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Hunter Noventa
Apr 21, 2010

Mercury Crusader posted:

Though that's mostly me wanting her to be more of a one-dimensional attack-name-yelling badass than anything else.

I'm having trouble thinking of characters that don't already do this that wouldn't be improved by doing this. In any format.

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Spiritus Nox
Sep 2, 2011

Mercury Crusader posted:

Mech progression

That does definitely become a problem. By mid-R2 all the machines anyone cares about have stopped looking like slimmer versions of ATs and more like vertically-challenged Gundams.

ImpAtom
May 24, 2007

Geass has a completely insane tech progression. The last-generation Knightmare Frames are basically tiny incarnate gods who can control entire battlefields by themselves. Which is probably why Suzaku vs Kallen is about the only good fight in the series once those guys debut. It's really weird in SRW where you go from the crap-rear end Glasglow fighting tanks and helicopter to Destroyer of Worlds.

Spiritus Nox
Sep 2, 2011

ImpAtom posted:

Geass has a completely insane tech progression. The last-generation Knightmare Frames are basically tiny incarnate gods who can control entire battlefields by themselves. Which is probably why Suzaku vs Kallen is about the only good fight in the series once those guys debut. It's really weird in SRW where you go from the crap-rear end Glasglow fighting tanks and helicopter to Destroyer of Worlds.

I do remember raising an eyebrow when - after spending the last few episodes of R1 hyping the hell out of Lancelot's flight mod, R2 goes all of about two episodes before introducing two brand new fliers, one of which is basically Virtue and the other is basically Zeta Gundam. There's things I'll defend on R2, but the tech progression is definitely hosed.

Fred is on
Dec 25, 2007

Riders...
IN SPACE!
Getting back to Z2 talk for a bit, as much as I appreciate Code Geass' presence in Z2, I found the Area 11 path splits (yes, this is going to become a thing) kind of tiresome after a while. They usually consist of 90% Code Geass, with a bit of Gundam Wing and VOTOMS sprinkled in, and aside from a few tweaks pretty much play the show straight. I much prefer when SRW games mix things up like in the other path splits, or the admittedly really cool "Battling" mission from earlier.

Of course, all too often Z2.1's definition of mixing things up is to throw Dimensional Beasts at you. As fantastic a cast list as this game has, I don't care much for a lot of its missions.

Dr Pepper
Feb 4, 2012

Don't like it? well...

Well, that's really kind of to be expected. When they have a show premiere in the series they do tend to play it as straight as possible.

wielder
Feb 16, 2008

"You had best not do that, Avatar!"

ImpAtom posted:

It's really weird in SRW where you go from the crap-rear end Glasglow fighting tanks and helicopter to Destroyer of Worlds.

To be fair, the last step makes a bit more sense in Z2 than in the show (around the last quarter of Geass R2, I believe), because towards that point of the next game everyone else has either already received their final upgrades and ultimate attacks or is going to get them soon enough, so in practice the tech gap is less pronounced within a SRW context. You've also had more time to play with the previous intermediate generation's machines by then.

wielder fucked around with this message at 23:18 on Jul 19, 2012

GimmickMan
Dec 27, 2011


You realize that you are being just as bad as the people who are overly critical of Geass' flaws, right?

Mercury Crusader
Apr 20, 2005

You know they say that all demons are created equal, but you look at me and you look at Pyro Jack and you can see that statement is not true, hee-ho!

Hunter Noventa posted:

I'm having trouble thinking of characters that don't already do this that wouldn't be improved by doing this. In any format.

Katz Kobayashi?

Three Cookies
Apr 9, 2010

Katz is my favorite newtype ghost.

Omnicrom
Aug 3, 2007
Snorlax Afficionado


Pasteurized Milk posted:

Katz is my favorite newtype ghost.

He's also a weirdly great support pilot in SRWZ1. He gets both Confuse/Disturbance and Bonds. Slap him in the second Re-GZ or the Asshimar or something and you're set.

Broken Loose
Dec 25, 2002

PROGRAM
A > - - -
LR > > - -
LL > - - -

TK-31 posted:

You realize that you are being just as bad as the people who are overly critical of Geass' flaws, right?

shut up tk-31

SaitoBatch
Jun 16, 2009
I may one of the odd men out, because I'm not a very big fan of Code Geass.While I don't hate it, personally to me the only good things were the robots and Kallen's being a badass. Everything else is just kinda boring or irritating and it got more of the latter as the series went on to what I think was a very poor ending.

Ardeem
Sep 16, 2010

There is no problem that cannot be solved through sufficient application of lasers and friendship.

SaitoBatch posted:

I may one of the odd men out, because I'm not a very big fan of Code Geass.While I don't hate it, personally to me the only good things were the robots and Kallen's being a badass. Everything else is just kinda boring or irritating and it got more of the latter as the series went on to what I think was a very poor ending.

Code Geas makes a lot morse sense when you realize that Lulu is literally the anti-Christ.

Caphi
Jan 6, 2012

INCREDIBLE


Ugh why are Glasgows so baaaaad... both Ohgi and Tamaki need some money.



Ohgi and Tamaki get the obvious skills, the ones that buff their healing and supply effects.



In the clubhouse at the Academy where Nunnally lives, she and Lelouche are watching the news about Clovis' assassination. She laments her half-brothers death, and Lelouche has a fleeting pang of... guilt?

The newscaster goes on to announce that the purist Jeremiah Gottwald has been appointed acting overseer for the moment. Lelouche knows the Purists support only pureblooded Britannians in the Britannian forces. What does this mean for honorary Britannian soldier Suzaku? As if on cue, the newscaster announces that a suspect in the Clovis assassination has been brought in - an honorary Britannian. A former Eleven, now Britannian soldier - named Suzaku Kururugi!

Nunnally recognizes the name. Suzaku was their friend seven years ago, but had to leave just after the war. Lelouche is more shocked that Suzaku is alive after the incident.

He assures Nunnally that the accusations against Suzaku are, of course, false, and that justice will be served. Inwardly, he curses Jeremiah and vows not to let Suzaku be sacrificed for the Purists' political ends.



But first, he has a chat with Milly. She knows all about the two's past, how they are Britannian royalty whose deaths were faked, because her grandfather, Lord Ashford, took them in and handled their affairs. If it was known that he and Nunnally were alive, they would be go right back to being political pawns, which is one reason Lelouche dreams of toppling Britannia - so that he and his sister can live in peace like they are now, but without the shadow of Britannia haunting them.



Shirley and Rivalz are welcome mood-lighteners, and Milly has just the news to lighten the mood for them. Two more students are joining the Academy after Relena.



"Kallen Stadtfelt" has been "sick" and so frequently misses school. This is one of those rare times she's "feeling well enough" to come. In her Britannian guise, she's also girlier and much more soft-spoken. Shirley is ready to take care of her if she has any questions about what she's missed, though it sounds like the "ill" Kallen is still keeping on top of her grades.

Lelouche recognizes Kallen's voice as the red Knightmare, though. Rivalz mistakes his attention to Kallen as interest, shocking Shirley. Later, Karen will wish this were true, but Lelouche really is just curious about the secret Resistance fighter. He has some designs on using her to get the resistance rolling...



Karen runs into Duo and Heero in the library. Apparently Heero hacked the Academy computers to get their transfer in order. Duo makes fun of her for a while, but there's business to get down to. The mysterious commander wants to meet the Resistance in person tonight at the base.



