excellen: Yeah. He's a bit of a spaz...
Kyosuke: I don't think that has anything to do with this...
Sanger: OK, I'll take the Type O. You guys take Gespenst Mk II.
Kyosuke: Type O? Is that a new mech?



Kyosuke: It's not a Personal Trooper?
Excellen: No. It's a Super Robot.
Kyosuke: But, I didn't see it in the hanger.
Excellen: That's cuz it's maintained underground...
Excellen: Anyways, you'll love it when you see it!
Sanger: Enough chitchat. Let's go!
Kyosuke: Roger.









Bullet: (...It's the moment of truth!)
Bullet: This is Assault 3. Get your T3 out of here; I'll cover you!
EFA: Y-Yes, Sir!



It's not that obvious from his starting stats, but Bullet is much more useful in close-range combat. This game likes putting him into mechs that specialize in ranged combat, but fortunately almost every pilot can be put into a different mech (except in missions where they automatically deploy).



This is essentially another Battle Mastery where we have to destroy the enemies in a specific amount of time, since the Tausendfussler (which is German for "millipede") moves at a predetermined pace.



Bullet was an important character in the Alpha series, but he doesn't get much attention in this game. He gets a ridiculously awesome mech in the sequel, though. The mech he's piloting in this mission is a Gespenst TT that is identical to the one we saw in Ryusei's route.





The carrier is attacked by one of the bugs, but the ATX team arrives in the nick of time (like any self-respecting hero does).



Bullet: Th-That's Major Sanger's...!
Sanger: I see an opening!

"A Sword To Smite Evil" (GBA version/PS2 version)



There's a reason why Sanger (or "Zengar") is considered one of the most badass characters in this or any series. That his mech uses a sword big enough to cut a battleship in two is part of that reason.



Excellen: You should've waited...
Sanger: This sword is great. It cuts clean. I must thank Master Rishu.
Bullet: Look at the size of that sword!
Kyosuke: (Quick moves, fast kills... Project ATX is amazing.)
Bullet: Chief Sanger!
Sanger: You didn't finish them off! Kill or be killed!
Bullet: S-Sorry, Sir. There were too many...
Excellen: Hey, no excuses! When the time comes, even a rat becomes a puppy, right?

Another Japanese proverb. I guess they didn't want to replace them with western proverbs for the translation. Also, I'm pretty sure that Excellen gets her proverbs wrong on purpose.

Bullet: I'm no rat! And it becomes a cheetah, not a puppy!
Excellen: Wow! You really know your proverbs!
Kyosuke: ...Actually, it becomes a tiger.
Bullet: Huh? Who's this?
Sanger: Our new member, Lieutenant Kyosuke Nanbu.
Bullet: So you're the 3rd man?
Kyosuke: Pleased to meet you, Master Sergeant Brooklyn.
Bullet: Call me Bullet, Sir!
Sanger: OK. Escort the Tausendfussler out of here safely.
Bullet: Yes, Sir!
Excellen: Right!
Kyosuke: ...Roger.
Kyosuke:(...What are those? Obviously not PT or fighters...)
Kyosuke: (Are those new EOTI mechs?)
Kyosuke: (New enemies for the new member, huh? Something's up.)



Our first Super Robot, althought we won't get to use it too often until later on. Super Robots generally have more defense and raw power than Real Robots, but their attacks use up a lot of EN and pretty much all Super Robots suck at dodging.



Sanger himself has stats that are typical for someone that pilots Super Robots and already comes with 5 skills. This means that we won't have to spend much PP on his skills, but we can also only add one skill before he hits the maximum of 6 skills. Sense is a SC that combines Alert and Strike, and Spirit raises Will by 10 (important, since the Grungust O's Colossal Blade requires 140 will, with 150 being the maximum). However, since Spirit is so expensive I prefer letting Sanger finish off enemies to raise his will (every time a character kills an enemy, his will is raised by 5 points).



Finishing off the remaining enemies before the Tausendfussler leaves the map is kind of annoying, since the enemies just ignore the other units if they are too close to the Tausendfussler. If you're lucky, one of the bugs will be in Sanger's range, but it's easy enough to finish them off with the rest of the team if you've softened them up with Bullet.



