| Super Robot Spirits | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Banpresto |
| Publisher(s) | Banpresto |
| Series | Super Robot Wars |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo 64 |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Fighting |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Super Robot Spirits [a] is a 3D fighting game for the Nintendo 64, and a spinoff of the Super Robot Wars line of games. It was released only in Japan in 1998.
Super Robot Spirits is a 3D fighting game that pits players in one-on-one battles against mecha from select Japanese anime series. [1] The plot involves an ongoing war throughout the universe between humans and a fleet of robots named the "Aerogater". To stop the Aerogater from destroying Earth, robots from other dimensions are transported to Earth to destroy them once and for all. [2] Spirits includes seven playable characters from the start: Shining Gundam from Mobile Fighter G Gundam , Daitarn 3 from Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3 , Dunbine from Aura Battler Dunbine , Voltes V from Chōdenji Machine Voltes V , Walker Gallier from Combat Mecha Xabungle , Dancouga from Dancouga – Super Beast Machine God , and R-1, a robot created by Banpresto that first appeared in the 1996 PlayStation game Shin Super Robot Wars. [2] By fulfilling certain conditions, players can also unlock the Master Gundam and Devil Gundam from Mobile Fighter G Gundam, and the Judecca from Super Robot Wars Alpha . [3]
The game is presented from a 2.5D perspective; while the characters and environments are rendered in 3D, the gameplay takes place on a 2D plane. Each character is able to kick, punch, block incoming attacks, and use weapons such as turret guns and energy swords. [1] In each battle, which are made to represent anime episodes, the player must defeat their opponent by depleting their health. Hitting opponents provides the player with "spirit skills", which fill up an orange gauge underneath their health bar. Spirit skills are used to unleash a powerful super attack, which can't be deflected by opponents. Super attacks differ for each character, and are stronger depending on how many spirit skills the player possesses, and are different for each character. [2] The player can also combine their weapons with an attack to cause a different super attack to unfold, which varies depending on the character selected. [1]
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Famitsu | 25/40 [4] |
| Gamers' Republic | C+ [5] |
| N64 Magazine | 58% [6] |
| Total! Germany | 5/6 [7] |
| Ultra 64 | 72/100 [3] [8] |
Super Robot Spirits received largely mediocre reviews from publications. It struggled to gain sales; according to Famitsu , it only sold around 9,000 copies total. [9] Spirits sold significantly less than the other Super Robot game on the console, Super Robot Wars 64 , which sold over 100,000 copies total. [10]
The game's graphics were met with mixed reactions. Martin Kitts of N64 Magazine was particularly critical of the backdrops, which he stated were poorly-drawn and created a bad contrast with the character models. Kitts also criticized the graphical effects for being poorly-designed, using the ghosting effects with the special moves and the feet of the player's robot disappearing underwater as examples. [6] The staff at Gamers' Republic felt that the graphics were of decent quality, as were the character animations. [5] Disagreeing with both publications was Tobias Partetzke of Total! Germany, who believed that the visuals were mediocre at best and the animations were stiff and awkward. [7] Publications believed that the beginning of Super Robot Spirits had a good presentation. [7] Kitts labeled its opening animation as "stylish", and one that was close to impressing its players upon boot-up. [6] Ultra 64's Eric commented that the game presents itself a nice atmosphere. [3]
Most critics disliked Super Robot Spirits for its gameplay. Eric felt that it was lacking in design and omits what he considered to be basic mechanics for any fighting game, such as a large amount of movesets for each character. [3] Tobias, whose review of the game was largely scathing, claimed the gameplay was so awful that he wouldn't have been surprised if Banpresto did it on purpose, in an ironic attempt to make the Nintendo 64's worst fighting game. [7] On the contrary, Gamers' Republic believed that Super Robot Spirits posed the best fighting game engine on the console, finding it superior than Konami's Rakugakids . While they disliked the playing arenas for being bland and uninspired, they enjoyed the character movesets and powerful super attacks. [5] The controls themselves were criticized for their simplicity, which Kitts claimed was a pointless decision due to how few moves the characters actually possessed. [6] The game's story mode and multiplayer were praised and seen as the highlights of the game. [3] Overall, critics stated that Super Robot Spirits was a poorly-designed fighting game that was clearly rushed to market in hopes to capitalize on the properties used. Kitts described it as being "a crushing disappointment for fans of the cartoons", a waste of so many beloved licenses, and an average-at-best fighter for the platform. [6] Eric agreed with his statement and further added that it would serve as nothing but a disappointment for fans. [3] Tobias likened the game to Hudson's Dual Heroes , another poorly-received fighter for the Nintendo 64. He believed that Spirits felt like more like an unfinished prototype than a completed product, concluding his review with: "Be glad that this terrible trash has not been announced for Germany!" [7]
Super Robot Wars, known in Japan as Super Robot Taisen, is a series of Japanese tactical role-playing video games produced by Bandai Namco Entertainment, formerly Banpresto. Starting out as a spinoff of the Compati Hero series, the main feature of the franchise is having a story that crosses over several popular mecha anime, manga and video games, allowing characters and mecha from different titles to team up or battle one another. The first game in the franchise was released for the Game Boy on April 20, 1991. Later spawning numerous games that were released on various consoles and handhelds. Due to the nature of crossover games and licensing involved, only a few games have been released outside Japan, and in English; Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation and its sequel were the first of these in 2006. The franchise celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2016, and its 30th anniversary in 2021, and Super Robot Wars 30 was also released overseas.
