Robotech: Battlecry

Robotech freaks have been waiting nearly two decades for this game. Finally, we get a chance to climb aboard a Veritech fighter and battle the Zentraedi alongside the likes of Rick Hunter, Roy Fokker and Lisa Hayes.

While you'll be flying completely original missions 95 percent of the time, developer Vicious Cycle knows that giving the player a chance to fly some sorties directly from the classic TV series is very important. "We have four levels prior to the Zentraedi destroying the Earth in our game: 'Boobytrap,' 'Countdown,' 'Bursting Point' and 'Force of Arms,"' says VC prez Eric Peterson. "This set of missions helps establish the storyline we've created. After the first chapter, the missions in Battlecry run parallel to the original show." That means you'll be creating your own part of the Robotech legacy for most of the game, doing everything from fighting Zentraedi rebels, to protecting airstrips, to flying escort for a Cat's Eye recon plane in deep space. But honestly, the real point of almost every mission is getting into some major firefights against wave after wave of Battlepods, Zentraedi foot soldiers and Battle Suits (not to mention battleships and troop carriers). The skirmishes can get intense at times, often filling the screen with missile trails (a trademark of the original show), explosions and shrapnel.

Thanks to the easy-to-learn control scheme, though, you'll have complete mastery of your transformable Veritech fighter in no time. Plus, you've got some training missions run by Roy Fokker himself if you need any extra piloting tips.

All of the action is accompanied by music from the original show, only remixed and rerecorded. "We wanted the music to be interactive," says Peterson. "For instance, if you're ambushed by a bunch of Zentraedi, the music will change from neutral to a danger theme in order to raise the intensity of the experience. Plus, we wanted to update the music to be a bit more modern."

The end result is a game that should appeal to everyone. It's mainstream enough to get action junkies fired up, yet hardcore enough to keep the Robotech fans happy.

The robot season has finally arrived, Gun Meta, Steel Battalion, Armored Core 3 and today's topic; Robotech Battlecry, have landed (or will be soon) on our next generation systems and millions of players who grew up in the 80's couldn't be happier. But with all the city-destroying carnage that is soon to be beset upon us, the mech game has yet to transcend US gamers the way it has in Japan.

Robotech Battlecry is an adventure game that places the player in the actual Robotech timeline in all it's anime' cartoon goodness. As a matter of fact, the game is cartoon goodness! Here is another perfect example of cell shading in video games. Borrowing heavily from the actual cartoon style, Robotech Battlecry features some of the fastest paced cartoon battles ever seen in a video game. Miss a shot while battling in the city and watch the building crash to the ground. Look off in the distance while flying in space and you will see rendered starships taken directly from the cartoon. Blink in this game too often and you will be sure to miss some sweet eye candy.

The biggest flaw I found with the game was with the control configuration. It seemed to me that the setup wasn't as user friendly as it should have been. Since you are piloting a veritech fighter, expect to learn similar control configurations for the fighter's three modes. Now, after breezing through the game's tutorial opening, I still found myself fuddling with the controls as the missions became more difficult. For some reason I regressed back to my Halo control scheme and thought the right trigger was the fire button, but in reality I kept strafing to the right. This led me to believe that a fully programmable control scheme would have suited this game much better. But even this flaw couldn't dissuade me from enjoying this title. Maybe it was the fact that the game makers recruited the original voice actors, or the eye-popping graphics or the whole idea that I was storming around the city blowing up everything. This game is just cool'a definite must have for fans of the original series and even gamers who love a good action title. Other's who don't like anime' or mech games will surely take a pass. The very least you could do is rent it.

Robo-what now? The average PlayStation-generation gamer may not remember this classic cartoon series, but trust us, it's awesome. Great characters, huge battles and super-cool transforming robots (called Veritechs) made it one of the defining animated shows of the '80s. Now, over 15 years later, we finally get a Robotech video game.

And it's a good game to boot. Robotech fans will finally be able to live the life of a Robotech Defense Force pilot, flying every model of Veritech from the show (including the Super and Armored versions) in ground, air and space missions. You'll also cross paths with main characters like Lynn Minmei, Roy Fokker, Rick Hunter and Lisa Hayes, although you won't get to play as any of them.

But you don't need to be a Robotech geek to get into Battlecry. At the end of the day this is just a kick-ass action game everybody should check out and play.

TDK Mediactive October 2002 -- The wait for a Robotech game of any kind has been almost as frustrating as sitting through one of Minmei's songs for fans of the series. But when you consider that said game is looking gorgeous and plays very well so far, it's hard to say that the wait wasn't worth it. Look in last month's review for the full scoop on Battlecry.

As a child, I watched Robotech with an almost fanatic devotion. My first introduction to anime, it obsessed me with its stories of alien invaders, giant robots, and war in space. Remembering how fun it was to watch, I eagerly anticipated the release of Robotech: Battlecry, hoping for the best, but remembering how every other 'based on' game tended to suck. Robotech: Battlecry at once delighted me, and disappointed me.

First off, they've gotten a few things spot on perfect. The design of the Veritech fighters, most of the sound effects in the game, and the look and feel of space combat against the Zentradi, are all done superbly. You can strafe by a Zentradi cruiser as it opens fire with its reflex cannons, and dance between the missiles and beams fired by enemy craft. The Veritech, just like the show, can transform between three modes at the press of a button, and every time you fire your missiles, you're treated to the wonder of a dozen little micro missiles spiraling away towards your enemy.

Sadly, the developers of Robotech still managed to muck it up enough to give me serious reservations about the game. The soundtrack, while very close to the original Robotech theme, is depressingly tinny, lacking the triumphant brass feel of the original. Also, some of the foley work is really lacking, missing effects like a giant robot hitting the ground. Many of the holes in the game also show through in the graphics, with mismatched 2D animation being paired with cel shaded 3D. Lastly, the game controls were designed for a four-armed ape, instead of a human being.

I suppose the most entertaining part of the game comes from its special features. Unlockable features galore, including interviews with the cast of the original series, almost all of which returned to play their parts in the game. Honestly, if you're a true fan of the original Robotech series, it's worth at least playing this title. Just keep in mind that it's got some pretty glaring flaws, and isn't something I'd normally spend fifty bucks on.