I have a love/hate relationship with Macross M3.
As any Macross fan will tell you, the popular anime series has a sketchy history when it comes to video game adaptations. For every Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie, there are multiple flops, and prior to picking up Macross M3 when it launched in 2001, I had just been badly burned by the abomination that is Macross: Digital Mission VF-X on the PlayStation.
Nonetheless, I was tempted into making the purchase thanks to my love of the series (and its Western offspring, Robotech) and the fact that it shipped in a big cardboard box with cool artwork on the front (what can I say; I'm a simple man).
Unfortunately, the game itself is pretty terrible. Focusing on the characters Maximilian Jenius, Milia Fallyna Jenius, and Moaramia Fallyna Jenius, it's a 3D aerial shooter that boasts a brilliant animated introduction and little else of merit.
Despite this, I forced myself to extract as much enjoyment from the game as was humanly possible, largely because, at the time, I was a poor university student and couldn't buy expensive Japanese imports every day of the week. This has led me to possess a grudging appreciation for Macross M3, despite its obvious shortcomings.
So, you can imagine how pleased I was when the game was recently translated into English. It doesn't actually improve its quality in any way, but at least I have a better idea of what's actually happening.