Played on:
DS
Robots and guns go hand in hand for video gamers. PC players have been treated to some of the better games in the genre, namely the early MechWarrior series and the MechCommander line. Console gamers, though, haven’t been left out – they have the excellent Armored Core series, the MechAssault series and one of the most unique ones of them all, Steel Batallion.
Of course, none of these more realistically-styled games fit into something Nintendo wanted to do. As a Japan-exclusive on the N64 (we didn’t get a version stateside until the GameCube), Nintendo published a title known as Custom Robo. Mixing collection elements (think Pokemon, but collecting guns and bombs instead) with a basic RPG style story, the series only saw limited success when it made its way to the States. However, Nintendo didn’t give up on the series. Instead, we’re now blessed with a new Custom Robo game on the DS, Custom Robo Arena.
Arena puts you in the shoes of a boy who has to move due to his dad’s job. His dad does something for him, though – he buys him a Custom Robo. Evidently, these things can get to be quite expensive as evidenced by people losing lots of money on them (adults are into them too). So I guess this is some incredible gesture. And, of course, you’ll end up getting thrust into your first actual battle (when you start the game, you’re “dreaming” about a fight) during school. You’ll also meet a couple of friends along the way. No matter, really – the story isn’t that great and is far from the reason to play the game.
The real meat of the game comes in the battles. As you fight and beat the crap out of other Custom Robos, you’ll earn money, experience and sometimes, new parts for your Robo. There are a few different types of weapons and you can equip one of each type before battle. First of all, you have guns. Ranging from a basic three-shot gun to flamethrowers and other implements of destruction, guns will be your bread and butter weapon. They fire fast and are pretty easy to judge just where they’ll go. Next up are pods – these are your missile-style weapons. Sometimes they will home in on enemies and sometimes they’ll just move really fast towards them. I couldn’t find much use at all for them, though, since they just seemed to sail along for a bit and blow up. Finally, there are bombs. Most of the time, they’ll go up and come sailing down in an arc (though there are some that don’t do the arc deal). Also, you can change your Robo’s legs to enhance movement and jumping abilities.
None of this matters too terribly much since the AI you’ll fight against is a pushover for a good-sized chunk of the game. Sure, you’ll run into some tough guys later on, but they aren’t common enough to push you very much. However, the game has one key feature that, in my opinion, saves it from being another failed addition to the franchise – online play. You can take the Robo you’ve spent hours tuning and battling offline and go online to trash human players with it. While there will still be the occasional bad players online, you have just as much of a chance of running up against someone that’s absolutely incredible. While the battle system isn’t as deep as other robot battlers, there are still a ton of possibilities that will lead to some potentially wacky battles online.
Custom Robo Arena’s graphics are surprisingly nice, considering that the game is a portable installment in the series. While they’re pretty blocky and reminiscent of the Nintendo 64 graphics moreso than the GameCube, the DS is working with a lot less power and still manages to animate the graphics exceptionally smoothly. The arenas that you’ll fight in are, more often than not, colorful and fun – definitely typical of a Nintendo game. The sounds are also pretty neat, while not being anything extraordinary.
Overall, Custom Robo Arena is a great game to play on the go. You can do a quick Robo-battle and ignore the weak story. Or, if you happen to be near a Wifi spot, you can jump online and beat up someone online. In the end, the same thing that keeps people playing other multiplayer mech games will be what keeps you going here – the vast customizability and battles against other real people give the game legs that it wouldn’t otherwise have.
If you can find this game used, I’d definitely suggest going for it. While I have enjoyed the online battles to a degree, the weak single-player story will definitely turn some people off. This isn’t a game for fans of deep RPG storylines – however, if you’re a fan of customizing robots and collecting parts, this game is for you.
