Robotech: Battlecry Preview

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Watch gameplay footage of Battlecry as GameSpot editor Giancarlo "Max" Varanini narrates.See it now!

For years, fans of the Robotech cartoon have been waiting for a game that captured its visual style and fast-paced action, and while there have been a number of games released in Japan under the Robotech license, most of them have fallen short of achieving that goal. Needless to say, TDK Mediactive and developer Vicious Cycle have quite a task in front of them, as their upcoming game Robotech: Battlecry will not only have the opportunity to succeed where past Robotech games have failed, but it will also be the first Robotech game released in the North American market. We recently had a chance to check out the latest build of Robotech: Battlecry, which is around 85 percent complete, and while some aspects of the game have yet to be implemented, it's clear that Battlecry is on the right track.

Instead of simply using a storyline that follows the adventures of characters such as Rick Hunter, Vicious Cycle opted to create a new character and a new story arc. In the game, you'll play as Robotech Defense Force pilot Jack Archer, who fought alongside Roy Fokker in the global war that occurred before the events in the Robotech series. When the alien race known as the Zentraedi attack Earth, Jack and a group of other pilots are left behind to take out the remaining Zentraedi forces. "We wanted to tell a story that did not require you to have seen the series prior to playing the game, but at the same time had many familiar events for the longtime fans to relate to," said Eric Peterson, president of Vicious Cycle.

Indeed, one area where you'll get to meet a popular Robotech characters (all of which will be voiced by the voice actors from the cartoon) is in the game's training mode, where Skull Squadron leader Roy Fokker will instruct you on the Veritech fighter's capabilities. For those who aren't familiar with the cartoon, this mode gives you a chance to become familiar with the three different Veritech forms--the fighter, the guardian, and the battloid--by testing your skills. For example, in one training session, you'll have to go into the battloid's sniper mode and take out a series of Zentraedi battle pods from long range. The controls in Battlecry have been kept relatively simple, so we were able to jump into the main game and maneuver the Veritech around with few problems--though, the guardian mode, which is a hybrid of the jet and the battloid, can be a little tricky to control at first. The left analog stick controls movement, the right analog stick selects your target, the digital pad on the Xbox controller will enable you to transform, the face buttons will fire your weapons (the gun and missiles), and the right and left triggers enable you to strafe or perform banking maneuvers while in jet mode.

As you progress through the game, you'll find that each Veritech mode has been designed to take advantage of a particular situation. "There are clearly some missions where one mode makes more sense than another, but we wanted the player to be able to use any mode at any time," Peterson said. "The key is to transform tactically, and get the most out of the Veritech." We were able to play through a few levels in the game to get a taste of this firsthand.

The Zentraedi Armada

In one of the earliest missions of the game, you'll have to defend a convention center that's under attack by a large group of Zentraedi battle pods and foot soldiers. This happens to be one of the levels where you'll have to use two, and perhaps all three, of the Veritech's modes to be successful. However, while moving through the actual city portion, it's better to use the battloid mode, as you'll be much more agile and your aim will be more precise, which can be important since you don't want to have stray missiles hitting the convention center. The sniper mode can also be particularly helpful in this level if you position yourself on top of a structure.

When you've dealt with all the Zentraedi on the interior, you can transform into the guardian mode or jet mode to quickly move outside of the city and engage any Zentraedi on the outskirts with your missiles or gun. The guardian mode tends to be a little more useful than the jet in this situation because of its slower speed, but you can use either. Thankfully, Vicious Cycle incorporated a radar system that will tell you where enemies are located, so you'll never be wandering aimlessly around a level looking for a fight.

This level is a good showcase for the amount of detail Vicious Cycle has put into the game. When the battloid is using its thrusters and comes to a sudden stop, it uses the same animation that's used in the cartoon, where the Veritech kicks its feet up slightly. While you can damage any buildings in the area by simply firing your weapons, you can also damage them by using your boost and colliding with them.