But let's have another awkward moment - Relena has come to invite the new kids to their welcoming party. Without a word, Heero rips up the invitation and stalks away, leaving Relena's head spinning.



Saji hazards a guess that he's just shy and flustered. Duo hastily explains that he and Heero really need to get to work, then rushes off himself. But Relena has some things to say to Heero and gives chase. Louise and Saji follow.



With Karen now alone, Lelouche jumps her and gives her a Geass to answer his questions, hoping to extract information on the Resistance out of her. First he confirms that she was the red Glasgow's pilot. Then he wants to know why she's a terrorist. While she may be half-Britannian, Karen considers herself Japanese, and she wants to take back the Japan of seven years ago before the occupation. Lelouche briefly marvels at the fact that his Geass can make her openly admit to being half-Japanese on school grounds.



With his questions over, the Geass turns off and Karen seems to have no memory of the conversation.



But just to be safe, he Geasses her to keep quiet about Shinjuku. This time, the question has no effect, other than to throw Karen into a panic over why he would say that. This is the first rule of Lelouche's Geass - it only works once per person - but the damage is done. Karen wonders how Lelouche knows about her, and almost recognizes his voice! She demands to know if he was in Shinjuku, and Lelouche shoots back asking why she's so defensive about Shinjuku.



As she presses the offensive, she gets a phone call from a mysterious voice. The mystery man on the other end greets her as the red Glasgow's pilot and expects to see her at the meeting tonight, then hangs up. I guess that settles her suspicions about Lelouche being him, and she decides that pressing him further would only invite more suspicion on herself and hurriedly takes her leave.



Lelouche had arranged the call beforehand on a timer in case his conversation with Karen went longer than expected, and it did its job perfectly. She couldn't believe he's the masked man if she got a call from him while Lelouche was standing right there. Bam. And he learned an important limitation of his power, too.



Later, at the base, Ohgi is getting hung up on by the masked man, who seems to have called in to his own party. He did promise to help about the Resistance, but they aren't too keen on putting their faith in a man who won't see them face to face. According to Ohgi, the fellow promised to "win our trust by making the impossible possible." And he will demonstrate this concretely - by striking at the escort of the accused Suzaku Kururugi in three days and saving him. In the meantime, the Ohgi group is still on to kidnap Foreign Minister Dorian's daughter.



A couple days later (?), Lelouche is enjoying tea with his sister and his maid Sayoko. Nunnally says that Sayoko taught her origami, and claims that folding a thousand cranes will grant you a wish. She asks Lelouche for his wish. He won't answer but asks hers in return. She wants peace in the world, and Lelouche promises her that when she can see with her own eyes again, that wish will be granted.

But he reminds himself privately that his time and choices are limited. He can't rely on the Ashfords forever, and there's always the chance that his secret will come out. If he can only save Nunnally...

Oh, and the phone call from earlier - I guess rather than getting a machine to do it, he Geassed Sayoko into making the call and playing the tape for him. The rest will happen tomorrow.



He has a disguise, and everyone involved in making it is Geassed to secrecy. "I will make the impossible possible. There'll be no turning back."


Chapter 7: His Name is Zero
(Area 11 route)



Accompanying Jeremiah is newsman Diethard Ried, whose barely concealed excitement worries the lord. He's got cameras all over lest something... interesting happen.



Viletta reminds Jeremiah that Suzaku is the son of Japan's last independent Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi, and some Elevens out there will want to save him. Jeremiah just replies, "if that happens, the panic might just turn the escort into a public execution." But then he claims to have spoken in jest - he'll just fight off the attackers.



Meanwhile, Lloyd is whining that "My beautiful Lancelot is worthless without the most important component!" But nothing can be done about Suzaku now, an honorary Britannian soldier under the (temporary or not) rule of the Purist Gottwald. After Lord Batley was stripped of his authority for letting Clovis get assassinated on his watch, Jeremiah and the Purists have consolidated control of the military in Area 11, and that's bad news for people like Suzaku. Funny thing is, despite being on the business end of a huge miscarriage of justice, Suzaku himself just said "If that's how it is, I don't care for this world anyway."



The escort arrives...



while the Resistance lies in wait. One false move and Suzaku is dead.



When all of a sudden, one of the Sutherlands breaks formation, then opens its cockpit to reveal... Zero!



Everyone watching is shocked, but the Resistance recognizes his voice. Zero claims that he has "what you were searching for in the Ghetto some days ago." Jeremiah still thinks it's poison gas and assumes Zero is holding the public hostage. He aims to solve this without alerting the people. He asks Zero's condition, which is nothing more than to hand over Suzaku Kururugi.

Jeremiah refuses on grounds that Suzaku is the murderer of Prince Clovis, to which Zero responds that the murderer wasn't Suzaku. "It was I who killed Clovis!"

And when Jeremiah declares him a liar, Zero makes his masterstroke - "Are you sure? I'll tell them about Orange."



Zero approaches Jeremiah and claims that if he dies, "Orange" will be made public.



Then, when he gets in range, he gives Jeremiah a Geass - "Secure my escape with all your might! And his as well!"



Jeremiah orders his subordinates to hand Suzaku over.



Kewell brings his reserves in. He asks what the hell is wrong with Jeremiah (in nobler words, of course)...



and Jeremiah shoots him for getting in the way of his task.



He orders Kewell not to anger him anymore, to take his forces away, and for all his own forces to secure Zero's retreat.



But as soon as Zero leaves, Jeremiah returns to his senses, and Kewell orders a chase.



And the Resistance makes its move!



Zero returns, reporting that he's hid Suzaku in a safe place. Now that the Zero part of this drama is over, the next thing to do is to defeat Britannia on camera. Viletta reports that all the civilians in the area are safely evacuated, and Jeremiah orders his forces to wipe out the terrorists at all costs. The Resistance is puzzled by his flip-flopping, but most of them assume he was only following Zero's instructions because he didn't want anyone to know about Orange.



Zero is the only unexpendable unit here, technically. SR Point is to wipe out the Britannians in four ally phases.



Karen is still in her Glasgow. Sigh.



But first, let's pay attention to Zero...


Sutherland (Zero)
Skills
Tactics
Command L2
Morale
Break Will Limit
Spirits
Analyze
Strike
Traits
-
Weapons
Slash Harken (4 ammo)
Assault Rifle (16 ammo)
Heavy Cannon (4 ammo)
Ace Bonus: Radius of Tactics effect +2.

So here's Zero. As a pilot, he's kind of bad, and in a kind of bad mech. However, he has a series of interesting features that make him an excellent commander.



First, he has the Analyze Spirit. Basically, it's a nova Spirit that targets one enemy and lasts for one round, causing that enemy to deal 10% less damage, and more importantly, to take 10% more.

Second, he's got the best Command aura in the game, I think. At times, Sumeragi might be a better commander, but for sheer aura power you can't beat the king.

Third, he does this:



Zero's Tactics is a unique command that he can use anytime before or after moving.



There are three Tactics to choose from. Attack temporarily increases the Melee, Ranged, and Accuracy stats of pilots under its effect. Defense does the same for Defense and Evasion. Assault greatly increases Melee and Ranged, but at the expense of an even greater hit to Defense and Evasion, perfect for rounds when you just want to push damage.



