VIP We'll go into the space over the future.

We're looking for the place under the shining star.

This might sound completely ignorant, but I always thought SD Gundam was for kids. Well, at least that's how the franchise started - Bandai wanted to make a version of Gundam for kids. It began with anthropomorphic, pilotless mobile suits boasting big eyes and big personalities - and stories that were either original or a comedic parody of the original series. This was the SD Gundam I was familiar with.

What I learned was that over time, SD Gundam evolved to closely mirror the adult-themed, full-scale Gundam series it originally spun off from. SD became more of an art style that made every mech visually unified with the same proportions and skeletons, which made crossovers more manageable as they're easier and cheaper to animate and develop. This shift eventually paved the way for tons of crossover SD Gundam video games spanning the entire franchise, which eventually led up to...

I can fly! You can fly! We can fly!

Super Robot Wars is a turn-based tactical JRPG series, akin to Fire Emblem or Disgaea, but with all of your favorite characters from various mecha anime and even non-mecha anime (mostly space anime). It currently holds the Guinness World Record for "Most intellectual property licenses used in a role-playing videogame series", which is 274. It is the most epic crossover known to man since the Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny. It doesn't hold a candle to Weiss Schwarz with its hundreds of different titles, but Weiss Schwarz is a card game and doesn't even have a Guinness World Record. Fuck that - we're here for the big mechas, space ships, and absurdly over-the-top attack sequences, not some collectible waifu card game bullshit.

Ever since its start in the 90s, SRW spit out at least 2 games per year. That is, until covid happened. After that, it celebrated its 30th anniversary with SRW 30. And then, it went silent for a few years. People were doomposting that the series was dead and that the main focus was on the gacha game SRW DD. Suddenly, out from the grave came SRW Y. Both SRW 30 and Y are the only ones currently officially available in America, unless you count the several OG games on the GBA and DS.

Despite all this history, SRW is still a niche franchise in the west. With all those IPs in each game, international licensing was hell. That's why the OG games, which had only original mecha and characters, were easily released in the west. I didn't know SRW even had instrumental renditions of my favorite mecha anime themes until recently, which brings me to this update.

Code:

