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Robotech: Invasion
I love Robotech and
was stoked when I saw that it had been sent to me courtesy of Take 2
Interactive. For those who have been let down in the past by the
franchise, you will be pleased to know that this game has something for
everyone, well at least for me anyway :)
This time round the
game is a first person shooter, though you do have the option of
changing that perspective. I found that when I was playing the title, I
prefered first person when running about shooting although the game does
have a pretty full on head bob that is built into that perspective which
certainly is not the end of the world. You can also change into a cycle
at points throughout the game, but unfortunately that doesn't go for the
indoors where it would have been sweet to really let rip.
The control on this
game is what I would have to consider one of it's saving graces in terms
of it getting a higher score that I would normally have awarded it. The
camera is very easy to control and also the system of locking onto
enemies is great as once the targetting system has locked onto a target,
it remains locked for the use of your weapons whilst you then can use
the stick to look about again whilst you are firing your weaponry.
On the downside for
controls, once you change to cycle mode, you might as well throw the
controls out the window as general riding on a smooth surface is fine,
however moving over the slightest obstruction will see you and your
craft flying through the air. Transforming from one mode to the next
also is pretty time consuming and doesn't seem to have the wow factor
that I would have expected at first. I ended up just using the cyclone
mode to get from one place to the other real fast and it does work
pretty well at that.
The visuals from
the game are functional, though certainly nothing that would redefine
gaming. The levels are a bit blocky and have a samey feeling to them.
From a shooting point of view it plays really well though and makes for
some nice fast gameplay, although the AI from the game is pretty dull
and easy to over take. The attacks are very scripted, and you can tell
when certain events are going to take place. Weapons fire and other
blast effects and explosions look good but not great and generally work
well within the environs of the gameworld.
Audio is a treat
in the game and punters should be pleased with the overall soundscaped
that are presented. Some of the voice work is a bit shonky but I felt
that it added to the overall feeling of the game in that Robotech kind
of way. The title is pretty big and the storyline, although certainly
not compelling is interesting enough to keep you going through the whole
experience.
I'd say give this
one a rent before you commit to the purchase. It plays really well and
is a solid and tight experience, however there is not enough wow factor
to guarantee that you won't just knock it over in a weekend and then not
visit it again. It's a nice addition to the Robotech Universe and really
is a good lesson for other developers who want to create a tight control
system. Good Stuff.
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