Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation 2

"An incredible sequel to the most interesting Super Robot Taisen in years."

The release of Super Robot Taisen Original Generation was a success. The formula of using only Banpresto Original characters turned out to be a success, proving that Super Robot Taisen could survive even without the inclusion of popular Anime series, as long as there was enough gameplay to back it up. Logically, Banpresto then decided to produce a sequel, and in the end, it came in the form of Super Robot Taisen Original Generation 2.

First and foremost, OG2 is in every way a fan only game, even moreso then the first. The game is not forgiving. Gone are the days of infinite levelling and money while getting battle masteries. Gone are easy to get secrets, that require little to no planning to get. Gone is the near lack of difficulty. If you couldn't even take the first game, OG2 is going to make you whimper and cry.

The story begins with you playing as a mysterious woman named Lamia Loveless, whom is attacked by a group of Divine Crusaders remnants during the first stage. Soon enough, she is met with Kyosuke Nanbu (one of the main characters from the first game) and his ATX team, who help fight off the forces and allow her to join their crew. From then on, the story just gets more complicated, as various factions pop up, and the whole situation escalates into a conflict even larger then that of the first game.

OG2 is a tactical overhead RPG, where players control robots on a grid based overhead map, moving them and attacking enemy robots. Similar to magic in fantasy based SRPGs, there are “Spirits” that each character can cast to create various effects, such as double damage for the next attack or regaining all HP that has been lost. However, some of the better Spirits from the first game, such as Sense have been removed, and new ones have been added, although they aren't quite as useful. On the other hand, several of the weaker Spirit lists the characters have been balanced out a bit more, so it all evens out in the end.

Just like the first game, there are many factors one also has to consider for effective combat. Things like terrain, supporting and combination attacks are still present, and anyone serious about the game is going to have to take advantage of them. In particular, there are numerous combination attacks now, in comparison to measly total of two in OG.

Between missions, there is still the regular intermission screen, which allows the player to upgrade mechs or give them new parts or weapons. Pilots are still managed here, and using PP, pilots can be taught new skills or given stat boosts. Anyone who played the first game will find the screen very familiar, and anyone new should hopefully find it the least confusing part of the game.

While the core system of the game remains the same, various parts have been tweaked, and new features have been added. Notable is the inclusion of the Chain Attack system from Super Robot Taisen D, which allows you to attack more then one enemy at a time, as long as they are in a straight line. While not quite the same as a MAP a attack (which attacks enemies over an area), the Chain Attack is useful and a welcome addition to the overall system.

More then anything else, the difficulty has been changed. While the first game proved challenging to some newcomers, most people didn't have any trouble at all ploughing through. OG2 is not the same. While OG2 isn't brutal (like the SNES SRTs), it is still quite a challenge and anyone who isn't prepared is going to suffer. Players are going to have to seriously consider what skills to teach, what mechs to assign to which pilots and many other things.

As usual with the SRW series, this game can sometimes be just as fun to watch as to play. Each robot's sprite is drawn well in SD form, and most pilots have at least 2 different portraits and a cut-in animation when they attack. Every time you attack, you also get to see an animation sequence featuring your robot attacking the enemy. These are sequences are animated very well, although they do get old after a while, and some look of the animations look a bit awkward. Still, for the English version audience, OG2's graphics are a massive improvement over OG and should be very impressive.

The music in OG2 is largely the same as OG's, although there are several new tracks, and all of the old tracks have been re-done. New to OG2 is the feature that allows you to select which track plays when your robot attacks, which means you have a (somewhat limited) choice in what you want to listen to. Tracks are unlocked as you gradually progress through the game, and chances are, you'll be wanting to change the more boring tracks later on. Sound effects aren't really worth talking about, but they're fitting enough for the game.

Just like OG1, OG2 isn't really going to appeal to anyone who doesn't like giant robots, but that's ok, because that's just the way the game was designed. For fans, OG2 is a great improvement over OG, and ranks with the best of the best in the Super Robot Taisen series.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/15/06, Updated 11/17/06