22 replies to this topic

[Manthony Higgs]

Anyone ever watch it, and if so, was it good?

[CoffiNail]

Yes, I still watch it. A lot of people find it really cheesy, this was real early 90s CGI videos mixed with decent enough drawn parts. I really enjoy it myself, and I know a good number of people who also appreciate it. It is currently easy to find on youtube. Should go watch a few episodes and find out for yourself. Just keep in thought it was made in the early 90s, and try not to compare it to modern shows, which I think a few do.

[Agent Cooper]

you can find bits on youtube.
The animation was SO sub-par you'd think they hired high school students for the production. I couldnt get thru 5 minutes.

[Damocles]

agent_cooper, on 15 May 2012 - 09:00 PM, said:

you can find bits on youtube.
The animation was SO sub-par you'd think they hired high school students for the production. I couldnt get thru 5 minutes.

You must be young still.

[Sug]

I downloaded the whole series from somewhere years ago and still haven't gotten through it. It's the kinda thing you'd watch at like 2am after a night of drinking.

There was a companion sourcebook released also. It summarizes each episode and gives you scenarios based on the shows.


Edit: Yeah the "CGI" effects that they switched to when someone activated "Enhanced Imaging" look awful now but back in 1994 it was awesome.

Edited by Sug, 15 May 2012 - 09:14 PM.

[soulfire]

it was made in that era of cheap cell animation. They used early computer animation when the mechs are fighting but you have to remember it's pretty primative campared to whats around now.The voice acting is kind of cheese seems like everyones yelling half the time. If your starving for entertainment it prob do . It is amazing how much computer animation has progressed.As others have said its on you tube and couple other places.

Edited by soulfire, 15 May 2012 - 09:14 PM.

[Arikiel]

Characters: Interesting.
Story line: Not bad.
Animation: Not good.
Battle scenes: Truly awful.

[SuomiWarder]

Bottom line is that there was not a lot of production money behind the series. So don't expect anything on par with mid 90's japanese animation. It is no "Robocross" (the Macross series munched into a slightly different story line so two other non related animes could be bundled into one long show for American TV [Mospeda and the Armies of the Southern Cross is memory serves).

It felt like it was written for kids to me, perhaps as a vehicle to get them interested in BattleTech stuff when they got a bit older. Or who knows, maybe someone saw the potential rise of Japanese animation (G-Force was airing then I think, which was a revised show about the ninja science corps) and found little FASA and BattleTech and said "hey, here's an American intellectual property with giant robots I can get cheap".

[Arikiel]

It's no Starship Troopers animated series that's for sure. Now there was a show ahead of it's time.

[CoffiNail]

To be honest, I always feel it was a better representation of battles more so than we have ever seen. I honestly do not see mechs ALWAYS running, I see Mechs as often plodding along, walking as they fight, distances close slower, easier for you to target, and a slowly walking toward you bi-pedal tank of many many tons is much scarier than it always going DERP I AM RUNNING!

[CMDR Sunset Shimmer]

I watched it. I happened to like it, however do keep in mind that many battletech fans don't care for it, and it was actually cannonized in the novels as a crappy holodrama that aired in the FedCom areas.

Also, keep in mind the Jade Falcons do not see a nice potrayal... they're very much the cartoon villian.

[CoffiNail]

Jade Kitsune, on 16 May 2012 - 06:13 AM, said:

Also, keep in mind the Jade Falcons do not see a nice potrayal... they're very much the cartoon villian.

Well it is a FedCom holodrama, so of course they are the villain, they are the ones taking a chunk of the Lyran Commonwealth TBH as funny as the CJF Trues are, they do a semi-decent job of portraying how Clansman sort of were.

[Felix Dracc]

While as a gamer I could only wince at the series the fan in me did enjoy seeing it come to life and exposed to so many more people, over all I will say it was a okay series not great but still okay and worth a watch if you've never seen it.

[Bolo Warden]

Arikiel, on 15 May 2012 - 11:14 PM, said:

It's no Starship Troopers animated series that's for sure. Now there was a show ahead of it's time.

Being a little off-topic, the main story behind either the Starship Troopers movies or the anime version was about killing bugs. But if you go to the book, the main underlying story is about a boy/man and his dad.

[WraithTR1]

I remember when it came out I thought it was pretty awesome there was a Battletech cartoon. Found it a little confusing as it seemed some of the episodes were out of order. Didn't really care for the fight scenes as they were so short (90 ton assault mech going down in 1 or 2 hits), but thought that the CGI looked good. Of course this was back in the early 90's. Watching it now is kinda of like watching He-Man, Thunder Cats, Transformers, and GI Joe, good nostalgia but really makes me wince with how bad it truly was.

[Atlas3060]

Bolo Warden, on 16 May 2012 - 06:28 AM, said:

Being a little off-topic, the main story behind either the Starship Troopers movies or the anime version was about killing bugs. But if you go to the book, the main underlying story is about a boy/man and his dad.

The CG cartoon had some more depth to it, a hybrid of the movie and the books in a sense.

Back to the Battletech cartoon I did watch it but even then I giggled at MY HOME PLANET!
Sometimes it would be on near Captain Planet's timeslot so I'd scream MY HOME CAPTAIN PLANET!
Thankfully the ending was good for what it was, I still loved Exo-Squad's writing more. Plus the fact Exo-Squad being on Hulu and DVD helps.

Absolutely adored the toys though and I was mad my school lost the Axman's face shield when they used it as a Christmas prop for some blah play they had.

Edited by Atlas3060, 16 May 2012 - 09:32 AM.

[Toothman]

Bolo Warden, on 16 May 2012 - 06:28 AM, said:

Being a little off-topic, the main story behind either the Starship Troopers movies or the anime version was about killing bugs. But if you go to the book, the main underlying story is about a boy/man and his dad.

I thought it was a lot more about societies and political systems myself.

[Coralld]

I remember the Starship Troops CG series, that was actually really good. I have the Starship Trooper book as well and it is very interesting. The book and the CG series were very well done, however I can't say the same for the movies, well, the first one wasn't bad, the second and third were horrible, just completely horrible.

I also remember Exo-Squad. That to was a good show. I still have three of the toys in fact. There was also a video game for it as well which I had a blast playing. Come to think of it, one of the characters, I think his name was Bronsky, or something like that, any way he was a total slob and a a** but his Exo-Suit looked very much like a flying mini Longbow.

I also remember the old school Thundercats, Transformers, and GI Joe cartoon series. They have modern remakes of them now, the new Transformers and GI Joe, as well as the old ones can be seen on The Hub, and the new Thundercats on Cartoon Network. The new ones are really, really good.

And while we are taking this trip down memory lane, who here remebers Dino Riders, Cadillac and Dinosaurs, and Street Sharks?

Any way, back to topic...
I was already into BT before the cartoon show, and yes, it was an early 90s cartoon so it can't compare to what we have now but its still decent for what it is. And yes it was made for kids. How ever I still watch an episode or two from time to time. I strongly believe they should do a remake of the show just like they did with Thundercats, GI Joe, and Transformers, which as I stated before are rather very good. So its not to much of a stretch to do a remake of the BT cartoon show and have it turn into a winner.

[CoffiNail]

If MWO and MWT take off like they could, we may well see some company try to make a BT cartoon to capitalize

[Sug]

Were the characters/scenarios in the series based off of sourcebooks/lore, or was the whole plotline made up by the series and then later added to the lore?

Just finished Patriots and Tyrants and i noticed they felt the need to shoehorn the "information is ammunition" line into Adam Steiner's dialogue.