Anyone feel like Z3 started pretty damn slow? Didn't get really exciting until the first branch depends on which route you took (first REAL branch)
Yup, it's very, very slow start. I just got to the first real branch and did the first stage of each so at stage 11 now. Probably have about 15 hours into it already and barely any plot has happened at all after the initial OG introduction. Just been filler-ish stuff while re-introducing all the old Z2 series and a bit of FMP. Hopefully these branches will be the start of actual plots, but I'm kind of used to the the first 20 maps of SRW being the Ep1 introductions of all the NEW ENTRY series. You know, introduce the new characters, new mechs, new plotlines. Yeah there's FMP, but FMP is mainly just school hijinks and not much actual plot arcs.
I'm also pretty surprised Aquarion Evol is not introduced early on since it's actually the only NEW ENTRY series that's a decent length with a full 26ep tv series plot to get through (since everything else "new" is OAVs or movies or FMP which just doesn't have much mecha story).
I think this is a result of them padding out these games lately so that every SRW game has to be 50-60 stages w/branching because otherwise people will complain they got ripped off and the games didn't have enough content. Sometimes it's nice to have the extra maps to do the anime storylines in more depth or add more to the OG story, but sometimes it's padded.
Not really sure which is slower start, the beginning of Z3 or 2nd OGs with its 17 maps of re-introducing characters through boring drawn out padded Masou Kishin political fantasy war story. I think I'm just getting tired of the whole "waste 1/3rd of the maps in a SRW sequel to re-introduce the old characters one map per series at a time". Would rather have shorter games and skip to the new stuff with the old group just joining in bulks at a time in a handful of maps. At least the next series after Z3-2 will be an all new SRW lineup so we can avoid this 20-40 hour waste of time before the games get real good.
Not really complaining as I'm still enjoying it, but I am feeling like "how many hours do I need to binge play/marathon this game until I actually get to the NEW CONTENT" I just wanna get to where the game is full of Unicorn, Gunbuster, Aquarion Evol, OO Movie, EW, Eva, CCA, Gurren Lagann every map when it's not OG maps and the plot is moving at a good pace. Going by the pacing in Z2 and 2nd OGs, I'm guessing it'll get going around map 25.