Unboxing [JP]: Macross 30: Ginga o Tsunagu Utagoe - Standard Edition (PS3)

The final import that I acquired a few weeks ago has arrived. Later than the usual shipping estimate but no issues whatsoever.

Macross 30: Ginga o Tsunagu Utagoe (マクロス30 銀河を繋ぐ歌声), also called Macross 30: Voices Across the Galaxy, is an action role-playing game celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Macross franchise from creator Shoji Kawamori. The game includes original characters as well as recurring characters from every Macross series prior to Macross Delta which wasn't made at the time. The game was developed by Artdink (No One Can Stop Mr. Domino!, Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Battle Pentagram, Sword Art Online: Lost Song) and published by Bandai Namco (Dragon Ball, Gundam, Dark Souls series).

Here are the list of characters included in the game:

The Super Dimension Fortress Macross

Hikaru Ichijyo (voiced by: Kenji Nojima)

Lynn Minmay (voiced by: Mari Iijima)

Misa Hayase (voiced by: Mika Doi)

Quamzin Kravshera (voiced by: Kōsuke Meguro)

Macross Plus

Isamu Alva Dyson (voiced by: Takumi Yamazaki)

Guld Goa Bowman (voiced by: Unshō Ishizuka)

Myung Fang Lone (voiced by: Rica Fukami)

Sharon Apple (voiced by: Mako Hyōdō)

Macross 7

Basara Nekki (voiced by: Nobutoshi Canna)

Mylene Flare Jenius (voiced by: Tomo Sakurai)

Gamlin Kizaki (voiced by: Takehito Koyasu)

Maximilian Jenius (voiced by: Shō Hayami)

Milia Fallyna Jenius (voiced by: Eri Takeda)

Macross Zero

Shin Kudo (voiced by: Kenichi Suzumura)

Sara Nome (voiced by: Sanae Kobayashi)

Mao Nome (voiced by: Yuuka Nanri)

D.D. Ivanov (voiced by: Ryūzaburō Ōtomo)

Nora Polyansky (voiced by: Minami Takayama)

Macross Frontier

Alto Saotome (voiced by: Yuichi Nakamura)

Ranka Lee (voiced by: Megumi Nakajima)

Sheryl Nome (voiced by: Aya Endō)

Jeffery Wilder (voiced by: Tōru Ōkawa)

Ozma Lee (voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi)

Michael Blanc (voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya)

Luca Angelloni (voiced by: Jun Fukuyama)

Klan Klang (voiced by: Megumi Toyoguchi)

Brera Sterne (voiced by: Sōichirō Hoshi)

Grace O'Connor (voiced by: Kikuko Inoue)

Vajra

Original

Leon Sakaki (voiced by: Miyu Irino)

Mina Forte (voiced by: Haruka Chisuga)

Aisha Blanchette (voiced by: Marina Inoue)

Rod Baltmer (voiced by: Mamoru Miyano)

Ushio Todo (voiced by: Jōji Nakata)

Guinness Mordler (voiced by: Hiroyuki Yoshino)

May Leeron (voiced by: Ayana Taketatsu)

Mia Sakaki (voiced by: Ayana Taketatsu)

Format: PlayStation 3

Version: Japan

Exclusive: Yes

Local Players: 1

Online Players: 0

Resolution: 480p/720p

HDD Space: 800KB (Save Data)

Trophies: Yes

Macross 30 is half import friendly and half unfriendly. The story itself requires knowledge of the language while the gameplay itself is suitable for anyone. I would compare this to the Gundam games as an example (where story is in Japanese but gameplay is friendly). This game will never get localised because of Harmony Gold and the fiasco regarding the Macross license so regardless on whether you're a fan or not, importing is the only way anyway. There will be guides online to help understand the story and the gameplay since the franchise has a very dedicated fanbase. This is also a single player game and the game is in Japanese (obviously) but it's still playable for those who don't know the language in the end.

I bought this game from Play Asia since the original release was still available, shipping took a while since I chose the cheapest option but tracking became available after a few weeks. There is a cheaper re-release under Sony's PlayStation 3 The Best! label which is the exact same but with some minor changes to the cover art (see my Initial D Extreme Stage unboxing as an example).