Super Robot Wars F Final (Sat) - Hidetoshi Suzuki - TIME TO COME
Super Robot Wars F Final (Sat) - Hiroyuki Kouzu, Yoshiaki Mutoh, et al. - Sirocco! Gale! Cybuster
Super Robot Wars 64 - 哀しみの戦場へ
Super Robot Wars 64 - 熱き魂
Super Robot Wars 64 - Burning Love
Super Robot Wars Alpha - Cruel Angel's Thesis
Super Robot Wars Alpha - MARIONETTE MESSIAH
Super Robot Wars Alpha - DECISIVE BATTLE
Super Robot Wars A - U-GEN - Ash to Ash ~Theme of Lamia~
Super Robot Wars IMPACT - Shining in the Storm
Super Robot Wars IMPACT - Beholding You -The time I'm Seeing You-
Super Robot Wars IMPACT - The Faraway Battle Begins
Super Robot Wars R - Over the World Wall
Super Robot Wars R - Go! Aestivalis
Super Robot Wars: Original Generation - The Arrow of Destiny
Super Robot Wars: Original Generation - Ice Man
Super Robot Wars Alpha 2 - Takayuki Hattori - SKILL
Super Robot Wars Alpha 2 - A Shooting Star Cuts Through the Night
Super Robot Wars Alpha 2 - ACE ATTACKER
Super Robot Wars Alpha 2 - IN MY DREAM
Super Robot Wars D - Duologue (Theme of Rim 1)
Super Robot Wars D - Silent Voice
Super Robot Wars MX - Promised Land (OST Ver.)
Super Robot Wars MX - Soul's Refrain
Super Robot Wars MX - The Birth Day of a New World
Super Robot Wars GC - STORM
Super Robot Wars GC - Theme Of Mazinkaiser
Super Robot Wars GC - Dream-Colored Chaser
Super Robot Wars Alpha 3 - TetsuL0W - GONG [Collaboration Cover]
Super Robot Wars Alpha 3 - LAST IMPRESSION
Super Robot Wars Alpha 3 - INVOKE
Super Robot Wars J - STRIKE Sortie
Super Robot Wars J - Realize
Super Robot Wars J - U-GEN - Katia's Final Attack Theme
Super Robot Wars XO - Melos no You ni ~LONELY WAY~
Super Robot Wars W - U-GEN - Just One Chance ~Valzacard's Final Attack~
Super Robot Wars W - Eternal Loneliness
Super Robot Wars W - Masquerade
Super Robot Wars W - Break Through
Super Robot Wars OG: Original Generations - Rocks
Super Robot Wars OG: Original Generations - Fate That Must Be Opposed
Super Robot Wars OG: Original Generations - TIME DIVER
Super Robot Wars OG: Original Generations - Asana of Destruction
Super Robot Wars OG: Original Generations - .wipe - Trombe! [Arrange]
Super Robot Wars OG Gaiden - Ask the Wind Where to Go
Super Robot Wars OG Gaiden - RUSHING DANDY
Super Robot Wars A Portable - YOU GET TO BURNING
Super Robot Wars A Portable - HieroGraph - CHAOS
Super Robot Wars Z - Crest of "Z's"
Super Robot Wars Z - DREAMS
Super Robot Wars Z - Moon's Cocoon
Super Robot Wars K - Kira, Whose Heart Never Falters
Super Robot Wars NEO - Ryu Paladin Lord Zephyr
Super Robot Wars NEO - DRAGON
Super Robot Wars NEO - Ryu Knight Zephyr
Super Robot Wars NEO - My Mind is Serene - But My Palm is like a Raging Fire
Super Robot Wars L - Lion
Super Robot Wars L - Beyond the New Door
Super Robot Wars L - Triangler
Super Robot Wars Z2: Hakai-hen - Resolution
Super Robot Wars Z2: Hakai-hen - Sky-Blue Days
Super Robot Wars Z2: Hakai-hen - COLORS
Super Robot Wars Z2: Hakai-hen - Crimson Fang
Super Robot Wars Z2: Hakai-hen - The Wings of a Boy that killed Adolescence
Super Robot Wars Z2: Saisei-hen - Steel Resistance
Super Robot Wars Z2: Saisei-hen - Shugoshin -The guardian
Super Robot Wars Z2: Saisei-hen - RHYTHM EMOTION
Super Robot Wars Z2: Saisei-hen - King Gainer Over!
Super Robot Wars Z2: Saisei-hen - Lone Sapphire
Super Robot Wars 2nd OG - LOST CHILDREN
Super Robot Wars 2nd OG - Deliverer
Super Robot Wars 2nd OG - Dancing Blue
Super Robot Wars 2nd OG - THE GAIA SAVIOUR
Super Robot Wars UX - Shangri-La
Super Robot Wars UX - Soukyuu
Super Robot Wars UX - PROUD
Super Robot Wars UX - Life Goes On
Super Robot Wars OE: Operation Extend - Proof of the Strongest ~King of Hearts~ (M-25)
Super Robot Wars OE: Operation Extend - 猛者たちの進撃
Super Robot Wars OE: Operation Extend - Sparkling Passion
Super Robot Wars OE: Operation Extend - Sono Mama no Kimi de Ite
Super Robot Wars Z3: Jigoku-hen - WHITE REFLECTION
Super Robot Wars Z3: Jigoku-hen - FINAL MISSION ~ QUANTUM BURST 1
Super Robot Wars Z3: Jigoku-hen - Pierce the Sky with Your XXX!!
Super Robot Wars Z3: Jigoku-hen - MOBILE SUIT
Super Robot Wars Z3: Jigoku-hen - Dash
Super Robot Wars Z3: Tengoku-hen - SOLAR CRYSTAL
Super Robot Wars Z3: Tengoku-hen - Taichi Overriser
Super Robot Wars Z3: Tengoku-hen - 6thMob.: UNICORN GUNDAM
Super Robot Wars Z3: Tengoku-hen - Your Legend ~ Aquarion Chapter 2
Super Robot Wars Z3: Tengoku-hen - Seeds of Tears, Flowers of Smiles
Super Robot Wars BX - The Wings of Goodbye ~ the end of triangle
Super Robot Wars BX - Obelisk
Super Robot Wars BX - Houkago Overflow
Super Robot Wars BX - AURORA
Super Robot Wars OG: The Moon Dwellers - Shining Storm ~Rekka no Gotoku~
Super Robot Wars OG: The Moon Dwellers - CHARGE THE SOUL OF FIGHTERS
Super Robot Wars OG: The Moon Dwellers - Limit Over
Super Robot Wars OG: The Moon Dwellers - Soulless Machine Gods
Super Robot Wars OG: The Moon Dwellers - SPLENDID STAR
Super Robot Wars V - Forbidden Resistance
Super Robot Wars V - ignited
Super Robot Wars V - Starlight of Oath
Super Robot Wars V - On your mark
Super Robot Wars V - Raise the anchor!
Super Robot Wars X - The Oath ~Yoake no Chikai~
Super Robot Wars X - X_SRV_3
Super Robot Wars X - X_MAP_1
Super Robot Wars X - X_SRV_1
Super Robot Wars X - MAIN TITLE
Super Robot Wars T - RESET
Super Robot Wars T - Aim for the Top! ~Fly High~
Super Robot Wars T - Fly, Dunbine
Super Robot Wars T - Unyielding Wish
Super Robot Wars T - 0057
Super Robot Wars 30 - Drei Kreuz ~Hagane no Survivor~
Super Robot Wars 30 - Concerto of SRW

