It's a shame that such a nice looking game can be summed up in only those few words - but that's the truth. Those not familiar with Macross and its various spin-off series might enjoy the game for what it is: a shallow shooter which essentially involves unleashing wave after wave of missiles against hordes of enemies. This is the main tactic in the game. Launch missiles. The majority of missions can be completed by doing this and dodging incoming fire occasionally.

Macross Ace Frontier is very much in the ‘unique, interesting and fun’ category. New Sci-Fi shooters are not the easiest thing to find, though there is a new Gundam Battle Battler X released every 8 months or so for the PSP. MAF uses the same game engine as that series but superimposes the vehicles, characters and music from Macross over it. The result is not displeasing. Graphically, the craft all have the level of detail that every fan looks for, and the transformations are pretty much spot on. There can be a little slowdown when there are too many missiles on screen, but this tends to only last for a second.

One of the things that Macross is well-known for is its three-stage transforming aircraft - the Valkyrie. Every Macross game ever released must include this or it's just not right. Valkyries are transformed on the PSP game by moving the analogue stick in a direction. Up is for the Flight mode, left or right is for the "Gerwalk" mode (half-plane, half-robot) and down is for the Battloid mode. The control system is slightly different for each mode, but the weapon buttons are constant for all three.

The other aspect that the series is famous for is its music. In the game this is reflected in a score of partly-new background themes and partly-classic songs taken directly from the series. Having the same song playing as was in the episode the same battle took place is what it's all about and this naturally adds to the atmosphere. The squeaky voice of your operator telling you to bail out as your Valkyrie explodes for the Nth time is not something that is particularly enjoyable. Other than that, the voice acting is pretty standard.

The targeting system can feel a little odd to start with. When an enemy is in targeting range the player can lock onto them. This then shifts the camera so that it is focused on the targeted enemy but keeps the player in the centre of the screen. No more seeing where you're going. This is not a major concern most of the time as you are unable to crash into buildings, etc. and it does mean that manoeuvres look much cooler. Once the targeting system has been gotten used to, it does feel much more natural.

The game is divided into two modes: Single and Network. In network mode, a group of players work together to achieve mission objectives. It can also be played alone, with computer-controlled characters making up the rest of the 4-person team. Unless the player has the skills of ten videogame-playing tigers, they will do very badly at this and get highly frustrated at the seemingly-impossible difficulty level. This may have been something the developer added to get friends to all buy the game, using the Monster Hunter model as an example. Being forced to play with another person face-to-face (no ad-hoc here) is more than a little limiting, however.

In single mode, players are given the option of which time period/Macross series to play through. To begin with, the options include Macross, Macross 7, Macross Plus and Macross Frontier. Each time period has missions based on or around that particular anime series, with relevant characters making appearances. Through each time period the player is the same character, one that has been created especially for the game and together with their wingman/woman and their operator, they take part in every part of the Macross legacy.

In terms of missions, there is very little in the way of variety: one or two missions have the player shifting crates from one point to another, which is either preceded or followed by the obligatory enemy attack and their subsequent destruction. The auto-targeting weapons do take the game away from being a combat simulator but keep it to the series' roots. Auto-targeting doesn't necessarily mean an easy game, however, and some missions are so stupidly difficult they must have come straight from Hell.

Whether you complete a level or get blown to smithereens, you still get points to modify your craft with. Undertake a mission in that mech and the points received can only be used on that one. Mods are not just what help you get through the later levels, but are a reason to replay missions. It might be the case that a section proves particularly difficult to beat, and that the player has no option but to keep replaying. Giving points for failure is one way of altering the difficulty level for weaker players, though this does little to balance out the frustration of repeated failure.

Overall, there is very little variety, and once the main missions for each series have been completed there isn't much to go back to. Trying to maximise the performance of every craft in the game will take a long time and only the true fans may be able to stand doing that. It's fun, but don't expect too much.