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A fun game, but most of the fun is the enthusiasm.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

If you grew up watching cartoons in the 80s, it's likely that you dreamed of flying a veritech with Max Sterling and Rick Hunter, or had a crush on the beautiful Lynn Minmei. Well, it's now 2003, and you can live out at least some of these childhood fantasies with the new PS2 game, Robotech: Battlecry from TDK.

The game is basically a souped-up 3rd person shooter like Tomb Raider or MDK. You get to pilot a veritech craft, a transformer robot based on the F-14 Tomcat. You fly in veritech (plane) mode, battloid (50-foot killer robot) mode, or the agile guardian (hovering airplane with legs) mode. Those familiar with the Macross and Robotech series will find most of their dreams fulfilled. Those who have outgrown some of the Robotech lustre may find the game a bit of a disappointment.

First, the pluses. The gameplay is straightforward and easy to get the hang of. Most missions can be solved in one mode, so the need for transformations and mastery of complex tactics is dependent on the player, not the game. The graphics are directly out of the cartoon: bright and contrasting colors, with an anime feel. This is a very fun aspect of the game. The sound effects and music are top notch, and right out of the cartoon, down to the pounding of the battloid's feet on the pavement of Macross city. Weapons and action are of good quality, with a full range of movement in most modes and most missions. The plot is engaging if simplistic, and the cutscenes are fun to watch.

Now for the minuses. The major drawback in this game is the absence of a coherent enemy AI except in the boss levels. Most battle pods and fighters keep coming at you, seldom find cover, and so far as I can tell never cooperate with each other. The exceptional units are the male power armor and the missile pods, which are fantastically well armored and armed, respectively. Still, little tactical acumen is required on most missions: point and shoot, and keep shooting til your gun overheats or you're out of missiles.

The second problem is the 3d effects. First the cockpit radar. Friendly forces are blue dots on a blue background, and against the enemies the radar is only useful in azimuth, not elevation. With complex gun and missile targeting, a nicer more usable radar would have been an obvious addition. Second, in Battloid mode you cannot see straight up or straight down, though you will find yourself shooting in these directions. Finally, many missions have altitude caps: if you transform to veritech mode and go for altitude, you hit the ceiling, convert to battloid, and fall back down. I guess they don't want you running up to 2 or 3000 feet and just using missiles on everyone (energy tactics); such tactics would make the already simple task of killing battle pods too simple. Cartoonishly simple.

Overall, the game is very much like MDK: slaughter a bunch of mindless robots with your machine gun, defeat the mighty boss, and advance to the next level. Nostalgia for the series should not blind you to the limitations within the game. I love being able to fight along side Rick Hunter (though he doesn't seem interested in fighting along side me!), and to carry Minmei to her concert appearance after Dolza's attack. ...

Not bad at all...darn surprising

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: October 03, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Robotech: Battlecry is a good game. There. I've said it. A cel shaded shooter with a resurrected license sounded like a recipie for disaster in this day of the "make it quick and they'll buy it anyway" mentality. Shockingly, Vicious Cycle has pulled off a pretty solid effort. It isn't no Ace Combat 04, but it isn't half bad.

Battlecry has lots of levels and decent graphics to boot. The familiar Robotech soundtrack is here, unfortunately it is a remixed version which isn't as good. Oddly, the soundtrack suddenly speeds up (bad glitch) sometimes. There are voice overs from some of the original cast members reprising their roles from the Macross Saga of Robotech. Sound effects are ok, nothing special.

Where Battlecry succeeds is in the control. Your veritech fighter controls differently in all the 3 transforming modes, and learning to deal with the 3 modes is a lot of fun. The
PS2 controller is suited to this type of game, and seems better than the Gamecube's or even the XBox's control schemes.

A word to the original Japanese Macross fans: It is a fun game, and though it has the Robotech license, might at least be worth a rental if you're too mad at HG to buy it.

Fun game, but once its over, its over

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: December 26, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game is a great game and all. Definetaly the first and best robetech game ever, but it's replay value is very low. I dont know if it is just me, but i think that this game is over when its over. Tell me what you think of it peeps, later.

It's Good for the price

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 4
Date: January 05, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The graphics are cartoon. The story mode is for one player although there is a vs. mode. This game is so-so

A Good Game.. But Not the Ultimate Game For Robotech Fans

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: September 29, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Robotech: Battlecry is an action game inspired by the Robotech: Macross Saga cartoon series. In it, you play Jack Archer: ace pilot and mercenary. Jack is selected by old friend Roy Fokker to be a member of a new elite squadron of Veritech pilots - pilots that control jets that can transform into robots. That's where the game begins...

