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Nadesico The Mission

Opening vid features the song ROSEBUD (lyrics bottom below)

(The below review was edited from content on the Dreamcast/IGN webpage.)

(September 22, 1999) The first game based on the 1996 hit Japanese animation television series Martian Successor Nadesico, on Dreamcast. The game, known as Nadesico The Mission, has been labeled a Simulation-Adventure title by its creators, Xebec, ESP, and Kadokawa Shoten.

Actual game play begins in the year 2201, with you (the player) arriving via Japan All Space Lines to the Nadesico ship. You're greeted by the ship's accountant, called the Prospector, along with various other members of the crew, including Ruri, Yurika, Minato, Hari, and Subaru. Apparently, you're the captain of the ship, and you'll be leading all the characters on whatever missions follow.

The game play progresses in the following fashion, with a few variations here and there. You move about the Nadesico ship, conversing with the various characters, until you receive a call from Ruri to report to the bridge. Once you get to the bridge, Ruri informs you of some event that's occurred at some far off location. The game switches to a navigation grid, from which you can move the Nadesico ship through space. If you go the the area suggested by Ruri, a battle will usually ensue; succeed at the battle, and you'll find yourself walking around on the Nadesico again.

Actually, the game doesn't waste any time in familiarizing you with the battle system; as soon as you start the game, you're sent off into a training mission of sorts. The battles are all turn-based, and are similar in style to Shining Force, where you select a command, and the game displays the results of the command in a cinema of sorts. In Nadesico's case, the battles take place in space, and are shown in a full real-time 3D environment. You command the Nadesico ships against various enemies, including enemy mecha, pods, and cruisers. You can select the option of moving a certain amount of distance, and you can also attack the enemies using varying attacks, from missile fire, to laser streams, all the way to a super laser blast. You can also defend, of course, in which case your ship becomes surrounded by a sphere-shaped shield.

Later battles become more complex, as you're joined by various mecha, all of whom can be commanded. I was, at one point, controlling six separate units, strategically moving them about the battle field. The game actually has an innovative feature regarding the deployment of your various ships. Before battle, you'll receive a briefing about the nature of the battle at hand, and three separate crew members will suggest a different strategy for attack. Each strategy will result in a different initial deployment, and some deployments will make battle easier than others.

Another cool feature regarding the battles, and this is something that I don't think I've seen in any other game, is that certain attacks can actually hit your allies; if you're firing on an enemy, and one of your mechs lies in your fire path, you'd better be prepared for some self-inflicted damage! Of course, your crew will warn you ahead of time if this possibility exists, so you'll be able to cancel your attack command if need be.

Battles don't comprise the whole game, though. Story and character development seem to be quite important as well. I've encountered a few animated cut scenes here and there that advance the story, but the major part of development seems to occur as you walk around the Nadesico ship, chatting with characters. Now, let's clear something up here from the get-go. You don't actually walk anywhere. Movement through the ship is achieved via menu commands; if you want to go to the bridge, for instance, you have to actually select an option to go to the bridge - you're not going to see an onscreen representation of yourself moving about the ship. It's not that big a deal - you just need to use your imagination a bit.

So, as you "walk" around the Nadesico ship, you'll run into various characters. Some of the characters will be on the bridge or in the engine room, taking care of various duties, but other characters will be in the mess hall, or in their room, doing various other things. Communication with a character is achieved by simply select an option labeled "communicate." You'll occasionally be given a chance to contribute to the conversation by selecting from a couple of statements.

The game seems to use a point system to keep track of the level of interest the characters hold in you. Being as the points are allotted to you at the end of a battle, it seems that not only are your reactions to the conversation scenes important, but so too are your dealings with the characters in the battles.

Fans of the series will love this game...
http://dreamcast.ign.com/

Rosebud lyrics

sung by: Yuimi Matsuzawa
Lyrics: Arimori Satomi
Music/Arrangement: Ohmori Toshiyuki

murasaki ni kemuru machi wa "smoky days"
ii koto nante metta ni nai yo
nanban kounen saki no "dream land"
te wo nobashita hito ga mure gatte

nani wo shinjiteru no ga na
demo choppiri itoshii
watashi mo sono naka ni iru
yume oibito dakara

( 1 )
kamawanai nakusu mono wa nani mo mochi awasetenai
inochi no hikari goe tsukiru made yukou
anate e no "carry on" zutto "carry on" ai wo wasurenai
kono mune no saki ni aru hana "rose bud"
"I was born to you"

kizu wo name au no mo ii kamo ne
jibun no itami yawaragu you de
nanban kounen saki no "dream land"
mukizu no mama yume wa mirenai yo

juutai ki mi no kokoro ni
niji wo kakerareru no wa
anata no atsui omokage
yume saki annai ne

KAGEKI ka na chotto mucha-na koto mo yatte no keru no wa
yowaki-na jibun senaka wo oshite yukou
anate e no "carry on" zutto "carry on" ai wo wasurenai
kono mune no saki ni aru hana "rose bud"
"I was born to you"

Repete ( 1 )

The smoky days in the purple-fogged city
It's so rare to find anything pleasant
People gather, reaching for
the Dreamland untold tens of thousands of light-years away
I wonder what they believe in, but I think it's a bit precious
I, too, am a dream-chaser deep inside

It doesn't matter
We don't just happen to have the things we've lost
We'll go until the light of life burns out
I'll carry on, always carry on to you
I won't forget love
The dream-flower in my heart's destination, ROSE BUD
I was born to you

I guess it's all right for us to lick our wounds
As though to ease our own pain
The Dreamland is untold tens of thousands of light-years away
We can't see our dreams as though we were uninjured
Into this stagnant heart you place a rainbow
Your emotional face is my guide to my dream

I wonder if this is too extreme
You take even this somewhat unreasonable thing away
You support me, even though I'm so weak
I'll carry on, always carry on to you
I won't forget love
The dream-flower in my heart's destination, ROSE BUD
I was born to you

* Repeat