Gaming Target - GameCube: Robotech: Battlecry

Written by Kyle Williams on July 17, 2003

Full Review: Smack Minmei down.

Don't let it be said that the current 1980's retro trend doesn't touch on all corners of pop culture. From G.I. Joe to the Transformers. From He-Man to Atari. Every corner of the '80s are being resurrected, including an animated soap opera culled from Japanese animation called Robotech. Back in its day, Robotech was the height of animated achievement. Full of giant transforming robots with guns, Robotech was an integral part of the bridge between American and Japanese entertainment.

With Robotech: Battlecry, TDK Mediactive set out to recreate the look, feel, and drama of the original animated series. Through the excellent use of cel-shaded graphics and members of the original voice cast, Robotech: Battlecry is bound to bring a tear to the eye of even the most die-hard of fans. While not in the realm of spectacular, the graphics look as if they are pulled directly from missing episodes of the nearly 20-year-old series. This creates a sense of continuity that is missing in many of the licensed video games that we are subjected to. When combined with the original voice talent, Battlecry truly becomes an extension of the Robotech animated series. For those of you with the set-up, Battlecry even features progressive scan video, making the visuals leap straight off of the screen.

As the story in Robotech: Battlecry is a parallel to the one told in the cartoon, there is no prerequisite in having to watch the animated series. Having a knowledge of the story does help though, as you will run into the likes of Rick Hunter, Lisa Hayes, and Lynn Minmei. For the adventure in Battlecry you take the role of Jack Archer, a mercenary from the widespread war that took place prior to the opening of the series. Recruited by his onetime rival Roy Fokker, Jack helm's one of the Veritech fighters of the Robotech Defense Force. More than just a combat aircraft, the Veritechs are capable of transforming between 40-foot tall robots, a Tomcat-like fighter jet, and a hybrid of the two ideas.

One of the fantastically executed parts of Battlecry is the ability to change between the various modes of your fighter craft at will. More than anything else, this allows you to select your own preferred set of vehicular features for any given situation. Each of the three Veritech modes have strengths and weaknesses and conquering the Zentradi forces requires you to master each of them.

As can often be the case with mission based combat titles, Robotech: Battlecry does fall victim to a case of repetition, especially in the later levels. While there is a healthy dose of variety in the mission locations and objectives, you can often resort to similar hit-and-run tactics to conquer almost every situation and boss-character in the game. Each of the three Veritech configurations can use their strengths to get past one of the few types of encounters that you will come across. As I said before, learning to work with each fighter mode is important. The drawback is that once you are familiar with what they can do, you become nearly invincible.

It may seem like I have several negative things to say about Robotech: Battlecry, but in all honesty, I could hardly put the game down. While the gameplay itself is fun, the real driving force behind completing missions is unlocking more Veritechs, paint schemes, and to a lesser extent, multiplayer maps. Even after completing the entire story mode of the game, I found myself playing the same level over and over again, racking up more kills, trying to unlock Max's paint scheme or the Armored Veritech. While the multitude of awards and unlockable material could become a completist's nightmare, it gives you countless goals to shoot for beyond completing the story. Kudos to Vicious Cycle on their effort with this game. Kudos indeed. Next time I just hope that there is a deeper multiplayer mode to play with. Deathmatch is, with locking missile weapons and cannons, a little bit stale in this venture. The real question that I must ask is, "Where is the cooperative play?"