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Robotech: Battlecry
by Jolex Del Pilar
Sunday, October 13 2002
Even after all these years, the Robotech universe is still one of the most intriguing places to be, and TDK has finally given gamers a vessel to accomplish exactly that.
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Title:
Robotech: Battlecry
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Platform:
Xbox
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Publisher:
TDK Mediactive/Mattel |
Developer:
TDK Mediactive |
#
of Players: 1 - 2 |
Genre:
Action
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Origin:
United States
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Expected
Release:
October 2002 |
Grapevine:
Battlecry's best asset though isn't any single attribute, but it's just the way the whole package fits together. |
Since 1982, when Tatsunoko Production's Super Dimension Fortress Macross premiered on Japanese airwaves, the Robotech universe has tantalized the imaginations of both Japanese and American youth. The Macross Saga is perhaps the most popular and most memorable of any of the Robotech series and its respective spin offs. The creators originally envisioned Robotech to be a comedy of sorts. So it's sort of ironic that the most popular Robotech series, the Macross Saga, eventually ended up being a dramatic animated series with plotlines of love, and death, that involved perhaps one of the richest cast of animated characters ever seen in an Japanese animation series. The strong themes of war and survival, the never ending battles with the Zentradi, and the closeness of a society fighting to survive were something that anime fans really could get into.
Since the heyday of the Robotech series, there have been many attempts to put the universe into game form. So far, it's been pen-and-paper RPGs, and even more complex board game type deals. However, in the past, no one has really successfully put forth a popular videogame rendition of the series. Developers from Gametek once had a Robotech game in the pipes for the defunct Nintendo 64 known as Robotech: Crystal Dreams. It featured such fancy details like reflective lighting, a cockpit view, and promised to do the whole game in 3D. This was at a time when 3D was in its infancy, and most of the basic principles of 3D gaming had not yet been perfected (thank God we have Miyamoto). Due to the complexity of creating the Robotech universe in complete 3D, coupled with the financial woes of GameTek who filed for Chapter 11 in 1997, Crystal Dreams never saw the light of day. Fans of the Robotech universe would have to wait until another day for their favorite series to evolve into videogame form.
Now it's 2002, and the capability of consoles have grown by almost 10 fold since the Nintendo 64. TDK Mediactive has taken the reigns and has now answered the wishes of all you Robotech fans/gamers.
Hardcore collectors can opt for the special edition of the game.
Robotech: Battlecry is truly the first fully 3D Robotech videogame to be released for the major consoles. On the whole, the game is an action game that involves moderate strategy, has a fun but limited multiplayer mode, and features some of the best visuals this side of the 64-bit fence, for most people (see cel-shaded skepticism).
Battlecry utilizes a campaign/mission based type of progression. You take a mission, and if you complete the main goals for that mission, you get to progress. Now, as with any game that uses this type of progression system, I am very picky with mission variety, and mission design, both weighted equally. For the former, Battlecry manages to do fairly well. Missions involve the typical search and destroy, escort, and defend. Special missions may involve duels with an opposing Zentradi Ace, these are sometimes boss battles but not always. For mission design, Battlecry falters in this area a little. It's not overtly bad, but some of the goals are almost impossible to complete at some times. For instance, one mission requires you to save a stranded human outpost from raiding Zentradi. Easy enough, you might say, but then your mission updates and you are not tasked with finding a downed Veritech pilot. A blue arrow will point you in the direction and you zoom to find the pilot. However, after perhaps 3 seconds, the pilot dies and the mission ends. It's not a particularly entertaining way to spend 10 minutes, trust me. This only happened twice, so maybe it was a random bug, but it is annoying after investing so that much time into a single mission.
From a control point of view, Battlecry is pretty seamless. Sure, I would have liked better control in Guardian mode, the strafing seems a bit clumsy and unresponsive, but all in all, it's very adequate for gamers with even minimal twitch skill. Auto-aim for your gun pod helps to alleviate any problems with the control movement and positioning of your veritech aim and was a good touch my TDK. intuitively. Battloid and Fighter mode are well done and I don't have any complaints for these veritech modes in terms of control.
Visually, Battlecry is a big winner. Now I've heard the complaints of cel-shading and how many gamers cringe or jump for joy when they see it in their favorite games. Battlecry is a good example of when to use cel-shading. Not only does it give Battlecry an anime style graphics look which is very fitting considering the origin of the license, but the rough outlines, and art direction help to give the a distinct flavor to the game that was present in the series. In fact, I couldn't see this game without the cel-shading, it just wouldn't fit the game's style as well. Big points for TDK in this area.
Wow, check out that cel-shaded beauty in all its glory. Sweet.
The voice acting of Battlecry is either a hit or miss. Personally it sounded just like the quasi-english that you get in those dubbed anime titles from your local anime video rental shop. On the whole it wasn't bad, but not Oscar winning by any means. The rest of the sound is very authentic to the series. I actually rewatched some old episodes of the Macross Saga just to compare the sounds and voices to those in the game. I have to say that TDK did their homework. The gun-pod sounds and the shrill laser screams are all very authentic to the series. Of course, you will have to have a nice sound system to enjoy these little details but that goes for any game.
Battlecry's best asset though isn't any single attribute, but it's just the way the whole package fits together. Perhaps the best example of what I am talking is in the level called "Force to Arms". It's a level in which the Zentradi have finally amassed their huge fleet and orbit Earth to bombard it. Defending are a few veritech pilots, some battleships and the grand daddy of all robots, the SDF-1 (a gigantic base/robot for the Earth Defense Force).It's a very fantastic scene visually and has a great atmosphere. Rogue Leader for the Gamecube had this type of level with its "Battle of Endor" showdown. The "Force to Arms" level in Battlecry is very similar in design and atmosphere which is a very good thing since the Battle of Endor level still remains one of my favorite action levels of all-time.
Multiplayer mode is fairly entertaining, too bad it involves only a limited amount of players. TDK probably limited the multiplayer battles to 2 to prevent miniscule screen space that a 4-way split would obviously entail. Either way, still a nice addition to the vast single player campaign which should keep you busy with over 40 missions.
One thing that I haven’t mentioned yet, but is an entertaining detail of Battlecry is the destructible environments. Some mission take place in large cities on Earth, and sometimes the battles against the Zentradi require you to fight block to block, and street to street. Once in a while, your missiles may go awry and strike a large building, completely destroying it. That was a cool aspect of the game and added a lot to the fun of blasting Zentradi.
Battlecry is a great, and fun game to play if you can overlook some control scheme issues, which aren’t even that bad, and some mission logic lapses. The game has great expandability with the addition of hidden missions, new veritech models that must be earned, and special medal challenges that earn you other secrets like videos of the creators talking about the game. This all adds to the value and package that is Robotech: Battlecry. TDK Mediactive must be given a pat on the back for releasing such a solid title so early in its game development history, and more than that, they have succeeded where others could not by bringing our beloved Robotech universe into the gaming world.
--- Jolex Del Pilar, EDF Pilot #A1077182, Rank: Captain
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