Gaming Target - Xbox: Metal Arms: Glitch in the System

Written by Bryan Montford on October 22, 2003

Final Glimpse: It's not the size of your wrench, it's how you beat the #$*% out of the other guy with it...

Robots are cool. People have been all over this for a long, long time. But unless you work in an auto manufacturing plant in Japan, chances are you don't interact with them very often. Thank gawd for games.

Metal Arms has everything you want in a 3rd person shooter, except online play. Yep, you read it right. The single hottest thing they could have done for this game isn't in it; at least, not that anyone has said. It's got story, it's got guns, it's got bots, it's got the graphics - in short it royally rocks! But no multiplayer onlineЕ.

So now I've said my piece about how heartbroken I was at the realization I wasn't ever going to play this on Live against anyone, I'll get onto some other subjects; Like, how this is probably one of the biggest games coming out this Fall. I feel pretty safe saying that after playing the demo. This is one very polished game. Vivendi should be proud to have this title in their portfolio. The guys at Swingin' Ape Studios have really outdone themselves. We're definitely dealing with some people that understand how to make games.

Glitch is this little yellow guy with a whole lot of attitude. I think anyone that's seen the game makes the comment eventually about how bad-assed the little guy is. The characters in this game do a really good job of getting you into the mood, and Glitch is by far the coolest one. The coolest part about him being the coolest one is you get to be him! But that's not the only reason I have to overuse the word "cool". This game reeks of cool! Where was IЕ Oh yah! Glitch!

Glitch is really cool (I said it again) because basically he's not only the good guy, but he gets to blow the hell out of everything. And he's got the guns to do it. Since it's an action title, your main job is to start at point A and eventually arrive at point B. You repeat as needed. But there are all these bots that aren't too happy about you doing this. They're going to try and do a lot to stop you. This is where the cool guns come in. (And bombs, gotta have bombs.)

You've got seven guns, a slingshot, and five grenade/bombs to help you get the job done. That's quite a variety! But you ain't seen nothing yet, folks! These weapons do more than just hurl projectiles or explode. They do it with style. Some weapons are more effective than others at given times, but none of the weapons suck. That's unusual for any game with a lot of weapons. Usually something stinks. But every one of the weapons does something genuinely cool. Not to mention the fact they help a lot in reducing your enemies into little piles of scrap metal. Some of my favorites so far are the Rivet Gun, the EMP Grenade, and the Control Tether.

Speaking of such - the Control TetherЕ Big bots, little bots - doesn't matter. If they've got a jack in the back you can hook up and run 'em around like your own personal play-toy. And this is soooo helpful. Did I mention Glitch is a little guy? Some of the opposing bots are not. It really helps to equalize things when you can take over one of the really big guys to either mow down tons of the little guys, or go one on one with the bigger bots. In fact, there's areas you're pretty much going to have too. Luckily this too is cool (that word!). Running another bot is a lot of fun; New abilities, new weapons, and all sorts of great ways to off the opposition. But beware! Tether - You know, like a leash? Eventually you run out of line and you loose control of the bot too. So you have to pay attention to where you plan to use it and how far you can go. Glitch can also take control of several vehicles in game. Kill the bot running the machine and jump up behind the controls. Again, this can prove to be a serious equalizer making the task of defeating the bad guys a lot easier.

So, what's your motive? Well, the story goes a little something like this: There's a planet called Iron Star. It's home to many kinds of bots called Droids. The Droids have pretty much been at peace, each with their own special duties all helping to make the planet a better place. One particular type of bot, the science Droid, is especially devoted to improvement. They make each successive generation of Droids. There's one little problem with this. Although they completely understand every minute detail of every Droid on the planet, they can't comprehend the complexities of themselves. They've tried to make improvements on their own systems, but have never had success. So the science Driods have essentially remained unchanged from the earliest record of Droid history. The science Droids do eventually succeed in building a Droid capable of not only understanding itself, but capable of improving itself. This ultimately proves to be a very serious problem.

This new Droid realizes its capabilities and sees the potential it possesses. It is tantalized at the concept of ruling the Droids. General Corrosive is the name it gives itself, and after trashing the lab and destroying the surprised and horrified science Droids, he escapes. General Corrosive seeks out and takes over a Droid production plant and starts to produce a new kind of Droid he calls Mils. Mils are built for combat and oppression. It doesn't take long for General Corrosive and his Mils to subject the planet to his desires. The Droids are exceptionally unfortunate victims. They aren't built for combat and provide little resistance to General Corrosive and his legions of Mils. Forced into slave labor and left nothing, the Droids are downtrodden and disappearing at an alarming rate. Life on Iron Star is a living hell for those not yet "recycled" by the Mils.

But the Droids have not given up hope completely. A small group led by Colonel Alloy seek to demolish General Corrosives tyranny. And, as they say, this is where you come in.

There's so much in this game it's really hard to give you a good idea of what its about. 40+ missions, sniping, shooting, sneaking, puzzles, and pretty much non-stop action the entire time. There are also seven multiplayer modes so you can battle with your friends (though, again, not online). You'll also find unique power-ups, have vehicles to drive, and all the bots to hijack. If you get bored with this game, you might want to have a doctor check your adrenal gland. Sometimes a puzzle can get you stumped, but for the most part this action game IS action. I know games are supposed to be fun, but how often have you had at least part of a game become an onerous chore? It's not that this game doesn't present a challenge, it took me five times to complete the first level. But the gameplay is so smooth you don't get too upset. That's a nice change. Games should be challenging, but not feel like a chore.