It affects an area - with Zero's current Ace bonus, an enormous area - and grants the buff once to every ally in the effect, lasting on those allies until the end of the round. (It doesn't affect Zero himself, though.)



In terms of the mission, we're looking at two waves: one short wave of Sutherlands containing Jeremiah and Viletta, and one larger group led by Kewell of mixed Sutherlands, Glasgows, and Flags.



The first thing to do is move Zero - because if you don't move the King, his subjects won't follow - and drop an attack buff on all our soldiers.



You can see Karen's stats boosted by Zero's orders. She'll also get a hit/dodge kick from being close to his unit.



Most of our guys can't hit any enemies yet, but we'll keep them clustered around Zero anyway.

If the mysterious masked man Zero isn't Lelouche, then who is he?
I'll figure it out later! I'm in a fight! And I have to win for all the Japanese watching this fight right now!







Even keeping Karen close to Zero, though, she can shoot.





In fact, being so close to Zero, her performance is perfect.

That Zero guy's brilliant, but he's got chops, too.
Don't know how much I trust that mask of his, but let's see what he can do for us.







These are slightly better Sutherlands, and two of them are piloted by Jeremiah and Viletta. The third is just some knight.



Time to counter.



Tamaki takes the first incoming.








He does okay (mostly because of Zero).



Right next to Zero and in building cover, Chirico's evasion is excellent. Pity.






But the knight gets lucky and evades Chirico's extremely silent wrath.




A dumb Britannian decides he really wants Karen to kick him.





Okay.




Heero gets infought - Bird Mode Wing can't attack at point blank range.



Viletta goes straight for Zero.



Defend!

I can use these rebels to defeat Britannia if they just do as I command.
But the difference in our forces is still too great. How do I play this... how can I tear down their stronghold?



Viletta misses...



But Jeremiah wants his blood too.



Zero makes it without too much damage, thanks to his defense action.



Kewell's forces move forward.



The phase ends.



Putting the second wave on hold for the moment, the current fight is a, er, clusterfuck.



Dealing with Jeremiah and Viletta, two dangerous opponents, will be important. Jeremiah in particular is blocking the way forward.

The "Pls/5" sign sitting on top of the soldier is a quick-scan mark to show that he's partially surrounded and will take slightly more damage. Fully surrounding an enemy amplifies the damage it takes even more and is a good tactic to use on bosses. Just a small way SRW makes placement (rather than, say, charging, or resource management) matter.




Heero shoots.





I swear Jeremiah spends like half his cut-in blinking. It's actually kind of hard to get a good shot of him with his eyes open.







Crowe steps in with the Clutch Sniper.



And then Heero advances, trusting Zero to follow.




Karen finishes Jeremiah and gets a second turn. Disappointingly, he doesn't say anything. It's up to Duo to finish clearing Zero's path.

That Zero actually did it. He's gotta have some kinda magic or something.
If he pulled that off with just his brain, he can go ahead and fight with my body.



Now Zero can move to the next stage of the battle freely.



His enlarged Tactics can actually affect everybody even spread out like this. Using Attack will help them on the charge and the subsequent counter, but I choose Defense so they'll be better able to stand the coming onslaught and then go on the offensive on my third turn.

(Zero really did make the impossible possible. If we do as he say, we can win.)
(Not only can we win this, but we can win even bigger fights...)



Ohgi takes out a Sutherland quickly on his way out...



I almost forgot about Viletta! The problem with her for now is...



She's next to the third, nameless Sutherland pilot, and that pilot has Defensive Support, so he'll take the first attack against her for her.



Chirico and Crowe are the main two attackers left, and Chirico's best attack is far from usable right now.



Nevertheless, Chirico will attack Viletta directly.





Oops, he hit the ally instead for low damage.





And she gets to come back for a counter.







However, Crowe steps in to hit Viletta with his strongest attack.



Which also spent Viletta's get-out-of-attack-free card for the turn - the knight only had one support for the turn.






Also, Nameless Knight is down to the point where Tamaki can just pick it off.



Finally, Crowe takes Viletta out.






Still sticking to Zero, Karen takes the first shot at the Flag team. Her pummeling attack is surprisingly effective at anti-air.



Now to see how far I can counter them down.



Tamaki fails to kill the last of Jeremiah's squad. Surrounded by idiots, I am.



Karen's ranged damage is disappointing as always.



Zero finishes off the only preinjured Flag.



Crowe one-shots a second one.




That was a disappointing onslaught. I blame the Glasgows. They're very bad at moving through terrain.




First we'll get Tamaki and Ohgi to finish off crippled enemies.



Then plant Zero in cover and deliver Attack orders.



Then we'll remember that the lovely Scopedog has nothing that can attack flying enemies post-movement that doesn't require 120 Will.



As usual, the game is staying clustered and spreading damage. We have both Zero's Command aura and Deathscythe's Jamming field to take advantage of.



And for Karen, just being near Zero is enough to make her fight like a pro.



Heero and Crowe are a good partnership, able to double attack at long range.



For instance, Heero has serious accuracy issues right now.






But Crowe can cover his back.



Crowe's decent range and power plus his ability to Hit&Away if necessary leaves him very mobile.



So we're leaving Ohgi and Tamaki out in the cold. They're available to do some healing if necessary, and that's what matters.



And...



Oops.








Hey, that went well. Go Ohgi. (Tamaki is still terible, though.)



But the Britannians smell blood and continue going after him.



Well drat, Ohgi.



He survives and hits. I'm actually impressed.




Finally someone isn't attacking Ohgi. Heero fights off a Glasgow squad.




Duo and Zero take out the nameless Sutherland pilots.



And Heero's powered Buster Rifle takes out Kewell in one blast.



There are just two sad Glasgows left on the board.



One goes to Zero, who is important but a bit underlevelled.



The second goes to Chirico, who didn't get to do much this chapter.



With that, the map is clear. It was a really boring map. I think Area 11 chapters are supposed to be more about plot. More's the pity, since the game devolves into novel mode when it's not in a fight.



Zero tells his men to drop off their mechs and meet him at a specified point.



Lloyd wonders if Suzaku will join the terrorists. "I'll have to find a replacement part..."



At the base, the rebels still aren't sure if they can trust Zero, but Ohgi is certain that if nothing else, he does have the power he promised. The man himself is talking with Suzaku and forbade the rebels from intruding.



Zero is trying to convince Suzaku to fight with him to change the through-and-through corrupt Britannia. Suzaku takes issue with Zero's methods - taking hostages with a bluff, for one - but Zero is after results, and the results he got were that no one died and Suzaku was saved.



For some reason, his focus on results makes Suzaku laugh mirthlessly.

Zero repeats that the corrput Britannia does not deserve Suzaku. He turns down Zero's offer though. He wants to change Britannia from within, not destroy it. "There's no point getting results the wrong way."



Then he gets up and leaves, he claims to his own trial. Both he and Zero know the trial is a sham set up to find him guilty of Clovis' assassination, but Suzaku accepts it. Not only because it's the lawful thing to do, but because if he doesn't, even worse things will fall on the other Elevens and honorary Britannians. And he doesn't care one bit if he has to die for it.

Suzaku admits he wanted to take in Zero, actually, but if he tried now, he'd just be shot by the rebels. "I'm going to be killed either way. I may as well do good by dying. But... thank you for saving me."



