I actually started watching Super Dimension Fortress Macross because of your last Macross video. I'm only on the 8th episode and aside from some typical anime tropes, I've mostly been enjoying it.
It's a good show but when I rewatch it nowadays, I only ever rewatch _Do you Remember Love?_ I highly recommend the PS2 game ( _which was remastered for PS4 later I think.._ ) It covers the path of both TV show and movie. It's an amazing love letter and good game!
The PS2 game is great, seconding that. Very much in the vein of Ace Combat, but with the transforming mecha twist. Also the movie is getting a 4K remaster later this month. I've already got it preordered, will be nice for another rewatch.
It takes a while, but it does eventually have its charm, then/or watch the great movie recap. At least watch the series up to episode 27, episodes that came after were forced on the studio after the story was finished and its plot afterwards is inconsequently for the series.
@@lucinae8512 Oh yeah, the later episodes weren't that good, they definitely felt forced. Like most of the plot had been resolved by that point. Then you've got Macross 7, which is the complete opposite. It's a slog up until 20 eps in or so, with the same episode structure (some exposition/character development/SOL and then a meaningless battle for the whole second half) and A LOT of reused battle animations, but then it gets more interesting with better pacing in the later eps. At least the music is fire (no pun intended) for the whole duration of the show.
Always a pleasure to help out :) A little bit more on Alex Bros i was able to confirm: in addition to their freelance work, they were the first ever winners of BOTHTEC's software contests with what would eventually become the game "Yokai Detective ChimaChima" - which was then further developed inside BOTHTEC and got more marketing from them with little figurine ads and such. I couldn't quite square the timeline originally. That Blue squares thing sounds like BOTHTEC - it wouldnt be one of their games without a cryptic puzzle to get to an ending. I'm honestly surprised their skiing game "Hotdog" didn't have a block puzzle lol
So not to be that anime guy but you were right, the armored Valkyrie here detached from the Macross which is what it did at the beginning of the film, Macross Do You Remember Love? So that's two references to the film in like 20 seconds. Nice. But thank you very much for covering a obscure game. That'll probably never play, but based on an anime property that I care about.
Even without arriving specially for Europe you maybe could find someone who had it for MSX here in Europe, Specially in Spain and Netherlands Here in Spain you could find japenese MSX games even in some TV shops (specially in Catalonia), LASP was the main distributor/importer in Spain and even people from other countries that ordered, it was a guy in a apartment with all the goods on the floor 🤣, he lately imported Neo Geo and Super Famicom too LASP also sold hardware and made some mods, like MSX2 to MSX2+ conversions and sold Floppy convertions of cartridges from a guy called Martos, you can still find that conversions in ROM's sites Nice video as always, is usual seeing smoother X1 versions specially when is the original version but is surprising seeing an MSX1 version being smoother than a PC-88 one, but they all still being too early titles that are a pain in the ass to play today PS: in the very first times some people sent money to Japan with a note with the game you wanted in order to buy the games, I think that it was some guy from Netherlands, sadly sometimes you lost the money and you never got your order
Lynn Minmay voice actress did her voice for the Japanese version of Macross and the ADV's 2006 American dub of Macross too. Which I think is super neat.
The performance in those stages with the background reminds me of playing the shareware Jill of the Jungle on my family's old 286 PC. That game similarly turned into a slideshow when you got near the end and it was more active onscreen.
I'll give it a shot, at least the MSX version, since I'm a sucker for the Macros shooters...as I grew up watching Robotech on TV. There are decent Macros games on MAME since arcade hardware is way better than computers were BITD.
Hey Alec and the bros, Wishing you and your family a Happy New Year guys. Always a pleasure seeing your works and never a dull moment listening on what you all have to say. Thank you as always and keep up the excellent work as always fellas. 8^) Anthony..
shoutout to the Final Countdown MIDI getting plenty of screen time, haha. Suppose I should stick to the Famicom version though, such as it is from the sound of it? another great episode.
