Retro Gaming 04: Custom Robo

One evening, I was talking to my friend Christine on the phone, and I mentioned the game Custom Robo in passing. It was my favorite Gamecube game ever, and it consumed hours upon hours of my childhood, but I never really owned it - I always borrowed it from my friends down the street.
This past Christmas, that same friend bought me Custom Robo. I practically died of happiness on the spot - I hadn't played it in almost 4 years. That same night, I was planning on heading to a friend's house, and I remembered at that moment that they had the Gamecube controller and memory stick that I needed to borrow. I couldn't wait to get home afterwards and pop the game in...
and when I did, it was even better than I remembered.

The graphics might be terrible compared to modern games, and the plot is sub-par, but variety in gameplay is absolutely insane. It's called Custom Robo for a reason - there are hundreds of parts to choose from, with each part serving a different purpose and producing a different effect in the arena (or Holosseum, if you use in-game jargon XD ). There are 5 parts that are customizable on your robo: the body, the gun, pod, bomb, and boots. The body determines the base defensive, offensive, and movement capabilities that the rest of your robo possesses. There are many different classifications of body, each of which providing a subtle difference in abilities. The gun part's purpose is rather obvious: it's the primary weapon your robo uses in battle. Bombs and pods supplement this, and can be used to stun or otherwise disable your opponent. Finally, boots augment the movement capabilities your robo already has.

The sheer amount of customizability in this game can not be overstated. Each part has distinct features, and can be used in conjunction with many other parts to produce a specific effect. To comprehend how complex part selection is, one must first grasp the dynamics of battle. There are a good number of battle arenas to select from, each with different terrain. Some contain moving parts that propel your robo in a specific direction, while others have dangerous pools of lava that can spell out instant doom for any foolish enough to fall in. Maps have obstacles (destructible or indestructible) that are essential to dodging gun, pod, and bomb blasts. The final, and most important variable to take into account when going into battle, is the air-to-ground and ground-to-air dynamic. Robos can have varying capabilities, from flying to dashing almost uncontrollably quickly around on the ground, and analyzing your opponent's movement tendencies can spell victory out relatively easily. Remain ignorant, however, and you'll most certainly be crushed.

I honestly think that Custom Robo deserves another blog post...
I'll continue this in a second blog.
For now,

Have fun, good gaming, and remember:
don't feed the trolls.
-Toast