I just beat mission 5, I'm kinda wondering if beating Shultz with the Yamato might unlock some secret? I got the SP points but didn't even consider that I might want to finish him off with the Yamato until I already used it for the turn.
So, I've been thinking of picking up one of these mecha games for my Vita. Would this be the best one to get for a first-timer? I think the only other ones on the Vita in English are Gundam Breaker 3 and SD Gundam G Generation Genesis.
I have vague fond memories of Gundam Wing as a kid, hated Evangelion, and enjoyed Gurren Lagann and Code Geass. That's pretty much the extent of my mecha anime experience. I'm not opposed to watching more mecha anime to get more out of the game, though, as long as it's not Evangelion.
Oh, and I really enjoy SRPGs like Tactics Ogre and FFT, which I saw was brought up as being similar in gameplay to this.
I'm having a blast with SRW V so far, and I love mecha but haven't actually watched many of the series in this game (So far the only one character from a series I've actually seen has been Yamato 2199).
SD Gundam G Generation Genesis is great if you love the Gundam UC timeline and want to see a recap of the major chapters of each series, play out those battles, and collect your favorite mechs from the Gundam universe. If you don't have any experience with the UC timeline, you'd be missing out on the excitement that familiarity of the series gives you and the feeling of "Oh fuck this is the custom Gouf from 8th MS team!" that you get from having favorite mobile suits from the series. It also doesn't cover any of the Gundam Wing stories.
I think SRW V is a great entry point if you're only vaguely familiar with a couple of the series. Like, I know the Mazinger and Getter Robo franchises exists, but I've never seen an episode of it, and that's still enough to enjoy the presence of these characters showing up with their giant robots and watching their awesome animations.
If you have a favorite series, that enhances the enjoyment of seeing these characters wreck shit, but even if you're mostly blind to their actual histories it isn't a detriment to enjoying the game.
Fair warning: If you want to have any of the DLC, importing for the Vita is a pain in the ass. You need to change your region to access the PSN store that hosts the region's DLC, which is like a 10 minute process, and if you only have one memory card you'll need to format it.