Through a friend i got hold of a copy of Tecnopolis magazine in 1993 - was an one inch thick color booklet with the review of Parodius for x68000 and the (for me italian) incredible H games section ^^
If I could've had this game back in '84 I would've been the happiest kid alive. For the time this was actually very good, considering this was the Atari 2600 era before the NES came out. Unfortunately it hasn't aged well. At least there's the NES and SNES shooters to play, and the SNES one still holds up pretty well.
After seeing you pull out those copies of the poster and guide, I was sure expecting the floppy disk also to be a copy. I guess the original poster and guide are exceptionally hard to find..
"It reminds me of Xevious." *Days without mentioning Xevious: 0* Sorry! Wrong UA-cam channel. 😆 I find these Macross videos interesting. I've always been aware of the anime since I started learning about anime in the early 90s but I've never seen it. Watching these videos is making me curious to finally check it out.
Does anyone know what track plays at 9:40 and where I may be able to find it? I presume it's off the PC-Engine's Macross 2036 mentioned earlier in the video, but wanted to be sure. Edit: It is indeed from the Macross 2036 soundtrack, and it's the last track on the disc "Staff Roll." Reminds me a bit of the song from the end of the Starlight Angel segment from Robot Carnival.
Man these games had high prices. 3200 yen for a sliding puzzle game and 6500 for a pretty meh-looking horizontal shooter. I realize licensing played a role, but PC games were in the range of $5-$20 or the European equivalent. Elite also came out in 1985.
I love Macross but UGH.. "My boyfriend is a pilot? Not no more he ain't! I quit! And you say I'm your boyfriend while you put me in the super-dimensional friend-zone while you dated your cousin, Minmay!"
As someone who loved Macross/Robotech growing up I do like hearing about these early titles. Yeah not overly impressive compared to the last title you covered on the franchise but still interesting for sure. The series has had a very rough run with game quality for sure but still some fun to be had. I do find it a bit amusing that it (and other mecha series) often have had much better representation in stuff like Super Robot Wars where they are far from the main focus.
I never understood why the Macross shooters were always so lazily made, especially with the original Gradius floating around at the same time. The license to make Macross games should have gone to Konami or another publisher of shooters from that era.
Speaking of the Famicom, the Macross game on that feels like it has some similarities to this one even if the stage layouts/gameplay loop and the specifics of the 3-mode mechanics are different. Like, they at LEAST feel as similar as Hudson Soft's Nintendo "ports" do to the Famicom originals.
Heyyy, I like that Final Countdown MIDI you used. Kinda disappointing that Last 01 doesn't even give you a boss, let alone have to restart if you missed any purple boxes. Still, could've done worse for a licensed game.
A little sad that Thexder is a better Macross shooter than the official one. Honestly, this feels like a random shmup with the Macross label slapped onto it. Aside from a few of the sprites and the OP/ED, nothing about it feels the slightest bit Macrossy. Like absolutely no attempt to make the indoor levels look like Zentradi interiors, things like that.
I played a decent amount of the Famicom one, and the gameplay in both is similar enough (and with the same flaw of repetition) that it'd probably be a tossup between that an the Sharp X1 version.
I think the intro & verse of ‘Do You Remember Love’ (the song) are the best parts. The chorus is a little… aimless, repetitive? IDK but it’s not my fave
Just curious, is there any good Macross game on any platform? I don't recall coming across any good Macross game. They are either terrible or OK at best. Perhaps there are some hidden gems?
@@NOIDEDU Never played the PSP one but the PS2 one feels like a mix of poor man's ace combat and gundam. Not a bad game but certainly not the better titles on PS2.
It's a shame this looks so clunky. When I was a kid, I enjoyed renting a SNES port of a particular side-scrolling shmup "BlaZeon" that also had a ship that could transform into various alternate forms.
Single screen endings were more common back then, but they were still annoying. I’m pretty sure if I played through 40 stages of this in 1984 just to see “I knew you would come. Thank you,” I would still be pissed.
I actually started watching Super Dimension Fortress Macross because of your last Macross video. I'm only on the 8th episode and aside from some typical anime tropes, I've mostly been enjoying it.
