Games have long been included as extras on Blu-rays/DVDs—though the quality of said games tends to rank somewhere between the worst Facebook game and shovelware flash titles. But when Macross Frontier The Movie: The False Songstress was released on Blu-ray in Japan back in 2010, Artdink and Bandai-Namco went a few steps further to create Macross Trial Frontier.
By using the engine and sound effects of the popular PSP titles Macross Ace Frontier and Macross Ultimate Frontier—along with the music from the movie—Bandai-Namco created an excellent little HD Macross experience.
That's not to say that Macross Trial Frontier is perfect. For one thing there are only six levels, and among those, the ground- and canyon-based levels of its PSP forbearers are conspicuously absent. Moreover, despite having trophies, there is no save feature. So every time you play, you must start from scratch.
In the end though, Macross Trial Frontier delivers an hour or two of gameplay along with an enjoyable movie which sets it head and shoulders above other Blu-ray/DVD-extra games. And while it didn't herald the PSP series' jump to the PS3 as many fans hoped, it was popular enough to create a sequel game packaged with the second Macross Frontier movie when it came out on Blu-ray last year.
Sadly, due to the on-going legal issues surrounding Macross/Robotech, it's doubtful this movie/game hybrid will be released in the West anytime soon—if ever. So please, check out the video above to get a taste of Macross Trial Frontier in action.