In another mission, called Bursting Point, you have to return to Macross Island, where the massive SDF-1 is under attack by Zentraedi carrier. This is the type of mission that relies primarily on a single Veritech mode (in this case the jet), and while you can transform into the other modes at any time, you'll quickly find that aren't quite as helpful. In this mission, you'll learn how to perform evasive maneuvers in the jet, how to use its special weapon (decoys) to avoid enemy missile attacks, and how to target multiple enemies. Just like in Panzer Dragoon, if you hold down the missile button, a series of yellow reticles will appear on the screen, indicating that each of those targets will be hit by missiles. This tactic can be used on both the small Zentraedi fighters and the cannons on the battle cruiser.

Judging from what we've seen so far, Bursting Point is one of the most visually impressive levels in the game. There's nothing quite like flying around at high speeds while seeing both an enormous Zentraedi carrier and the even larger SDF-1 in the background, as well as dozens of enemy fighters and Veritechs. You'll even see the trademark circular explosions from the Robotech cartoon popping up around the screen, which enhances the illusion that you're fighting in a massive battle.

One-on-One

There are some levels that are a little less chaotic. In one of the later missions, one of your objectives is to grab Minmei while in guardian mode and get her to a concert on time. In another mission, you'll have to explore a city to find survivors, pick them up in guardian mode, and then take them to a safe location. This particular level is really difficult because you have to fight in close quarters, and there are times when you won't know how many Zentraedi battle pods there are because they're hiding underwater. In addition, there are even Zentraedi battle pods that are capable of jamming your radar, so you'll have to find those as well. The battloid mode can work well early on, but it quickly becomes clear that you need access to missiles, so the guardian mode becomes the clear choice.

It seems like a wise decision on Vicious Cycle's part to give you unlimited ammunition--otherwise, you'd probably run out of it pretty quickly. "We decided on this approach based on the way battles were shown in the series," Peterson said. "It was recognized early on that limited ammunition would quickly make the game more of a simulation and less of an action game. That was not a direction we wanted to take. Plus, you would not get to see the swirling clouds of missiles that were such a central icon of the series." However, ammunition still takes time to recharge, so you can't just repeatedly fire your weapon or send out a steady stream of missiles.

Like in the cartoon, some types of Veritechs will have a greater supply of ammunition if they're equipped with special battle armor, so it will take a greater period of time before you have to worry about recharging. We were shown a boss battle where a Super Veritech was taking on a Zentraedi battle pod (similar to Miriya's) piloted by a female Zentraedi named Kiyora, who makes a number of appearances throughout the game. While the extra missiles weren't incredibly helpful, the extra armor absorbs Kiyora's first volley of attacks. When the energy level on the armor gets too low, you can shed it and fight in your normal Veritech form.

Battlecry's level structure is both linear and hub-based, so while you have the option to choose a particular group of missions, you must complete every single one of those missions before moving on to the next set. "This methodology allows a player to play another level if one proves to be more challenging than the next, although the player will have to return to the challenging level and win before moving forward through the plot," Peterson said. "But ultimately, the game has only one beginning and one ending."

As for the music, Battlecry will not use any of the tracks directly from the cartoon. Instead, Vicious Cycle is going to use a full orchestra to redo all the songs. In addition, the music in the game will change to fit the action that takes place onscreen. Harmony Gold has also created an entirely new Veritech, named the VF-1R, for the game that features three prongs on the top of its head.

It's clear that the members of the development team at Vicious Cycle are fans of the series. There are a number of small details that have been incorporated into the game that should impress even the most dedicated of Robotech fans. The controls function quite well, and you should be able to use the three different Veritech forms with ease. The game also looks quite impressive, but perhaps the biggest draw for the game will be its multiplayer mode, in which you and another player can select from a variety of craft that can be unlocked in the single-player campaign. The wait is almost over for Robotech fans. The Xbox and PlayStation 2 versions of the game are due out on September 20, and the GameCube version is scheduled for release on October 10.