He walks away. Lelouche curses inside his mask.

Tamaki is outraged that Zero let Suzaku go, but Zero just replies that "I can't stop a man going to his death." Crowe is letting Zero, the one who ultimately saved Suzaku, have the final word on how to handle him.



The conversation about Suzaku is over. Zero begins a debriefing of sorts, starting with the thesis question: "How did you see today's battle?"

It wasn't a victory for the rebels. Any destruction they caused today wouldn't even sting the Britannian Union. Nor was it an act of resistance - Zero says that Britannia will not be defeated by terrorist activities. "Terrorism is just annoying them as a child would. Your enemy is not any Britannian. It is Britannia itself." This shocks the rebels, who seemed not to be thinking so large - defeat the Britannian Union! Zero seems to be telling them to stop being rebels and start being warriors. Ohgi at least has gained some confidence in Zero's ability to lead them there and asks him to become their leader for real.

The rebels are reluctant, but Zero is confident they'll come around sooner or later. Crowe and Duo are in - they can't trust him for sure as long as he wears his mask, but they have faith in his abilities. Heero wants to check Zero's confidence first, but when Zero promises victory without hesitation, he's convinced. Chirico has already left to work on his robot.

Ohgi offers the rebels one last chance to object, and in the end, no one does. So the Resistance too is officially under Zero's command.



But Lelouche reminds himself that he will use anyone and anything to achieve his goal - of changing the world into one Nunnally can live in peace in.



Later at school, Karen is disgusted that the Britannians can just keep on living their own lives as if nothing is happening elsewhere in the world. Not just in the Ghetto either - Celestial Being is all over the place and aliens called the Gishin have attacked the other Japan.



Karen warns Duo not to approach her inside the school, lest her cover be blown. "Yeah, okay. I'll stay away when you're with your friends." "I don't... have any friends."



Oh, I guess Heero is there. He's easy to miss in this format because he doesn't say anything! Anyway, the appearance of Relena breaks up the awkward moment and Heero goes off chasing her.



Oddly, he tells her "I'll kill you," and then leaves. I don't understand Gundam Wing at all.



In New York, Treize and Lady are talking about F.M. Dorian's speech in which he called for talks between the Colonies and their rulers to combat the spread of terrorism. The speech didn't go over well, and both of them think that even if it had, any such talks wouldn't have gone anywhere. Treize says "the Minister chose the wrong time. It has nothing to do with whether or not he's right. There haven't yet been enough sacrifices to change the world."

Treize still wants to change the world, but doesn't believe he can do it alone. He came down to see if he could find someone that would understand his goals, and he thinks he may have somebody in mind. When he finds him, he'll "take the fall for the world."



We get a repeat of the scene where Setsuna visits Area 11.



And then it's over. We have Zero's Sutherland now. Later.

Caphi fucked around with this message at 05:48 on Jul 27, 2012

Spiritus Nox
Sep 2, 2011

I do really like Zero's Tactical ability in this game. It's quite useful at keeping your team alive and hitting hard, and it's a good way of conveying his whole 'Evil Genius' character gimmick, since most of his schemes have to be reduced to Death by Plot with regard to storyline events. He's also a massive ham, which is always fun!

Brunom1
Sep 5, 2011

Ask me about being the best dad ever.
I make it a point in my Z2 playthroughs to ALWAYS torment Jeremiah whenever possible by shooting him down with Zero (even in his crummy Sutherland).

His death-cry of "ZEEEEEEEEEEEEROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAARRRGH!" sealed the deal when I heard it for the first time. :3:

Argas
Jan 13, 2008
SRW Fanatic




I just fully upgrade Zero. The King has to lead the way after all.

Besides, it's amusing to see Lelouch as a super-pilot.

Argas fucked around with this message at 00:30 on Jul 23, 2012

Spiritus Nox
Sep 2, 2011

Brunom1 posted:

I make it a point in my Z2 playthroughs to ALWAYS torment Jeremiah whenever possible by shooting him down with Zero (even in his crummy Sutherland).

His death-cry of "ZEEEEEEEEEEEEROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAARRRGH!" sealed the deal when I heard it for the first time. :3:

Don't you mean 'ZERO NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE :byodood:?' It is indeed wonderful when you first hear it.

GimmickMan
Dec 27, 2011

Just by being a portable group buff dispenser that would make Basara proud Zero is already great, he doesn't get EXP from buffing people though does he? Either way I bet the both of them together make for a completely bonkers combination.

ImpAtom
May 24, 2007

TK-31 posted:

Just by being a portable group buff dispenser that would make Basara proud Zero is already great, he doesn't get EXP from buffing people though does he? Either way I bet the both of them together make for a completely bonkers combination.

Basara kicks the poo poo out of Zero as a buff dispenser once he shows up in 2.2.

Hikarusa
Sep 8, 2011

ImpAtom posted:

Basara kicks the poo poo out of Zero as a buff dispenser once he shows up in 2.2.

And even if that wasn't the case, Zero has much better things to do in Saisei than buffing people.

Gulping Again
Mar 10, 2007

Hikarusa posted:

And even if that wasn't the case, Zero has much better things to do in Saisei than buffing people.

Pretty much. The Ikaruga is an excellent combat battleship, if not on the same level of effectiveness as the Macross Quarter, and the Shinkiro is the second most ludicrous unit Code Geass has to offer. It's an outright beast that allows Zero to focus his PP on Ranged Attack exclusively, and with some armor+ parts and some PP in Defense, it's a brilliant tank.

On to a less spoilery topic, this map illustrates the big issues with the Area 11 route. While urban fighting in the shows was fast and furious, here it's just a slog through bottlenecks. Crowe becomes your most valuable unit just because he's the only flyer you have that can attack after moving.

Omnicrom
Aug 3, 2007
Snorlax Afficionado


Yeah Zero is not a very good pilot. At all. In Z2.1 for most of the game he's stuck in a crummy KMF but his tactical command and massive leadership aura still make him incredibly useful to use. Thankfully Zero does eventually get an upgrade that's pretty good that lets him actually fight. Depending on how you use him in Z2.2 he can either remain a tactical supporter (not very necessary as there's a new support pilot who ROCKS Z2.2) or as a surprisingly good long-ranged nuker.

Basically Zero is the Reverse Chirico: he's a poor pilot buoyed up by a powerful unit, and while Chirico is all about taking hits and going on you really don't want to risk Zero taking a lot of damage because losing his Leadership aura in the middle of an enemy turn can really put you in a bind.

Also Caphi: You started spelling her name Kallen but went back to Karen as the update went on, I suggest a Find-Replace.

BlitzBlast
Jul 30, 2011

some people just wanna watch the world burn
That's actually on purpose. As I recall, Kallen is the Brittanian name she uses in her meek student persona, while Karen is her "true" Japanese name she uses as a terrorist.

Caphi
Jan 6, 2012

INCREDIBLE

Omnicrom posted:

Also Caphi: You started spelling her name Kallen but went back to Karen as the update went on, I suggest a Find-Replace.


BlitzBlast posted:

That's actually on purpose. As I recall, Kallen is the Brittanian name she uses in her meek student persona, while Karen is her "true" Japanese name she uses as a terrorist.

Yes, this is how I'm writing it. I think I mentioned that last week.

