Anime fans will get a kick out of Airborne Entertainment and Big Blue Bubble's Robotech: The New Generation, a top down, vertical shooter based on the popular anime series, available through AT&T Cingular. Stuffed with action as well as an engaging story, it provides a few hours of fun, if gamers can get over the cramped controls.

In the game, the Invid (an alien race of crab looking creatures) invades Earth, enslaving its population and forcing humans to harvest protoculture. As one of three pilots (Scott, Rand or Rook) gamers embark on a dangerous mission to save the planet and annihilate the Invid, which delight in throwing numerous waves of enemies their way. Fortunately, gamers pilot a Veritech Alpha fighter, a machine capable of transforming into a powerful robot. To do this, players hit the 5 key and the ship changes, allowing them to move faster than normal. In order to remain in this form, however, they must collect floating green canisters to fill a meter, located at the right side of the screen. Once they run out of juice, the robot changes back to a ship.

To control the Veritech, players use the 4, 6, 2 and 8 keys (which control left, right, up and down respectively) or the phone's directional pad. Moving left and right feels great, but up and down cramps the hands. Furthermore, without true joystick controls, players will most likely die trying to evade stupid opponents, thus making the game a bit frustrating.

We tested Robotech on a Sony Ericsson S710A and, despite the controls, enjoyed the experience. The game runs at a smooth pace, numerous enemies and bullets clog the screen and the visuals (from the shooting stages to the cut scenes) look impressive on the tiny screen. Even the music sounds great, a fun soundtrack that doesn't break up, an annoying occurrence in other cell phone games.

Overall, Robotech provides a cool, arcade experience that fans and n00bs will enjoy.

Final Score: 7 (out of 10)

Related Links

Robotech: The New Generation Game Guide

Airborne Entertainment

Robotech.com

Our Final ScoreOK

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