"I'll take a sequel with extra battles and parts, hold the story and plot."

Talk about a niche game. While Custom Robo (the series) may fare well in Japan, where robots (small or large) are coveted as precious icons, here in the US it is probably one of the less successful Nintendo series. While there are no doubt hardcore fans of this series that are drooling over this title, I can see why this game would not bring itself to be popular.

Don't get me wrong, I actually like this game. But we will get into the issues in a second.

So! Custom Robo Arena, the fourth game in the series if I understand right (Japan only N64 and GBA releases, plus the Game Cube release), and the first one to support online functions, is now unleashed on the public. The general gist of Custom Robo Arena (henceforth Arena for the ol' word count) is to get as many parts as possible, customize your Custom Robo, then beat the snot out of your foe for his lunch money. Fighting sees you running and flying around a (usually) square arena with a few obstructions and enviornmental hazzards to beware against foes that are also running and flying. That is, running and flying while blasting each other with all manners of guns, bombs, and pods (little objects that exist to be a hazard to you and your foe).

It's not a bad idea in execution, as the controls are responsive, if a little unorthodox on default. With a few rounds under your belt, you get the hang of the battle system. That is, you get a feel for the AI, which tends to be quite the cake-walk at times.

Graphically, the battles are quiet amazing for the DS. While not much more advance than those found on the original CR on the N64, seeing them run at a smooth framerate on the DS without slowdown is amazing. And customizing your Robo on the Garage menu, where you can pose your Robo just like an actual figurine, is just too geeky to NOT be cool.

But the graphics in the world outside of battle and menus... I was hoping for an art style not unlike that of the N64 game (which had a very nice anime-like theme to it), but instead we got a Pokemon meets Earthbound style that could easily have been pulled off on the Super Nintendo without sweating. Granted, they are not bad, but they are far from detailed or unique. If it was not for the character portraits during dialogs and their multiple frames of emotions, this would have been quite the bore. I should also note that the main character seems to either walk bent forward (kind of like an anti-hero) or with a cape following him.

And WHAT is up with the hand animations when you start up a battle!?!?!?

The non-combat game play is limited to dialog reading and shopping for items, and really is not all that differient from any Mega Man Battle Network game (in terms of what you do - find this, meet this person, buy this). Having to sit down to dinner each "night" is also quite irritating, and the dialog when dinner finishes is so sappy, I almost wondered if there was any depth to these characters.

The characters do have some depth, at least in a kid-friendly sort of way. Liv (the main character's "leader") has strong feelings in regards to how her brother abandoned her, while showing signs of a crush on you, the main character. Dennis, your wimpish ally, is envious of you and almost cries when one girl (that he blatantly has feelings for) flirts with you. The teacher actually tells you that his wife would be angry with him for getting a Robo with their vacation money.

The problem with the dialog and story is not the depth, which is unusually deep for a "kiddy" game, but when you have to sit twenty minutes before even fighting, I get irked. This is in no way as bad as Tao's Adventure on the DS (where you had over fourty minutes of text before you got something resembling control of the game), but is irritating.

There are a ton of multiplayer modes, ranging from multi-card, single-card (!!!), and WFC. I haven't tried the WFC just yet, though I am told that around four people or so can join up. If this is accurate, that would be wonderful. Sadly, non-WFC multiplayer is limited to only two players.

Again, this is a good game, but the focus on the plot, coupled with the weak AI, just drags it down. If a sequel should be made and brought back to the US, maybe they would consider toning down the story and allowing for more combat. I can hope, right?

Score: 8 of 10

+ Best Features: Graphics in combat, control options, variety of parts and Robos, character depth, multiplayer options, spending hours posing your Robo

- Worst Features: Too much text at times, dinner, character's animations, the disturbing animations just before battle setup, forgettable music

* If You Liked: Custom Robo on the Game Cube, or just import the N64 original. Most games kin to this are Japan only, so good luck.

* Guilty Pleasure: Spending all thirty minutes of my lunch break posing my robo with various parts. You know you used to play with action figures when...

* (Ugly) Reality: Let's face it - no matter how good this game might be, it still won't sell well due to the fact that it is an "unknown" series released in March a mere month before a deluge of big-name titles (in this case, Super Paper Mario Bros. and Pokemon Diamond...). Ain't life grand?

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/22/07, Updated 11/20/07

Game Release: Custom Robo Arena (US, 03/19/07)