The Let's Play Archive

Super Robot Wars MX

by Brunom1

Part 28: Mission 16 (Moon Route) - Blue Meets White

The second and third missions of the route split are free choice but I'm staying in order because the other one is PoD-centric. As always, screw PoD.


Location: La Vie en Rose



We open with Amuro on the phone with Goat, a Nergal employee. The company has sent over something and Goat is sure it’ll be very useful to him: a Psycoframe!
It seems that Neo Zeon contracted Anaheim to develop it during the previous war; with the defeat of Haman by the AEUG and the Federation, the thing was supposedly locked away within Anaheim itself.
Amuro figures Nergal went through some less-than-legal means to snag the thing but Goat will leave that to his imagination. Regardless, since the Psycoframe is something that supposedly doesn’t exist, it’ll be wholly up to Amuro to decide how he’ll use it.

Amuro wonders what Nergal stands to gain from doing this but Goat says they’ll be more than satisfied if he just pops the thing into his new Gundam prototype and helps the Nadesico B. Simple enough, considering Amuro was planning to rendezvous with Bright’s team soon.
Sending regards to the company president, Amuro and Goat end the call.



So, Amuro turns to Chan and asks her to see to the Nu Gundam’s finishing touches. She’s not too sure about all this and while Amuro says he never met one Akatsuki Nagare, Nergal’s president, he’s heard the guy was aboard the Nadesico A way back then.
Thus, he’d like to think the guy’s someone who simply has a proper grasp on the hardships of the front lines. Chan respectfully submits that she's not heard many good rumors about Akatsuki –he must have some ulterior motive. Hmm. Well, as Amuro figures that back if “he” was with the other side, he’d probably have done the same thing.
But never mind that. As Amuro requests that the Psycoframe’s installation be sped up, he gets called up to the bridge.



Emary, the La Vie en Rose’s captain, tells Amuro that the Nadesico B’s coming over – they’re in need of some resupplying after their battle at the moon. Raizou Kasshu, Domon’s father, also confirms that his son and Rain are aboard. Good of them to come over, as it’ll allow him to give Rain the retuned Rising Gundam.
Amuro’s surprised that she’s also going to fight and while Raizou tried to dissuade her, Rain is as firm as Domon. Emary, ever the romantic, confesses to be a bit jealous of her for always being together with her beloved – even if it’s in battle.
Amuro sees where this is going and begs Emary not to trouble Bright, lest it get him in hot water with Mirai. “Don’t you worry – Captain Bright’s only my dream boyfriend, that’s all. Still… I wish someone would, just once, confess their love to me with the same passion Domon did for Rain…” she sighs wistfully.

Raizou asks if she, like Amuro, was there when it happened but, no, she’s only seen it in the army’s recordings. The fact that Domon’s yelling is so readily available for all to see makes Amuro feel for him a bit.
But the conversation’s suddenly interrupted when sensors pick up the Giganos on approach!



I never mentioned it before but, prior to the title card, the game gives you a nice sweeping view of the battlefield. Lets us see the La Vie en Rose up close.



Mission 16 (Moon Route) – Blue Meets White



It’s Maillot and his groupies, wasting no time in getting in touch with the ship and demanding everyone to disarm and surrender; Amuro’s heard of the Giganos’ Char clone ace, the Blue Hawk, and Maillot gives us sixty seconds to comply or they’ll open fire.
The Nadesico’s still five, six minutes away, so it falls on him to buy time with the Nu Gundam. Chan protests, saying the enemy’s too numerous, but he cannot simply surrender and let them steal the mech.
He tells Chan not to worry, to put the other mecha into safety mode and retreat with Emary and crew to the deeper blocks. And off he goes.




I’m of a mind that if you’re going to use CCA and not have Beyond the Time, then you might as well have this one.

: Ah! A Gundam?!
: I’ve never seen that one before… So that’s the new model, eh?
: There’s the Earth, Moon, Capella, Vega… which means the Nadesico will be coming from that way.



: OK. Now I’ve about four minutes to just make it there…
: The personal mark on that unit… Can that be Amuro Ray?
: What?!
: Amuro Ray, as in the first Gundam’s—?!
: Yes. The pilot of the dreaded machine, once called “White Devil” by Zeon forces.
: What is someone like him doing here…?!
: I’d wager it’s related to that prototype’s development.
: Heh… my cup runneth over. I’ve always wanted to meet this man.
: Alright, let’s see how many of them I can lure out…!
: I’ll seize Amuro Ray and the Gundam; the Practice Squad will provide support. All remaining troops, occupy the La Vie en Rose.