I would say that Zero is a bad pilot in a bad robot with one really good feature (three, really - Command, Tactics, and what will prove to be a solid Spirit list) driving the entire unit. Depending on how heartless you are, you could say the same about Watta and Trider G7, or currently the entire Ptolemaios.

Brunom1
Sep 5, 2011

Ask me about being the best dad ever.

Caphi posted:

Depending on how heartless you are, you could say the same about Watta and Trider G7, or currently the entire Ptolemaios.

Do not diss the President! :colbert:

I'll give you the Ptolemaios simply for the fact that it can't counter attack and EVERYTHING will try to attack it if it so much as gets within their "line-of-sight".

Still, Feldt is one of the first supporters to learn Bless so...

TwoPair
Mar 28, 2010

Pandamn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta
Grimey Drawer

BlitzBlast posted:

That's actually on purpose. As I recall, Kallen is the Brittanian name she uses in her meek student persona, while Karen is her "true" Japanese name she uses as a terrorist.

Well the real difference is that she has different last names. Stadtfeld for Britannian, Kozuki for Japanese.

Omnicrom
Aug 3, 2007
Snorlax Afficionado


TwoPair posted:

Well the real difference is that she has different last names. Stadtfeld for Britannian, Kozuki for Japanese.

That's really the only difference. Kallen has some issues with her step-father who she inherited the Stadtfeld name from, she usually identifies herself whenever she's piloting as "Kallen Kouzuki".

If you're planning on switching between Karen and Kallen it makes more sense to me to use Karen for when she's pretending to be Britannian, Karen is an actual English name whereas Kallen is most definitely not.

Caphi
Jan 6, 2012

INCREDIBLE

Omnicrom posted:

That's really the only difference. Kallen has some issues with her step-father who she inherited the Stadtfeld name from, she usually identifies herself whenever she's piloting as "Kallen Kouzuki".

If you're planning on switching between Karen and Kallen it makes more sense to me to use Karen for when she's pretending to be Britannian, Karen is an actual English name whereas Kallen is most definitely not.

Kallen is a Britannian name, and Karen is a Japanese name whereas Kallen is definitely not.

Section Z
Oct 1, 2008

Wait, this is the Moon.
How did I even get here?

Pillbug
"Yes! I have Godlike-powers-I-Have-Full-Confidence-In!... Oh, they only work once? Fortunately I arranged a timed recorded phone call off-screen (and will claim how I did it in like, an hour from now) in case my godlike powers I had complete confidence in failed, in a conversation I had no foreknowledge of occurring now."

Lelouche's "tactical brilliance" is the "Yugi is really great at cards" sort I see. Or uses Bill And Ted Style manipulation of Time.

TheBystander
Apr 28, 2011

Section Z posted:

"Yes! I have Godlike-powers-I-Have-Full-Confidence-In!... Oh, they only work once? Fortunately I arranged a timed recorded phone call off-screen (and will claim how I did it in like, an hour from now) in case my godlike powers I had complete confidence in failed, in a conversation I had no foreknowledge of occurring now."

Lelouche's "tactical brilliance" is the "Yugi is really great at cards" sort I see. Or uses Bill And Ted Style manipulation of Time.

To be fair to Code Geass (having just rewatched the first few episodes), this scene is pretty condensed. Originally, Lelouche messed up in the same way, and had to arrange for the fake phone call later in order to throw Kallen off his scent, so it wasn't nearly as silly. So far I'm enjoying this game's story, but it does suffer a bit from having to cram in multiple storylines into a really short timeframe.

I actually just got this game, and I'm enjoying it immensely. I can't wait for the LP to catch up to what I've seen, as I want to know what Zero and Kamina were fighting about soon after the foundation of the Black Knights

Spiritus Nox
Sep 2, 2011

TheBystander posted:

To be fair to Code Geass (having just rewatched the first few episodes), this scene is pretty condensed. Originally, Lelouche messed up in the same way, and had to arrange for the fake phone call later in order to throw Kallen off his scent, so it wasn't nearly as silly. So far I'm enjoying this game's story, but it does suffer a bit from having to cram in multiple storylines into a really short timeframe.

I actually just got this game, and I'm enjoying it immensely. I can't wait for the LP to catch up to what I've seen, as I want to know what Zero and Kamina were fighting about soon after the foundation of the Black Knights

Have you been using Mneidengard's guide? He's got a really thorough story outline for that sort of thing here: http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~mneideng/srwz2h.txt

Brunom1
Sep 5, 2011

Ask me about being the best dad ever.

TheBystander posted:

To be fair to Code Geass (having just rewatched the first few episodes), this scene is pretty condensed. Originally, Lelouche messed up in the same way, and had to arrange for the fake phone call later in order to throw Kallen off his scent, so it wasn't nearly as silly. So far I'm enjoying this game's story, but it does suffer a bit from having to cram in multiple storylines into a really short timeframe.

I actually just got this game, and I'm enjoying it immensely. I can't wait for the LP to catch up to what I've seen, as I want to know what Zero and Kamina were fighting about soon after the foundation of the Black Knights

Most of it revolved around Kamina not trusting someone that hid behind a mask and always worked behind the real fighters (it wasn't "the MANLY WAY of fighting"). His problem with Zero was further increased by the fact that he didn't apreciate Karen, whom he viewed as unworthy, using a "another Guren".

Mind you, this rivalry reached it's peak when Zero lost his mask to the cat and Kamina recruited/drafted all Super Robot pilots into the Guren Gang and had them work to unmask the guy.

Caphi
Jan 6, 2012

INCREDIBLE


To begin with, Zero may not get into much direct combat but I want to raise his chances of survival.



A couple of heads are discussing the situation at Enforcers HQ. Jeremiah lost so much face in the Zero incident that he's gained the informal nickname of "Orange." Iskui is actually concerned for Britannia's outlook, since the Enforcers are on the Union's payroll, but Boro, the fat one, has no problems ditching Britannia anytime.

They're more worried about the Gilgamesh hunting for "Proto One." They've got the idea that Chirico is a Gil agent and plot to take him out so he doesn't report back. While he has the support of the Resistance, that's a mixed blessing because it provides them the perfect excuse to throw the might of the Enforcers at him - and Britannia won't even mind if they wreck the Ghetto in the process. And if they have to, they have an AT prepared to use Proto One itself on the Resistance.



Hello, Proto "Phantom Lady" One. Why the towel on your head?



Lelouche returns home to find C. C. (pronounced C Two) casually having tea with his sister. Wait, what?



A wacky scene (I'm not sure how I feel about those in Code Geass) ensues in which Nunnally assumes C. C. is Lulu's new girlfriend, and C. C. leads her own ("we have... a promise") to Lelouche's extreme embarrassment.



He forcefully takes her to his room - no, it's not what you think, he just wants some answers. Who can blame him?

She knows he's been experimenting with his Geass, which prompts him to start summarizing the rules for our benefit (in the show, we got to see some of the experiments, which were kind of cool). He's apparently got the range nailed down to about 270 meters (!) eye-to-eye and it can be reflected like a laser. Plus its orders are absolute regardless of the target's own personality, they have no memory of the Geass's effects, and he's not aware of any time limit.

(The rules are as much limitations as non-limitations - the clauses about absolute obedience and indefinite duration in particular are mostly defining magic. And we're going to see a few of these rules bent or broken by the end of the show.)

