Robotech: Battlecry - A Newbie's Story

Todd the Intern braves the cold waters of Robotech inexperience.

Honestly, I am not very familiar with the Robotech franchise. All I know is that it is set in some futuristic world where enormous mechs battle against each other for, what I suspected, was the fate of their race. Even if I haven't seen the original series or any of the spin-offs (such as Macross), I can still tell you that oil-drenched, heavily armed, transforming machines kick major ass. That is the main reason why games such as MechWarrior and anime series such as Robotech have succeeded.

What I do know about the franchise is that none of the games developed with the Robotech name have lived up to par with the series. However, Robotech games have been very successful in Japan and, for the lucky ones, here in the USA. This comes despite the overwhelming dissatisfaction with the end products. This is all about to change.

IGN has finally got our small, Carney folk hands on a copy of the action game and the least we can say about Robotech: Battlecry is that it is by far the best Robotech-related game to date.

The game opens up perfectly for the consumers who haven't watched the series; it gives a detailed background of the origin of Robotech. It included the reasons in which robo-technology was created, the threat of the Zentraedi, and several other specific details that I wouldn't have known if it weren't for the lengthy introduction.

The story goes that a young man named Jack is drafted into the air combat division of the government's defense. The government then discovers that Jack has been blessed with exceptional flying abilities, even though he modestly denies these accusations. Behind the power of his mech, he must defend his people from the Zentraedi, as they try to wipe the humans from existence.

As you start the campaign, you are given a few customizing options. You can initially choose from two veritechs, the VT-10 and the VF-1A. One is a beginner mech that with a ton of armor, the other is a bit more advanced with more speed and firing power. The ability to change the skin of the mech is also possible, with the three designs being Jack's mech, a trainer, or the generic one. As the game progresses, the options for these two will increase. After completing this, the action begins.

The controls in Robotech: Battlecry are silky smooth. Each mode, Veritech (a sleek battle plane with incredible maneuvering control and speed), Battloid (a humanoid robot that stands upright, armed with a large sniper rifle and automatic weapon), and the crossbred mode known as Guardian (includes the missiles and ease of flying found in Veritech mode, with the agility of the Battloid mode), has strafe controls which makes circling your prey a breeze. The three transformations are also equipped with their own turbo boost, which makes flying through space, hovering through cities, and sliding across the ground a pleasure instead of a pain in the groin. A basic machine gun is equipped with each mode, but that seems to be only similarity among the three different transformations.

Veritech mode includes missiles, barrel moves, and decoys to combat and maneuver the enemy. The missiles are heat seeking and released in large groups, making the locked targets a lost cause once these bad boys are launched. Barrel moves are used to dodge incoming fire. By using the turbo and a trigger, you can evade your enemy's attacks. Besides being about to do loops to change directions, the last feature in the Veritech mode is the decoy. These are used to get those pesky heat seekers of your rear side. If you can't unload a few of these during the level to escape a swarm of missiles, you'll end up at the junkyard with your slain comrades.

The Battloid mode has a special weapon ideal for self-defense against the missiles as well as the ability to snipe your opponents. The self-defense gun is a face-spraying machine gun that auto-targets the enemy's missile fire. This comes in very handy when there are several Zentraedi chasing your tail. The sniper ability is quite basic, yet it allows you to charge your gun to obliterate the object faster than with a mere machine gun.

The Guardian mode combines the best of both worlds, yet it only has one feature that the others do not have: the ability to move objects. This will come in quite handy when the mission objectives require you to do so. The Guardian is also equipped with the heat seeking missiles that make the Veritech so deadly.

In whatever situation or location you may encounter, you are able to transform into any of the three mechs. This feature will be useful since you will encounter several different combat situations over a matter of a short time period, thus requiring different attack and defense modes. By simply clicking on the D-pad, your mech changes swiftly and effortlessly into the desired mode.

The hardcore fans will be pleased with the voice actors chosen for Battlecry since a few of them can be found in the original series. Since the game intertwines with the story line of the original, this comes as a breath of fresh air. Since they have to use some of the voices found in the original series, it is pleasant to know that they choose to go with the originals rather than a group of sound-alikes.

Even if I told you guys this game was going to be absolutely miserable, you would still go out and buy it. That is how popular the Robotech franchise has gotten to be. Fortunately for you and me, this game will not only carry the Robotech name, but a dash of fun and excitement as well. Look for it to be released this September on Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube.

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