It's a good show but when I rewatch it nowadays, I only ever rewatch _Do you Remember Love?_
I highly recommend the PS2 game ( _which was remastered for PS4 later I think.._ )
It covers the path of both TV show and movie. It's an amazing love letter and good game!
The PS2 game is great, seconding that. Very much in the vein of Ace Combat, but with the transforming mecha twist.
Also the movie is getting a 4K remaster later this month. I've already got it preordered, will be nice for another rewatch.
@WrestlingWithGaming Oh that's awesome! In my opinion it really starts to get good about halfway in (like most things). You gotta stick with it!
It takes a while, but it does eventually have its charm, then/or watch the great movie recap. At least watch the series up to episode 27, episodes that came after were forced on the studio after the story was finished and its plot afterwards is inconsequently for the series.
@@lucinae8512 Oh yeah, the later episodes weren't that good, they definitely felt forced. Like most of the plot had been resolved by that point.
Then you've got Macross 7, which is the complete opposite. It's a slog up until 20 eps in or so, with the same episode structure (some exposition/character development/SOL and then a meaningless battle for the whole second half) and A LOT of reused battle animations, but then it gets more interesting with better pacing in the later eps. At least the music is fire (no pun intended) for the whole duration of the show.
This looks like exactly the sort of game I'd buy then try to convince myself was fun and only years later be able to admit wasn't very good.
Sounds like most big budget games these days. All flash and no substance
I’ve felt this before about Thexder on the Famicom; it’s not the best port but close enough
its the Macross Countdown!!🎶🎶
Always a pleasure to help out :)
A little bit more on Alex Bros i was able to confirm: in addition to their freelance work, they were the first ever winners of BOTHTEC's software contests with what would eventually become the game "Yokai Detective ChimaChima" - which was then further developed inside BOTHTEC and got more marketing from them with little figurine ads and such. I couldn't quite square the timeline originally.
That Blue squares thing sounds like BOTHTEC - it wouldnt be one of their games without a cryptic puzzle to get to an ending.
I'm honestly surprised their skiing game "Hotdog" didn't have a block puzzle lol
You're the best FTB
Always loved the term 'death blossom' for the mass missle spread shot.
Once again as a Macross super fan, I thank you for giving coverage to its retro games.
So not to be that anime guy but you were right, the armored Valkyrie here detached from the Macross which is what it did at the beginning of the film, Macross Do You Remember Love?
So that's two references to the film in like 20 seconds. Nice.
But thank you very much for covering a obscure game. That'll probably never play, but based on an anime property that I care about.
Even without arriving specially for Europe you maybe could find someone who had it for MSX here in Europe, Specially in Spain and Netherlands
Here in Spain you could find japenese MSX games even in some TV shops (specially in Catalonia), LASP was the main distributor/importer in Spain and even people from other countries that ordered, it was a guy in a apartment with all the goods on the floor 🤣, he lately imported Neo Geo and Super Famicom too
LASP also sold hardware and made some mods, like MSX2 to MSX2+ conversions and sold Floppy convertions of cartridges from a guy called Martos, you can still find that conversions in ROM's sites
Nice video as always, is usual seeing smoother X1 versions specially when is the original version but is surprising seeing an MSX1 version being smoother than a PC-88 one, but they all still being too early titles that are a pain in the ass to play today
PS: in the very first times some people sent money to Japan with a note with the game you wanted in order to buy the games, I think that it was some guy from Netherlands, sadly sometimes you lost the money and you never got your order
Actually really like the color scrolling effect for the title screen, that's neat.
I am playing MSX version of this game from time to time on emulator for quick fun. I like it.
Lynn Minmay voice actress did her voice for the Japanese version of Macross and the ADV's 2006 American dub of Macross too. Which I think is super neat.
The performance in those stages with the background reminds me of playing the shareware Jill of the Jungle on my family's old 286 PC. That game similarly turned into a slideshow when you got near the end and it was more active onscreen.
I'll give it a shot, at least the MSX version, since I'm a sucker for the Macros shooters...as I grew up watching Robotech on TV.
