Vist Genki!

Format: Xbox
From: TDK
Year of Release: 2002
Onscreen Language: English
Campaign 1 - Banner 2

 
Robotech
 




















Battle Cry
N/A

In early 2001 the 80's TV series Robotech gained a resurgence in popularity due to it's release on DVD. Seeing an opportunity to capitalise on this new wave of interest video game producers TDK commissioned the game studio vicious cycle to create something Robotech fans had been waiting decades for, a Robotech video game.

TDK had attempted the same thing many years earlier with the much anticipated N64 release Robotech: Crystal Dreams. Unfortunately the programming team on this highly ambitious adaptation of the saga had aimed far higher than Nintendo's limited system could reach and, after much delay and publisher switching, the project was cancelled.

In light of this the fan anticipation for Battle Cry was very high as with Crystal Dreams' demise it seemed like all hope of ever seeing a game of their favourite series had been lost.

Battle Cry casts the player in the newly created role of ace pilot Jack Archer in a plot that cleverly interweaves with that of the show. Set in Robotech's Macross Saga the story tells of Archer's exploits during the struggle against the invading Zentraedi forces. A combination of comic book artwork and in game graphics carry the story along of how Archer, a mercenary pilot during the global war, is recruited to the Robotech Defence Force by Roy Fokker. Training had barely ended before the Alien's attack and so the game begins, taking the player from the initial attack on Macross Island to outer space protecting SDF-1 from Khyron's forces and beyond.

Using 'cell shading' techniques, which were all the rage at that time, the graphics are very effective and accompanying the action with remixes of the classic score adds to the authenticity. Gameplay is enjoyable if average. Objectives regularly fall into one of three categories; kill everything that moves, escort duty or protect an installation. Of the various mission types the flightsim works the best thanks to a solid engine.

Many of the characters of the Macross saga make an appearance along with the original voice cast with the player's character Jack being voiced by Robotech star and industry veteran Cam Clarke. Unfortunately Archer's constant quipping is one of Battle Cry's least appealing qualities. Rarely a minute goes by in game without him commenting "Let's take these guy's to school!" or "Jack the giant killer!" and colliding with a building is all the more irritating when regularly accompanied by the statement "Err.. I meant to do that!"

But the most major issue with the game are the controls. Each of the Veritech's three modes has it's own way of moving making switching from one to another a lot less seamless than it should be. Each one of the three will require the player to be pressing an average of three buttons at once all while manoeuvring with the worst culprit being the Guardian mode which is near impossible to steer thanks to a highly unintuitive setup that had me avoiding this mode as much as possible. This is unfortunate as many situations throughout the game would be better approached in this guise.

Completing missions unlocks awards and achievements which in turn provide additional content such as cast interviews and new Veritech models/colour schemes as well as new maps for the two player 'deathmatch' mode.

Flawed but enjoyable. If you can overcome the tricky controls and the harsh difficulty of the later levels Robotech fans will find some fun but sadly Battle Cry isn't the masterpiece many had hoped for.

For more information on Robotech including the sequel movie "Shadow Chronicles" see www.robotech.com

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