Robotech: Battlecry
Score: 80% ESRB: Teen Publisher: TDK Developer: Vicious Cycle Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Action
Graphics & Sound: For Robotech fans, Battlecry has been a long time coming. After having a carrot waved in front of their eyes with Crystal Dreams for the N64 and a countless number of import only Robotech games, things haven't been nice for pilots itching to quell the Zentraedi invasion. I have always been rather critical of cel-shaded games. Sure it looks cool, but frankly I've always thought that it was more of a cheap graphical trick than the revolution some view it as. Robotech: Battlecry has made me rethink my position on cel-shading. By far, this is the first game to truly make good use of cel-shading, resulting in graphics that are better looking than the show they are pulled from. After recovering from the initial shock of how great the big picture looked, I was amazed by all of the little details the developers threw in such as the custom touches of the fighters or dispensed shells floating (instead of falling) during space missions. The coolest effect, and perhaps the one most likely to make fans lose control is the Robotech trademark multiple missile trails. If the graphics don't get you, the sounds will. Not only does Battlecry use voices from the show, but all of the original music from the show has been remastered and fully orchestrated. While this means that you will hear some pieces repeatedly, it's still good enough as a backdrop for the game and fits nicely.
Gameplay: Robotech: Battlecry is all the excitement of the original series without all of the theatrics of that whole Rick Hunter/Minmei thing bogging it down. The story does an excellent job of sticking to the general time line of the show to keep fans happy while not alienating those who have never seen the show. Players take the role of Jack Archer, the Veritech flying 'Han Solo' of the Robotech Defense Force. Over the course of Jack's missions, he will run across familiar personalities from the Macross Saga such as Lisa Hayes, Roy Fokker, and the SDF-1. For those who are unfamiliar with Robotech, a Veritech is a jet with the ability to transform into three different modes. The first is the Jet mode which is the faster of the three and sports a powerful set of missiles. The second is the Guardian, which for the lack of a better description is the inbred child of a jet and robot, featuring the top half of a jet and the legs and arms of a robot. While it's not the easiest mode to fly, it offers a more powerful cannon and missiles that are less powerful, but extremely accurate. The final, and arguably coolest, is the Battleloid. This giant humanoid robot is armed with a powerful cannon/sniper rifle, but is the slowest of the three forms. Battlecry offers a nice mix of missions, but most are strictly air or ground based missions, limiting the usefulness of the Veritech fighter. There are times where switching to Battleloid mode will help in space modes or the jet will help in a ground mission, but these instances are rare. The biggest problem the game faces is the limited sense of freedom it offers. While most flight games, such as Jedi Starfighter or Ace Combat 4 allow the player to fly to just about every area on the map, Battlecry gives the impression that the player is trapped in a clear sphere while the battle rages around it. For example, during the first Zentraedi invasion, I wanted to strafe between the massive armada that was amassing over the planet; but instead I was only able to strafe the one capital ship that was next to me. While it doesn't ruin the game, it presents some limitations which make it hard to fully enjoy the game.
Difficulty: Robotech: Battlecry also falters in the difficulty department. This is a hard freakin' game. Missions usually consist of endless waves of battle pods followed by some of the most difficult boss battles I've ever experienced. For whatever reason, the Veritech's weapons can take out any of the 'lesser' enemy pods in no time flat, yet barely scratch the armor of the 'bosses'. To make matters worse, you're required to fight most bosses with whatever energy you have left after fighting the aforementioned swarms of enemies. This makes the game more frustrating than it should be at times.
Game Mechanics: One of the issues I was most interested in seeing the developers tackle were the transformations. Instead of sticking to the tried and true method of having one button cycle through transformations, all of your Veritech's forms are mapped to different directions on the D-pad. This makes transformations extremely easy and allows for on the fly maneuvers when things get tight. Combat situations are playable, but lack refinement, mostly due to a troublesome camera and awkward aiming in Battleloid mode. Although the radar helps out a great deal, there are a number of blind spots where enemies can settle in and attack without fear of retaliation. While these are moments where smart transformations help greatly, a better camera and lock-on system would have remedied it altogether. Once you beat Battlecry, there is little reason to go back and play other than unlocking new paint jobs and armors for your Veritech. The multi-player mode helps to give the game a little more replay, but is likely to be forgotten since games usually degrade to little more than Battleloid shootouts. Robotech fans are likely to eat this game up considering the game comes off as more of a fan friendly experience than a game for the masses. Those who have never seen the show will still find the game enjoyable, but will be more likely to pick out the game's flaws since the 'cool' factor will be lost on them.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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