Robotech: Battlecry

Robotech's concept is one that video game fans long have fancied: giant robots blowing stuff up. The multiplatform game Robotech: Battlecry has arguably brought gamers closer to this dream than ever before.

Robotech: Battlecry is a mission-oriented game divided into five chapters. Each mission requires the fulfillment of a different objective, and most of them require different skills from other missions to be successful. In all, there are 46 missions in the game, an astounding number for mission-based games.

Battlecry is based off of part of the Robotech anime series. I have never seen it, and have no idea what the series as a whole is like, so I couldn't tell you where precisely it happens; but personally, I'm curious to find out, after playing this game.

Battlecry manages the spectacular feat of combining flat-out explosive (literally) gameplay with an intriguing plot. It all begins with the eerie arrival of a large spaceship, the SDF-1, on Earth. The ship helps feed the world's technological hunger; for a while, at least. Eventually, the Zentraedi, an alien race who apparently created the SDF-1 (I think, can't remember precisely), arrive and demand its return. When Earth refuses, they go to war. This sets the stage for a long and immersive battle as you, Jack Archer, a pilot in the Robotech Defense Force, wage war against the belligerent Zentraedi. Throughout the course of the game, you'll fight swarms of Zentraedi ships and battle pods, as well as distinguished commanders and warriors. There are even a few plot twists along the way. Some people don't like the ending of the game, but personally, I think it was done extraordinarily well.

The most notable thing about Battlecry's gameplay is the transformation. Change or Die, as the game's manual says. Your Robotech fighter has three transformation modes. Battloid, essentially a giant humanoid robot, can fire an auto-aiming gun (which it can also use to eliminate incoming missiles) and snipe. It is fairly nimble, if a bit slow compared to other modes. The Fighter mode is a jet plane; it can fly extremely fast, can fire powerful seeking missiles, and has a gun (though you'll have to do your own aiming this time). The fighter can also leave decoys, which attract enemy missiles away from you or other nearby targets. The third mode, Guardian, is half-Fighter and half-Battloid; it can hover in place, fire light missiles (seeking), and use an auto-aiming gun. It can also pick items up, which will be necessary in a few missions. Throughout the game, you'll need to master these three modes to maximize your robot-blasting potential. The Zentraedi will throw tons of enemies at you, in a wide variety of forms, so you'll need to know how to destroy each one best. There are also a number of different level environments in Battlecry: skies above a city, out in open space, in a debris field outside the Earth's atmosphere, within a city (you can even make the buildings fall down by shooting at them); the level variety never fails to please. There's also a multiplayer mode, but personally, I don't think much of it. Initially, the controls are incredibly confusing, but once you've gotten used to them, you'll be an alien-blasting machine in no time.

Battlecry's graphics are cel-shaded, part of a growing trend in the game industry. Some people don't care for it, but I thought it helped the game look very good - especially noticeable in the fires and smoke is a different look than the norm. The music is highly enjoyable; there are a number of tracks in the game that I hum quite often, even without thinking about it. The sound effects are good, and suit the game well. There's even voice acting, which sounds great, but suffers from a small flaw in the game - sometimes the voices are significantly behind the subtitles on the screen, and often, the background music will be so loud and the voice-over so quiet that you can't hear what they're saying at all. A minor flaw, though it does get irritating at times.

Battlecry has Easy, Medium, and Hard difficult settings for every mission. There are dozens of medals you can earn (and re-earn) to unlock multiplayer arenas, new fighters, and new paint jobs for your robot. The challenges some of the medals pose are actually quite fun. And it'll probably take a while to complete the game in the first place, considering it's 46 missions long, and many of them can be quite difficult.

There are a few flaws in Battlecry - sometimes the auto-transform reaction to a collision harms more than it helps, and the aforementioned voice-over issue is sometimes annoying - but nothing so great as to subtract from the overall experience of the game. An interesting story, exciting challenges, and of course... giant exploding robots. While it may not have received as much attention as other recent games, Robotech: Battlecry definitely deserves a look.

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