I have an odd relationship with Warashi's Dreamcast exclusive Macross M3.
Released in 2001 and only available in Japan, this 3D shooter isn't a good game by any stretch of the imagination – in fact, like many Macross video games, it's painfully average – but I spent a significant amount of my meagre student salary on picking up a copy from a local importer, so I was determined to extract as much entertainment from it as was possible.
A highlight of the game is its animated introduction and bespoke storyline, the latter of which went completely over my head back in 2001, as it's all in Japanese.
Fast forward to the present day, and a fan translation has been released by NetsuiAya, which finally allows English-speaking fans to understand the plot.
"The main appeal of Macross M3 has always been the story, leaving it largely unplayable to Western fans who don’t speak Japanese," explains NetsuiAya.
"The story segments and comms are both 100% translated. All image-based text in the game is translated. (Probably) all system text (VMU operation such as saving/loading, plugin descriptions, etc) is translated. What is not translating is the briefing text, which, for the most part, will never be due to a lack of native subtitles. It is recommended to use this with the colour accuracy patch from the same creator, which should be available to download from here as well."
The game takes place after Space War 1, and features Maximilian Jenius, Milia Fallyna Jenius and Moaramia Jifon in starring roles as members of the Dancing Skull team.