Macross Plus [IMPORT]
One word for the best Macross game ever made. wow. This game is the epitome of what real Mech/Valkyrie battle should be! Most will recognize the game from the anime-oriented name. Those who aren't familiar with the anime movie series Macross will love this game just as much. It takes the best of the action packed anime, and compiles it all into this game. Everything from the anime fmvs' to the story and fighting engine, are all quite similar if not exact in comparison with the actual movie, except in a polygonal format. This fast paced mech sim 3d shooter is sure to blow everyone away with its firm footing in the anime world, and its great game play. With the likes of Omega Boost, this game had to go far to impress, and it most certainly does.
The story of the game being based on an anime, of course makes it very good. Even though it was all in Japanese, it was very easy to follow considering that it basically runs along the same action structure as the movie. For those who haven't seen the movie, I suggest renting it, because that will be the only way you will know what's going on, unless you speak Japanese, or this game is ported here (which is doubtful). Macross plus is set in the year 2040, where an Ace pilot is transferred form his active duty to become a test pilot for a secret project called "Super Nova." The project is based on the development of two separate planes to fight attacking aliens, both in competition with each other. The victor of the competition will receive funding for their planes to go into mass production. This is where the conflict starts. The pilot of the other plane is a former friend and comrade of our ace pilot. You will not get to choose which pilot you want to play. You first start off playing Guld Boa Bowman, the pilot of the YF-21 fighter this is an arrogant former friend of the new pilot. After completing his game, you then can move on to the next pilot's story. Isamu Dyson is our ace pilot, who also has arrogance about him. He's a flashy pilot with a quick temper; he fly's the YF-19. During the fmvs' both pilots interact in the story, however, you only see one side of the story at a time. By splitting them up, it lets the player see both sides of the story at a time without interference. It also allows the game a load of replay value by making you want to play through the game with both pilots. The two will not only be fighting for the funding of their planes. An old girlfriend of both the pilots is visiting in town, now the producer of a singer called Sharon Apple, the most idolized singer in the universe. In the start of this game, you begin to think that you will only be going through practice sessions the whole time. But eventually, the plot twists, and you are off into battle with a powerful force. For your first few training missions you will still be getting used to the controls of the fighter, and believe me, you will need to use every part and control of it to defeat these enemies. There are two modes in which your fighter operates, in full mech mode, and in airplane mode. Within both modes the controls are held quite perfectly. You won't go flying off into nowhere with the slightest mistake or slip of you controller. Even though the controls are tight, the lack of support for the analog sticks makes this experience less enjoyable. I don't know why Takara decided they would support the Negcon controller instead of the analog sticks, support from both would have been greatly appreciated, considering this game will have your thumb raw in no time playing with the Playstation d-pad.
In Macross you have a number of options on your plane to keep the advantage in your favor. As in any flight game, you have the ability to use afterburners; here they are called verineirs. These are basically your boost gauges in both modes of play. One verineir button is set as a tracking device that directs you toward you opponent, it use's a lot more of your boost gauge. The second verineir button is set as any normal boost does, it only accelerates your ship is the direction you are facing, and in mech mode you use this setting to boost yourself into the air. Both controls are key to victory in this game. Also in your arsenal you have a machine gun, tracking missiles (typical of a 3d shooter, and the Macross series), and a block button, all are quite self-explanatory. For this game to have the right feel to it, the producers of the game felt that they needed to show the link in fighting visuals with its anime counterpart, which is one of the major appeals in the Macross name. So within this game there is a button for performing certain cut scenes called "DDS." When allowed to perform the task a message saying "DDS" flashes on the screen, prompting you to perform a certain cut scene, depending on the situation. In first thought the idea sounds lame, however, once you start perfecting your fighting skills, and pull of the DDS at the correct moments, it starts to look and make you feel like you are playing as one of the pilots in Macross Plus the movie, with fast reflexes and all. The cut scenes range everything from, dodging 10 missiles being fired at you, to a temporary transformation in a different battle mode, performing different acrobatic stunts. It gives the game an exciting feel, although its often only for show.
