Groin issue quickly spotted by Victory veterans.
To the great joy of individuals highly cultured enough to appreciate both mecha anime and strategy games, publisher Bandai Namco released the latest instalment in its Super Robot Wars video game franchise, Super Robot Wars 30, this week. Like its predecessors, it’s a crossover with giant robots from decades’ worth of different anime series.
While the games’ tactical elements are nothing to sneeze at, it’s really their visual appeal that gets people excited, and in the runup to the release of 30, Bandai Namco put out a preview video showing off the latest title’s flashy combat scenes. But while fans’ eyes were glued to the screen, they noticed something fishy when their gaze settled on one robot’s crotch, which appears at this point in the video:
That’s the LM314V24 Victory 2 Assault Gundam, piloted by Uso Ewin, from 1993’s Mobile Suit Victory Gundam TV series. As you might guess from its lengthy name, the LM314V24 Victory 2 Assault Gundam is an upgraded version of the hero mech, outfitted with all sorts of extra weaponry and armor to make it extra powerful, and also, more importantly, extra cool-looking.
However, while Super Robot Wars’ artists have done an impressive-enough job that the on-screen graphics will register as the V2 Assault Gundam (yes, we’re switching to the condensed name) to casual fans, hardcore Gundam otaku have noted a groin discrepancy.
As shown in the above accurate-to-the-anime model, the V2 Assault armor is supposed to include a golden-colored plate that sticks straight down between the mobile suit’s legs. However, this piece is missing in the mecha’s Super Robot Wars 30 form.
For sharp-eyed viewers, the lack of armor down there is especially concerning, since the video shows the V2 Assault Gundam on the receiving end of a melee attack that appears to involve some pelvic pummeling.
“It’s weird if they just forget that armor loincloth piece, but it’s also weird if they left it off intentionally,” said one commenter. Considering that source-material fidelity is the exact kind of fan-service fuel that powers the Super Robot Wars franchise, it really is a surprising oversight, so maybe the game will see a patch so that the Gundam isn’t stepping out into battle underdressed.
Sources: YouTube/876TV via Hachima Kiko, Twitter/@srw_game
Images: YouTube/876TV
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