Video Games Robotech: Battlecry Review

Let me start off by saying something: I'm a hardcore Robotech fan. I have ALL the RPG books (which are out of print), all the DVD box sets, an old copy of The Sentinels tape (which is rare nowadays), a Robotech T-Shirt, a few Veritech action figures, over 20 megs in text files on mecha and other vehicles, Shoji Kawamori's Macross Mecha Designs, a 2 years running RPG campaign, and thats not all. And I have tons of stuff on Macross as well.

So you can pretty well imagine how excited I was over the new Robotech game coming out. After having my hopes dashed when Crystal Dreams for the N64 was cancelled all those years ago, I had given up hope. Then.. a miracle happened.

I'll get into the real review now.

Graphics: This game uses cell shaded graphics, and uses them well. They aren't over done, but the way they are utilized makes it look great. In addition, they did some really neat things with the explosions, making it look extremely similar to the actual show when something blows up. The units look great. Great care was taken with the authenticity and detail of everything. Some things arent done quite as well as they could have been, but they're minor. 9.2/10

Control: It did take me some time to get used to the controls, but after just a little while it was very intuitive and easy to use. I could only play the Gamecube version, but from what I hear the controls are good on XBox and PS2 as well. 9/10

Audio: The voice acting is wonderful, using many of the original voice actors from the original series. They do it well, too, unless they were playing the same character I didn't realize who they were with one exception. Cam Clarke, voice actor for Max Sterling, is the lead, and I had suspicions it was him, which were confirmed in the credits. However this guy does a LOT of voice acting. Heck, he's even Adam/He-Man in the new Masters of the Universe cartoon. So, since I've heard his voice a lot, Im used to picking it out. However, Jack Archer is a very different person than Max Sterling, and his voice isn't too similar. At first I had no idea. Anyway, everyone, including Cam, does a great job. The only weird voice acting thing was, not surprisingly, Minmei. Her actress plays one of youjr wingmen in the game and does a great job. But Minmei does make a cameo, and her voice sounded different. I don't know, maybe it was just the contrast from the main characters, but her voice seemed incredibly sugary sweet. It wasn't *bad*, it just seemed a bit off. I forget her name, but the woman who did Lisa Hayes did an INCREDIBLE job as Kiyora. I had no idea it was her. Why? Well, remember in Evil Dead 1 when Ash's girlfriend was possessed by a demon and her voice was high pitched and whiny but still sinister? Its sorta like that. It was freakin amazing. Lisa Hayes is a by the book, no nonsense officer, Kiyora is a psychopath. Anyway, moving along, most of the sound effects are well done but a few of the Destroid weapon firings seemed off. The music is good but some of the songs are just kinda bland.

Anyway, audio gets 8.6/10.

Gameplay: Heres where it counts. For those who don't know, this is an arcade style sim. You won't be reading altitude gauges, nor will you be checking your atmospheric re-entry angle. Instead, you'll be button mashing like mad to nab as many enemies as you can. You have unlimited ammo for both gunpod and missiles, but you have to give the gunpod time to cool down, and time for the missiles to re-arm, so there is balance. The targeting system is simple but powerful, and well done. You can launch multiple salvoes of missles at multiple enemies, and its a great feature you'll be employing LOTS of times. Also, every mode has special abilities and weapon capabilities. Jets have high damage, low manueverability missiles and rapid firing gunpod. Guardian mode has a slow firing gunpod and medium damage, high maneuverability missiles. Battloid mode has 2 gunpod modes: slow fire, high damage, and fast fire, light damage for intercepting missiles. It can't fire missiles which I didn't agree with at first since they CAN fire missiles in the series, but, as this is an arcade style shooter, its ok to take some liberties. Also, every mode has a special ability. Jets can launch decoys to distract missiles from you or friendlies, guardian can pick up and carry stuff (which is a must in some missions), and battloid mode has a sniper ability, which is less useful than it sounds until the final stages of the game. THIS IS NOT A SIMULATION. If you're expecting a game which is accurate in every single detail, this isn't it. And, thats good, because elsewise it would have taken me a looooooooooooooooooooong time to beat it because I'd be dieing way too much. And even if you were hoping for a sim, give it a shot anyway. I'm a sim junkie, and I still enjoyed it immensely. Mission difficulty can vary. Some missions are a breeze, while others are infuriatingly difficult. A lot of the difficult missions are difficult because they rely on you basically running a pattern, like "jet mode: launch decoys near copters. Turn into battloid mode. Kill missile pods, then battle pods. Turn into a jet and repeat." However most of the missions are fun and have a difficulty thats enough to provide challenge, but not too difficult (but there were times I felt like tossing myself out the window).
Gameplay: 9.1 out of 10.

