Macross 30: The Voice that Connects the Galaxy gameplay

[Zoroastres]

Well, it wasn't so bad as that godawful, super-long-winded explanation of fighter/gerwalk/battroid controls. I think if you read through all of the explanation text, the first three tutorial missions would take around 75 minutes.

[CrazyMartian]

Hi! It's been a long time since I last posted here.

I ordered a regular copy of Macross 30 a while ago, which only shipped today. Yay (NOT).

I had managed to save for preorder, but then thanks to my bank doing a clusterfrakk with my account, I had to jump through tons of hoops just to get my money back. In the end, I missed the preorder deadline, but managed to order the game. Waiting for it now, with the same sort of bubbling anticipation of a child about to be left alone and unsupervised inside a candy store.

BUT, to get back to the topic, I would like to know a bit about the different modes the game has, and a few questions regarding the characters. If there are spoilers, I don't mind one bit, but some others may, so please hide the answers so people who do won't be affected. I want to point that spoilers do nothing but increase my interest in specific games, such as this.

So here are my questions:

1.- How many wingmen/wingwomen can you bring in missions?

2.- Can you form your party?

3.- How does it affect bringing, say, Alto and Isamu in a mission, as opposed to someone else?

4.- Can Grace join? I really hope so, since she was actually cool in Wings of Goodbye

5.- Is Klan available for recruiting?

6.- How are the controls compared to the PSP series?

7.- I know you can pull up a menu as per standard RPG fare, but what about commands?

8.- Does the game have some kind of online functionality? I already know there will be some DLC (or already there is, I haven't checked).

9.- I read a bit about custom soundtrack. Can I rip music and put it when songs are used only in little bits like in the PSP games?

10.- How is the music? Good? Bad? Meh?

11.- Other than the YF-30, are there any other new mechs?

12.- How do you rate the replay value?

13.- How deep is the VF customization? Stats? What about colors like in the PSP series?

I think that's pretty much it.
Well, I'll go back to playing some more PS2 Macross to try and calm myself down. It's hard waiting for a few games, this being one of the worst cases.
I wanted Metal Gear Rising and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, since I'm a huge fan of those series, but Macross wins each and every single time.

Edited April 2, 2013 by CrazyMartian

[Tochiro]

Hi! It's been a long time since I last posted here.

Welcome back!

So here are my questions:....

I can't answer all of them since I have yet to finish the game (am at the 36 hour mark but am taking my time and 'life' is probably going to prevent me from finishing the game until Golden Week. But I'll answer what I can and let others who have finished the game tackle the rest.

1.- How many wingmen/wingwomen can you bring in missions?

Maximum of two. Some missions (especially earlier on) will limit you to one or none at all.

2.- Can you form your party?

Some missions will make certain wingmen/partners compulsory due to story reasons. In most you can pick whoever you want, as long as you have come across and recruited the character in the story ('recruiting' happens automatically). Therefore, your choices are limited in the beginning and gradually you get more and more pilots. Oh and Basara can only be used with the Fire Valk (naturally).

3.- How does it affect bringing, say, Alto and Isamu in a mission, as opposed to someone else?

Different pilots have different special attacks and will say different lines.

6.- How are the controls compared to the PSP series?

Three control types - A, B and C. A-type is identical to PSP, B-type is 'third person shooter' and C-type is original Macross 30 control scheme. See Zoroastres excellent guide/translation for details.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6r3Sy1LnkpxSGJxOUR4VFVac0k/edit

7.- I know you can pull up a menu as per standard RPG fare, but what about commands?

Its an action game with RPG elements. It does not play, control-wise, like an RPG. You can pause the game to use a healing item or temporary stat-altering item. You can command your wingmen to attack, use special attacks, etc, by bringing up a menu with the SELECT button. Note that this selection happens in real time, the game does not pause.

8.- Does the game have some kind of online functionality? I already know there will be some DLC (or already there is, I haven't checked).

No. The ONLY DLC is a few skins that first pressing/limited editions have. There is no online play and no further free/paid DLC announced at this time.

10.- How is the music? Good? Bad? Meh?

IMO BGM is fairly typical mid-class jrpg BGM. Not great, not terrible. The two original songs from Miss Macross 30 winner Haruka Chisuga are pretty good imo and have been released as a single.

11.- Other than the YF-30, are there any other new mechs?

No, although there may be some loadouts that are original, such as double strike packs for the VF-1S. There are also original coloured versions for many of the characters.

12.- How do you rate the replay value?

Theres a NG+ where you can select the pilot you use, so if you are a Macross fan I'd say replay value is fairly high.

13.- How deep is the VF customization? Stats? What about colors like in the PSP series?

Parts and plans need to be collected/found to build a mech. Once built, the customization/levelling works basically the same as the PSP games. Some valks have several pre-set colouring configurations but there is no custom colour option.

Check out the guide I mentioned above. It is fairly comprehensive (thanks to all of Zoroastres hard work!) and should answer most of your questions.

Edited April 2, 2013 by Tochiro

[CrazyMartian]

Thanks a lot, Tochiro!

[Zoroastres]

To elaborate a bit on the controls, despite being an "action RPG," M30 plays much more like a third-person shooter than any of Artdink's prior Macross games.

[CrazyMartian]

I was reading about it in the very detailed and organized document Zoroastres is putting together. I'm really looking forward to the game. I find it very nice that the controls are so versatile, allowing for people from different gaming backgrounds to enjoy it. I'm fairly proficient in 3rd person shooters, mostly because of Mass Effect 3, and seeing that Macross 30 allows for playing in a slightly similar fashion made me very glad.