It is important to remember that R:BC is an action game and NOT an RPG or a simulator. Missions usually only have two possible outcomes - victory and defeat - and the only "role-playing" involved is how well you can pretend to be a great pilot. The game is also not a simulator; play typically happens in the third-person view from behind the veritech ala Armored Core 2's standard play mode (though who knows what "easter egg" codes will unlock..). Walking and flying are unrealistically smooth (NOT like the old PC game Mechwarrior 2), and most targetting is done automatically. Yes, there IS a story line and combat does take skill - but those buying Battlecry looking for an RPG or Simulator will be very, very disappointed.

During play, various game modes and options are unlocked after completing specific missions and objectives. Some of these bonuses are very minor, like being able to use a new paintjob for your Veritech; others, however, are huge.. and include activing a two-player "versus" mode and new mecha such as the armored veritech.

As to the actual missions, they tend to be either too easy or too hard. Only a few meet the "just right" level of not being win-able on the first try, but also not being so hard that it takes a miracle to win. Still, there are enough of these missions that I've enjoyed myself so far, and believe the money spent on the game to be worth it.

While I would have MUCH preferred this game to have been a simulator, it is still a very nice PS2 game. The cartoon-style graphics (which are still 3D) look very nice, and will suck old-school Robotech fans right in. Still, non-Robotech fans aren't going to enjoy the game as much - to them, the rating would probably only be "three stars" rather than four. I'd still recommend buying it, though. :)

Note: The game's storyline brings players into some of the "major" events from the cartoon series; much of the game's story, however, is different. Don't expect the character of Jack Archer to be following Roy Fokker and Rick Hunter around all the time, because he doesn't. ;)

4 1/2 Stars !!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 12 / 13
Date: September 26, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game is Pretty good! after all of these years of being a fan, someone Finally releases a game that is pretty good for a "robotech" game...

however it does have its flaws, what game doesnt? one of my MAIN compaints I have is with the controls, the controls seem a bit sluggish when turning, could have used a little quicker response time for quicker/tighter turns.
and when you hit something in fighter mode you automatically transform into battloid mode?? It also Needs a button that lets you quickly turn to face enemies, an In cockpit mode wouldve been nice also. All in all Its a GREAT game even with the control problems!!! the music is great, the cell shaded graphics work for me, the cut scenes are nicely done and voice overs are done quite nice also.
this game reminds me of a cross between Mechwarrior 2 and Colony wars for the original playstation. If you like these kind of mission based games you'll LOVE this one! Robotech is BACK! and hopefully some sequels involving "masters" and "next generation" are in store for us DIE HARD fans!!!

I just LOVE how you can transform at any time and each mode handles differently!! just like in the show!

The controls drop it down to a 4 1/2 for me....if the controls were a little tighter it would be a straight 5!

The 17-year wait is over

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: September 25, 2002
Author: Amazon User

As a long-time Macross/Robotech/anime-in-general fan I've been waiting for a game like this for a long time and it's finally here. After the disappointing cancellations of the US releases of Macross VFX 1 and 2 I thought I'd never get my chance to fly a Veritech. So after seeing the limited edition release of this
game I decided to give it a try and it has not dissapointed.

Fans of the series will relish the fact that TDK has created a storyline that is original but at the same time allows you to experience some of the events seen in the TV episodes. Another welcome feature is the return of the voice actors for Roy, Rick, Lisa, and Mynmei to reprise their roles (as well as Max's actor, although he's playing the lead role Jack Archer). Hearing Lisa's voice telling me to go rip it up with the Zentraedi made me feel like a kid again.

But it's not just fanboy appeal that makes this a great game. The cel-shaded graphics look awesome and really enhance the anime atmosphere. Dogfights and ground combat are amazing, with dozens of friendlies and Zentraedi (and scads of missiles) making for a lot of furious and jaw-dropping furballs. The controls are also great and make the transformations into the three modes easy and seamless.

The game is not without faults however. The missions are very creative in design, variety, and execution but can sometimes be frustratingly confusing when it comes to knowing where to go or what to do to complete them successfully. The escort/defense and occasional rescue missions can be maddening as well. And as I said the controls are great but the Guardian and especially the Battloid mode don't really give you the sense of moving in 3-D especially with the camera angle generally staying behind your Veritech and therefore not allowing you to see targets almost directly below or above you (even though you have the gun aimed and firing at them).

Both of these problems - and a few more niggling ones which I'll omit for brevity - are more than outweighed by the overall quality of this game. Admittedly it will most likely appeal to fans, but license aside it's still a great action game that will appeal even to gamers with no knowledge of the anime.

On a side note: True fanboys might be interested in the limited edition version which is exactly the same game but has a bunch of nice swag (such as a soundtrack CD and t-shirt) packaged with it.

