Robo Pit

"A major sleeper hit of its time."

Like battlebots? Want to your own battlebot but without all that (ugh) work? Does it matter if its cute and multicolored?

Ok so they arent all cute, but a lot of em have that sorta cutsie character design that's been part of Japan's games for years, and since poke'mon has become increasingly more popular in the U.S. This is a real solid game with decent graphics and the originality that games have recently been lacking. You pick a torso from a starting set, then pick weapons and chasis. Then put your bot in an arena with other bots and pound the smeg out of eachother. Upon defeating or being defeated you will either lose or gain parts. You have a weapon skill for each weapon which contributes to the games RPGish feel. As you gain more parts you can further update your bot and gain more life. defense, and offense. Even though single player is a neccessity the best part is after you and a friend have upgraded your bots. That's when you can fight eachother in the lovely splitscreen mode. Though 2 player mode isnt as pretty as single player (it never seems to be in any split screen game) it's even more fun, because after all you can rub it in, unlike against the computer.

Here are my ratings.

Graphics 7/10
Good graphics, though some things (attempted transparents and shadows) are overly grainy looking, the lighting effects and massive amounts of polygons on screen at once without a drop in framerate are impressive.

Sound 7/10
The sound effects and music fit the game, but it's not breaking new ground by any means. Though I do like the music in the bot creation and menu screens.

Control 9/10
Marvelous control. Each Chasis handles differently. Such as the four and three wheel chasis move forward or backward and to the left or right to turn, just like a real car. While a good ole fashioned set of legs or tank treads allows you to turn in place. Only confusing thing can be jumping, but you get used too it fast.

Gameplay 10/10
Though it borrows some aspects from RPGs it is very original. It was in the U.S. long before all the raise and fight the monsters games came into the spotlight. And versus mode is just magnificent. Lots of different weapons and weapon types to choose from, each having advantages and disadvantages.

Overall 9/10
My only beef with the game is something programmers couldn't avoid. It's realy beggining to show its age, but if you can find it and have some spare time it's a lovely game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/17/01, Updated 11/17/01