Super Robot Wars

Just as fans of American comic books wonder which heroes would defeat each other in a fight, fans of anime mecha wonder which would own the battlefield if they were set against each other. In 1991, Japanese gaming company Banpresto made these dreams a reality with Super Robot Wars (SRW for short) for the Nintendo Game Boy. With favorite mecha from Mazinger Z, Getter Robo and Gundam fighting together against hordes of evil robots in turn-based strategy a phenomenon began that hasn’t lost steam for 14 years (Super Robot Wars Alpha 3 should be released in July 2005).

In the same year, Banpresto released Super Robot Wars 2 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Among the improvements were the inclusion of pilots from the same anime series as the mecha as characters and the storyline was influenced by choices made in the game. The feature that really turned heads was the appearance of a new mecha designed specifically for the game: Masoukishin Cybuster.

As time went on more games were released for SRW and the storylines became more intricate and more enemies and allies were added. The gigantic, 200 meter tall Gunbuster and the 3.85 meter tall Garland [Megazone 23], the medieval Dunbine and the high-tech Sound Force [Macross 7], the bionic Evangelion and the god-like Ideon – all of these appeared fighting side-by-side against the worst threats in the universe.

In addition to already-loved mecha, Cybuster and other original mecha have created their own fan base with storylines that focus on the Super Robot Wars setting. Some games like Super Robot Wars Gaiden – Lord of Elemental (1996) and Super Robot Wars Original Generation (2002) feature only original SRW mecha and characters. SRW has even made the transition to anime with the release of an OAV titled Super Robot Wars Original Generation.

Special thanks to Kuruni for much help with this section.