The people at Artdink are nothing short of great.

[hulagu]

I got no complaints about the tutorials. They did a pretty good job detailing the controls, and I got the control scheme down right away, even with my limited understanding of written Japanese.

Although, Aisha, explaining Anti missile action and SP attacks before throwing us into boss fights and hairball encounters with bandit ships would have been helpful. Fortunately SPA works the same as the PSP games.

Edited April 3, 2013 by hulagu

[VF-15 Banshee]

Some presents for y'all.

[hulagu]

Are the unmarked numbered stone tablets found lying around required for some later quests, or are they just collectible secrets?

[Zoroastres]

Collectibles. 50 for one trophy, all 100 for the other.

[Tochiro]

Just tried Misas support skill for the first time. While its not as effective as it could be, I think it's the best bit of fan service in the game by far. I was grinning like a lunatic.

[VF-15 Banshee]

Hmm, I can't remember. Did the VF-27 have a super pack in MF?

[valhary]

yes

[Graham]

Hmm, I can't remember. Did the VF-27 have a super pack in MF?

In the movie only.

Graham

[VF-15 Banshee]

Just tried Misas support skill for the first time. While its not as effective as it could be, I think it's the best bit of fan service in the game by far. I was grinning like a lunatic.

Because she fires the Main Cannon?

[Tochiro]

Because she fires the Main Cannon?

Well, so much for avoiding spoilers... (p_-)

[VF-15 Banshee]

Well, I just got slaughtered by what is probably the toughest enemy in the game. An old friend from Macross Plus...

[Graham]

Really loving the generic VF-1S grey colour scheme with double strike cannnons and SMS markings.If only Yamato were still around to make a toy of it.

Mind you, it would be a fairly easy custom, if only I had any customing skills

Graham

[CrazyMartian]

Aren't they technically still around, only under a different name?

[Zoroastres]

I was under the impression they were bought out by a different company, and that they would continue to exist under a different name, but then I've gotten the impression that they're "gone forever" from several users here....

[CrazyMartian]

Well, I finally got my copy, and after playing it quite a bit, I can say I'm rather surprised with what they pulled out. The control scheme is very comfortable and lends itself to play it in a way that I'm used because of the games I often enjoy (3rd person shooters like Mass Effect). I haven't gotten very far, I just recently got Mina, but she's still not a pilot (not a spoiler if you saw the site). Gameplay strongly reminds me of Phantasy Star Online 1 and 2 in that it is a free roam game (as far as you've allowed, though) and fight enemies here and there. I really like how despite being a Macross game it has a strong influence of more regularly made action RPGs, which I rarely play nowadays, but are still enjoyable.

I'm more than pleasantly surprised. It was well worth the trouble.

Edit: I started browsing the gallery and my surprise couldn't be bigger when I saw interviews with part of the cast of each featured Macross production. Some were tremendously amusing, others insightful and reflexive. This is by far the best extra they could have thought of.

Edited April 12, 2013 by CrazyMartian

[VF-15 Banshee]

Just completed my second playthrough on Normal difficulty. This time i got the

Rod survives ending

. I think I'll call this one the "you're both my wings 2.0" ending.

[CrazyMartian]

Just completed my second playthrough on Normal difficulty. This time i got the

Rod survives ending

. I think I'll call this one the "you're both my wings 2.0" ending.

There's more than just one ending?

[VF-15 Banshee]

Oh yeah.

Problem is no one yet knows what the conditions are for getting the endings or how many there are. Currently I think there's probably three different endings.

[CrazyMartian]

If by endings we mean illustrations, well... I hope they are available for later viewing in the gallery. I haven't checked. That said, good (extra) excuse for replaying the game.

[hulagu]

YF-29 Ozma Custom's weapon 3 buff ability is crazy broken, even without any tuning.

[VF-15 Banshee]

I was doing a bit of my third playthrough on hard and got to the mission were you fight some old friends from Macross Frontier at the glacier. On Hard Mode it was actually a challenging fight even in a VF-25A. I like it!

[bbrain]

I guess this technically counts as gameplay, I guess.

You guys ever sen this image?

Well, it seems that configuration is entirely allowed in the game. YYYYYEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!

[Hikuro]

finally have had time to play this game after a year. In the last week I've been dominating the hell out of it and now that I've finally got a knack on quests and missions I"m nearly done. I had that big climatic battle at the end of chapter 8, aaaaaannnnddd the damn disc froze. So I gotta do it all over again.

[VF-15 Banshee]

It does that every so often but in he year I've had it, it's only done it maybe two or three times.

[Renato]

Yeah, happened to me, too. I miss cartridge-based consoles.

[Hikuro]

at least I know it's not just me. I mean I get the occassion frame glitching cause there's to much going on in one particular area allllllllllllllll the time. Actually had an incident few days ago where the battle got really heated and the compression rate went to hell, next thing I know I'm dead. Full HP and everything cause I just used a health pack and BAM I'm dead.

[Seto Kaiba]

Damn... I've NEVER had that happen. Is your PS3 an older model? I'm wondering the reason I've never experienced a freeze on Macross 30 is because my PS3 is the very latest hardware variant.

[Hikuro]

eeeeeeeehhh it's roughly 4 years old now. got it about the same time my ex and I started dating and was super excited to get it. But what's also odd is that there's an update for it but it won't update says the file is corrupted. so I just leave it alone. Good enough for me.

[cypherxv]

NG+?