Excellen: It's over.
EFA: T3 to Assault 1, we're leaving the area!
Sanger: Roger.

*The Tausendfussler leaves the map*

Bullet: Can we take a break now, Sir?
Sanger: Stay on guard, Bullet. We're not finished yet.

*Enemies appear* (I've given up on trying to get a good screenshot of those scenes)



Kyosuke: I don't get it. Are they really after the carrier?
Sanger: (No doubt they're here to observe my Type O.)
Sanger: I'll leave the rest up to you guys.
Bullet: Huh?
Excellen: Boss, wait!
Sanger: And don't come back until you finish your job!

*Sanger leaves*

Excellen: He makes it sound like we're delivering pizzas!
Kyosuke: These are tough enemies for our 1st combat exercise.
Bullet: No time to talk! Here they come!
Kyosuke: Let's get 'em!



Sometimes when an enemy attacks Kyosuke (or anyone else with the Counter skill), he gets to attack before them. Not that useful (since it's activated randomly), but sometimes it allows Kyosuke to finish off a weakened enemy without taking a hit.



The rest of the mission is standard procedure and after Bullet finished off the last enemy, the mission ends.





Bullet: No. I don't see any.
Kyosuke: That was some exercise.
Bullet: That's how the boss operates -- quick and without warning.
Excellen: Girls don't like guys who are quick, you know.
Kyosuke: They can hate me, for al I care, as long as we win the war.
Excellen: Oh, don't say that. Let me tell you about girls...
Bullet: (Yes! Now that Kyosuke's here...)
Bullet: (Lieutenant Excellen will stop teasing me!)





Greg: You were definitely the right choice for the ATX commander. With all your experience as an Aggressor--
Sanger: Please don't mention that.
Sanger: I haven't told my team about my past.
Greg: ...I see.
Sanger: By the way, Sir, about the Aerogaters...
Sanger: They've been appearing in certain locations more frequently lately.
Greg: You're referring to North America, Southern Europe, and the Marquesas Islands, correct?
Sanger: Yes. It seems all those areas have facilities that create anti-Aerogater weaponry...
Sanger: So, those reacon units were most likely dispatched to check on the Type O and the other 2 units.
Greg: It's hard to believe they have that much info. Are we reading too much into this?
Sanger: .....
Sanger: (Either way, the Aerogaters will make their move soon.)
Greg: Anyway, the cargo has arrived... Start testing ASAP.
Sanger: Yes, Sir!



Excellen: I think bad luck just follows him.
Bullet: She's talking to him about a new model.
Bullet: Um, Lieutenant...
Excellen: Yes?
Bullet: ...Can you not walk around in just a towel?
Excellen: Hey, do you wanna check out my silky smooth skin?
Bullet: Lieutenant! Don't get so close! Someone may see us!
Excellen: *giggle* Don't worry! No one will care!
Bullet: Th-Th-That's not the point...



Great choice of words, Bullet. The only thing missing is "I can explain!".

Excellen: Whoa... Things could get complicated! *giggle*
Kyosuke: Oh, excuse me. Please continue.

*Kyosuke leaves*

Bullet: Huuuuhhhh!?
Excellen: No, no, no! Don't say that? Kyosuke, wait!
Bullet: Anyways... We've been called to a meeting.
Excellen: Darn. I just took a bath!



And with that, Kyosuke's route also switches into Hard Mode. Next update will probably be another Kyosuke mission, since some events would get a bit confusing otherwise.




End of Update #7

Enemies destroyed: 11
Enemies cut down by the Sword That Smites Evil: 1
Proverbs butchered: 1

At this point, I'd like to thank MarsDragon for all the interesting background information he is posting. I like to think that I know quite a lot about the history of the series, but apparently there's still a lot I don't know.

Also, I'm thinking about summarizing some of the dialogue from here on. I'd like to transcribe all of the dialogue if I could, but that would probably get quite boring later on (when the game gets really wordy), not to mention that it would take a lot of time. Any thoughts on that?

