Latest news with #Macross
Forbes
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The Fire Valkyrie From ‘Macross 7' Gets A Great New Toy This October
The upcoming DX Chogokin Fire Valkyrie from 'Macross 7'. Now that the majority of Macross is available in the West, the Fire Valkyrie from Macross 7 is getting the DX Chogokin toy treatment. Over the years, the Fire Valkyrie has been given numerous toys, even back when its host anime was released in the 90s. From Yamato's and Arcadia's 1/60 scale efforts, both of which were lovely, and the more recent and smaller Hi-Metal R releases from Bandai Spirits. However, the mainline DX Chogokin releases have dealt with other Macross series and skipped over Macross 7 until now. What's a bit different about this release, apart from its bigger scale and extensive use of die-cast, is that it affords a version of the face with its mouth open. You even get the missiles stored in the calves. The styling is also great, with the speakers in the shoulders being done very nicely. If all of this feels a bit strange for Macross, it's worth remembering that Macross 7 is a bit of a different beast compared to the rest of the franchise. In that, the emphasis in Macross 7 is squarely on music and its direct effects on aliens, in this case known as the Protodeviln. To be fair, this is very much in line with the original Macross, but most modern fans entered the fandom around the time of Macross Plus, which is more straightforward as to its narrative underpinnings. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder As such, Macross 7 can be somewhat divisive amongst the fans, but I personally love the series and its numerous OVA and movie spin-offs. The music is also great, with the band of Fire Bomber and its members having their own musically equipped variable fighters, being very much the stars of the show. The Fire Valkyrie, then, is an iconic design for Macross 7, and with any luck, we'll also get a Sound Booster set at some point (especially as the recent Hi-Metal R release did). Priced at 36,300 yen (or around $253 at the current exchange rate), it's definitely expensive but also similar in cost to other DX Chogokin releases from Bandai Spirits. Released in Japan this October, this DX Chogokin Fire Valkyrie is definitely something I will be picking up, and with any luck, it should come Westward too. Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
Forbes
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Macross Zero' Blu-Ray Review: Absolutely Worth The Wait
Back when the Macross rights were mostly resolved, I was looking forward to all the classic Macross anime coming Westward. Well, here we are, and it feels great. While we already had the excellent Blu-ray release for Macross Plus a while back, that was already released in the West back in the 90s, so much so that Bryan Cranston voiced one of the main characters. However, there have been a slew of classic Macross anime that were previously landlocked to Japan until very recently, and Macross Zero is one of those series. Originally released in 2002, Macross Zero acts as a prequel to the events in the original Macross TV series. Dealing with the Unification Wars that had only ever been mentioned in passing, Macross Zero was meant to show how these wars were fought and, more importantly, what for. This is because when the Macross spaceship crash landed in the Pacific, it brought with it huge technological advances. How these advances were used and, crucially, who benefitted from them were, in part, the reason behind the Unification Wars. However, the Macross was by no means the only Protoculture relic left on Earth, and a mysterious Bird Human becomes the source of a new conflict at the end of the Unification Wars. Compared to previous modern Macross anime, such as Macross Plus, Macross Zero took a new approach to how it dealt with the mecha. While the characters were still drawn in 2D, the mecha were rendered as textured 3D models. At the time, Gonzo were the masters of this approach, and their Yukikaze anime, also released in 2002, had set an incredibly high benchmark for this 'hybrid' animation approach. So, when Macross Zero rocked up, it had its work cut out for it. Put simply, Macross Zero was and is a watershed moment in modern animation. It took the complicated transforming mecha of variable fighters and made them fit into a modern anime setting. 