From as far back as I can
remember there have always been movies, books, and TV series converted into
video games. The problem is that the majority of these games have been mediocre
at best. With the emergence of a new Robotech series, the gaming community
thought that it might be a good idea to create a game based off its story, thus
Robotech: Invasion was born. Is this game one to remember or should the idea
been left on the drawing board? Read on to find out!
Robotech: Invasion starts off with players taking on the role of a solider,
which was rescued by some freedom fighters. He is given the name of Locke, after
the injured solider whose armor he inherited. Players will go through various
levels completing missions trying to defeat the malicious Invid and trying to
remember who he is. After he gets to the first base camp he must find the
“Cyclone” armor which gives him some shields and the ability to turn it into a
motorcycle. As the game progresses players will be able to upgrade the armor to
bigger and better things that will help him out in later levels.
Cruising on your personal motorcycle
This game is a first
person/third person shooting game. At anytime players can go from first person
mode to getting on their motorcycle and causing havoc all throughout the level.
The controls for the first person mode are really smooth and responsive. While
it is a blast to transform into the motorcycle mode, it also causes the control
factor of the game to drop. I found it really hard to control the motorcycle
precisely throughout each level, in comparison to being on foot. This is a shame
because this is one of the biggest draws to this game is the ability to change
between the two forms and use them hand in hand to defeat your enemies.
One thing that was irritating while playing the game is that you are not allowed
to go into “confined” areas while in motorcycle mode. If you are in this mode,
the game will force the change back to being on foot. My problem is not that it
forces you to do this, but since this is necessary the developers shouldn’t have
made the levels and passages you go through as huge as they are. I found that
during many of these portions that the passages were big enough to ride your
cycle though. I understand that the developers wanted players to be on foot, but
make the levels in such a way where it reinforces this.
Make sure those soldiers live though the battle
The graphics for this
game is a mixed bag. On one hand the animations are pretty smooth. The morphing
from cycle to human form is smooth as silk and looks really nice. The graphics
as a whole have that “been there seen that” feel to it. The character models
have some nice details, and the bikes they are riding also are detailed nicely.
Where this game falls apart is the environments. There is no real distinction
between each of them; they are boring to look at with very little detail.
The audio portion of this game is good but not great. The voice acting for this
game is not some of the best around, but I have heard a lot worse. The sound
effects for this game are pretty good, from the explosions, different types of
gun fire, and motorcycle noises fit the game perfectly. The music that the
developers used for this game also really fits the whole atmosphere. If you have
a Dolby Digital setup I suggest that you use it as it will sound a whole lot
better and really drag you into the experience.
So many pretty lights
Robotech: Invasion
includes Xbox Live functionality, which really helps extend the life of this
game, once you beat it. First off there is the standard Deathmatch mode, where
up to eight players can face off in any map and kill each other off. Team
Deathmatch where up to eight players can team up to see if their team can kill
off everyone else in the level. You can not have a multiplayer shooting game
without the standard Capture the Flag, and Robotech: Invasion is no different.
You must defend your flag, while trying to go capture the other team’s flag to
score points. Protocapture is where players attempt to cant control and defend
all of the Protoculture generators on the map.
Robotech: Invasion is rated T for Teen for animated blood, mild language, and
violence. It supports HDTV 480p, in game Dolby Digital, and Xbox Live.
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Gameplay: 7.2
While you are
fighting on foot, the game feels really tight, but once you get on the bike the
game play seemly falls apart. The controls on the bike need some work because
they are not that smooth and will cause you frustration many different times. It
seems odd to me that this is the case, since the main “catch” to this game is
the ability to change between man and motorcycle.
Graphics: 6.8
Robotech: Invasion could have looked much better. It does not take advantage
of the Xbox hardware in any sense, and it is a shame.
Sound: 8.0
The voice acting
is decent and the music really matches up with the theme of this game.
Difficulty: Easy
Robotech:
Invasion is a really easy game, you should have no difficulty with any of the
“challenges” that you might come across.
Concept: 7.2
Who wouldn’t like having a transformable motorcycle attached to their back
that can shoot missiles at any nearby enemies?
Multiplayer: 7.0
This game does support Xbox Live and it is fun, the problem is that
everything is very “vanilla” meaning that there is no new modes or anything that
really takes advantage of the game’s strengths.
Overall: 7.2
Robotech:
Invasion is a decent game that could have been a lot better if the developers
put some additional time sprucing up the graphics engine, the controls, and the
difficulty level, this would have been a game to seriously contend with. If you
are a Robotech fan, this is one game you shouldn’t miss out on.