He thanks her for getting him ahead of schedule destroying Britannia. She wonders if his power is big enough to do that, and he replies that he was planning to do it with or without the power.

So anyway, C. C. is a top military secret, meaning she doesn't have to try very hard to hide. In fact, she plans to move in and demands Lelouche hide her. Lelouche is against this, mostly for his own safety - he has big plans and he wants to continue lying low - but C. C. takes a different tack, promising to help him. Then she takes his bed.

(And if it wasn't obvious, "orange" was a bluff, but a happily effective one.)



Meanwhile, Suzaku has been quietly released from all charges, and to Count Lloyd's glee, has been inducted into a special operations program and handed piloting duties for the Lancelot. Lloyd teases Suzaku, wondering if his experience with the court has disillusioned him with Britannia, but Suzaku is 100% business. "There is something I must do from within Britannia."



Cecille suggests Suzaku take a rest, and when he leaves, she and the count discuss Suzaku's past, or more accurately his father's. Genbu Kururugi, the last Prime Minister of Japan, resisted Britannia until the very end, but changed his mind, surrendered, and took his own life. Ironically, his surrender may have prolonged the fighting - because Britannia never had to defeat Japan, the Resistance has rallied around the slogan "Japan isn't down yet!"

So you see, some Elevens consider Genbu a traitor to their country, and now his son Suzaku is an honorary Britannian. The pair wonder what the kid has in mind. But "the Resistance doesn't have much longer. The new Viceroy will be here soon." Dun dun dun!



Suzaku is downtown minding his own business when a girl with pink and very strange hair jumps out of a window and falls onto him.



No, seriously.



Relena passes through and seems to recognize this woman, who claims she was being chased by an unsavory fellow and asks if they won't please protect her. Relena wonders if she's incognito. From what, we wonder?



Pink addresses the three of them - where did Heero come from? - and asks them again to escort her to Shinjuku.



At the familiar place in Shinjuku, she introduces herself as "um... Euphie." Relena introduces herself and Heero, who Euphie pegs as her boyfriend. "No, you were following her quietly from far behind. Perhaps it is only you who likes her?" Heero growls.



Euphie encourages them to be friends, and Relena jumps on the chance to grill Heero about his identity and past, which Heero pointedly refuses to answer.



Suzaku tries to get a passing cat to play with him. It attacks instead! He admits to Euphie that he likes cats, but they never like him back. She claims that only the kind can hold loves like that - Suzaku and Heero both. Heero growls again.

Euphie says it's her last day of break and she wanted to see Japan. She was a student before (but won't say where she's going). Suzaku and Relena fill her in on the destruction caused by the fights with the terrorists, being sure to point out that the Britannians caused no small part of it.

Heero asks Suzaku straight why he, the son of the former Prime Minister, is now an honorary Britannian. Suzaku says that when he was ten during the occupation, he saw a lot of badness in the world, and he believes there are a lot of people trying to fight it - including Celestial Being and even the Gundams and Resistance. He wanted to be one of those people.

But Relena asks why he chose to do that under Britannia's flag. The question of why he would side with them with his past is still the most pressing part of the problem, and she thinks he must have a very good reason to have taken that step. Maybe he thought he was siding with the winner and that if he supported Britannia taking over the world, that would end war in itself?

Suzaku has no answer, and Relena apologizes for pressing, but she wanted and still wants his answer, if only to answer her own doubts. She asks Heero to join her and search together for an answer to stop the wars.

Suzaku finally says slowly that his father had to die, and that he has to do something so that death doesn't go to waste.



This depressing philosophy session is interrupted by gunfire from the Ghetto. Suzaku recognizes it as the Enforcers trying to burn the place down.


Chapter 8: The Princess and the Witch
(Area 11 route)



A platoon of Knightmares, ATs, and Enforcer machines are firing all over the Ghetto. Jeremiah has authorized them to fire at will even if they tear down the whole place.



But the knights resent being sent out to do dirty work with the Enforcers, and taking orders from "Lord Orange" isn't helping morale.



Meanwhile, Suzaku and the gang are horrified that Britannia would make such a move against an area where people are living. Heero has silently disappeared.



An Enforcer moves towards Suzaku, Relena, and Euphie, seemingly not seeing them, but Wing Gundam flies in to deal with the problem.



Heero takes out the rogue AT, and as his Gundam looks towards the kids...



Relena guesses he's the pilot (how?) and wonders why he saved them.



Heero is wondering the same thing. Relena's death would be convenient for him.



Orange wants to get some honor back by slaying a Gundam and orders his units to go get Wing.



This is not much of a condition. Basically it's Heero vs. Jeremiah with a bunch of douchebags in between.



The buildings are considerable cover (10% defense, 15% evasion) for Heero, but they work for the ATs too.



Accelerated, he's fast enough to dive into the alleys and start ripping up the ATs.



Without Focus, he will (with a little luck) take just a few hits. If he does, Prevail L7 should keep him alive.

Commentary: I think it's been said before, but in this game, pilots generally begin with all the Prevail they'll ever have, compared to earlier SRW titles in which they started at low and gained over the course of the game. I have to say I like it this way. Prevail essentially defines a percentage cieling at which you start getting bonuses that climb as your HP drains, so I like it better when it's fixed compared to starting low and rising over the course of the game.








The Standing Tortoises are pretty tough. Plus, ATs in general (and KMFs) are better than the vehicles we've generally been seeing the Enforcers use.




Heero dodges.



The AT comes back for more on its turn.




Each dodge brings Heero's dodge rate down, but each hit will send it shooting back up with interest.






Every Gundam from Wing has this one sad, boring head vulcan that slows the enemy but does nothing. I think they were supposed to be anti-infantry weapons.



Heero's accuracy is bad enough so I switch him down from the heavy, inaccurate powered Buster Rifle to the weaker Machine Cannon.



He's the type whose weapons decrease in accuracy as they rise in power.








With that damage, it looks like the Rifle would have finished it... if it had hit.







Maybe not. Only on a critical, I guess.



The rest of the ATs approach.



Now it's the Enforcer machines' turns.







They're still bad.



Really bad.



The last chopper and cars approach.



The knights hold.



At the beginning of turn 2, Suzaku plants Euphie and Relena in a safe place and heads out to "do what I can. That's why I became an honorary Britannian in the first place."



Now the Resistance arrives.



Zero berates Heero for deploying without his permission. Heero doesn't care. Crowe stops the argument by reminding them of the battle ahead - plus, "Let's at least be heroic for the Japanese." Zero reacts to the mention of heroism, but Crowe's right. We've got a Ghetto to defend.



But there's one more complication. A red AT joins the battle.



Chirico refuses to say anything about it. Tamaki presses him, but Heero jumps to Chirico's defense. Well, sorta: "Talk later. We have a fight." Two silent peas in a pod - but Duo catches onto Heero's (relative) animation, plus him running in with his Gundam, and wonders...



Zero tells Chirico to handle the lone AT, and Chirico responds with a "roger." Heero and Chirico sure are talkative today.



We're essentially looking at a charge with Heero coming in from the side.



First, Zero will take cover and buff his men.



With Zero in position, we'll keep the soldiers clustered around him.





I wish Karen had a better robot.




They still call her the Red Devil. That's a nice touch.






Duo takes point so he can buff around too.




Chirico advances so he can draw the (ahem) Phantom Lady.



