Mech SRPGs?

[mediocrepoet]

Has there been much/anything in the way of good mech strategy/tactics JRPGs since Front Mission 3?

I'm looking for something that's turn based with a tactical map, etc. Any suggestions?

 

[Thac0]

this is the gold standard among 4chan autists but I have yet to play it myself

 

[mediocrepoet]

this is the gold standard among 4chan autists but I have yet to play it myself

Thanks for the suggestion. Some of the reviews I've seen suggest it's not really what I'm looking for. They're basically citing lack of challenge and that it's more for anime fan service, but I'll probably have a closer look at some gameplay videos, etc.

Anyway, I appreciate it, it's a pretty niche ask these days so I might have to check out anything that's actually available.

 

[flyingjohn]

Sd gundam and robot wars series(modern titles are on the easy side but with plenty of robots and customization)
Metal jacket series(real time with pause unfortunately)
Zone of Enders fist of mars (turn based zone of enders spinoff)
Into the breach
Some zoids game
Ring of red
A lot of japanese only console games i can't remember

 

[spekkio]

From what I've played I can only recommend Ring of Red. It has different gameplay than Front Mission, though (you can't tweak mecha parts for example). Plus, initial missions can be disappointing (all features appear ~ mission 3 or 4).

Front Mission 4 has nice characters and writing, but the gameplay is broken (game went through a development hell).

FM5 has better than 4 gameplay, but characters / writing / gamebuilding is simply abysmal. Played once and deleted.

 

[Nirvash]

Srw and sd gundam stuff are mostly fanservice games, but if you like that then you have dozens games to play.

 

[OneManArmyGames]

Front Mission 5.

Advance Wars 2 (or Advance Wars by Web for the multiplayer) if you count neotanks as mechs.

And it's more of a puzzle game, but Into the Breach is pretty good.

 

[Abu Antar]

Hopefully, Relayer will be an okayish game. For now it is only releasing for PlayStation systems, but I wouldn't be surprised if it comes to PC at a later date, just like God Wars did.

You can also try the demo for Dual Gear.


You can check out Vanguard Bandits, even if it isn't exactly what you're looking for.

There is a game in development that is titled Zecha Tactics. Looks promising, but I will keep expectations in check.

 

[lightbane]

You can also try the demo for Dual Gear.

This one has been EA since 2016 or so. If it does come out and is fully playable it will be an actual surprise.

Besides the mentioned games, there was another SRW games for Steam that sadly only released in Asia despite having English text, so you'll have to pirate it.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Power DoLLS!

 

[flyingjohn]

I am disgusted by myself for not remembering power dolls.

 

[mediocrepoet]

You can also try the demo for Dual Gear.

This one has been EA since 2016 or so. If it does come out and is fully playable it will be an actual surprise.

What a bummer, that looked exactly like what I was looking for.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Ok, I also remembered LiNK DEVICER 2074! But it's Japanese-only and AFAIK no translation exists.

 

[OneManArmyGames]

Aesthetics-wise I also like CRW Metal jacket (looks a lot like FM1, which is my favorite in the FM series and was released just a few months after CRW), but sadly, it's real-time and not very good.

 

[Miner 2049er]

I can only third Ring of Red. It's unlike everything I've ever played. A shining example, experimental ideas can work.
Battle Tech is no JRPG, but still a solid Mech strategy RPG.
Front Mission 3 is still my favorite in the genre. Did you play both paths ? FM 4+5 are flawed but should still provide enough enjoyment value.

 

[Reinhardt]

which of super taisen games has best waifus?

 

[mediocrepoet]

I can only third Ring of Red. It's unlike everything I've ever played. A shining example, experimental ideas can work.
Battle Tech is no JRPG, but still a solid Mech strategy RPG.
Front Mission 3 is still my favorite in the genre. Did you play both paths ? FM 4+5 are flawed but should still provide enough enjoyment value.

Yeah, I've had Battletech since launch and I may reinstall it. I'm not married to JRPGs by any stretch, but it struck me that these guys were my best hope for success (and I still think that's true, I've already seen a bunch of stuff I've never even heard of before).

I played both sides of Front Mission 3 22 years ago. Unfortunately at this point, I've given all of my "legacy" hardware and games to my nephew since it was just collecting dust and I got tired of moving all of it, so the oldest thing I have access to these days is a PS3. (PS3, PS4, Switch, PC)

Out of nowhere, I started really feeling like doing the stompy robot missile barrage thing again instead of the knights and archers thing or the tactical soldier thing. If nothing else, I put Dual Gear onto my watch list in case it amounts to anything and I might try SRW30 just to see if it scratches the right itch.

Anyway, thanks for all the suggestions. I'm still looking around if you think of anything else.

 

[OneManArmyGames]

Right, I've been trying to avoid obnoxiously plugging my game, but after you said that it doesn't have to be a weeb game and "stompy robot missile barrage" I am now obligated by law to do it.



So if you don't mind the roguelike brutality, lack of hand-holding, and less tactical depth since you only control a single unit; Dead Hand might be your jam.



Also, pretty much everything older than the PS3 (included, rpcs3 is awesome) is emulated well, so not having the original hardware shouldn't be an issue.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Right, I've been trying to avoid obnoxiously plugging my game, but after you said that it doesn't have to be a weeb game and "stompy robot missile barrage" I am now obligated by law to do it.



So if you don't mind the roguelike brutality, lack of hand-holding, and less tactical depth since you only control a single unit; Dead Hand might be your jam.



Also, pretty much everything older than the PS3 (included, rpcs3 is awesome) is emulated well, so not having the original hardware shouldn't be an issue.

Not quite what I had in mind, but I'd by lying if I said your game doesn't look interesting. I think I might check it out.

 

[Miner 2049er]

access to PC

Why don't you emulate the living shit out of Front Mission 5 ? There's a translated rom and setting up the emulator takes around 5 minutes. It doesn't get any more rewarding than taking down these fuckers with linked attacks. A mechanic introduced with FM 4. Sorry, I suffer from post christmas swearing constipation.

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

Do any of these have good customization? I keep trying to find some mech game that has good gameplay and good customization, and I've just never found one that does that.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

I keep trying to find some mech game that has good gameplay and good customization, and I've just never found one that does that.

Not an SRPG, but would you like to talk about our lord and savior, known as Armored Core?

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

I keep trying to find some mech game that has good gameplay and good customization, and I've just never found one that does that.

Not an SRPG, but would you like to talk about our lord and savior, known as Armored Core?

I've always found myself disappointed whenever I play one of those. I like the customization, but the actual gameplay feels...eh, just sort of there.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Do any of these have good customization? I keep trying to find some mech game that has good gameplay and good customization, and I've just never found one that does that.

Battletech isn't bad, if you haven't tried it yet. You can customize mechs to an extent by substituting equipment in and out of the hardpoint slots. There are also a lot of mods for it.

Front Mission 3 was cool as well and is the highlight of the series for a lot of people. But you'd either need to figure out how to emulate it or find a PS2 copy.

I get the impression that the anime mech games are mostly about fan service for fans of the various series and so aren't customizable. It seems like a lot of them are also on the easy side because they're more about watching your favourite mechs and characters blow shit up than anything else.

That's about the extent of my knowledge though and why I made this thread.

 

[Jack Of Owls]

I remember playing a few minutes in emulation of some jRPG where it was just the hero against man-sized mechs in TB combat. I think it was for the PS2. It was cute enough to play for about 10 minutes before I got bored and clicked off. Sorry, can't remember its title.