You have already clicked the download link. If you need to download again, please click here to reset the link.

Custom Robo Arena: Reviews

Select Author:

Game Score: 8/10

Custom Robo is one of those games that can thank Super Smash Bros. Melee for giving it an opportunity to see the light of day in the United States market. Originally a completely unknown series only seeing release in Japan along the lines of Fire Emblem, Custom Robo found its first life in the USA on the GameCube. The game did very well, and this prompted Nintendo to give Custom Robo Arena on the Nintendo DS a shot. Does it succeed?

Custom Robo Arena starts you off as a boy who has a dream about (wait for it) Custom Robo battles. When you awake, you find that you have just moved to a new city. As a birthday present, your folks give you a Ray Mark II, your first Custom Robo. From here, you start battling at school, making friends, and fighting in tournaments. The entire gameplay experience is very satisfying, but the story needed work. It ended up being too simple.

Graphics are standard fare for your Nintendo DS game. The overworld flirts with Game Boy Advance-caliber graphics, but the battle scenes are seamless in graphical quality. There are no hiccups, no slowdown, just blasting action, and it is fun. However, there's nothing special to neither the graphics or the music, so these end up just falling by the wayside.

The gameplay in Custom Robo Arena is what makes this game fun. The game, from the outset, is your standard arena run-and-gun, kind of like Virtual On for the Sega Saturn, only not as cool. What makes Custom Robo truly stand out is the concept its namesake. You can customize your robo in any number of ways, from the chassis all the way down to the boots it wears. However, great care has to be taken, because your robo can get unbalanced really fast, making it a lumped misshapen mess that is a pain to control. Also, you have to do your part to exploit matchups. There are weapons that can shoot down any kind of robo, and you are shown the armament your adversary has equipped before the battle, giving you ample time to exploit matchups.

The one thing that puts this game over the top and keeps it from getting stale too fast is the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support. This is a vital part of the game, because without it, this game would be over quickly. The Nintendo WFC support adds life to the game, and it also gives you the irresistable urge to try and collect every part possible.

Custom Robo Arena isn't perfect, however. The single-player campaign is a little too short, and there is barely any Touch Screen interface. The good news is that the game is able to overcome both of these shortcomings, and the gameplay is fluid and addictive, leading to a satisfying gameplay experience.

Custom Robo Arena scores a 4 out of 5