'Macross Zero' is now finally available on Blu-ray outside of Japan. I actually remember seeing the first episode of Macross Zero at a cinematic screening in Shibuya, Tokyo, literally just as the first episode's master had been finished. Shoji Kawamori ran up on stage, waving the master tape with a fair degree of jubilation. Like then, seeing Macross Zero again on Blu-ray is wondrous. The visual and audio quality is amazing, especially as Kuniaki Haishima's score was not typical for Macross at the time, and really stands out as a result. Seeing how the warring variable fighters square off against one another was and is amazing. The only minor quibble was that Macross Zero is meant as a prequel, and yet some of the variable fighters feel strangely overpowered, but I think the 'rule of cool' takes care of that one. As for this box set, there's not much on the disc, but that's made up for by a very thorough 128-page booklet containing all manner of interviews and background on the series. I honestly never thought we'd see Macross Zero ever get a proper Western release in my lifetime. After watching it that night in Shibuya, I knew that the then-current rights situation with Macross internationally was a mess. The fact that this box set even exists feels oddly fantastical, but it absolutely delivers on what I think is one of the finest entries in the Macross saga. Yes, Macross Plus has the bombastic plot and pacing, but Macross Zero had the nuanced spiritual take that underpinned almost every other entry of the Macross saga. In many ways, it ratified this cultural foundation. In short, Macross Zero holds up very well, and the fact it even exists officially outside of Japan is a cause for celebration. The Macross Zero Limited Edition Blu-ray box set is available from Crunchyroll's online store for $89.99. Disclosure: Crunchyroll sent me this Blu-ray set for the purposes of this review. Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Macross -Shooting Insight- Review: PS5 Shmup Features Varied Gameplay
The long-running Macross series has received a handful of movies, dozens of video games, multiple anime series, and every other type of media you can imagine. The series' latest entry, which is now available for PlayStation 4 and 5, brings together five characters from different anime series into a time-traveling space adventure. While I can't say I followed much of the plot as a newcomer, there's no doubt that the vibes of Macross -Shooting Insight- were immaculate as I controlled cool mecha and destroyed giant bosses while idols sang catch songs. If you are a hardcore fan of the series, then seeing the five fan-favorite characters (from Macross Plus, 7, Zero, Frontier, and Delta) feature in a new original story is probably a real treat. As a Macross newbie, I found myself lost, but thankfully, even if you don't know what's going on, you've got a really well-polished bullet hell shooter to enjoy at its core. There are five characters, each with different stats and attack types, to choose from and a 10-stage story mode for each to go through. The gameplay is where Macross -Shooting Insight- really shines, as it is constantly switching things up. While the game starts as a vertical shooter, levels will then transition to horizontal segments and even dual-stick shooter levels, where you have full 360-degree control over where you're firing. This could go totally wrong if these weren't all fun to play, but thankfully, I never felt bummed when the game shifted gameplay as I had a great time in each different variation. There are also some cinematic camera moments as well, where the game really takes advantage of its 3D gameplay. It's all extremely polished, besides the overly busy user interface sometimes hiding enemies behind screen elements telling you which song is playing. Naturally, the game gets very hard if you up the difficulty as this is a bullet hell shooter. There are options to make it easier, such as two easy difficulties and an auto-recovery mode that disables the leaderboard, so you can make your way through the difficulties and really get a lot of value out of the game. That's good since the story isn't very long, as it takes about an hour or so to go through 10 stages as long as you're not failing repeatedly, like my very ill-thought-out attempt at very hard mode. Beyond the aforementioned high-score grind, there is also a nice variety of different ways to play. Besides the main story mode, there's an arcade mode, a boss rush, and the ability to play through selected areas to hone your skills. There are also battle simulations called Ace Battle that have you battling against other pilots in one-on-one dogfights. I found the latter to be a real blast, although you'll have to unlock more opponents over time rather than being able to do them all from the get-go. Whether you're a Macross veteran or someone who has always wanted to check out the series, Macross -Shooting Insight- features a ton of shoot 'em up fun. Thanks to the constantly changing gameplay, stages always keep players on their toes. With plenty of difficulty options and five different characters with their own story modes, it features great variety and replayability as long as you're looking to embrace a bullet hell game with idols singing over it (which you should). Highly replayable Range of difficulty options Varied gameplay New fans will likely be lost with the story UI can hide enemies 8 Disclosure: The publisher provided a PlayStation 5 copy for our Macross -Shooting Insight- review. Reviewed on version 1.000.000. The post Macross -Shooting Insight- Review: PS5 Shmup Features Varied Gameplay appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
