Okay, so the puce applications are for cameramen, the fuchsia ones are for sound technicians, the goldenrod ones are…

Oh, hey! Didn’t hear you come in. Well, I’m afraid the website is closed today. Y’see, things were getting too much for me to handle alone, so I put out a Help Wanted ad in order to get some assistance, but…the only ones who answered the advertisement were the platypuses.

But, if there’s anything I learned from last year, it’s that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade for platypi. So here I am, doling out job applications to semi-aquatic mammals. Maybe things will turn out for the best.

What’s that? No, sign both documents, then take the blue copy. The red copy’s mine.

Sorry, I’m just kind of busy right now. I’ll be free in the next day or two. Until then, here’s a video from a trip I took recently. See ya later!

Yeah…I’m just gonna call a spade a spade here, I’ve been neglecting this website as of late. And rather than pile you with a list of reasons why that’s been (some of which do, admittedly, fall under the category of “excuses”), I’ll just be giving you a rundown on the state of my current projects.

Masoukishin II English Translation

I won’t lie, it was getting kind of hard to keep up with doing my Masoukishin II translation. Not just because the Japanese language can be tricky to work with, but the story itself, due to all the branching pathways, often deviates from the main conflict into slice-of-life mini-stories that wrap up by the end of the stage. And while these are usually interesting, it has on multiple occasions caused me to say “Okay, I really just want to get back to the main plot”.

Now, I’m not leading up to saying that the project is flat-out cancelled. I fully intend on completing at least one of the three “routes” of this game. However, my work on it will be taking more of a back seat so that I can focus on other projects, rather than just forcing myself to churn out more work on this one even if I’m burnt out on it.

Super Robot Wars OG Dark Prison English Translation

That being said, I’ve been wanting to get around to translating this game for quite some time. And considering that Masoukishin II is probably still going to take awhile to finish, I’m just going to jump ahead and start working on an English translation for Dark Prison.

At the time of this writing, the first chapter is about three-quarters of the way done. I should be finished by the end of the week, and I’ll do a follow-up post when I am done.

Reviews of SRW 30 and Masoukishin II

I promised these a long time ago, I’ve been very slow about getting them done, and I really do apologize for not getting around to them in a timely manner. I started work on them, and then I ran into problems that caused said work to slow down until it stopped completely.

For the Masoukishin II review, I would work on it for a short period of time before getting caught up in other projects and forgetting about it for awhile, then the cycle would just repeat. Well, no more of that. Once I return from my break I’m going to set to it and I’ll have it done and posted no later than November, if not sooner.

For 30’s review, I got stuck on for the story section. I was having a hard time finding a way to give my opinion on the story overall and my opinion on how every series in the game is used without creating just a massive section of text that might be a deterrent for anyone to read. However, I believe I’ve found a way to make it work, so I’ll resume work on it and I hope to get it done by December.

Super Robot Wars Y

So, some of you might have been wondering if whether or not I’ll be covering any content for Super Robot Wars Y on my website. Well, nothing in the near future. Due to it being a new release, and an overseas one at that, other websites will be (and have been) collecting and posting information on this game.

And to be blunt, they’ll do it faster and more efficiently that I, as a one-man team, will be able to do it. Add to the fact that I have no idea how long the game will be, and it could very well be a while before I’m able to create any substantial content for it.

On that note, if you do want a source for info on SRW Y, then I’d recommend the Akurasu Wiki.

Closing thoughts

In spite of how I’ve not been properly attending to this place, there’s been a continuous stream of traffic. In the past, it wasn’t uncommon for the website to go several days without anyone visiting. But for the past month, at least, there hasn’t been a single day in which the site hasn’t gotten at least one person looking at it.

To everyone who’s visited this site, whether you’re a regular visitor or just drop in every now and then, I offer you my thanks for the support and my apologies for being slack when it comes to providing you with content, and I hope that you’ll stick around as continue to build it out.

-Gespenst Type-0

My next big SRW-related Youtube project is going to be the A Portable balance patch, A Portable Plus. To learn more about it, you can watch the aforementioned trailer here: https://youtu.be/p5F9RpH9Lsk

I’ve never played the vanilla A Portable, but I know a good deal about it from the community. So I’ll be testing to see how well this patch balances things out by doing things like fighting Don Zauther without the aid of Master Asia.

However, there are a few choices that are a little less ‘decisive’ for me, so I want to reach out to the community and see what you all think I should do!

First: Should I play as Lamia in the Angelg, or Axel in the Soulgain?
Second: Should I get the Full Armor Gundam or the G-Fighter?
Third: Should I save Four or Rosamia?

For more details and to participate, click on the link below.

https://zoneofheroics.com/super-robot-wars-ap-plus-community-surveys/

Oh dear…the platypuses are back and…man, they don’t look too good.

Well, I was going to talk about other things, but feel like I ought to go and buy these guys something to drink. Luckily the local lemonade stand is having a sale; half a gallon of lemonade free with every forty dollar purchase, plus free delivery.