I wouldn't mind if you summarized the dialouge, especially exposition about the various factions. Keep the amusing ones though.
________
WEED

Man, you put it like that and I feel bad about not doing my part for days because I was too lazy to play through five minutes of Alpha for a quick screenshot. But I'm glad you're enjoying these little things.

Man, do it. SRW games get obscenely wordy, don't make it hard on yourself. There's a lot of stuff that can just be summed up with transcriptions for the important/funny bits.

Anyway, Bullet. As soulD noted, he's pretty important in the Alpha series. For getting kidnapped/brainwashed/killed in order to motivate Kusuha. No, seriously, not a game goes by without something terrible happening to Bullet so Kusuha can save him. That's... not so much here. His real origin is back in Super Hero Sakusen with Kusuha, where he ran the equipment store. He had much spikier hair back then. He then showed up in Alpha as Kusuha's default SO. Have a picture of him in a pilot suit, as I somehow managed to start on the real route despite trying to change it over to the super route. There's not much else to say yet, as his story doesn't start to get going until further along and he was generic even for Alpha. He's still pretty generic here, but at least they tried to give him some character by having him interact with Excellen.

Procrastination is just weird sometimes. Doing this LP is something I genuinely enjoy and yet I always find reasons not to work on the next update. I've decided to just summarize some of the dialogue from now on (transcribing every bit of dialogue would be suicidal in later missions) so let's see if I can stick to a updating schedule from now on.

Anyway, as I said last time this is another Kyosuke update. The first half of the two routes take place at roughly the same time and to avoid confusion I've decided to stick with Kyosuke's route for now. Kyosuke's route is going to get ditched later on anyway, so let's give the guy his time in the limelight.






Jonathan: Where are our escort jets!?
EFA: They were shot down, Sir!
Jonathan: Is this the end for me?
Jonathan: Ah, I guess when it's your time, it's your time.

*Explosions*

Jonathan: I take it back! I don't want to die!





Rishu: He's close, but it looks like he's having trouble reaching our anti-air cannon coverage.
Marion: ...This is a good chance.
Rishu: For what?
Marion: Lt. Kyosuke, may I have a word with you?
Kyosuke: What is it? We need to hurry...
Marion: Yes, about that... I want you to take that mech.
Kyosuke: That mech!? The Alteisen?
Marion: ...It's called the Gespenst Mk III.

Note: No one besides Dr. Radom will call it the Gespenst Mk III. Ever. Well, there's one exception, but he has a very good reason and he's not even in this game.

Rishu: The name will be authorized after the mech passes the weapons trial. And, anyways...
Rishu: I head the Huckebein Mk II will be the next-gen fighter.
Marion: Excuse me! My Mk III will not lose to that hunk of junk!
Rishu: I don't see a difference between the two.
Marion: Anyways, the Gespenst Mk III is ready for battle!
Kyosuke: So, you want it to be tested under live fire?
Marion: Yes. And don't hold back; she can handle it.
Rishu: No! The Alt is not ready for battle!
Marion: I told you, it's the Gespenst Mk III!
Rishu: OK, OK! Anyway, the mech is unstable. It must be adjusted.
Marion: I don't want to hear anything from a guy who equipped a gigantic sushi knife to the Type O.
Rishu: S-Sushi knife!? The sword is the soul of the samurai...!



Kyosuke: And, I have a personal interest in the Alt.
Marion: *smile* You have a good eye, Lieutenant.
Kyosuke: I've never seen such a stupid mech in all my life.
Marion: S-Stupid!?
Kyosuke: Sorry...
Rishu: I agree with you. What purpose does a stake driver have in a real war?

I think the real question is: why wouldn't you stick a stake driver onto a mech?

