Super Robot Wars 30 Formally Announced (NOW ON STEAM!)

Bandai Namco released the English-subtitled preview trailer for the upcoming Super Robot Wars 30. Here you go.

First, the good stuff.

Lots of long-absent and much-requested series, new and returning, make up this roster. It's a solid one, and the new original character should be interesting even if what they pilot is not. (It's a dressed up not-Gundam from the OG series, the Hucklebein.) Each original character has their own image song, and the OST for this game is a killer track list. The new non-linear play options and autoplay features should make this friendlier to new and inexperienced players--those primarily experienced with the last three console releases and not anything older--and the DLC adds both units and pilots from the OG series. As such, this is a good point to come on board if you're new.

Now, the bad stuff.

Holy shit, that Season Pass and DLC scheme. If the base game has sufficient gameplay without any of it, and if they can manage the expectations of what you get for what you pay for, then it will be acceptable. Screw either of those two conditionals up and you're going to have significant, if not serious, problems. You can't get away with selling the meat seperate from the buns and the cheese when selling a cheeseburger, but you can sell condiments and side dishes seperately.

There is also the ongoing issue that there is no direct importation to the West for this series; you're going to have to go via Southeast Asia, which means you're buying an import no matter which outlet you go with if you want a physical copy. Digital-only, on the other hand, has its own issues (ongoing access to what you bought) but distribution isn't an issue; just got to figure out how to get to it at all.

We've got a few months before it's released to get more info out into the public, but given the great global reception to V, X, and T I fully expect that 30 will deliver. For now, this is a Buy recommendation if you're a mecha gamer that likes tactical RPGs. Speaking of which, they just added a new achievement:

That's right, a Guiness World Record.

EDIT: BIG NEWS! YOU DON"T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT GETTING IT!

THIS IS NOT A DRILL!

The Harmony Gold deal has born fruit, making global distribution of Super Robot Wars free and clear due to Macross rights issues being no longer an issue tying up all that IT is involved with- like SRW.

Play on PC if you want the easiest way to go.