Story: It's well done, its original, its got some nice twists and turns, its entirely new except for the first four missions, which are basically intros to begin with. The ending earns it some extra points for being genuinely a "wow" moment and keeping the same tone as the rest of Robotech. 9.7/10

Extras: Beating missions or killing a certain number of enemies nets you new Veritech designs, paint jobs for your Veritech, or video interviews with the voice actors. The Veritech selection method is a nice take on it, with each Veritech having strengths and weaknesses that are actually pronounced differences. Multiplayer is sweet. The interviews are all good, but I have to question the choice of location. In some of them it looks like they took the actor outside behind the building, and you can actually hear the traffic, making it tricky to hear the answers to some questions. However upon seeing all those people... *sniff*... I wanna give them all a big hug! They do such a good job... yeah yeah Im a nostalgiac fool, so sue me. Anyway, Extras get an 8.6/10.

So, IN THE END....

Its a great game. If you know nothing about Robotech or even Macross you might be a bit confused about a couple things but you can still move along with no troubles.

For Robotech Fans: 95%.
For Macross-Purist Fans: 95% if you pretend you didn't hear "shuttles full of protoculture" and the like.
For fans of neither: 88%, because a fair number of things, like Minmei, Rick Hunter, and Tuna Fish heads will be completely lost on them.

So if you like action and/or sci-fi, I highly recommend this game. I've beaten it and I'm still playing it tons, and I believe I will for many years to come. Great game.

One closing note: During the mission where you encounter Minmei, you have to escort her to her concert. She says she's gonna sing a song just for you in a sickeningly sweet voice, and at this point I had to pause the game and I laughed so hard I couldn't breath. Why? It wasn't due to any voice acting flubs or anything like that. It was just that this mission had an eerie, almost identical plot as one of my RPG sessions and I expected a hippy and an insane doctor to arrive at any moment (if you dont understand, check my website.)

 

One minor addition: for some reason, all the destroids have their original names from Macross (like the Raidar X is called the Defender for example), and while this doesn't detract from the experience, I found it interesting. Im guessing the use of the original names stems from either the legal battle of Harmony Gold vs FASA, or Harmony Gold vs Big West.

Just something that raised my curiosity.

BTW, www.robotechresearch.com has mech stats and walkthroughs posted if needed.

 

Yeah the Ps2/Xbox/GC game of Robotech is pretty cool. Took me a while to get used to the controls and flip through modes real quick. But once I got the hang of it, it was fun to fly around.

I also remember that Minmei part. She said it in such a girlish voice too. I also cracked up and said "Oh my gosh . . ." I was also amazed how I could run over her and her car and nothing would happen ;;. Blowing up all these missles around her and she is still in 1 piece. Found it amazing .

Well I version I have played was the Ps2 version. Somehow I can't stand the GC controllers through. My friends keep saying I'll get used to it, but I'm saving it for later. As for Xbox, my brother bought a S controller so it is easier to reach the buttons without hurting your hands.

 

so may be I´ve got good news for you. In the Robotech yahoo group the people wants to make a RPG java game. There are several programmers there, so I guess if people is interested they´ll finally make it.

 

Recommended

So, in your opinion, would you recommend this game to PS2 users.

I am considered a closet Robotech fan, in that, I remember it well from when I was younger, but wasn't able to follow it too much after leaving for school and the Army.

 

Finaly rented the game and ive got to say its a lot of fun.. ive not burnt out on a game in a long time but this one keeps me interested.. To bad the games moves a bit to fast to have a real good dog fight or head to head battledroid fight.

KaMe