Arcade Archives: Super Dimension Fortress Macross

[tepidsnake]

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This week's Arcade Archives release is... Super Dimension Fortress Macross (Banpresto, 1992).

Almost certainly due to the complex nature of Macross licensing outside of Japan (please, I beg of you, don't ask me to try and explain it, I am not fit for this purpose) it hasn't come out in any Western digital storefronts, so you'll have to grab it from the Japanese ones where it's 1500 Yen, just under double the normal ACA price (same thing happened with Mazinger-Z).

PSN
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The language can be changed via dip switch (thanks for the reminder, David Haywood!), so you can select Japanese (Super Dimension Fortress Macross) and English (Super Spacefortress Macross) on the title screen. Preference Settings allow players to select the player two side ship when playing solo (which is slightly faster!), select the starting loop and display the number of medal items held and current difficulty rank in the border.

Well, I'm at a double-disadvantage this week- I don't know Macross very well (I know it has Lynn Minmay- a space idol, hmm, maybe I should watch it) and it's a shmup, which is definitely a weak spot for me. I'll do my best though! This is an NMK-developed vertical shooter that wold have staff who'd go on to develop Zed Blade / Operation Ragnarok (as pointed out by electricboogaloofunk in my stream chat, thanks!) where as you pick up new weapons, your Valkyrie will transform, just like in the show! The weapons are actually pretty neat, my favourite being the green spread missiles that spray about everywhere, and the presentation is absolutely top-notch with some super-detailed backgrounds and loads of cutscenes based on the anime. I want to spend a bit more time with it when I get the chance, but first impressions are really solid on this one! Getting a rerelease of a licensed game from this era, especially a license as big as Macross, is a rarity, so it's nice to see this one get a bit of time in the spotlight, even if it's only in Japan.

... Of course, the most famous thing about this game in the UK is the fact that, for many years (the screenshot above is from a 2022 episode), a Super Spacefortress Macross arcade game (housed inside a Keeday cabinet with six buttons) could be seen in the background of the café set in BBC soap opera / circus of misery EastEnders. It's been there for years and it just shows off that attract screen constantly in the back, never being played, no-one acknowledging it. Don't tell Harmony Gold.