SUPER ROBOT WARS Y

Probably one of my favorite english-speaking entries in the series (discounting fan trads, but that's another discussion entirely). It builds on 30's structure and strengths, with a return of the free-select mission structure and an attempt at non-linear storytelling. Where it succeeds is that missions now focus on multiple series in parallel, and always feature mid battle events changing up the situation and the narrative, so it's a much more engaging experience both story and play wise. The game's biggest strength is its writing and how it weaves all the crossovers together in a single, consistent world without relying on the parallel universe crutch from 30. Animations are still a bit of a mixed bag but still mostly on the very good end of the scale, with a much better use of 3D models. The new engine the game is built on does mean a ton of decade-old muscle memory is now invalid when UI and UX are concerned (no more quick movement with R1+stick or quicksave with square/X) and there are improvements to be made still, but it's an intriguing development and I look forward to their next iteration on this new foundation. Overall: if you've played SRW before, it's one of the better entries, not reaching the heights of the series japanese-only best but definitely memorable in its own right, with excellent OG units and music, cool story and animations, a surprising-yet-it-works cast, and plenty of small UI changes that make gameplay extremely fluid and stop relying on the old quicksave/quickload shenanigans. If you haven't played SRW before... there isn't a better time than now, so if you're interested, get in the robot!