Mission Objective: Amuro reaches the marked point within four turns
Mission Failure: Amuro fails to do so or is shot down
This mission’s actually a bit harder than I originally expected. While Amuro can more than take care of himself, Maillot is still an even match and will pull very decent numbers against him. Be very careful, keep Focus on at all times and always move Amuro as far away as possible.
You’ll want him to get a whole lot of distance not only to make the time but as a safety measure for future events. The Nu Gundam’s unupgraded, so it’s unlikely to survive two hits even with its shield.



Nu Gundam (Amuro Ray)
Pilot Skills:
Mech Features:
Spirit Commands:
Amuro’s Voice Actor: Tohru Furuya (other known works: Tuxedo Mask in Sailor Moon, Ribbons in 00 Gundam, Pegasus Seiya in Saint Seiya and MANY more)

The prototypical Gundam pilot, Amuro has always been one of the most reliable folks in SRW. His stats are always great and his standard Nu Gundam never disappoints, having an even mix of melee and ranged attacks (though Amuro prefers the latter, so Hit & Away could be nice) with HUGE reach.
His naturally high Sword Cut skill level makes him quite likely to parry attacks and pairing a strong Newtype power with a cheap focus (buy him SP regen and it’ll be free) also makes him extra dodgy. Finally, he’s outright got the highest baseline Range and Skill stat across all the pilots we get in the game. From a mechanical standpoint, there’s no reason not to use him.



Run away!



Enemy Phase!



Incidentally, remember how I said to keep focus on at all times? I did not expect Maillot to be as fast as he is… and now he's got 95% chance to hit.



: I thank the heavens for allowing this encounter, Amuro Ray!
: He really is gunning for me…!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fITNqCXimNc
Jesus Christ, I think that would’ve been a oneshot without the shield... And missing a 70% shot only pours salt on the wound!



You little prick, you…



: My Jagd Gelf has enough firepower that I can take him on!
: Maybe but what good will that extra firepower do if you can’t hit?


Whew.

The common mooks are headed for the ship.



Player Phase!



Now I remember to cast Focus and off we go.



Enemy Phase!



And here he comes again.



: Why is someone who once supported the AEUG and Karaba fighting against the Giganos?!
: Because there’s very little difference between your group and Neo Zeon!






Much easier now. When one of the regular mooks reaches the La Vie en Rose, the plot kicks in.

: They’ve broken into the La Vie en Rose’s area… Hold on for just a bit more, Captain Emary!





: ! They had more troops lying in wait?!
: Mr. Maillot, were here to assist.
: I don’t recall ever asking you to do such a thing.
: You didn’t. But they have to be lured over here; thus, we were sent.
: You mean the Nadesico? Fine, do as you will.
: That was our intention from the start.
: What are those units…?!
: C-Captain Emary, this isn’t looking good…!
: …!
: Damn it, I’ve no choice! I need to get back there!
#1: That is not necessary.
#2: Yep, you let us handle this!
: !







: It’s…!
: The Gundam Rose and Gundam Maxter…!
: The Shuffle Alliance?!
: YEAAAH! Chibodee Crockett, the Queen of Spades, and…
: George de Sand, the Jack of Diamonds. We are here in the defense of this grand rose.
: This is Amuro Ray speaking. Apologies but I’ll have to leave that matter in your hands.
: OK, we’re right on it!


Everything else closes in but no attacks. Mind, if Amuro were to not be too far along, the Hokushin guys would’ve attacked.
This may not have been too obvious when they were getting wrecked by the Black Sarana but the Hokushin posse are DEADLY accurate, rather evasive and even pack a decent punch. They’re one of the worst mooks in the game, so keep a very close eye on your reals around them.



Player Phase!



Gundam Rose (George de Sand)
Pilot Skills:
Spirit Commands:
George’s Voice Actor: Takumi Yamazaki (other known works: Isamu in Macross Plus, young Ocelot in MGS, Ferio in Rayearth and many more)


George is a pretty reliable guy. He’s evenly built as both a melee or ranged attacker, though his unit prefers the latter. Super Mode sets him, and his peers, at the top of the “non-protagonist” bots, so you can find room for any of them in your team without gimping yourself too much.
Mind, if you’re fielding any of the other four Shuffle Alliance members, you’ll get more bang for your buck if you field them all… for reasons.
The Gundam Rose also has a nice MAPW that actually has friendly fire disabled, so he’s a good mook hunter too. His post-movement range isn’t too good, though, so he really wants Hit & Away.