Rishu: A samurai only needs his sword.
Marion: Nonsense. This isn't feudal times. It's the space era!
Kyosuke: I guess I'll just use the Revolver Stake like the Jet Magnum.
Rishu: Well, if you say so...
Excellen: *sneeze*
Kyosuke: Did you catch a cold, Excellen?
Excellen: No, I just got out of the bath. Hey! We gotta go!
Bullet: We're waiting on you, Lieutenant!
Kyosuke: OK. I'll take the new one.
Bullet: Are you sure!? Maybe you should take a unit you're used to.
Marion: Don't worry. It's based on the Gespenst. And anyway, I'm coming too.
Rishu: You should let the young folks enyoy themselves, Marion.
Marion: The young folks!? I'm young too!
Kyosuke: It looks like this going to take some time, Excellen.
Excellen: We don't have time. If anything happens to him, he'll haunt you... with his girlfriend.
Kyosuke: I know. As soon as it's ready, I'll be on my way.
Excellen: OK. And bring some extra weapons with you.
Kyosuke: Roger that.



There are three ways to get items:

- By defeating enemies (mostly bosses)
- Fulfilling certain conditions (like defeating a enemy before it can retreat)
- Advancing the story

Of course, no. 2 is how you get the best items in the game. Most of the conditions are relatively easy to fulfill once you know how to get the secrets, however. Since the secret items only come into play in the second half of the game, I will ignore the requirements for them in Kyosuke's route and instead get all of them that can be unlocked in Ryusei's route.









Jonathan: Sanger!? Good! Hang in there a little longer, men!



? Pilot: What!?
Tenzan: And soon the whole world will know about us...!
? Pilot: D-Do you want me to report you!?
Tenzan: I'm under the direct command of old man Adler. So take it up with him. ... And get yourself discharged! Ahahaha!
? Pilot: D-Damn you...!
Tenzan: Now, shoot that carrier down so we can get the prize!
Jonathan: Is that mech an AM!?
Jonathan: So, the rumor that the EOTI was planning a mutiny is true! They must be after my cargo!



Letting the Tausendfussler get destroyed ends the mission, but since the Tausendfussler can heal itself, you'd have to do that deliberately.



Leading the enemies that follow you to the right side of the map is a smart idea, since...



...that is where the ATX team enters the battlefield.



Tenzan: Hey! Reinforcements! And a model that's not in the data base.
Tenzan: I thought the EFA only had a Gespenst. A red unicorn... That's new.
Jonathan: That PT must be...!
Sanger: Excellen, Bullet, you guys ready?
Bullet: Sir, can we use the M13 Shotgun and the Steel Knife from the carrier?
Sanger: If you think you're going to need them, go to EQUIP WEAPON, and choose a weapon. Then select EQUIP.
Bullet: Yes, Sir!
Excellen: Hey, a Repair Module! I'll take it just in case.

Repair Modules are like Potions, Herbs, etc. in other games. To be honest, I almost never use them - they take away space than can be used for more useful parts and there are better ways to heal the mechs.



Jonathan: You can't deploy a defective unit...!
Marion: Defective!? How can you say that!? The Mk III can...
Excellen: Excuse me...
Sanger: Assault 1 to all units, escort the carrier out of danger and take out the enemies!
Kyosuke: Roger that.
Bullet: Are you sure about this?
Kyosuke: It has a lot more horsepower than the Gespenst. I just gotta get used to it.
Jonathan: Watch out! There are AMs among the enemies.
Marion: Ridiculous. That thing's not...
Jonathan: The EOTI mechs have made it to mass production.
Jonathan: They're serious about this.
Marion: Their mechs will be perfect to test the Mk III and the Mk II Custom.
Jonathan: H-Hey...

Tenzan: How lucky for me to encounter a new test model.
Tenzan: I'm tired of sim training. Let's play a real war game!

In case you haven't noticed, Tenzan is completely insane.

Bullet: War game!?
Excellen: Bullet, say something cool like, "War isn't a game!"
Excellen: Right, Kyosuke?
Kyosuke: It pulls every time I rev it. I gotta figure it out.
Excellen: Hey, Kyosuke, listen!
Kyosuke: Just let him bark. I'm not interested.
Tenzan: Hey, man, you should reply when someone talks to you.
Kyosuke: I said I'm not interested. If you want to play a game, go to an arcade. There, how's that for a reply?
Tenzan: Hahaha! Awesome! I love you, man!
Tenzan: You're soooo cool, especially when you act like a hero!
Kyosuke: .....
Tenzan: Unfortunately, good guys die easily. Here, let me show you!
Kyosuke: ...I almost got it...
Kyosuke: OK, here we go, Alt.
Tenzan: You bastard! Stop ignoring me!



