| Introduction
Based on the original Robotech TV series, The Macross
Saga takes place during a timeline within the story
after the alien Zentraedi invasion, and allows you to
choose prominent characters from the series - Rick Hunter,
Roy Fokker, Max Sterling, Ben Dixon or Miriya. Your
objective is to defeat the Zentraedi forces, who launch
an awesome assault on the SDF-1.
GamePlay
There are essentially two types of gaming styles
offered here, with the first being a horizontally scrolling
shooter - while reasonably enjoyable, it's nothing you
haven't encountered before. It's simply a case of mowing
down as much of the enemy as possible, which is then
converted into credits for use later in the game.
You'll encounter the odd power-up and an available
secondary weapon, but you'll always feel you've reached
the end of an episode by default rather than by any
real piloting skills, as the odds are generally stacked
against you. The horizontal levels dominate the game,
and completion allows you to use your credits to enhance
your ship by adding more armor, firepower or even speed,
which tips the balance slightly in your favor.
The other gaming type takes place in an isometric
environment, and is arguably the more enjoyable part
of the game. Here you must use your trusty radar to
clear the various areas of all enemy craft. Again, the
opposition appears to be far better equipped that you
though, so you'll often find yourself firing missiles
off screen in order to hit an enemy craft before it
even sees you.
One welcome addition to the game is the ability to
transform into any of the three veritech forms at any
time by hitting either of the shoulder buttons. The
downside of this is that changing form appears to make
no difference to your chances of finishing. There seems
to have been no input into the level design and it doesn't
really make the game any more enjoyable.
Multiplayer (up to four) is also supported, although
I must point out that all of the following gaming modes
require an extra copy of the game for each additional
player. Aside from Co-op Play, there's Robo Match, where
the winner is the first to reach a pre-set target score;
Team Match, which is the same but for teams; and Robo
Tag, where you must collect and hold onto the Minmei
Doll for the greatest amount of time. Finally, the battery
backup makes level progression very simple, and although
the game only spans 10 levels, it's always a welcome
addition.
Controls
Possibly one of the highlights of this title is the
tight and responsive control system. Ask anything of
your various crafts or vehicles, and they'll do it with
a minimum amount of fuss. The developers have also wisely
opted to use a standard arcade control layout, making
for an intuitive gaming experience.
Graphics
The visuals department can only be described as adequate,
as Robotech in no way pushes the GBA to produce anything
like we now know it's capable of. Instead, you get some
reasonably lengthy levels that are constructed of building
blocks, making for a very repetitive environment. There's
also some particularly ugly slowdown when a little too
much is happening onscreen; this really should've been
ironed out during the test stages. The various menu
systems and statistics screens seem to follow suit,
and while they convey the information required clearly
enough, the lack of any real imagination with the games
graphics will no doubt disappoint shoot'em up fans.
Sound & Music
As with the visual elements, the music featured in
this title is little more than what was widely demonstrated
on the GBC some years ago, and there appears to have
been little attempt to create any type of credible soundtrack
to accompany the gameplay. The sound effects, on the
other hand, aren't as bad, and the various lasers and
explosions do their job but nothing really excels.
Final Comments
Robotech offers almost all the features you'd want
from a shoot'em up, but it's simply too short - most
arcade fans will fly through it in one or two sittings.
Yes, there are multiplayer options, but these all require
an extra copy of the game, which actually contributes
little to the single player option, and you're unlikely
to come back to the game once its completed.
Outside of the Robotech license, this game is little
more than an average shoot'em up which appears to have
slowly evolved from the kind of thing we were seeing
on the GBC some five years ago. There aren't many classic
shooters available on the GBA, but what's out there
is significantly more enjoyable than this. So before
you even consider Robotech, have a good look around.
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