Who doesn’t enjoy robots? I mean, come on -- we're talking about robots here! Every since we were kids we all wanted to play with these "mechanical automatons." Uh... yes, we looked that last description up from in an Isaac Asimov's book, so sue us! Anyway, Nintendo has heard our cries and thankfully brought the Custom Robo series to the Nintendo DS. Will playing with robots be the ultimate thrill, or will Custom Robo Arena turn out to be like that lame toy your grandma gave you for Christmas? Read on to find out how the DS crew felt about it.

Facts and Features:

• Players fight their way toward the Custom Robo championship, powering up their robo as they go. With hundreds of unique parts, there are literally millions of possible Custom Robo combinations, giving them limitless control over how they fight their battles.
  
  
• Players can challenge their friends to one-on-one Robo battles anytime and anywhere using either local wireless or Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
  
  
• In Custom Robo Arena's RPG-style Story mode, players explore a vast futuristic city and learn about the world of Custom Robo as they battle their way to the Robo Cup championship.

American gamers here in the US may not be as familiar with Custom Robo as their Japanese counterparts. Custom Robo was first released on the Nintendo 64, and despite it being a hit was never brought to this side of the ocean. Nintendo later released a GameCube version in the states, but was largely ignored by the masses. Thankfully, US gamers get another shot at Custom Robo, this time on the hugely popular Nintendo DS.

Rock 'em Robots
Custom Robo Arena is essentially the same as any other game in the series. You must pilot a robot to fight other robots in a one on one battle. If you win, you get money that you can spend on various upgrades to your bot. A fairly standard design, but it’s the execution that makes Custom Robo Arena so intriguing.

The Setting
One area that Custom Robo Arena separates itself from the pack of other robot battling games is in its setting. Custom Robo Arena is set in the future, where pint sized robots have become an integral asset to our society. Theses robos help with everything from law enforcement, to even deep-sea exploration. There are even consumer models that can be used by kids and adults alike. You play the role of an unnamed lad whose family moves to a new city named Midheart. Your first day of school you meet up with two Custom Robo enthusiasts –- a young girl named Liv, and a very friendly boy named Dennis. Together you and your new friends form a new Custom Robo club called the "Numero Unos." Soon you become entangled in a web of mystery and lies that becomes more dangerous than your young mind can possibly imagine.

What’s The Story?
With this great setting you might expect a rich and detailed story right? Wrong, you have essentially a Pokémon styled story mode. Where you move around a 2D world challenging opponents to one on one fights. Each fight will earn you experience, and money with the latter going to buying parts for your Custom Robo. There are bits of dialog here and there, and even some rather unique multi-branching in the story to encourage replay, but essentially Custom Robo Arena’s weakest point is its overly simplistic story mode.

What makes Custom Robo Arena so compelling is simple, it’s the battles. Most Robo battles take place in a holographic arena known as a Holloseum. These Holloseums are used to ensure the protection of the Custom Robo pilots, and anyone standing nearby. They are usually uniform structures with lots of walls, which can even contain magma, water, or even acid.

Cubism
At the beginning of each battle each robot is in a cube like form. This is their state when not in battle. While in story mode you will see characters tossing cubes in the air. These are Custom Robo enthusiasts, and they are up for battling. Anyway, both you and your opponent’s cubes are shot out of arm like cannons, and bounce around the Holloseum until they finally come to rest. Now how the cube lands plays an integral part to the beginning of a battle. With each side of the cube representing a different part of your robot. So if you land on the one side where your legs extend, your robot will be ready for battle as soon as it lands. Land on the side where your head extends, and your robo will have to pull himself free before he fights. This is totally random, and adds an interesting dynamic to the design by giving novice players a random upper hand.


Take that!

Getting Through Customs
Battles are won and lost with the armaments you amend to your robos. All robots regardless of size and class have four different areas where players can switch out different upgrades, and weapon systems. These include a gun and bomb arm, a battle pod, and finally the actual legs of your robot. With any combination of these upgrades offering literally hundreds of different ways to fight and win in battles. If this wasn’t enough, they added a dash melee attack. which actually works remarkably well.