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Super Robot Wars MX is a video game for the PlayStation 2. It is part of the Super Robot Wars series by Banpresto, and it was released on May 27, 2004. It was later ported to the PlayStation Portable on December 19, 2005, with minor gameplay tweaks, titled Super Robot Wars MX Portable.
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Super Robot Wars Alpha Gaiden, or simply, Alpha Gaiden, is a video game for the PlayStation, first released in Japan in 2001. It is the first side-story in the Super Robot Wars Alpha series, continuing from Super Robot Wars Alpha. The characters of After War Gundam X, Turn A Gundam, and Combat Mecha Xabungle make debut appearances in the game.
Wonder Project J2 is a 1996 life simulation game developed by Givro Corporation and originally published by Enix for the Nintendo 64. It is the sequel to Wonder Project J, which was released in 1994 for the Super Famicom.
Dual Heroes is a fighting game for Nintendo 64. The game was developed by Produce! and published by Hudson Soft in Japan, Electro Brain in North America and Gaga Interactive Media in Europe.
Super Robot Wars 64 is a tactical role-playing game for the Nintendo 64. It was released only in Japan in 1999. The game can make use of the Nintendo 64's Transfer Pak with the Game Boy Color game Super Robot Wars: Link Battler.
Super Robot Taisen Alpha, known as Super Robot Wars Alpha outside Japan, is a 2000 tactical role-playing video game developed and published by Banpresto for the PlayStation. A version for the Dreamcast, Super Robot Wars for Dreamcast, was released a year later.
Super Robot Wars A is a video game for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance, part of Banpresto's Super Robot Wars franchise and the first to appear on the Game Boy Advance handheld; the letter "A" in the title stands for "Advance". It was ported onto mobile phones as part of the Super Robot Wars i collection in 2006. An enhanced remake of Super Robot Wars A was released for the PlayStation Portable on June 19, 2008 as Super Robot Wars A Portable.
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3rd Super Robot Wars (第3次スーパーロボット大戦) was the third game in a series, the second in the "classic" canon, and the first on the Super Famicom, published on July 23, 1993. Along with 2nd and EX, 3rd Super Robot Wars was released on the Sony PlayStation on June 10, 1999, as part of Super Robot Wars Complete Box and June 22, 1999, as a stand-alone port.
4th Super Robot Wars is a tactical RPG for the Super Famicom developed by both Banpresto and Winky Soft and published by Banpresto. It is the 5th entry in the Super Robot Wars series and the last entry in the Classic Timeline. It was first released on March 17, 1995, and received mostly positive reception, with reviewers highly praising the improvements from the last game while criticizing the game's increased difficulty. The game was ported to the Sony PlayStation and released on January 26, 1996, under the name 4th Super Robot Wars Scramble.
Super Robot Wars UX is a tactical role-playing game for the Nintendo 3DS developed by Banpresto and published by Namco Bandai Games. It is the first Super Robot Wars (SRW) game for the 3DS and was released in Japan on March 14, 2013. The theme of this game is "Possibilities".
Super Robot Wars V is a tactical role-playing game developed by B.B. Studio and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. Released as part of Super Robot Wars' 25th anniversary, it is the eighth standalone entry to the series since Super Robot Wars NEO, with the game's continued focus on the massive crossover between different mecha anime series released in Japan. It is released in Asia on February 23, 2017. A Nintendo Switch and Steam ports of the game were released on October 3, 2019.
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