I’ll be back soon to talk about those other things I mentioned, just as soon as I get these platypi rehydrated.

Well, I meant to post this closer to the beginning of the year, but a variety of circumstances, from hardware issues to internet problems, household repairs and health issues (nothing serious) forced me to postpone it.

After that I had begun work on certain projects, and was hoping to release it in tandem with a status update. But the work required to complete that project kept increasing until I was finally forced to postpone it indefinitely. I’ll be sure to let you all know what these projects are once they’re done. So until then, let’s catch up on what I have done since last time.

Youtube channel in full swing!

More than a year ago now I tried making videos for an accompanying Youtube channel. However, they didn’t get too much notice in contrast to how much work they were, so I let it drop.

Jumping forward to about six months ago, I decided that I wanted to play one of OG2’s Ver. A hacks. Since I saw little-to-no resources on those hacks, I decided to record my playthrough and post it on my channel. And apparently that was the jumpstart that I needed. I recently passed 100 subscribers a few days ago.

If you want to check out my channel, here’s a link directly to it. And if you like what you see, go ahead and subscribe!

Two new Masoukishin Chapters

In the time between this post and the last, I’ve translated two new chapters for Masoukishin II.

First, we find the Antiras Squad in a huge crisis. An accounting error has resulted in an overload of merchandise for their store. Luckily Mio has an idea to boost sales: have all the male members of the squad hand out fliers while dressed in Sengoku-era costumes. Of course, in the middle of all this the Dawn Brigade start causing trouble again. So it’s up to the ladies to take care of them while the guys hold down the fort…er, storefront.

Then our heroes catch wind of a fortress undergoing construction near the temporary border between North and South Shutedonias. As this is a violation of the cease-fire treaty, the Antiras Squad need to put a stop to it before hostilities re-erupt between the two factions. And with Rosalie and Gino finally joining up, the Antiras Squad is now at their full strength.

The following chapter is close to completion, so expect that sometime within the week.

Content Request

I am also aware of the requests for reviews for Super Robot Wars 30 and OG Saga: Masoukishin II. And yes, I have been working on them in the meantime. The one for Masoukishin II will release sometime soon.

Since the review for 30 will be my first review for an SRW game with licensed properties, I’m currently trying to figure out what kind of format to present it in. That combined with just how massive that game is means that I can’t provide a timeframe for when it will be released other than “when it’s done.”

As for the request for more Picross Puzzles, I’m currently working on an alternative form of submission that will make the process more streamlined. In fact it’s part of those projects I mentioned at the beginning of this post. I’ll still work on some puzzles in the meantime, though like some of the other things I can’t give an exact timeframe for release.

Closing Thoughts

Finally, I want to thank you all for your continued patience. I want make this website the best it can be, but as a one-man team, it can take some time between significant updates. I just hope that you’ve enjoyed what I’ve done thus far, and continue to enjoy what I do in the future. With that, this is Gespenst Type-0, signing out.

Hey there! It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? Well, why don’tcha come in? We were just about to have some cheese…

OH NO! MY CHEESE! WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL MY CHEESE!? OH FOR…THE PLATYPUSES ARE BACK AND THEY ATE ALL MY CHEESE! THERE’S NOTHING LEFT! NOT EVEN WENSLEYDALE! AURGH!!!

Okay, now I need to go out and buy an assortment of nets, cages and giant oven mitts to round up all these guys AND I need to make a run to the grocery store. And here I was all ready to give what’s been a long overdue update on the site…

Anyway, here’s something I wrote up in my spare time to tide you over. Ugh, if only I had a canine companion to give these tykes what for. Then again he probably would ignore me and just read a newspaper…

Hello everyone! I hope that you all had a happy Thanksgiving! As for me, well, I’m already looking forward to Christmas. Got to get the house decorated, the tree up, presents bought, you know the drill. And of course Christmas Steve is going to come over for milk and cookies. It’s a real pleasure when Steve comes over for the holidays. He always knows exactly what kind of present to get everyone.

Masoukishin II Chapter 25

Anyway, I’ve got two notable updates this time. First off, another chapter for my English translation for Masoukishin II. I finished this a while ago, but I was so close to the start of the second update that I chose to wait on the announcement for a little while.

Having overcome the trials in the Spirit Realm, Masaki returns to the Antiras Squad with Lune and Wendy. And none too soon, either, for Zash and Fang are under attack from mercenaries under the employ of Shutedonias. There’s some familiar faces in this group, and they’re piloting some equally familiar (and extremely powerful) mechs. It’s finally time for Masaki to unleash his newfound power in battle…

Video Playthrough of Ver. A has begun!

