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Custom Robo Arena (DS)

• Developer:
• Publisher: Konami
• Genre:
• Official Website: http://www.customroboarena.com
• Score: 2 of 5: Strictly Rental

If you've played Custom Robo on the GameCube, then you won't be caught off guard by Custom Robo Arena on the DS. One notable addition, however, is Arena's inclusion of online play. Everything is better with online play, and a game that prides itself on avatar customization and one-on-one battles is a natural fit for the concept.

Much like Pokémon, everybody in the Custom Robo Arena universe is positively infatuated with the titular miniature robots. The similarities to everybody's favorite pocket monsters don't end there: custom robos are thrown into battle by way of a rotating cannon. The orientation in which your robo lands determines how quickly it unfolds and is ready for battle. Land on your head and it takes longer to get up. The first up lands the first strike, but the cannon shot feels extremely luck-based. Fortunately, battles aren't determined by the first shot. They're determined by the parts and weapons equipped on your custom robo. Combat is real-time, so skill plays a role as well, but a great pilot in a crummy mech stands a good chance of losing to a mediocre pilot in a great one.

There's a story and a tournament, but the fun of Custom Robo Arena is present in two places: the real-time battles and the robo customization. This is what Front Mission would be if it were real-time, and mech enthusiasts will certainly have just as much, if not more, fun trading out parts and rocket launchers as they will beating the snot out of the opposing robo. Arms, legs, midsections, guns, and rocket launchers can all be swapped in and out. The possible combinations seem endless.

The story is light, but it's a necessary evil. There needs to be a reason for the protagonist to run around battling. The tournament creates that framework, and it serves its purpose well enough. The family togetherness vibe is a little much, but it could be worse. You see them twice a day at breakfast and dinner, and it makes for an easy enough way to make you feel like a part of the game's world.

Where Custom Robo Arena really shines though is in the multiplayer. AI opponents fall into regular patterns or feel either artificially difficult or cheaply difficult. Human opponents are always a mystery. Will he fire his gun or go for the rockets? What's that part do again? Why isn't he firing? And victory is that much sweeter when you'll have a chance to rub it in a little the next day over lunch.

Custom Robo DS isn't a system seller by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a solid game with a solid battle system and a wonderfully deep customization interface. That's great for players looking for a game that takes a while to learn and reward you for doing it, but like most other deep games, it just isn't for everybody. The level of customization can be daunting, and its complexity is at odds with the overly simple story. Mech and customization fans will be right at home, but everybody else should be wary of Custom Robo Arena's complexities.

Mar 26, 2007 | 0 comments
Justin Last