Overview
Macross is an anime franchise that features fighter planes with the ability to transform into
giant robots. The original series, released in 1982, was one of the earliest imitators of
Mobile Suit Gundam's more realistic take on robot anime. The franchise is named after the
Macross, a battleship that, like the series's "Variable Fighters," can reconfigure itself into a humanoid form.
The "power of music" is a recurring theme in the franchise, along with the
love triangle.
Robotech
Super Dimension Fortress Macross was chosen by video distribution and real estate company Harmony Gold to be brought to the United States as
Robotech; however, in order to meet syndication requirements, Harmony Gold decided to rewrite
Macross,
Super Dimension Calvary Southern Cross and
Genesis Climber Mospeada into a single, 85-episode series.
In Video Games
Macross has yielded several video game adaptions. Early games took the form of scrolling shoot-em-ups, while 3D titles are almost always flight simulators. There are some exceptions, including
Macross: Eternal Love Song (a strategy game) and
Macross: True Love Song (a dating sim with RPG elements).
The most recent Macross games have been developed by
Artdink. In addition to
Macross Ace Frontier,
Ultimate Frontier, and
Triangle Frontier, all of which are essentially Macross-themed "Gundam Battle" games, Artdink has created three games for PS3-enhanced Blu-Ray movies.
Due to a variety of reasons, no Macross-branded game has been released in the US or Europe. One of these reasons is the fallout from a legal battle between Big West (Macross's sponsor),
Tatsunoko (who owns the international rights to
SDF Macross) and Harmony Gold (who eventually received the rights to all Macross-related media in the US); these disputes also eliminated the possibility of any future Robotech games based on the "Macross Saga." The other major restricting factor is the cost of music licensing.
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