And now the second update: I’ve begun uploading my playthrough of the Super Robot Wars OG2 hack, Ver. A (AKA Version Axel) on my Youtube channel! For those of you unfamiliar with the hack, it essentially replaces Lamia with Axel as the playable rep. from SRW Advanced, with Lamia now acting in Axel’s old role of a boss. And while that’s the main selling point, there’s also things like rewrites to the script based on the aforementioned changes, new BGM, several changes in what mechs and weapons you get, and a few extremely cool secrets.

Right now I’ve got enough footage that I can create a smooth line of recording more footage, editing existing footage, and uploading the final videos that I’ll be able to upload a new video every few days. In each video I’ll be highlighting any significant changes in the video description, and I’ll be sharing my personal thoughts in a pinned comment in each video.

Well, that’s all for now. I’ll try and share a photo of my Christmas party when it happens. Christmas Steve usually doesn’t care to have his photo taken, but I’m sure I’ll be able to talk him into it.

Well, here we are, at the end of the road. It’s been quite the journey, listing off 30 different songs from the vast catalogue of Super Robot Wars games. It hasn’t always been easy getting each one off, I’ll admit. Life’s a little upended for me nowadays, but I managed to get it done.

Our second-to-last track was one used primarily by a Real Robot. The song of my choice was White Reflection from Gundam Wing Endless Waltz. And now, we wrap it all up with the one track that, for me, stands out above the rest.

Day 30: Track with a special meaning – Trombe! (Elzam’s Theme) – SRW Original Generations

I may have told the story before, but I’ll recount it here again. Way back when, I’d say somewhere between the release of Z3 Tengoku-hen and OG The Moon Dwellers, I was subscribed to a channel whose user went by the name of Alkahest. (Although he called his channel Armature Extension Theater 2000, AET2k for short.) He did a lot of music extension for various video games. He also provided a lot of MP3 files for those extension, and every now and then something a little more out of the ordinary.

I first found his channel when looking for an extension of Kingdom Hearts’ Vector to the Heavens. The video description contained quite a bit of depth about the track in question, along with a pithy sense of humor. Thus did I become a regular on his channel, and from that I went on not only to enjoy songs from video games that I knew, but I also discovered many new favorites, such as Skies of Arcadia and Wild Arms.

However, as time went on, I noticed that a certain video of his kept popping up in my recommended feed. I also noticed that when he would preview his upcoming extensions in the video description, he would always use a lot of gusto when referring to the same track. So one day I decided to finally check out that track.

And as you can no doubt tell, that was an extension of Trombe!, the theme of Elzam van Branstein from Super Robot Wars Original Generations. At the time I knew absolutely nothing of Super Robot Wars. I just knew that I really, really liked the song. From that, I slowly became more acquainted with the OG characters of Super Robot Wars through their personal themes. Sanger Sombold was next, followed by Mai Kobayashi, then Ryusei Date. After that, things sped up to the point where I no longer remember which tracks came when.

And really, what’s not to like about Trombe? I can honestly say that whenever I put this track on for background music, I usually end up listening to it until the end of the loop. The guitar in the intro and bridge, the electronic brass in the chorus, it’s all just so good.

And another thing that makes Trombe special is its use in Super Robot Wars games. Elzam first debuted in the GBA title Super Robot Taisen Original Generation. In that game, he acts as a boss character several times before joining up with your team. And as I explained back on Day 9, certain boss characters will have their own themes play instead of your ally character’s, and Elzam was no exception.

However, due to a bug in the game, after Elzam joined your team, Trombe would continue to play over any other boss theme whenever Elzam entered combat. This even held true for the final boss. Well, Banpresto decided to go the route of making this bug into a feature. In any game that Elzam (or Rätsel Feinschmecker, his thinly-veiled alter-ego) appears in, Trombe continues to, heh, “Override” any other themes. The only exception, I believe, is whenever a JAM Project song is playing. Oh yeah, and that one time in the Alpha series when one of the villains from Goshogun was blaring The Blue Danube from his battleship’s speakers.

So we’ve got an awesome song with a unique way of using it within the Super Robot Wars games. Man, it may have been chance in the end, but I couldn’t have picked a better way of being introduced to Super Robot Wars. Back then I thought that my interest would start and end with the music, as the series appeared to be Japanese exclusive. But I got hooked after playing the few games that did release overseas, and now look. I’ve made AND finished a SRW-themed variation of the 30-Day Music Challenge.

And now, I must bid farewell to this challenge. Daily posting difficulties aside, I’ve really enjoyed talking about so many songs from Super Robot Wars. Looking back, I can see a decent amount of Alkahest’s writing style has made it into my own descriptions. Shame that his channel is no longer up, but he ever happens to see this, just know that I’m grateful for the tunes, the laughs, and the encouragement.

So, what did you think of my choices? Want to tackle this challenge yourself? Want to see me talk more about the music in Super Robot Wars? As always, I’m ready and willing to take requests and feedback you may have. And I’ll see you back on the Regnum Ignis some time down the line, for more Super Robot Wars content. Here’s Gespenst Type-0, signing off.