Ohgi stands ready to Defensive Support.




Tamaki offs the other wounded AT.






Crowe.





Finally, Heero rejoins the pack and takes out a chopper on the way.



Now Focused, Heero can put up a reasonable shooting performance.




Our friendly terrorists take down wounded units.



A lot of units in the back shuffle around or advance.



Finally, ??? takes a shot at Chirico...

...
(That AT is well modded.)
(But what is this disturbance in my chest? Is it the pilot of that AT?)








A quiet pair, isn't it?



With the Lady's turn, the enemy phase ends.



Will you look at that. She's got Chirico's unique skill, Precise Attack. The one that boosts crit damage. The one that only he's supposed to have.



She's also wearing a Precision Aiming Lens, which ups the equipped mecha's targetting score by 10 to help it hit. If this path weren't ending this chapter, I'd say put it on Heero. But she's got a solid HP pool and enough skill to go toe to toe with Chirico.



To begin with, Zero can hit the entire squad right now, but it'd make me feel better to have him in cover.



So I want to try to clear his path a bit first.





So we'll send the Ohgi/Tamaki team at the Strong Buck.



"Way to go all out, Ohgi!" Sometimes pilots have special lines for each other when they do supports.






So close!




Karen spends her first turn finishing it off.



This allows Zero to get absolutely nowhere. Well, I tried.



I think most of the KMFs should be safe to handle on the counter, so let's focus on the Brutish Dog for the moment.






She's actually more talkative than Chirico.



By the way, her range is only a few tiles.




So she's fair game for Heero to snipe.






It was a bit of a risk, but now she's well weakened.



Pilots will complain when they can't possibly counterattack. This is different from just choosing to defend or dodge.



Heero goes to bait the enforcers.



Aided by Sense, Chirico moves in for the finish.






Oh wait no! She activates Counter and goes for the punch.




But Chirico dodges and goes back in for the win!



He gains two levels and the Lens.



Phantom Lady silently retreats.



While the rebels are in awe of her skill, Chirico just wonders why she was obviously gunning for him and if she's connected to Conin, who also wants Chirico's head.




With her gone, I'm free to start on the Britannian knights.



Quick breakdown: I've got a bunch of guys in a skirmish with knights, a Jeremiah who wants Zero's blood, Heero ready to knock down some cars, and a single Strong Buck who I expect Duo to take out in the next action or so.



Let's see how bad I am at predicting things.



Well, first of all, the AT is much slower than I remember.




Heero does knock down some cars, though.






The knights don't fare well either.



Jeremiah can't reach Zero so he goes for the next best thing, Heero. It doesn't work out great.




I'll get Tamaki to weaken Orange quickly. (Ow.)

So I can hand him to Zero. Let's see how well he screams!

Zero! You took everything from me!
That's quite untrue. I gave you the name of Orange.
You will rue that taunt! When I destroy you and present your head to the late Prince Clovis' grave!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9AjmHdoDyc
Yeah, there it is.



Kewell catches Jeremiah retreating in disgrace. It seems that even Kewell has lost respect for Jeremiah - getting his hands dirty with the Enforcers, being forced to retreat, losing the Clovis assassination incident, and again, what is that Orange thing? He's decided the solution is to execute Jeremiah and then report him as having died in battle to save face. The family's face, that is.



But Lancelot dives in and gets in Kewell's way.



Suzaku refuses to let this idiocy go on. Jeremiah feels odd for being saved by an honorary Britannian.



Kewell is ready to attack Suzaku to get to Orange, but Euphie orders both of them to drop their weapons in the name of - the third princess of Britannia, Euphemia li Britannia! Lelouche recognizes her, but...




You know what this path was missing? Yeah.



Suzaku and Jeremiah leap to defend Euphemia and beg her to escape.



Jeremiah takes Euphemia and all the Britannians and Enforcers retreat, leaving only Suzaku to fight the Damons. Zero orders the resistance to attack them as well.



An SR Point has finally arrived: take out the Damons within three turns.

And we have a helper.


Lancelot (Suzaku Kururugi)
Skills
Predict
Ignore Size
Resolve
Block
Spirits
Focus
Accel
Traits
Blade
Shield
Weapons
Slash Harken (4 ammo)
Varis (8 ammo)
MVS (15 energy)
Varis Full Power (4 ammo)
Ace Bonus: At 130+ Will, deals 1.2x damage.

Currently a basic version of the Lancelot, it comes with the Varis gun, the MVS (Multi-Vibration Sword? Hell if I know) for close range attacks, and the pumped up Varis for a power attack. Suzaku has the same Will situation as Karen (starting at 115), and at 130 Will, gets a damage kick from his Ace and an accuracy/evasion kick from Predict.

He's a guest star so there's not much else to say about him right now.



Flying, accelerating Heero can join him.



Everyone else just hits the road.



Suzaku can counter the Damons with his Varis, so we want him within their range (5 tiles) of as many Damons as possible so they'll attack him.

The Damons are bigger threats than the Resistance right now! As a soldier of Britannia, I will protect the Ghetto!








The Lancelot was pretty much the coolest thing in early Geass.



The enemies move as planned.

Locked on. Target: Damon.






Ow.





This'll take a couple turns anyway, huh.



Suzaku starts countering with his Varis. The AI selects the powerful version.








It's a cool gun.






The lower power version is green instead of blue, I guess.

In fact, let's see the gun in action.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5VnkQhTc58
And yes, that's the memetastic theme song Colors by Flow (a.k.a. JIBUN WOOOO). For some reason, by default it's only the BGM for the Lancelot, while the regular characters (you know, the terrorists) use a Zero/resistance theme called Previous Notice. I'm probably going to change that.




He continues countering.



So anyway, it's turn 2 of the Damon party. (I think it's neat that the Damons are side 3, because Britannia is against them too.)



Zero's turn will be buffing to Attack (but I have a reason for placing him where he is).



You demons! Stop destroying the Ghetto before I make you!
You ready? It's you and me now!



Not who I wanted to see, but if you want to play, I'll bite.
Look alive, partner. This is your time to shine.





Seriously?





Ow.



Heero finishes it.



Then he heads back for refueling, mostly so I can demonstrate it (because I don't really need him).



First of all: 150 Will.



Tamaki uses his command. He has to pick a target adjacent to him.




Wing's energy is completely refilled.



Tamaki even gets experience for it.



Energy is now maxed, but Heero's Will is 140. Fascinating, I know.



Anyway back to work.



I'm leaving Suzaku here mainly so this Damon won't go anywhere.



He should take out that one next phase.




One down.



And the other two... move? I don't get the AI sometimes.



But whatever, it's the final turn and there's one last Damon dialogue event to see.

It seems as if they're moving according to an organized strategy.
How can that be? Does this mean the Damons are intelligent?



He fails to finish the job.



So Chirico does it for him. Still, that was the most informative bit of chatter yet. And kind of the most chilling.



Last one down.



Well within the time limit.



Again we learn that the Damons disappear on their own after a bit, but in this case, just as before, we hadn't time to wait.



And again, Crowe realizes the Damons are getting better.



Euphemia's Knightmare escort returns, and Suzaku greets them. She asks him to cooperate with her so that no one would have to lose anyone the way she lost her brother and Suzaku his father. Also, she orders the knights to let Zero go in appreciation for our help defeating the Damons. Besides, we can't start another fight in the Ghetto right after we saved it.