Gundam Maxter (Chibodee Crockett)
Pilot Skills:
Spirit Commands:
Chibodee’s Voice Actor: Houchu Otsuka

Same deal as George, minus the MAPW and with a melee focus. His range isn’t huge but it’s decent enough and all his moves are post-movement. Oddly enough, his bread and butter Burning Punch carries a 0 accuracy modifier, which isn’t the best.
Still, he can carry his weight and it’s a fucking footballer/boxer mech with magnums.



La Vie en rose provides a nice bonus to evasion and defense, so the two of them will park there and just wreck whatever gets too close.












Boosh!
George’s forced to stick with his Vulcans after moving, not killing anything.

Amuro, meanwhile, has just made it to the designated point.



And the Nadesico arrives right on time, much to Emary’s gratitude. The Hokushin, of course, were expecting them and Judau is quick to recognize their units from Kyoto. Saburouta figures it’s a good chance for us to find out who they are.
Chibodee and George chide Domon for being late to the party and he’s surprised to find the two of them in the area. The situation around the Earth Sphere has more problems than just the Devil Gundam’s resurrection, so George says they’re here to join the fight proper.
Ginga, of course, is hyped to find another two Shuffle Alliance members but Beecha wonders if these are the real ones. Domon is certain, witnessing the brilliance of the Shuffle Alliance’s crest with them.
But explanations can wait until we’ve wrecked every enemy around.



I, having grown used to Maximum Breaks, assumed assisted attacks would auto-pierce shields.












They don’t.



So, face these Distortion Fields, Saburouta is the only one who can get a full hit in. That’s good but he’s also not too good at dodging the counter hit (that said, even Domon gets hit by these guys).
Puru Two’s support attack finishes the first one.



I did this mostly to show off Ruri’s Gravity Blast and, also, what Distortion Fields do to gravity-based attacks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZm6DkK13Pg
Not good at all.



Hugo, Judau , Roux and Elle work together and whittle down that Rokuren.



There’s some extra Newtype power for her.

While Iino heals Amuro, everyone else stands by. Attacking the surviving Hokushin with them wouldn’t fly.



Enemy Phase!



Maillot’s still focused on Amuro but, this time, he’s got Ruri nearby in case he gets a bad evasion roll.



Whereas the Practice attack whatever’s close.














Too bad for them, that’s a Prevail’d Domon.



Meanwhile, the mooks crash against the immovable walls of France and ‘MERICA. Here’s the rundown:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi4LgVfUc28

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAN4C7n2Pbc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGG-dvRyvLw
And here’s Chibodee’s strongest attack!

All in all, only two survive and that’s only because I wanted to capture other moves.



The Rokurens try to finish off Saburouta but, running Prevail, he dodges and counters (and still had Puru nearby to defend).



Player Phase!



One more Saburouta hit and here’s another dead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGQARKH60VM
Might as well show off the cool Fin Funnels. I find this version actually looks better than Z1’s.



Judau and Puru finish off the last Rokuren, finally.



And while they’re not named, the Hokushin cronies give off midboss exp so Puru takes four cheered levels, learning Sword Cut L2.



Eh, I might as well give you something.










There.



Not one to be outdone, here’s George’s own Super Mode attack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xesa5DRFhiw
La Vie en Rose is all clear.



Now it’s only a matter of finishing what Domon started. First and foremost, get rid of Karl and his EWAC.










Ginga’s Prevail keeps going and going.



From here on out, if I don’t say anything, just assume Karl and Dan went “CAPTAAAAAAAAAIN!” and Werner promised to win next time. That’s all these guys say when they get wrecked!



Puru Two deals with Werner, also leveling Sword Cut.



And Hugo will put Dan in his place.












Dead, dead, dead.



Enemy Phase!



One last attempt from Maillot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_8b90PcE6o
And he gets parried! For shame!



But it’s profitable for Amuro, who gets a boost to both his sword and shield skills.

Let’s wrap this up now.



: Pull your men back, Blue Hawk! Do you actually think the Giganos’ methods are just?!
: The present does not allow the leeway to debate such things! So long as all is rooted in the realization of our just cause, I’ll be proud of what I do!













