Macross FAQ VERSION 1.2 Thursday, February 27, 2003 By: Rob Furbee AIM: Mayor Maynaut or MudTurkey3334 ICQ: Mud Turkey 3 Email: furb_3@hotmail.com GameFAQs Username: furb ********** Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Game Story 3. Game Controls 4. Gameplay Notes 5. Power Ups 6. Enemy List 7. Gameplay 8. Helpful Hints 9. Closing Thoughts 10. Legal Information ********** 1. Introduction Macross, or Robotech as it's known in the States, started my addiction to anime in the late '80s. It was the first cartoon I had ever seen that was even slightly serious. It had everything not seen in American cartoons of the time, love, death, interracial couples, and an involved storyline of war and the power of love. Though the US version, Robotech, was a butchered version of the original, it still was amazing. Sorry folks, you will not find the Macross game in America. It was released in Japan only on the Famicom. The only way to play it is via ROM or import with a converter. Namco created it in 1985. ********** 2. Game Story Uhh... the game really offers none. I'm assuming only fans of series will see this, so they know already. Thus, I'm not going to elaborate. *********** 3. Game Controls NES Directional Pad Controls Directional Pad Up - Moves the player's Valkyerie up. Directional Pad Down - Moves the player's Valkyerie down. Directional Pad Left - Moves the player's Valkyerie left. Directional Pad Right - Moves the player's Valkyerie right. Directional Pad Up Left - Moves the player's Valkyerie up & to the left. Directional Pad Up Right - Moves the player's Valkyerie up & to the right. Directional Pad Down Left - Moves the player's Valkyerie down & to the left. Directional Pad Down Right - Moves the player's Valkyerie down & to the right. Transformation Commands Gerwalk Mode - Directional Pad Up plus the "A" button. Battloid Mode - Directional Pad Left plus the "A" button. Fighter Mode - Directional Pad Right plus the "A" button Other Controls The "A" Button This button's only function is to assist in Valkyrie transformation. The "B" Button This button's only function is to fire the Valkyrie's cannons. Misc. Controls The Select Button Pressing the Select Button during gameplay will fire homing missiles. The Start Button Pressing the Start Button during gameplay will pause the game. ********** 4. Gameplay Notes This is a very straightforward shoot 'em up game. It features the typical sideview used in most Famicom/NES shoot 'em ups. Being a Macross game, the player pilots a Valkyerie (or Veritech) which is a transformable mech. There are three different modes. (listed above) Each has its strengths and they also have weaknesses. The modes will by analyzed below. Figther Mode Strength - This mode is the fastest of all. Weakness - This mode is navigates sluggishly. Weakness - This mode does not have an automatic cannon. Gerwalk Mode Strength - Navigates much better than Fighter Mode. Strength - Gerwalk Mode has an automatic cannon. Weakness - Moves slower than Fighter Mode. Battloid Mode Strength - This mode has the best navigation abilities of the three. Strength - The Battloid has an automatic cannon. Strength - The Battloid may fire behind itself. Weakness - Moves the slowest of the three modes. Which should I use? Change attack modes often. Try to figure out which mode works best in certain situation. That is the key. ********** 5. Power Ups Appearance - A red circle with "P" in it. When Collected - Restores power to the player. Appearance - A red circle with an "M" in it. When Collected - Restores the player's missiles supply. Apearance - A red circle with an "E" in it. When Collected - Adds one life. Apearance - A red circle with a "B" in it. When Collected - Makes player's shot more powerful. ********** 6. Enemy List - The Zentraedi Forces Name - Space Mine Appearance - Red with grey spines. Mech Class - Battlepod Crew - 1 Zentraedi pilot. Description - Standard Zentradi infantry mech. Has light armoring. Appearance - It has a round hull with two legs. Mech Class - Light Artillery Battlepod Crew - 1 Zentradi pilot Description - A variant of the standard battlepod. Appearance - Looks like a normal battlepod with a small missile launcher ontop. Mech Class - Heavy Artillery Battlepod Crew - 1 Zentraedi pilot. Description - A variant of the standard Battlepod. Appearance - It looks like a normal battlepod with a missile launcher on top. Mech Class - Officer's Battlepod Crew - 1 Zentraedi pilot. Description - More heavily armed than standard battlepods. Has more armor too. Appearance - Much larger than the other battlepods. Has an orange cockpit. Vessel Class - Zentraedi Scoutship Crew - 70 Zentraedi crewmen, 80 pilots, 40 troops. Description - Most common Zentradi warship. Only lightly armed. Appearance - In the game it looks like a flying green wedge. Name - Gun Turret Appearance - Double barreled grey gun turret. *Note the following Enemies aren't really in the Macross series that I know of. They appear in the game but are in another part of the Macross saga. Mech Class - Powersuit Female Crew - 1 pilot. Description - A large humanoid attack suit. Appearance - Stands vertical and is grey and green. Shoots missiles. Mech Class - Powersuit Male Crew - 1 pilot Description - A large humanoid attack suit. Appearance - It's like a Powersuit Female only thin and does not fire missiles. ********** 7. Gameplay Macross seems to have no ending. I've played to level 10, alas, still no ending. All the boards have the same 4 part layout: Deep Space, Outside the Zentraedi Vessel, Inside the Zentraedi Vessel, and Vessel Reactor. I will describe each section and what to expect there. Deep Space This area will consist of a black background with explosion. This is the area where all levels begin. The player will meet up with a multitude of enemies here. Also, starting in later levels, a minefield will be placed in this section of play. Outside the Zentraedi Vessel In this section, the player will fly alongside a Zentraedi Flagship. It almost exactly like flying in space, except the background will be green because that is the color of the ships hull. Also the threat of gun turrets arise in this section. They are mounted to the side of the ship. Inside the Zentraedi Vessel After flying outside the flagship long enough, the player will enter it through an opening in its hull. Once inside, the player will fly through a grey corridor fighting the same enemies as outside minus the gun turrets. Vessel Reactor At the end of the grey corridor, the player will find a reactor. It will appear as a blue oval. To destroy the reactor, the player must blow up the two rows of 16 blue circles in the center. The only enemy threat is from the reactor itself. It will fire sparks at the player. ********** 8. Helpful Hints *For best odds of survival on later levels, go into fighter mode and move to the lower right hand corner. Most enemy attack patterns will miss the player. Watch out for mines and missiles though. *Try to save missiles for the reactor. Fire them slightly below and to the left of the weak point. This will help cause large damage quickly. ********** 9. Closing Thoughts A very good game for the time. The character sprites are also very well drawn for the time. All mecha resemble their Macross counterparts well. This game's difficulty can be nasty at times, and the endlessness{?} is also a drawback. All and all though, it's a game that any Macross fan should appreciate. Also, there is a special guest appearance by my most hated character in the series. She bangs a gong to show the high score. If someone can name her, post on the messageboard! ********** 10. Legal Information Copyright 2003 Rob Furbee All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. Do anything you would like with my FAQ. Just give me credit for it. A thank you to milkycow for pointing out the "B" and "E" powerups. Also for the information about the unknown enemies.