There are decent Macros games on MAME since arcade hardware is way better than computers were BITD.
There was also an okay-ish Robotech shmup on GBA.
Thr legla battle thats surrounded Macross)Robotech has actually cleared up so we may actually get to see some new stuff. Really such a great show.
Great Stuff, as always!
Hey Alec and the bros,
Wishing you and your family a Happy New Year guys. Always a pleasure seeing your works and never a dull moment listening on what you all have to say. Thank you as always and keep up the excellent work as always fellas. 8^)
Anthony..
Happy new year and welcome back!
That 2 Stupid Dogs reference, so on point somehow.
“Well isn’t that Macross game cute… BUT IT’S WRONG!”
shoutout to the Final Countdown MIDI getting plenty of screen time, haha. Suppose I should stick to the Famicom version though, such as it is from the sound of it? another great episode.
Through a friend i got hold of a copy of Tecnopolis magazine in 1993 - was an one inch thick color booklet with the review of Parodius for x68000 and the (for me italian) incredible H games section ^^
If I could've had this game back in '84 I would've been the happiest kid alive. For the time this was actually very good, considering this was the Atari 2600 era before the NES came out. Unfortunately it hasn't aged well. At least there's the NES and SNES shooters to play, and the SNES one still holds up pretty well.
2 stupid dogs reference brought back some deep memories
So basically the cluster shot should represent the missile volley with the signature trails from the anime right? I see... E for Effort.
Happy New Year, Alec! 🎉
Looking forward to more of your discovery of Asian games we've never heard of😊
"Parallax scrolling, I guess."😂
Macross and Two Stupid Dogs, together at last!
That's just caca.
After seeing you pull out those copies of the poster and guide, I was sure expecting the floppy disk also to be a copy. I guess the original poster and guide are exceptionally hard to find..
CONGRATURATION!
There’s something cool about hearing old school PC’s boot up.
The Valis series got its start on a pc like this. The PC-8801 to be more on point.
"It reminds me of Xevious."
*Days without mentioning Xevious: 0*
Sorry! Wrong UA-cam channel. 😆
I find these Macross videos interesting. I've always been aware of the anime since I started learning about anime in the early 90s but I've never seen it. Watching these videos is making me curious to finally check it out.
Happy 2025 to you and as always thanks for covering these games from Japan developed in the 20th Century.
I loved the anime series....i still have it on vhs
Does anyone know what track plays at 9:40 and where I may be able to find it? I presume it's off the PC-Engine's Macross 2036 mentioned earlier in the video, but wanted to be sure.
Edit: It is indeed from the Macross 2036 soundtrack, and it's the last track on the disc "Staff Roll." Reminds me a bit of the song from the end of the Starlight Angel segment from Robot Carnival.
Your channel has showed me so many cool games. I've been thinking about emulating pc-98 games in retroarch.
Man these games had high prices. 3200 yen for a sliding puzzle game and 6500 for a pretty meh-looking horizontal shooter. I realize licensing played a role, but PC games were in the range of $5-$20 or the European equivalent. Elite also came out in 1985.
Nice.
I love Macross but UGH..
"My boyfriend is a pilot? Not no more he ain't! I quit! And you say I'm your boyfriend while you put me in the super-dimensional friend-zone while you dated your cousin, Minmay!"
"super-dimensional friend-zone" is gold. I'm going to have to remember that.
@@dycedargselderbrother5353 lol feel free, make it yours!
I spent a lot of the video wondering if "Alexbros" happened to have worked from the basement.... you know... if they were basement brothers. ;)
I had the same thought :}
nah, they were working on the game in the attic 😋
1:58 Wait, does the Katakana for that copyright on the right say "Bik West" not "Big West"?
Yeah, the official katakana for "Big West" is "ビックウエスト".
@BasementBrothers I was expecting Biggu not Bikku for "Big" like the Katakana for the anime, The Big O (ビッグオー).
Please do a review of Last Armageddon and Jaseiken Necromancer.
