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Published
by Global Star Software
Developed by Harmony Gold
Release Date: Out Now
Price: £19.99
Also on: PlayStation 2
When
you purchase a new game your expectations of the game will
differ according to the price you pay. Paying less than
£20 for a new game (as opposed to last years hit title
that's been re-released on a budget label) means that you
expect the game to still be good but obviously not a big
budget production like a £39.99 or £44.99 game.
A lot of the time though these lower price titles still
leave you disappointed. Robotech Invasion isn't one of these
and whilst it's obviously not had the development budget
of games such as Halo 2, it's still a solid and enjoyable
title that is well worth it's asking price.
What
I like about Robotech Invasion is that you need not be learned
in the Robotech franchise. If you're like me, in that you
know next to nothing about Robotech, it doesn't matter one
iota because it's not necessary to do so. The manual gives
a short and concise introduction to the background of the
game but even if you decide to read this you still won't
feel like you're missing out on anything. Essentially though
the background is that in the 21st century humans discovered
an alien technology known as Robotech which allowed them
to pass the boundaries of the solar system. Of course with
human beings conflict is never far away and soon war broke
out with an alien race known as the Invid. The Invid made
it their goal to conquer and transform Earth. Now it's up
to you as part of the Robotech Expeditionary Force to prevent
this from happening.
Robotech
Invasion is essentially a FPS that allows you, when in outdoor
environments, to transform into a motorcycle which makes
crossing large distances much quicker. The downside to using
the motorcycle is that although you can fire at enemies
whilst in this mode it's much more difficult to do so. Whilst
in FPS mode (you can alter the camera to play the game as
a third person shooter if you wish to do so) it's much easier
to aim and take down your enemies when you're moving around
on two feet, so the chances are that when faced with enemies
you'll want to switch back to your default mode rather than
the armoured motorcycle. The control system is a solid one
and holding the left trigger locks on to enemies which makes
aiming easy. In a nod to Halo Melee attacks are also possible.
Your HUD provides plenty of information and always makes
it clear where to go.
It's
great to see a title in this price range providing you with
Xbox Live play as it gives the game added value for money.
The modes of play on offer are Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch,
Capture the Flag and Protocapture where you have to gain
control and defend the Protoculture generators. All of these
modes support up to 8 players and System Link play (also
for 8 players) is also supported. Sadly though there's no
support for split-screen multiplayer which feels like a
bit of an oversight given that for most people this is the
main multiplayer mode.
You
certainly don't expect a new title in this price range to
push the Xbox as far as it can go in terms of the quality
of the graphics but Robotech Invasion certainly looks OK.
The environments look a tad bland and some animations could
have been better I suppose but on the whole it looks OK
and the frame rate remains smooth throughout which is always
a bonus on a console FPS. You also have access to night
and thermal vision and whilst the visual effects for these
don't look as good as those in games such as Rainbow Six
3 they still do their job nicely.
Robotech
fans will be pleased to know the game has an option to enable
subtitles and these subtitles are on by default. The cutscenes
are subtitled, the conversations in the game are subtitled
and the radio communications you receive whilst playing
the game are subtitled. There aren't any captions but this
doesn't cause any problems, however they would have been
welcome. On the whole though the game won't cause deaf gamers
any problems.
Whilst
no one expected Robotech Invasion to be the best FPS on
Xbox I believe for just under £20 it does a good job
of providing value for money. The game on the whole is fairly
enjoyable and whilst it doesn't do much different from other
FPS games on the console (aside from being able to transform
into a armoured motorcycle), what it does it does well.
It's always good to see support for Xbox Live play but it's
a shame that there's no split-screen multiplayer option.
Fans of Robotech will really appreciate the game but those
of us who aren't into the Robotech universe will still feel
like we're getting value for money.
Overall
Game Rating: 7.0/10
Robotech Invasion might not be the greatest FPS you can
buy on the Xbox but what it does it does well. The control
system is a solid one and the action is fairly enjoyable.
Full support for Xbox Live has also been included, which
is impressive at this price. It's a shame that no split-screen
play has been included though.
Deaf
Gamers Classification:
(Click
the letter or here
for details)
No problems at all for deaf gamers.
Whilst there are no captions the game is fully subtitled
so you'll have no problems playing the game.
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