[PSP] Macross Triangle Frontier

I've been hearing about Macross forever. I first ran into it's localized "Robotech" version via the novels, a handful of which were in our school library. At that time though, the only robot that I favored was Rockman (as well as his eternally moelicious sister Roll) so it didn't really peak my interest.

Funny how people say that our younger years are supposed to be the time when we are most receptive and curious. For me, it was the complete opposite: I was set in my ways before but became more open to new things later on, especially with the Real Robot series. It started with Gundam, and now it's continuing with Macross. Part of my process of getting to know a series aside from the anime is through the tie-in games it has... that being said, I secured a copy of both Macross Ultimate Frontier and the most recent incarnation, Macross Triangle Frontier.

Ugh, all that flying has me seeing stars...

Upon starting the Campaign Mode, the gameplay felt really familiar. No surprise there, Bandai built the control system to mirror those used in the Gundam Battle series to a certain degree. Of course, since the main staple mech of this series is the "Valkyrie" (which transforms to and from a military-style fighter jet), majority of combat will involve aerial dogfights. For a person like me who never bothered with flight simulation games, this proved to be a bit of a chore. I would have given up this game if not for those multi-lock heat-seeking missiles. They're not as all-powerful as I put them out to be, but they get the job done.

BURN! BURN!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Oops, wrong mecha series...

Another aspect inherited from the Gundam Battle series is the tuning point system. Assault Survive strayed from this and introduced universal in-game currency, but Macross stuck with unit-exclusive points, which requires constant and efficient usage to bring out a unit's full potential. There's still a separate form of currency used exclusively for the Nyan Nyan Shop, which sells mainly omake stuff. Off-hand, I can't help but snicker every time I go to the shop and hear Ranka Lee end her sentences with "kira!" in a vain effort to sound cute. In my opinion, the faux Chinese -aru idiosyncracy would have been more convincing.

It's hard to pick the right training program, especially when majority of the students who facilitate them are smokin' hot.

The missions are all taken from the existing series, but you'll be using custom characters to carry them out. In Ultimate Frontier, you choose your pilot type, specify age (which is not so much chronological as it is a determinant of your base stats and growth rate) and of course, his/her name. Triangle Frontier adds to this system with the "School Mode" where you interact with the main cast of the more contemporary Macross titles in a campus setting. The school offers a number of courses which vary in length and curriculum, and each day you spend in there is vital: You have to make it a habit to distribute your aspect points to the relevant stats every so often, since Triangle Frontier's Campaign Mode no longer allows for stat growth from the regular missions. Once school ends and you hit "yes" on that clear save query, there's no turning back.

 Anyone who wears a garter to accompany a swimsuit is a tsundere. That's just how it is. You don't ask why.

While Gundam emphasized mainly the aspect of robots as realistic combat machines, the evolution of man and how absolute power corrupts, Macross dwells on freaky fighter planes, alien races (hostile or otherwise), the empowerment of underage pop idols and most importantly, the sticky love triangles they get themselves into. The main cast's resident aces/divas can't be upstaged by your custom character, but he/she can still get involved in a love triangle to a certain extent. Your character's relationship with team members grow with every completed mission, and if you display abilities that reflect those of a true ace, then you'll eventually be getting adoring stares from some of them. The said aspect can be viewed in your war record, and the changes reflect in the dialogue and combat performance for the frontliners.

Newtypes among Valkyrie pilots!? The Gundam pilots are totally gonna freak when they hear about this.

Overall, this game proved to be very dizzying at times. Still, Triangle Frontier totally grew on me. I may not be a hardcore fan of the series, but it passes with "flying" colors. I just wish there were way more missions that didn't penalize you for wanting to stay in Valkyrie Battroid Mode.