As someone who loved Macross/Robotech growing up I do like hearing about these early titles. Yeah not overly impressive compared to the last title you covered on the franchise but still interesting for sure. The series has had a very rough run with game quality for sure but still some fun to be had. I do find it a bit amusing that it (and other mecha series) often have had much better representation in stuff like Super Robot Wars where they are far from the main focus.
Europe made more good music than the final countdown
Macross Channel. Hot diggity dog 😆
Do magnetic floppy’s ever just die on their own? do they have a shelf life given they were stored under perfect conditions? Just wondering.
Yes, like most things they will break down on their own eventually even in perfect conditions. But how long it takes depends on a number of factors.
I never understood why the Macross shooters were always so lazily made, especially with the original Gradius floating around at the same time. The license to make Macross games should have gone to Konami or another publisher of shooters from that era.
6:54 ... i died
Seems about as much game as you could expect to squeeze out of a five-inch floppy.
Nice video will have to try it out.
We are starting this year eating good .
Speaking of the Famicom, the Macross game on that feels like it has some similarities to this one even if the stage layouts/gameplay loop and the specifics of the 3-mode mechanics are different. Like, they at LEAST feel as similar as Hudson Soft's Nintendo "ports" do to the Famicom originals.
Yeah, I was going to say the same thing.
Came here to watch a video about a mediocre Macross game, walking away incredibly curious about that Maison Ikkoku game.
Heyyy, I like that Final Countdown MIDI you used. Kinda disappointing that Last 01 doesn't even give you a boss, let alone have to restart if you missed any purple boxes. Still, could've done worse for a licensed game.
A little sad that Thexder is a better Macross shooter than the official one. Honestly, this feels like a random shmup with the Macross label slapped onto it. Aside from a few of the sprites and the OP/ED, nothing about it feels the slightest bit Macrossy. Like absolutely no attempt to make the indoor levels look like Zentradi interiors, things like that.
Damn, I was about to sleep... Now I'm gonna have to watch this
I wonder, which game would you say is better? This or the Famicom Macross game? At least that one has a rendition of shaopailon playing throughout
I played a decent amount of the Famicom one, and the gameplay in both is similar enough (and with the same flaw of repetition) that it'd probably be a tossup between that an the Sharp X1 version.
Got one for NES, SNES. and PSX.
HAHAHAHAHA!! 6:54
Non Alex, non brother, game simpler than gradius might as well be Galaga looking ahh game could run on my calculator
Great episode 💯
I think the intro & verse of ‘Do You Remember Love’ (the song) are the best parts. The chorus is a little… aimless, repetitive? IDK but it’s not my fave
yay!
You boys be remembering love down there?
Theres a modern Macross shmup. Macross shooting insight, its fun but nothing special
Just curious, is there any good Macross game on any platform? I don't recall coming across any good Macross game. They are either terrible or OK at best. Perhaps there are some hidden gems?
If you like ace combat I recommend the ps2 macross game, there's also the psp games and a sequel to those in the ps3.
@@NOIDEDU Never played the PSP one but the PS2 one feels like a mix of poor man's ace combat and gundam. Not a bad game but certainly not the better titles on PS2.
I was just thinking about this channel (weird, I know)
Macrapp-y-game?
Is this game meant to be beaten in just one sitting?
It was normal back then
It's a shame this looks so clunky. When I was a kid, I enjoyed renting a SNES port of a particular side-scrolling shmup "BlaZeon" that also had a ship that could transform into various alternate forms.
Single screen endings were more common back then, but they were still annoying. I’m pretty sure if I played through 40 stages of this in 1984 just to see “I knew you would come. Thank you,” I would still be pissed.
Wat? In 1984 the typical ending was a kill screen. Any kind of 'ending' was the exception.
ZEEBOCORE!!!!
Gerwalk is actually pronounced "gebbboooowarkuu." Well, not really.
Mecha fans had no luck with games in the 80s.
I like mccross. Unsubscribed.
That music sounds like the 'you know this music is for real' part of Canned Heat by Jamiroquai, so maybe Jay Kay is a Macross fan.