: Hey, hawkman! Did you quit chasing Kaine’s group?
: My gaze is set on the big picture. I've returned to space because there is a task that takes precedence over the D Weapons’ destruction!
: Oh, yeah? All the more reason why I can’t let you run off, then!








Maillot knows it’d be dangerous to take any further damage, so he calls for a retreat.
As Harry confirms all enemies gone, Ruri has him dock the Nadesico into the La Vie en Rose.


Maillot leaves under 40% HP… a fact I overlooked and Judau’s attack pushed him past that point. I hadn’t saved for a while, so I elected to just let this be.
If you want to bring him down, just nab any protagonist and get an assist from like Ruri or whoever (Amuro's an extra safe bet due to Leadership).
Finally, here are some battle convos we missed:

: Mine is a unit tailored for electronic warfare… And his functions around Minovsky Particles, so I’ve the advantage…!
: Over-reliance on sensors will get you killed in the battlefield!

--

: Amuro Ray and his Gundam… If I manage to bring him down…!
: This soldier’s still young…! You shouldn’t throw your life away…!

--

: Open your eyes, Shuffle Alliance! Righteousness is on the Giganos’ side!
: Hah! And that “righteousness” had you tossing rocks at Earth? Gimme a break!

--

: Giganos’ Blue Hawk! If you need to use force to make your ideals a reality, then what you’re doing is no different from wanton violence!
: But the Federation learned nothing from Zeon’s and the Titans’ mistakes…! Mankind will not endure if it continues as it has!

Notable drops are a Ramune, a High Spec. Radar and a possible Anti-Beam Coating from Maillot.



Emary thanks Ruri for her help and the girl’s only glad we made it in time. Still, we’re in a hurry, so she’d like the Nadesico to be resupplied ASAP. As that happens, Raizou gets to see his son for the first time in a long while.
Domon is mildly surprised to see his father here but Raizou explains that he came over to see to the Rising Gundam’s adjustments; it’s all done now and ready for Rain to use it and help Domon in battle.

On the subject of the DG Cells, Raizou is just as surprised as anyone else to find that they’re making a comeback after, supposedly, being completely destroyed. George even though he was going mad when he heard the news – plus the fact that clones of them, Sai and Argo were walking around.
George and Chibodee haven’t encountered the Death Army yet, having been conducting their own investigation in colony space. Yet, they found no traces of anything Devil Gundam related even in the Neo Japan Colony it once tried to absorb. Seems like the Death Army’s only showing up in the surface for now.



George figures Sai, Argo and Allenby may have found clues as they were down on Earth. Those three were planning on getting together at Sai’s Shaolin temple and then meet up with the Nahel Argama. Looks like the entire Shuffle Alliance is getting back together; they, as heirs of the Shuffle Crest, can’t well turn the other cheek to this crisis engulfing the Earth Sphere.
Rain, meanwhile, asks Raizou about some data she sent him before and he’s confirmed her theory that the DG Cells have been restored with some tech not even he can precise – not only is his vaccine ineffective, the DG Cells seem more active than before.

He plans on continuing his analysis but there are still far too many unknowns. However, one thing is certain: someone is actively working towards reviving the Devil Gundam and if the Death Army’s up and about, the main unit should be hiding somewhere.
Seems to George and Chibodee that their job is clear: beat the thing back into the ground however many times it comes back. Domon agrees, unwilling to allow those past tragedies to be repeated: “I’m going, father – for my master, Kyoji, Schwarz… and for myself. And this time, I will destroy that monster…!”



Meanwhile, Chan’s checked the data from the recent battle and didn’t see any problems. Amuro is also satisfied – the mech fits him like a glove. Chan still wants to make some final adjustments but he says those will have to be done aboard the Nadesico as there’s no time to waste.
Chan asks if he won’t ask her to come with. After all, while Amuro designed the Nu Gundam, she's the one who's been doing the maintenance. He quickly says no, asking her to stay and help Emary.
Once the Dragoons are mass produced, the Federation is planning to launch large-scale operations on the Giganos. When that happens, La Vie en Rose will become a key strategic position as a resupply point. “So, please, stay here and wait for my return,” he says.
Chan accedes and, after Amuro apologizes, only asks of him: “Come back quick.”



Resupplying is done and both the Nu and Rising Gundam are aboard the Nadesico, Harry reports. With that, the ship will return to its mission of investigating the Hisago Plan.