Game Boy Advance

Robotech: The Macross Saga

Macross Saga is one of the better Arcade shooters to come along for GBA since the system launched. Not that it is easily accessible to all, because it will definitely weed out the casual gamers right away. And I mean right away. Like in the first level. Not that we want to knock this, because being a hard game and demanding some phat skills is what makes the reward at the end of the 10th level that much sweeter! If you love Robotech, you should definitely give this a try, and even if you couldn't care one bit about the franchise but like the style of game, you'll be cheating yourself out of some awesome retro arcade mojo if you pass on Macross Saga. Do your part for Earth's defense and get this game!

I hate to say it, but I wonder if this is the game that should have graced the big consoles instead of Robotech: Battlecry. It’s got wicked shooter action and, like its big brother, Macross absolutely demands that you use all three of your Veritech’s forms. While I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s better than Battlecry, this game has an advantage: You can play as several Macross characters, including Ben Dixon and Max Sterling. The only downside is there is the occasional slowdown. Saga’s difficulty and old-school shooter spirit make it a must-have trapped in a Game Boy Advance body.

Fans of the Robotech universe or the genre itself should make sure you inspect this game further. Personally I don’t think it’s worth the money, but those who are in dire need of a way to spend a boring weekend, could find an interesting challenge in Robotech: The Macross Saga. Robotech: The Macross Saga.

Overall, it'll take a much stronger effort than this to give anyone other than Robotech fans the game they've been waiting for. But for those seeking a quick and fun distraction in the meantime, this one is worth an evening rental.

Ultimately, you'll play and finish The Macross Saga a few times, try out its multiplayer modes a few times, and likely never pick it up again. If you're a Robotech fan who cares about nothing more than adding to your collection of memorabilia, then by all means, pick this game up. However, if you're after a meaningful shooter with lasting value, you'd be wise to look elsewhere. Like Battlecry, The Macross Saga would be forgettable if not for its strong license.

All in all, Robotech: The Macross Saga is an average shooter deep down, where it really counts. Sure, the potential for greatness was there, with added ingredients like the various plane modes and beautiful scenes and sounds from the show, but the great graphics are the only extra spices that found their way into the broth as per the recipe. That much said, it's quite possible to find your way around the disappointing, and just plain bad aspects to arrive at a solid enough little on-the-go shooter. But a bit of advice: for unequivocal shooter satisfaction, check out the GBA's R-Type III instead. Because real shmuppers want a shooter to grab them by the balls, not leave them blue.

As much as I love shooters, even primitive old-school shooters, Robotech: Macross Saga simply doesn’t offer any type of challenge, acceptable visuals, clever bosses, or anything else to qualify for your gaming dollar. If you own one of the other consoles then by all means, pick-up a copy of Battlecry because that game is amazing. GBA owners will have to look elsewhere to fulfill their shooter cravings.

After seeing what the consoles got for a Robotech game, yeah, I'll admit there's a little sour grapes thing going on when I played through The Macross Saga. But it's obvious that the developers had no passion for the series, nor did they try to implement any unique ideas that used features from the series. The whole transformation aspect is a huge disappointment; I mean, they could have created levels that required players to transform into their Battloid mode to gain access to specific parts of the game. But nope...you don't need to transform out of the Guardian mode. So where's the creativity?

Un titre fini à la va-vite, aux graphismes fades et au challenge beaucoup trop difficile. Dommage puisque les transformations de votre robot sont utilisées judicieusement mais malheureusement ceci entraîne également un niveau de difficulté insurmontable à certains endroits.

If you can make it through the first stage without dozing off, you'll encounter a boss that's instantly forgettable (I think there was a boss). You can collect power-ups, but since your ship is such a huge target it's difficult to maintain any significant firepower. Robotech doesn't even bother to keep score, so apparently the whole point is to see how long you can tolerate the monotonous gameplay. Adding insult to injury is the atrocious soundtrack, which sounds suspiciously like random keys being hit on a Casio keyboard. Why does this game exist?