It's about time!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: October 25, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Once I saw this game, I could not resist buying it. I grew up watching the cartoons, and I even own 4 of the box sets; so to say I am a geek would be entirely superfluous. The game it's self is a lot of fun, and there looks to be a good deal of replayability. The controls are pretty straight forward, although the superimposed physics can be annoying, they too seem pretty realistic. The game follows the first chapter of the Robotech saga faithfully, and all the units look like the cartoon. The Veritech fighter can be easily changed to the 3 different modes simply by pushing the directional pad up, left, or right. There seem to be approx. 25-30 missions, all of which can be replayed, and several of which you have to replay to get the Medal, and thus unlock goodies. There is a multiplayer feature as well, but I've not yet checked it out. Overall this game is pretty good, and I would definitely suggest it to all Robotech fans. Those who don't know the Robotech saga may not enjoy it as much, especially if you weren't like 9 or so back in 1985. Good game.

Well worth the wait!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: September 28, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I'll admit it, I'm a cynic and a skeptic plus extremely picky when it comes to details. I've been waiting well over a decade for a decent Robotech game to be released, I mean it's a franchise that has been screaming for a game since the series premiered. Well, after all the time that has passed I can happily say "BOO YA BABY! IT'S ABOUT TIME!" Graphically, this game is beautiful and faithful to the series. The cel shading approach works wonderfully and the animation is equally due praise. Transforming from Fighter, to Guardian, to Battloid, and back to Fighter is a truly fluid thing to watch. The game looks to be running around 60fps, although I did notice a bit of slowdown during some of the space battles. All the mechs are here. From the Zentradi power armour to the RDF Destroids. The music and sound effects are rich and the voices are crisp and authentic. The attention detail is to be commended. The control scheme takes a little getting used to, more than once you'll fire off a volley of missles when you meant to hit your boosters, but no big deal. The story runs parallel to adventures of Rick Hunter and the gang, so those of you expecting to play Roy, Rick, or other members of the Vermillion group might be disappointed. Still, the game is a wonderful tribute to a fantastic series and I can only hope this is only the first of many games to come.

The only thing missing is your chance to whack Lynn Kyle

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Ordinarily I do computer game reviews, but I picked this up for my brother for Christmas so I figured I'd give this a whirl. "Robotech" was a 3-part anime feature from the mid-eighties that chronicled the events of the Robotech Wars. This game covers the area of Book One, or the Macross Saga. The show itself was patched together from 3 different Japanese cartoons that had nothing in common, other than they were the product of the same Japanese publishing house. The producer Carl Macek, out of desperation (and what turned out to be an act of brilliance) changed the storyline dramatically so that the 3 cartoons became one epic saga about Earth and it's discovery of Robotech, and it's defense against the Zentraedi, Robotech Masters, and the Invid.

But let's do a quick review of the game here. This game is going to appeal strongly to anime' afficianados and fans of the original series, the latter group comprised mostly of 30+ males who were in thier teens during the mid eighties. This is a game that is focused on a very specific segment of gamers and as such is probably not going to get a warm welcome from the average 15 year old dumping thier cash on a game with pretty packaging. To further compound this the storyline allows you to take part in several big battles from Book One episodes, but it does so in a *really* disjointed manner. A person who has no knowledge of the Robotech storyline is liable to get really lost in no time flat as the story will make absolutely no sense. The storyline jumps from the Episode "Boobytrap" all the way to the episode in which the surface of the Earth is destroyed by the enormous Zentraedi armada, and then further jumps to the period during the reconstruction. Essentially about 30+ episodes squeezed into the first 5 missions alone!

I particularly enjoyed the mission of taking on the Zentraedi in space as the SDF-1 was about to make it's climactic assault on Dolza's flagship. The scenery is simply beautiful! I was a little let down by not getting to see the Grand Cannon fire, but that's a small thing. Again, this will appeal strongly to a Robotech purist, and to a lesser degree anime fans, but to anyone else they probably won't get much from the plot other than confusion.

How does the game handle? Fluid as a dream! If ever you wanted to *be* in Robotech I can't think of a better way to do so than Robotech: Battlecry. Battloids skid left and right, stop on a dime, and shoot missiles out of the sky. The cel shading effect simply puts you in a live action anime cartoon. I cannot get over how beautiful this game is...it is literally like being at the controls of a Veritech. Fighter mode in my opinion is the easiest to control overall and I spent a good portion of my time fighting in that configuration. On the whole I have seldom seen a prettier game than this one.

Sound is a mixed bag. The sound effects don't irk me much but the one gripe I do have is the music. I wanted to hear the classic Robotech score as I flew in combat, it would have added to the tension and feel of the moment *just right*, whereas the synthesized almost-midi tracks overall will detract a bit from the experience for a Robotech fan like myself. There were only a few missions where the original score was allowed in and when it was it truly added to the experience.

Likewise the control is a little complicated and confusing (especially to a 31 year old like myself who's reflexes aren't as catlike as they were even 10 years ago), but after a few missions you'll find yourself able to do amazing things with a few presses of the button. Give it some time, older folks...it will come to you! :)

Overall I cannot help but be pleased with the game. The look and feel of it is pure Robotech and it is a thing of great beauty. Bring on the next game and include Hovertanks and Cyclones! Please!

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