I love games like this. They
bring me back to a time in my childhood where I had virtually no responsibility
and all the time in the world to play Intellivision, Nintendo, or watch
cartoons. Part of that was parking my behind on the couch or chair on weekend
mornings and tuning into “yet another exciting episode” of the Robotech anime
cartoon. I mean hey … what kid wouldn’t like a cartoon about huge robots that
transform into big fighter planes? I watched and played the Robotech RPG up
until my senior year of high school, and the enjoyment of it spawned my interest
in other mech shows like Gundam Wing. I was overjoyed when I heard that it was
coming to the next gen systems, and stayed pleased for the most part after
playing it.
Robotech : Battlecry goes
into telling the story behind the devastating crash of a huge alien vessel which
caused massive destruction and chaos throughout the world in it’s downward
collision course. It landed on Macross Island in the South Pacific, at which
time human scientists began using the Robotechnology they found within to create
huge machines to guard the earth due to threat of an alien attack by a race
known as the Zendraedi. A group who are known as the Robotech Defense Force
pilot these massive robots, and you play as rookie pilot Jack Archer … gun for
hire turned hero … as he joins the RDF on the brink of the Zendraedi attack.
One of the things that
always made Robotech a little more interesting to me than Battletech (I know I’m
going to get 50,000 e-mails about that comment) was the fact that the mechs were
able to transform into three different forms, depending on the situation.
Battloid mode was the full mech soldier style formation, which enables you to
launch anti missile machine gun fire and snipe out enemies from a distance.
Guardian mode is a sort of cross between a plane and a robot, and enabled for
faster movement, quicker turning, and usage of cluster missiles. Finally,
Fighter mode puts you in control of a high speed jet fighter, outfitted with
decoys, homing missiles, and machine gun fire. The game enables you to switch
between any one of the three forms with just the press of a button, and you can
feel the strengths and weaknesses of each mode while dogfighting with Zendraedi
invaders.
You would expect that a game
bearing the name “Robotech” would be a high speed, fast action shoot – ‘em – up
title, right? Well … it definitely is that. The game is a mission based battle
through the world of Robotech, and at the beginning of each mission you can
choose the style and coloration of your Veritech fighter. Up front, there’s only
two to choose from, and three paint schemes, but as you progress through the
story mode missions and meet certain requirements you will unlock new Veritech
body styles, like the Sumo, and a variety of color patters as well. Missions
range from search and rescue to escort to defend, and they have a nice variety
to mix up the action so it doesn’t get repetitive. Some missions will also start
you off zipping through the clouds in a ship to ship dogfight, then descending
to the city below to demolish landing ground forces before they can take over.
It’s mostly edge of the seat, adrenaline packed action that will leave your
palms sweating.
Now, Robotech is really
going to appeal to the Robotech crowd, but what about those gamers who may be
new to the series and wanting to see what makes it so popular? Well, the above
mentioned should get you reading on, but there’s a couple of areas which bring
down the whole experience overall and would make it a mediocre title if it
didn’t bear the famous Robotech name. First off is the control … not the
transform or weapon firing buttons mind you, but the sluggish and sometimes
inaccurate targeting system. The right analog stick allows you to choose your
target while in all three modes, and it does OK some of the time. Other times it
seems to take an eternity to switch from one target to the next, or picks the
one you didn’t want, which can be crucial while chasing after a zipping attack
craft. Battloid mode has the most accurate of all, and can change out targets at
the press of a button. Unfortunately, it’s way too slow to use in a dogfight,
which makes it almost useless in that situation.
The next thing is the
difficulty. There is a cool training mode, which is definitely one of the best
I’ve seen in an action title, and helps to learn the ins and outs of the mech
overall. The difficulty comes not in the gameplay itself, but in the missions.
Each one has specific things which need to be done, and can be really simple
when you hear what they are … like “Defend the SDF – 1”. OK, easy enough, right?
Well, there’s not a lot to explain what exactly needs to be done to complete the
objective, and can lead to frustration when you spend 10 minutes dogfighting
only to learn that the SDF – 1 has been destroyed. So, you try it again, and
this time go after the laser turrets on the Zendraedi cruisers. After 10 minutes
of dodging clusters of missiles and huge lasers, you destroy the turrets … but
the SDF – 1 gets destroyed again. Anyway, you get the idea, and that was just
one example. Sometimes you will be left looking for the next area to visit or
trying to figure out what the game wants you to do next, and I started wondering
at times if there was a glitch which was keeping me from moving to the next
stage.
The final downer for me,
which is more of a personal issue, was in the cutscenes. One of the things that
made the cartoon so great was the narrator and the story being laid out anime
style. The game, however, tells the story through still slides. They look great,
but it’s just not the same thing. I would have loved seeing the game played out
more like the TV show.
The real winner to this game
comes in the department of the sound and graphics. The voice acting was done
really well, and the music contains cuts which have that Japanese “original TV
show” flare to them. The explosions, weapons, and whooshing thrusters all
sounded great as well. The graphics are like watching a computerized, updated
version of the show … and are done in a neat looking 3-D cel shaded technique.
The smoke clouds and fireballs from exploding ships all have the same look to
them, and city building will crumble to dust before your eyes when pummeled with
firepower one too many times … all adding to the fast pace and excitement of the
game overall.
After it is all said and
done, I would definitely recommend this title to any Robotech fan … of course …
as well as anyone who is into other mech shows, like Gundam or one of the many
other anime titles out. If you liked the older Xbox mech – turns – into –
fighter release, Gun Metal, you’ll probably enjoy this one as well. If you’re
not a fan of any of the listed stuff, then you may want to rent or skip this one
and check out a different title … since the downside elements may prove to be
more frustrating than the $50 will warrant.
Gameplay: 7.8
While the buttons
themselves aren’t too hard to learn, and all three Veritech modes are easy to
flip around to, the lackluster targeting system and sometimes confusing mission
endings can be more of a hassle than an enjoyment. There’s tons of unlockable
mechs, patterns, and two player arenas to be found, and that’s part of the fun.
This game has a ton of action packed gameplay in it as well.
Graphics: 9.4
Wow. TDK did a
fantastic job of blending elements of the original anime with the video game in
a sharp, clean, cel shaded presentation. The mechs, Zendraedi, and backgrounds
are big and look fantastic … and some nifty little extras like crumbling
buildings or the “yellow crescent moon” laser explosions popular in anime titles
were a nice touch.
Sound: 9.2
Well done here also. The action noises were done in a
clear and realistic sounding manner, and the background music adds a neat,
nostalgic kind of touch to the popular title. The voice acting was just right,
and not overdone or cheesy.
Difficulty: Medium
There are three
difficulty settings overall, and each one presents it’s own challenge. Don’t
think easy mode is a pushover, though … and it will keep you busy enough to have
to do over quite a few times.
Concept: 9.0
This has got to
be the best adaptation of the popular Robotech series which kicked off the
American infatuation with giant, destructive robots that I have seen so far.
Adding some more of the TV elements, like FMV and the narrator, would have been
fantastic … but well done anyway.
Multiplayer: 8.5
Two players can
go head to head in a deathmatch style game throughout various landscapes … some
of which are unlocked as you progress through the story mode, and it’s a lot of
fun.
Overall: 8.3
While this game
will appeal to the Robotech and anime crowd for sure, it may also be a lot of
fun for the action gamer out there. If you are in to fast paced shooters, this
may be a good title for your collection … but I would recommend a rental first
due to the control and frustration issues which may be found.
