Baby Got Backlog: SD Gundam G Generation Wars (Wii)

THE BACKLOG NEVER ENDS: Saying that I have a huge backlog of unplayed games is, to put it kindly, an understatement.

Just to show how long this backlog has been going on, my unopened games include: Devil May Cry 4 (that, like, came out when again?) and The Orange Box (yes, criminal, I know) for 360, and Rock Band 2: Special Edition (still got this huge unopened box in my living room) and BlazBlu (hopefully it still won't be unopened by this time next year) for the PS3. And that's just a small fraction of the games I have yet to touch.

Now the backlog has grown by one yet again with the release of SD Gundam G Generation Wars for the Wii. So now I'm trying to decide whether to start playing this game or buck up and try to get as much done with Monster Hunter 3 like I originally planned. Maybe I'll try ordering some Japanese game guides for now and see where that goes. Ah, choices, choices.

Anyway, here's a quick translation of SD Gundam G Generation Wars' in-battle menus to help new players and those with limited understanding of Japanese to get started:

MAIN BATTLE MENU
Pressing the "2" button while your square cursor is at an empty space on the screen brings up the main battle menu. This menu has the following 11 options:

1. パス
Pass your current turn. Click on this to change phases once you're done controlling your units for the current turn. You will also get a display of how many units you haven't moved if applicable.
2. ミッション表示
Mission info. Click on this to find out the current mission's conditions. 『勝利条件』refers to the conditions needed for victory. An example would be [敵軍ユニットの全滅] which means "Complete annihilation of all enemy units." 『敗北条件』refers to conditions for defeat. A common example is the destruction of your main or "master unit" and certain key allies. 『攻略条件』refers to conditions for capture, if applicable.
3. ウォーズトリガー
"Wars Trigger" conditions. This lists special conditions you need to fulfill to trigger a special event or bonus. In the G Gundam's first scenario, for example, the Wars Trigger conditions are to first defeat Master Gundam with Domon's unit and then defeat Shagia and Olba with your main or "master unit."
4. 捕獲リスト
Capture list. View the units you have captured. The basic way to capture a unit is to destroy its mothership, or in the case of Death Army units, destroy the Gundam Head that sent them out. Once the units have white flags on their icons, you can capture them as long as your mothership has available space and is within range. Just click on your mothership and pick the 『捕獲』command.
5. 部隊情報
Squad info. Clicking on this allows you to view information about your various pilots and units. You can also use this as a shortcut to find one of your units on the field by highlighting the appropriate pilot and clicking on him or her.
6. 会話ログ
Conversation log. Use this to view the conversations that have transpired so far between allied/enemy characters during the stage.
7. ギブアップ
Literally translates to "Give up." Let's you quit the current stage.
8. 情報表示
Information display. This allows you to enable or disable the "HP/EN view" or "STEP view" for your units on the field.
9. MAP移動
Change maps. This works in stages where you have more than one map that you could switch to and from.
10. ロード
Load save data.
11. セーブ
Save your current turn.

MOBILE SUIT/UNIT BATTLE MENU
Clicking the "2" button while highlighting a unit that has not moved yet will bring up the following options:
1. 移動
Move unit. Pretty self-explanatory
2. 攻撃
Select attack. In some cases, you will have an extra pop-up menu appear when you are attacking with an allied unit close by. This menu will usually have two options: 『決定』lets you proceed with the attack you selected. 『支援』lets you choose an allied unit to provide a support attack. The latter is especially useful in taking down beefy enemies in one turn. This also looks pretty funny if you gang up on a unit with a gajillion of your allies. Master units and squad leaders can typically request a support attack, provided the allied unit is within attacking range of the target and has not ended its turn.
3. 確定
End move. Unlike the "Turn End" command from the main battle menu, this only ends the unit's movement, not the entire turn.

*** Depending on stage conditions and a unit's abilities, some extra options can appear here as well. An example is 『着地』 which lets a flight-capable unit land on the ground if it is airborne. Conversely 『浮遊』 lets a flight-capable unit that's standing on the ground ascend into the air. I have yet to play a stage that has water, but the command to submerge a unit underwater is typically 『水中』. Each terrain provides advantages, especially when used in conjunction with suitable units. Examples can range anywhere from improved movement to higher attack damage.

