Custom Robo

"Customize Me, Cap'n!"

:Introduction:
It was mid-May, and I had just got 80 dollars in gift cards to Wal-Mart for my birthday, and needed a good game. I already decided on getting a platinum wavebird... but what game should I get to accompany it? 'Custom Robo, eh? Isn't that the Nintendo exclusive I heard about with the crap single player and never-ending dialogue?' 'Oh well, it's either that or Pikmin 2... Custom Robo it is!' So began my journey into the extremely addicting and fun game that is Custom Robo. While what I heard made me a bit weary as to what I was getting into, I soon discovered that I had a true gem, a game with deep customization and classic rpg elements, two of my favorite additions in a good game.

:Story: 7/10
Story mode is slow at first, but picks up quickly. You WILL laugh, at least once if not multiple times. The game's witty humor would do it to anyone. Anywho, the basic story is that of (the hero is unnamed, a personal pet-peeve of mine; I named him Vincent, so that's what he'll be for the rest of review) a young man living alone with a crazy landlord, Lucy. Vincent's father died (remember those cliches I mentioned? Yeah here come a bunch.), leaving him nothing but a watch to remember him by, and his father's last wish: for Vincent to become a great commander. Commanders are the pilots of robos, by the way. Vincent decides to set out to join a dysfunctional bounty hunter outfit. Of course there is the brawn and bossy leader, Ernest, and your witty girl-loving Harry, your partner and envious friend. And of course, you'll stumble onto a great power trying to destroy the world, and you must defeat it. With all these cliches, and the help of outstanding dialogue, the plot stays fresh, even though you know all the plot turns.

:Graphics: 10/10
The graphics have that classic kind of Nintendo cartoonish feel to them, though they aren't really in that same fashion as say Super Mario Sunshine. The in-battle graphics are simply amazing, my only complaint, which is still then more of a gameplay issue, is that the holloseums, the battle arenas, would have been more lush or detailed and at least have a few that were larger. I would normally deduct a point, but the simply sweet as hell opening video brought it back up to ten. If only all viedo games looked this good. i really liked the number of emotions on the characters faceset as well.

:Music & Sound: 7/10
The music in the game is average, at best. It's nothing that will irritate you, and it's nothing that you'll want to listen to outside of the game. The sounds on the other hand, are simply awesome. There are unique sounds for each weapon, and they all match perfectly. From the rapid fire of the gatling gun to the screech of the dragon gun, its all great. The only thing that is at first annoying but soon you learn to accept is the titter that comes up on every letter for the character's dialogue that is intended to represent human speech. Not that big of a deal though, as most people tend ot skip through and mak the entire dialogue pop up instead of the type writer format Nintendo uses.

:Gameplay: 10/10
Gameplay is outstanding, the experience just seems to never end or lose its fresh feel. Game play basically consists of your classic RPG walk-and-talk, and there are a few spots of extreme chatting, especially near the final fight. The fights are usually quick-paced, intense fights between two robots (though there are 2 on 2 fights, 4 player melees and 2 on 1 handicap matches) where you must use your four weapons and attacks to defeat the other robo before he beats you. The weapons consist of the Gun- a quick blast or set of blasts, the Bomb- a normally long range weapon that causes high damage, the Pod- slow paced seeking missles that cause veru high damage, and the Dash or Strike- a move where you blast the opponent with your robo's charging speed. The battles take place a numerous number of Holloseums. The holloseums are filled with obstacles, some of which can be destroyed, and barricades that allow for strategic tactics, and guerilla tactics. Customization is extremely deep, with almost 50 different parts for each these areas: Body, Gun, Bomb, Pod and Legs. They all have unique abilities and hinderings, making it fun. By the end of The Grand Battle you can get the super powerful illegal parts, making annihilating your multiplayer opponents a blast (no pun intended). Contols are very tight, no complaints or delays.

:Final Statement:
I really like Custom Robo, I wouldn;t give this a rent unless you want a wuick thrill. You'll need to play through the first one player game at least once to get all the good parts for a fun multiplayer game. Have fun. Great job with giving us something to play until Tales of Symphonia, Nintendo.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/25/04