Oh man, Choujikuu Yousai - Macross on NES—this was Namco and Bandai's first collab before they became one giant mecha-loving company. You pilot the iconic VF-1 Valkyrie from the anime, switching between fighter, gerwalk, and battroid modes mid-stage, which was mind-blowing for an 8-bit shooter at the time.

The first level throws you right into a swarm of Zentradi ships, and the controls feel surprisingly smooth for an NES game. Transforming mid-dodge to avoid bullets becomes second nature after a few tries, though the hitbox on battroid mode is... let's just say "generous." The music’s got that classic Macross energy, even with the NES’s crunchy synth.

It’s rough around the edges—some stages drag, and good luck figuring out the power-up system without a manual—but there’s something charming about how it captures the chaos of the anime. Definitely a relic for Macross die-hards or NES completionists.