As Suzaku leaves, he reflects that the next time he and Zero meet, it will be as enemies.



Zero has better things to do than chase him. The rebels are all wondering what that is, but he'll tell them back at base.



"Relena... who are you?"



The new Viceroy is Princess Cornelia, and she's just arrived with her knights Gilford and Dalton. She doesn't like what's going on in Area 11, and while Euphemia got out of one encounter with the famous Zero in one piece, Cornelia wants her to be more careful.

Corny and Euphie are blood sisters, you see. Emperor Charles has several consorts, of course, so many of the royalty are half brothers, but siblings like Lelouche and Nunnally exist. And while Cornelia puts up a stern public face, she definitely has a weakness for Euphie. Speaking of, Euphemia has something to ask her sister, but they'll have to talk about it later, in private.



Kewell comes to greet Cornelia, but she flies into a rage and yells at him to cut the bullshit and go get Zero.



Zero has heard of the new Viceroy too. He's well aware that Cornelia is a battle princess with strong command skills, and she won't be nearly as easy to take down as the intellectual Clovis.



As usual, Chirico is maintaining his gear, but everyone can tell he's acting different from usual. Something about that red AT that tried to take him out.

But Zero is still thinking about that big plan he came up with, and he's ready to share it: "Be a force for good." Recast their image from a pack of rebels to a band of heroic freedom fighters. Step 1: put the "heroic" back in it. If they can be the good guys, Japan's support is in their pocket.

Crowe likes the plan. Karen is wondering how he plans to implement it. Zero tells everyone to drop the kidnapping plot first of all, and hold while he arranges things.

Duo suggests that since Karen is already on their side, he and Heero don't really have a reason to stay at school. Heero agrees, and adds that "If I stayed there, I'd soon become someone else." But even he can't say what exactly he means by that.

But right now, let's watch the sudden speech being put on by the Emperor of the Holy Brittannian Empire, Charles zi Britannia.



The Britannian capitol is called Pendragon, but for some reason it's in New York.



"All men are not equal. Some are born faster or more beautiful. Some are born into poor families, others born frail or ill. We are all different in birth, in upbringing, in talent. Inequality is the nature of man! But so do men compete and wage war, and so humanity progresses. Inequality is not wrong. On the contrary, the wrong is equality.

"Look at the AEU and its equal rights. They are ruled by any fool who becomes popular. And the HRL with its equalized wealth? A pack of lazy sloths. But we Britannians reject that. Through competition and conflict, we progress. Britannia alone marches on towards a greater future!

"Even the death of my own son, Clovis, is a sign of progress! So fight! Compete! Steal! Hunt! Rule! That is the way of the future! All hail Britannia!"



Treize can't help but agree, in a way.



And the same goes for Prince Schneizel el Britannia. He comments offhandedly that he's not confident his father is fit to rule, but is quick to assure Treize that he merely wants a bright future whether he is on the throne or not. Treize extends his hand in partnership, but Schneizel says his goals are not as lofty as Treize's. He only wants to fulfil his duties. Both men laugh and raise a toast. "To each of our, and all of our futures."



Back at the academy, Rivalz and Shirley are talking to Relena, who has been having some trouble sleeping. They wonder if it's something that weird kid did, but no matter, he and his friend have already transferred out. They talk about the events of the CB Path, in which Saji and Louise nearly got killed, but Celestial Being of all people saved them.



But you know what? They may have lost two students, but they've gained a new one: Suzaku Kururugi?! The kids recognize him as "that Eleven who was a suspect in the Clovis assassination." Gonna be fun here for Suzaku.



Relena lags behind, thinking about how she never got an answer from Heero. But she figures she'll meet her again, so...



She shouts, "Heero! Come back to kill me soon!"



With the chapter over, I have some things to talk about.

We've just finished three paths: Godmars in Japan, Gundam in wherever, and Code Geass in Area 11. Chapter 9 is a fourfold chapter that serves to put everything on hold, shake things up, and then launch into two further, unrelated paths before everything finally ties together.

That's it, I just wanted to warn you. What I'll do is go through one version of chapter 9 (the thread-chosen "canon" one - Japan, if you forgot), which is identical to the other three other than featuring robots from its particular split, then skip the alternate chapter 9 to show both versions of chapters 10-12. Hope that's fair.

The second thing is, um, we're about to hit the Eureka seveN movie. Which means there might be some mild spoilers for the Eureka seveN TV show. In particular, I'm talking about having to write "Holland Novak" at some point. Since this sort of thing is going to happen again a couple times over the course of the game, and it might be more serious the next time, I want to know how you guys think I should handle it?

Either way, see you there.

ImpAtom
May 24, 2007

The game expects players to have already see E7 or at least the Z1 adaptation of E7. I would give any information you need to that was presented in Z1. You kind of can't avoid it because the E7 movie really plays off the television series in a specific way.

I would just give any information that was present in Z1, televison spoilers be damned.

Ardeem
Sep 16, 2010

There is no problem that cannot be solved through sufficient application of lasers and friendship.
Fun Code Geass fact, the reason the Imperial Capital of Britania is in New York is In alternate history France didn't help the American colonies revolt so the revolutionaries got rofflestomped. Then the French rofflestomped the British Isles while their army was buisy pacifying the Americas. Europe solidified as the Euro Universe and the former British colonies became Great Britania.:eng101:

In unrelated news, I need to watch Eurika 7 faster it seems.

TwoPair
Mar 28, 2010

Pandamn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta
Grimey Drawer

ImpAtom posted:

The game expects players to have already see E7 or at least the Z1 adaptation of E7. I would give any information you need to that was presented in Z1. You kind of can't avoid it because the E7 movie really plays off the television series in a specific way.

I would just give any information that was present in Z1, televison spoilers be damned.

I never got around to watching the E7 movie, but from what I've read on Wikipedia, it's a totally different beast from the TV show, isn't it? I'm really curious to see how, if at all, they make its inclusion make sense.

Actually, there's a lot of series/robots that don't seem like they should fit anywhere near the paths we've seen so far. I'm thinking specifically of Gurren Lagann and Big O

Section Z
Oct 1, 2008

Wait, this is the Moon.
How did I even get here?

Pillbug
I know basically nothing about Votoms, so why do I love Chirico and Scopedog so much?

The fact the Scopedog was apparently modeled after Zaku's does help in regards to the second question, at least. Plus I'm a fan of Armored Core therefore WHOOO Mass Production Reals taking on all comers!

Why did AC5 have to be so meh :negative: "Please be online and create or join a guild to have access to the Item Shop and parts storage in Customize Your Killer Robot: The Game. Also, please grind Guild Points to unlock more items in the shop instead of via progress in game"

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ImpAtom
May 24, 2007

TwoPair posted:

I never got around to watching the E7 movie, but from what I've read on Wikipedia, it's a totally different beast from the TV show, isn't it? I'm really curious to see how, if at all, they make its inclusion make sense.

Actually, there's a lot of series/robots that don't seem like they should fit anywhere near the paths we've seen so far. I'm thinking specifically of Gurren Lagann and Big O

It is very specifically a different beast. The reasoning why is a spoiler but it is still deeply connected to E7. (Much like how E7:AO takes place in modern day Earth but is also deeply connected to E7.)

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