Macross also has a 2-player battle mode, in which you can go at it with your friend, or the computer in a one on one. I only wish the Story mode levels were as inventive in the one is 2 player mode. Two Player mode has all the things that make this game great to play. You have a selection of every mech in the game; there are around 14 Mechs total to choose from, each with different stats. Also there are 14 battlefields to choose from, 7 for each battle mode (mech and airplane), not including the last fields that are only unlocked by beating the game. This mode gives it players all the excitement of the real game except in a split mode screen. The game play of Macross plus ends up sucking you in to its addictive quick battle pace, and tricky AI. The enemies in this game are definitely not easy, and will push you to the point of frustration! I found myself often screaming curses at the television screen as I threw my controller to the ground in defeat! Even once you feel you have a really good handle on the controls of this game, the AI always finds a way to keep you working your hardest. This game will put you through a lot on different emotions, and that you have to love! The challenge of the game is great, not to the point of impossibility, but hard enough to keep you interested, and you will never turn away.
As far as graphics go, this game is looking very good. The Mechs are incredibly well animated; the developers really went all out for the looks of these fighters. But this comes at a consequence. The beautiful mech renderings affect the rest of the environment, making it all look a little less nice than we would like it to. The area graphics give the player enough to be satisfied with, even though they pale in comparison to the looks of our nice and shiny Macross'. Also because of the beauty of these Mechs, the environments pay the price again, by making them fairly sparse in content. There isn't really much involved in the surroundings that make them interesting. Often in both modes of play there is little to "ohh" and "ahh" at, other than Macross fighters. They are just simple areas in which you feel almost confined to. Playing in mech mode, you find that you seem to play in the same area over and over again, almost as if they took the same model for every area, and then altered them differently, changing only wall variations, object choices and placement, color schemes, and enemies. In airplane mode, you find yourself in an area that doesn't look confined but really is. They are just open spaces in which you do battle as to be expected with the minimal power of the Playstation. Albeit they have some cool things in the background, you really interact with nothing else. You have more freedom than that of omega boost, but not a great extent more. Even with the confinement, you will not spend much time worrying about it however, because your opponent will keep you quite busy, making it less noticeable. The graphics is this game aren't the best, but are certainly not the worst. The mech rendering will have you in awe, when you see that they were made on your Playstation, even though the fighting areas aren't very interesting, they are creative enough to keep you involved in play, and big enough for you to have full movement and you to use of your abilities.
The camera also does a great job in keeping the action exciting and new. It captures it all very well. The action being a little slower passed than Omega Boost, lets the camera here clock the action at a better rate, and make it easier for you not only to see your machine in a good and helpful way, but handle it in the same manner as well. In battle you wont have to struggle to get the angle you want, because the camera tracks well enough to capture every movement. To bad the only available view is the 3rd person. It's done for good reason however; the game is would be much harder to manage in a FPS type view. At times in this game, it feels as if you are watching the anime and, dodging 20 missiles at a time and still coming out on top. The movements you make in Macross plus make your fighter look skilled and flashy at the times, its almost makes you mad that there isn't a replay mode in the game, so you could watch the great piloting at work. Of course no Macross game would be complete without that classy music that oh so defines a world of Japanese animation culture. This game has some great music; all the music from the movie is basically in this game. With the combination of BGMs and Sharon Apple songs (the virtual singer, teen idol of the story) this game comes with, there isn't much else required here to please you. The pop singers songs almost inspire you to do better in the game, not to mention the fairly emotional track in the last battle. The sound effects are standard for a mech game, nothing quite revolutionary in this department. What more could you really ask for, its got great music and that's the bottom-line.
Macross plus brings many things to the table by way of innovation, being based on the anime series, this game incorporates everything from the series; the fast pace, the cut scenes, the actual anime movie for fmvs,' and the camera work that is just superb. This Playstation game provides the excitement involved in the whole Macross series, and portrays it very well. Proving that a good Macross game could be made. Lets hope that this game will be sent across seas to our shores, and not suffer the fate the other two Macross games made for Playstation had, never to be seen here!