When being attacked by an enemy unit, the following menu options appear:
1. 反撃
Counterattack or return fire. On a related note, you can also sometimes activate 『支援反撃』 or "Support Attack" and, for the lack of a better word, 『支援防御』 or "Support Defend" when you are being attacked by an enemy while you have an allied unit close by. "Support Attack" allows you to counterattack with an allied unit while "Support Defend" allows an allied unit to take an enemy hit for you, quite useful when you need to protect a unit with low HP.
2. 防御
Defend. This option appears if the unit has the ability to defend, like if it has the "Shield Ability" for example. When applicable, 『支援防御』 or "Support Defend" will also appear if a capable ally is close by.
3. 回避
Evade. 『支援防御』 or "Support Defend" can also appear if you pick this when applicable.

MOTHERSHIP BATTLE MENU
Clicking on your mothership during battle brings up the following options:
1. 移動
Move ship.
2. 攻撃
Attack.
3. 出撃
Launch mobile suits/units.
4. 回頭
Turn ship around. This is especially useful if you want increased mobility toward a certain direction since ships can move further when heading forward or sideways as opposed to moving backward.
5. 散布
Dispersion. This allows your ship to disperse Minovsky particles within a set a radius to lower enemy accuracy.
6. 確定
End ship's move.
7. 確保
When applicable, the 『捕獲』or "Capture" command becomes available. To use this, you must have an enemy unit that can be captured on the field (indicated by a white flag), be in range and have enough free space in your mothership.

"A" BUTTON MENUS
Pressing the "A" button brings up different menus depending on where your cursor is.

Pressing "A" while your cursor is on a unit brings up a 5-page menu:
Page 1: This contains info on your unit's different attacks on the left side. On the right side, it lists your unit's name, experience, hit points, energy, size, attack power, defensive power, mobility, movement range and ratings for space, sky, land, over water, and underwater.
Page 2: List a unit's various abilities. Shining Gundam, for example, has Super Mode, Shield Defense, and the Support Command, for triggering support attacks and defense.
Page 3: Lists any Option Parts attached to your unit.
Page 4: Lists Character Data and ratings. The left side has the pilot's number of Ace points and ratings for piloting (mobile suits/units), commanding a ship, communications, steering a ship, and mechanical ability (e.g. for repairs). There's also a chart for the following parameters:
『射撃』 Shooting. Indicator of a pilot's skills with rifles and long-range attacks.
『格闘』 Melee. Indicator of a pilot's hand-to-hand fighting skills.
『反応』 Reaction. Measures reaction time, including the ability to dodge attacks.
『守備』 Defense. Indicator of a pilot's defense ability.
『覚醒』 Awakening. Impacts ability to use psycom and funnel-type weapons, along with how often Newtype abilities such as "Pressure" will trigger.
『魅力』 Charm/appeal. This stat is important for a ship's 『ゲスト』 or "Guest" position, which impacts MP recovery.On the right side is the pilot's name, level, experience, and MP points
(which impacts your tension gauge). There's also another parameter chart, except it lists numerical values instead of a graph.
Page 5: Lists character abilities.

Pressing the "A" button while the cursor in on a ship brings up a 6-page menu:
Page 1: Same as Page 1 for units with the addition of "Group" and "Team" numbers.
Page 2: Lists team members.
Page 3: Lists the bridge crew.
Page 4: Lists unit abilities, such as being able to disperse Minovsky particles, for example.
Page 5: Lists attached Option Parts.
Page 6: Lists captured units.

Pressing the "A" button on an empty space in the map brings up a mini-map on the left. On a side note, pressing the "1" button on an empty slot brings up terrain info while doing so while highlighting a unit brings up movement range data, a leader/master character's sphere of influence, and a team's effective operation area. Units and ships on the same team will also blink.

Well, that's it for now. I'm also thinking of doing a translation for the operations room menu, which is where you set your groups and do mobile suit research and combinations. But that's a guide for another time. Folks with questions, suggestions or corrections about this particular FAQ can feel free to post a message here. SHINGENMOCHI