This week for Retro Game Friday I’m covering a game I borrowed from one of my friends way back in the Gamecube era. It’s Robotech Battlecry!
Plot Synopsis: The game follows the exploits of ace pilot Jack Archer. After serving as a mercenary in the Global Civil War, flying both with and against Roy Fokker impressed him enough to recommend Jack for the RDF. The early stages of the game cover Jack’s final training and his fighting during the Battle of Macross Island, Jack not being close enough to the SDF-1 when it space folds to Pluto and being left behind on Earth, rejoining his friends upon their initial return home. The majority of the game is set in the Post-Rain of Death era and involves Jack and his Wolf Squadron defending various human outposts against Malcontent Zentraedi forces led by the warlord Zeraal.
Plot: That entire plot synopsis meant nothing to me back in the day, and still doesn’t mean anything to me today as I learned that Robotech was an amalgamation of multiple TV shows, and viewed as an abomination for the most part. I’m sure fans of the series will hate me for that, but I haven’t had the chance to watch the original source of the series, Macross yet so I can’t really comment on the plot. It was okay, although I distinctly remember disliking the way this game ends.
Gameplay: Now as for the actual gameplay, I enjoyed it quite a bit, and while it took time to get used, I did quickly get used to it and I’ve always enjoyed a good dogfighting game. This game did a pretty decent job, though it was no Rogue Squadron.
Characters: I don’t remember much of them, but Jack was a decent enough main character from what I can remember, which isn’t much.
Art: The art was done in the Cel Shaded style, which to me means that it actually aged pretty decently, despite some people hating the cartoony look, it doesn’t age nearly as bad as the polygonal mess most Gamecube-era games were.
Music: Don’t remember a whit, sorry.
Overall: If you love Robotech, or just want a decent dogfighting game to play for a few hours, this might suit your needs.
For those who like: Robotech, Dogfighting Games, Sci-Fi, Action, Drama, Mecha, Decently Aged Graphics.
Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.