By now, a sizable chunk of Wii owners are whiling away their hours playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl, either by beating the tar our of various assortments of Nintendo mascots or by relishing in the sheer amount of nostalgia the game packs in. However, as American players and casual Nintendo fans may have noticed, not all the references to days of Nintendo’s past are necessarily familiar. There’s an unfamiliar song here, a strange trophy there, or some sticker that makes you wonder what exactly Nintendo may have been thinking.

I figured it might make for an interesting series of columns here if I looked into what some of these games were and why they ended up being represented in Brawl in their respective manners. For me, the first tip-off that even a self-proclaimed Nintendo buff such as myself might not recognize all the throwbacks to bygone games came when the Smash Bros. Dojo posted the list of all songs available in the game. Among the list of track titles were “Marionation Gear,” which plays on Samus’s Norfair stage and comes from the game Chosoju Mecha MG, and “Shin Onigashima,” which plays on the Ice Climbers’ stage and comes from a game of the same name.

…Never heard of them. If you’re in the same boat as me, then keep on reading.

Chosoju Mecha MG

Also known as Chousouju Mecha MG and translated as “Super Control Robot MG,” the game hit retail shelves in Japan in September 2006 but has yet to arrive on American shores. As you might expect, the “MG” in the title stands for “Marionation Gear,” which is in-game jargon for “badass controllable robot that seem a lot like a Transformer but totally isn’t.” Maybe it’s my lack of experience with Chosoju Mecha MG, but I see a few similarities between the robo-men in this game and those in the more popular Transformers universe. The Marionation Gears fight, blast, run, and fly with the best of them — and they also occasionally transform into vehicles. From what I’ve gleaned from reading about the title online, it seems an ideal title for the Nintendo DS, with players making full use of the system’s touch screen to operate the radically varying controls of over 100 different mechs.

The below video shows the opening of the game, as well as some of the early missions.

Plotwise, the story focuses on 13-year-old Martin. He’s taking his first steps to become a “puppet master,” as Marionation Gear pilots are called. Martin works at a robot factory owned by the powerful Galloy family. There, he befriends Kay, a young man who shares his dreams of robo-piloted mayhem. (Who wouldn’t?) Martin also tangles with the factory owner’s tomboy daughter, Melissa, as well as with a mechanical genius saddled with the improbable name of Anne-Marie d’Ancoeur. Gotta love nerds’ romantic interests.

The heroes end up battling Automan, a mech designed by rouge puppet masters to operate independently of human commands. Other human characters abound, but the playable mechs steal the plotline in this game. The mechs are, sadly, relegated to mere stickers and trophies in Brawl, but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth noting.

HM Mech Rosa, a trophy, alternates between bulldozer and humanoid states. As its name might imply, Musketeer Daltania can be a menace with its sword and flintlock pistol. Coincidentally, it’s steam-powered. Finally, Warrior Mech Gauss fits neatly into the stereotype of “giant, Japanese, fighting robot.” It’s a big deal in the Chousoujuu universe, and even packs something called the “Vortex Ultra Weapon.” Gauss may very well be the most important robot in the entire game. After all, that’s him on the cover art. All three of these also appear as stickers, as does a fourth mech: Ningyou Kouchuu Viigaru.

Finally, here is the game’s final boss battle. Out of context, I’m not too sure what’s going on, but you can’t deny that Chosoju offers a lot of mech-battling action.

And in case you needed reminding — or needed to hear it without the competition of screams, crashes and beefy-sounding smacks — here’s a video playing the Brawl version of the song “Marionation Gear.” This arrangement of the theme is by Masafumi Takada.

Where to find it: It is importable - that’s for sure. However, it’s more plot-driven than you might expect from a game involving giant robots. Thus, if you can’t read Japanese, you may very well end up wondering why Robot A is firing missiles at Robot B… assuming they really need a reason. The same article also posited that the game would one day be released outside of Japan, but that seems unlikely now that it’s nearly two years later.

Chances for the next Smash Bros? Not bad. If Transformers has taught us anything, it’s that people enjoy robots who perform various spectacular feats. However, its chances of becoming a Nintendo franchise would seem to be undermined by the fact that its developer, Sandlot, counts Chosoju Mecha MG as its sole title for a Nintendo system.

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