n Nintendo's Custom Robo, a young bounty hunter struggles to fulfill his father's final wish for him: To become a custom robo commander. He will fight in the "holosseums"—the 3-D virtual battlegrounds where small remote-controlled robots mix gunfire and long-range weapons to eliminate their opponents. Mysteries surround him as he mingles with other bounty hunters, honing his skills.
Custom Robo's premise may sound spooky, but it's not. The overall look of the game is anime-inspired, with childlike characters, Transformers-style robots and straightforward text. The game includes an RPG-like "Story Mode" as well as a straight-up fighting option. The story mode itself has two levels: the "story" level, in which the main hero meets other characters and gathers background information, and the holosseum levels, where the robot fights actually take place.
Prior to battle, players retrieve robot parts. They can replace old pieces within the three weapons slots (gun, bomb and pod). Each weapon has a predetermined value for attack, defense, speed and so on. (There's no upgrading of parts or mixing and matching for greater combined benefit.) In addition, some battles reward the main character with new leg options and whole new "body" types, from slow-and-steady fighters to spidery, quick-moving fliers.
Within the holosseum—which changes depending on the opposing character—players use the B button to fire the main hand-held guns and the A button to jump and swerve to avoid incoming shots. The player uses the L trigger to attack with "pods," or long-range weapons, and R to launch bombs. (The other buttons are required for multiplayer battles.)
Carpal-tunnel-inducing gameplay
Some reviewers have been kind to Custom Robo. They like the lack of actors' voice work (preferring to read all the many, many captions and listen to the computerized beeping that accompanies them). Maybe the fixed-view camera angle during the fight scenes reminds them of an earlier, simpler time.
Or maybe—what's most likely—many of the people who like this game are preteen kids. Custom Robo could be a good way for young players to learn about the basic of RPG (learn about a character's story by talking with non-player characters, complete missions to get prizes, upgrade your character's skill set over time). But anyone looking for a good mech game will be seriously disappointed. The "custom" part of Custom Robo involves selecting from a laundry list of items, with very little real difference in the button-mashing battlefield.
In short, this carpal-tunnel-inducing game is seriously short on charm. Some kids' titles cross over, like Mario Kart, and become good, mindless entertainment for every game-playing age group. But this one doesn't.
Sure, the multiplayer two-on-two (or three- or four-person) battles could be fun a few times with friends. But getting really good at Custom Robo means spending time—a lot of time—in very similar battles in the game's drawn-out story mode. And story mode means more time walking your character from place to place, bringing him back home for a good night's sleep and watching him change clothes (yet again), while anticipating a tedious conversation with his boss, co-workers or friends. Doesn't that sound like a blast?
I stepped away to fix a snack, and only then (hearing it in the other room) did I realize how really cheesy the game's background music is. Holy MIDI, Roboman!
— Jennifer
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