In this mission, I just let Kyosuke go nuts on the enemies - his Alteisen is a bit overpowered at this stage of the game and you get some amusing dialogue if Kyosuke kills most of the enemies on this mission. Since experience scales according to the pilots level in this game, being a bit underleveled is no problem (letting an underleveled pilot kill a boss and watching him almost double his level is fascinating). The only thing you have to watch out for is that some secrets require a pilot to get a lot of kills before a specific mission.



The Alteisen ("scrap iron" or "old iron") is like a Super/Real Robot hybrid. It can take hits pretty well and is decent at dodging attacks but can do neither as well as a Super or Real Robot. Due to its reliance on Melee weapons it has problems with enemies using long-range weapons, but thanks to the Alteisen's armor and his Spirit commands (which let him charge across the map and use the Alteisen's stronger attacks without having to stop) Kyosuke can handle them... most of the time.



The Alteisen may look a bit like a chubby beetle, but its attacks are pretty brutal. Revolver Stake, for example, involves stabbing the enemy with a giant stake and then unloading the machine cannons built into the same arm.

Kyosuke: Why? Not having fun?
Tenzan: I hate being ignored!
Kyosuke: Sorry about that. Why don't you go home then? Here, let me help you.



Not pictured: Tenzan losing 3/4 of his health. Later bosses have tons of health, but Tenzan here is like a slightly stronger mook.



Meanwhile, the rest of the team takes care of the fighter jets that followed the Tausendfussler



Like I said, the Alteisen is kind of overpowered right now. That will change pretty quickly, though. Especially when the bosses start spamming attacks than can kill you in 1-2 hits...



Tenzan: My test model can't fight anymore. So... Adios!



Excellen also gets to kill some enemies since she is a bit underleveled.



And yet another Battle Mastery. Only 54 more to go, counting both routes. In hindsight, I probably could've picked a better game for my first LP, but it's too late for regrets!



Kyosuke: It's over. ...I think I burnt out the Alt.
Marion: Wonderful! Great job, Lieutenant Kyosuke!
Kyosuke: ...?
Marion: You fought against the flyer units with your land-warfare unit!
Excellen: It sounds like you didn't think he had a chance.
Kyosuke: The Alt and I get along well. All we need is more practice.
Marion: You're ready to go! The Mk III is proud of you!

If Kyosuke only gets a few kills, he gets chewed out by Dr. Radom instead. There are a few cases like this, where you can influence the dialogue in the game, but the differences are very minor.

Excellen: Sorry to interrupt you, but what about Dr. Kazahara?
Marion: I don't care about him.
Marion: All I care about is the Mk III's new settings.
Jonathan: Thanks for your concern.
Bullet: Cruel as usual.
Excellen: Corn in your side.
Bullet: That's horn in your side.
Kyosuke: ...Actually it's thorn. Anyway, we should've won easily.
Jonathan: Not necessarily..
Jonathan: You see, AMs are flyer-type mobile weapons, and they're difficult to defeat with land-warfare PTs.
Sanger: So then, what's your answer?
Jonathan: My cargo.



Jonathan: Yes. My lab was working on miniaturizing it.
Marion: ...!
Kyosuke: (It could be an anti-air weapon or a flying device...)
Kyosuke: (But I'd rather pilot the Alt without those...)






Sanger: Yes. It's safe to assume the EOTI is planning a mutiny.
Greg: The Far East Brigade has battled a similar outfit.
Sanger: The situation is worse than we expected.
Greg: What is Brian thinking...?
Greg: He's the one who warned the world of the alien threat.
Sanger: (EOTI has been researching super technology in Meteor 3 on Aidoneus Island. If they're mass-producing AMs... The EFA will be no match for them.)






End of Update #8

Enemies crushed by a red unicorn beetle: 7
Recurring villains introduced: 1