Motto motto!

Code:

SD Gundam G Generation-F - Space Pirate Crossbone Vanguard Field BGM
SD Gundam G Generation Wars - GUNDAM Launching
SD Gundam G Generation Wars - You Resemble Me
SD Gundam G Generation Genesis - Cradle of Eternity
SD Gundam G Generation Genesis - Remains
SD Gundam G Generation Genesis - MEN OF DESTINY
SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays - Main Theme
SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays - Burning Fighting Spirit - Surpass the Ominous Fate (M-27)
SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays - The Hero Within You
SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays - GG2BGM228
SD Gundam Battle Alliance - Timeless Universe (feat. ShishiGami)
SD Gundam Battle Alliance - BEYOND THE TIME ~Möbius no Sora wo Koete~
SD Gundam Battle Alliance - BGM_203
Gundam Assault Survive - The Winner
Gundam Assault Survive - ETERNAL WIND ~Hohoemi wa Hikaru Kaze no Naka~
Neon Genesis Evangelion (N64) - Decisive Battle
  Exiled from VIP
Neon Genesis Evangelion (N64) - Soul's Refrain
  Exiled from VIP

This might be the ultimate weeb update. There are more Super Robot Wars tracks in this single update than there are Touhou tracks in the entire playlist. I forgot how I even started going down this rabbit hole, but somehow I spent over a month listening to almost nothing but Super Robot Wars music, with some Gundam mixed in. That probably means hundreds, maybe thousands, of tracks. Once I got started, I couldn’t stop, and I had no idea this update would get this bighuge.

Finding tracks to add was a long and daunting process, because so much of the music overlaps between games. Sometimes the tracks are the same versions and sometimes they’re different arrangements, so I had to listen through every gamerip and OST just to compare each version. I tried not to add tracks that sounded like one-to-one copies of the original anime versions, because this is the Vidya Intarweb Playlist, not the Weeaboo Animu Playlist, dammit. I wanted tracks that were arranged for the games, specifically ones where hardware limitations were apparent. A lot of the anime-derived music in modern SRW games is too high fidelity. Some of it may even be remastered, and some are the original anime vocal versions, possibly remastered as well. None of those are included in this update. I swear I’m not autistic (online tests only peg me as borderline).

Speaking of theme songs, JAM Project, a Japanese hard rock supergroup, is a big part of SRW's identity, singing the themes for nearly every installment since the PS1 era. Though judging by how varied the genres are for the tracks I picked, I don't think the hard rock label fits. Within the group, I consider Masaaki Endoh to be my 2nd-favorite Japanese vocalist of all time, right behind Takanori Nishikawa (T.M.Revolution). Despite T.M. Revolution being my favorite and singing some amazeballs Gundam themes, "Resolution" and "DREAMS" by Romantic Mode are still my favorite Gundam themes of all time. Also, of all the anime-derived tracks, Yoko Kanno's compositions deservingly appear the most.

Some tracks were ripped directly from the games and were never tagged, so I used the filenames as titles. Finding the real titles on YouTube was a bitch and a half, because I had to check videos manually and match them by ear. I still couldn’t identify some of them, so if anyone has more info, I’d greatly appreciate it.

From what I’ve seen, SRW vets don’t actually recommend playing 30 or Y. They say the franchise died around the release of DD, the gacha game, and that the later mainline entries have been more focused on cutting corners for maximum profit. So I guess that’s a o7 for SRW: both for the franchise and for this update.