Dragon_mech Reviews: Metal Arms
DragonMech
Join Date: 2003-09-19 Member: 21023Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
Join Date: 2003-09-19 Member: 21023Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">Who says a Glitch is a Bad Thing?</div> After playing <a href='http://www.metalarms.com/' target='_blank'>Metal Arms: A Glitch in the System</a> for several months, I have decided to share this wonderful game with the rest of you. For those of you who don't want to read the long review below, I can sum up the game in one word: Amazing. If you have a console & like shooter games, you will love Metal Arms. It is as close to perfection as I've ever seen a game get. Buy it and you almost have to love it.
Ok, on to the big review...
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><b><span style='color:yellow'>Introdution to Metal Arms</span></b></span>
Metal Arms takes place on the world of IronStar. It is a planet populated entirely by a race of robots, called the Droids. They are a peaceful folk and live by mining IronStar for valuable ore, and their civilization flourished. Untill, of course, the bad guy steps in. Using radical new concepts of droid construction, the beloved Dr. Exavolt created a new type of droid, unlike any other droid.
When powered up, the new droid stood and uttered four words that changed IronStar forever: "I am <a href='http://www.metalarms.com/ma_files/media/corrosive_concept_art.html' target='_blank'>General Corrosive</a>."
Then something went wrong.
An explosion rocked the lab where Dr. Exavolt was working. Nothing was found of either the new droid or Dr. Exavolt.
Using his advanced AI, General Corrosive had no trouble taking over a manufacturing plant and modifying it to create his own race: the Mils. The Mils plunged IronStar into war, easily crushing any resistance. It appeared that IronStar was lost... untill the courageous <a href='http://www.metalarms.com/ma_files/media/colonel_alloy_concept_art.html' target='_blank'>Colonel Alloy</a> led his brave band of droids into the fight against General Corrosive. This is where you come in.
Meet <a href='http://www.metalarms.com/ma_files/media/glitch_concept_art.html' target='_blank'>Glitch</a>. After being discovered in a ruin, your memory banks fried, you are taken to Droid Town - the home of the resistance. And there your fight begins...
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><b><span style='color:yellow'>Gameplay</b></span></span>
Metal Arms is a third-person shooter. You spend the game looking over Glitch's shoulder, blasting any and all things Mil - and you have a variety of weapons, gadgets, vehicles and tactics to do the job with. You have two weapons selected at one time - a primary weapon (usually a gun) and a secondary weapon, like grenades. They can be used simultaneously to tackle many enemies at once, and some - such as the scope - can be used together with devastating results.
As you progress in the game, enemies get tougher - but so do you. One of my main gripes with Halo was how your character never changes. In Metal Arms, that is far from the case. Not only can you expand your life bar from 1 energy cell to 6 cells, or upgrade your servos for faster reloading, many of your weapons can be upgraded as well. Unlike weapon upgrades in most other games, an upgrade doesn't just boost damage - it can change how the weapon functions completely.
Two big pluses that Metal Arms has is it's length, and it's difficulty. With over 40 missions, all of them unique, Metal Arms will keep you entertained for hours. Throw in multiplayer mayhem, and you have a game that you can play for long, long time. Metal Arms has 4 difficulty settings to play the single player on. Easy is just that - easy. Aside from falling into water or running into a trio of titans, you probably won't be killed. Normal is a bit tougher, requiring a bit more skill; Hard requires lots of skill, good luck, and excellent aim. And if you have the required cast-iron cojones, you can prove yourself on the Nuts of Steel difficulty level.
<span style='font-size:11pt;line-height:100%'><b><span style='color:orange'>Guns, Ammo, and things that go Boom.</b></span></span>
Completing Metal Arms will require power - FIREPOWER! Amongst some of the many weapons you have:
The Small Projectile Emitter Weapon - or SPEW - is your basic machine gun. With upgrades, it can be used effectively against most of the enemies in the game.
Level 1 - The basic SPEW has a 60 round clip, keeps 300 rounds in reserve, and is fairly inaccurate.
Level 2 - The SPEW now has a 70-round clip and 400 reserve shells. Also, it's much more accurate.
Level 3 - The elite SPEW has a new multibarrel design, a massive 100-round clip, and 500 rounds in reserve. It also is very accurate.
The Rivet Gun is a tool modified to fire steel-piercing arrows at hig speed. It has a 5-round clip, and is extreemly accurate. Combined with the scope, it is the closest thing to a sniper rifle the game has.
Level 1 - The Rivet gun fires standard arrows.
Level 2 - The arrows now have an explosive head, and blow up a few seconds after hitting something.
Level 3 - The arrows are now chargeable. Holding down the firing button after shooting causes the arrow to become superheated. Release the trigger to cause a detonation much like a rocket.
The Slingshot - File this under "Don't laugh. It works." The slingshot lets you fire secondary weapons (grenades, EMP bombs, etc.) much more accurately and further than regular throwing.
<span style='font-size:11pt;line-height:100%'><b><span style='color:orange'>Vehicular Manslaughter</b></span></span>
One of the best parts of Metal Arms is the vehicles. A couple resemble those in Halo - the tank and the RAT.
The tank can be a tricky thing to controll - you have to get used to controlling it's direction with one thumbstick and aiming it's cannon or machinegun with the other. When mastered however, you have much greater mobility than the Halo tank.
The RAT - Rapid Armored Transport - is a Mil assault vehicle that is designed to go anywhere and shoot anything with it's 20mm depleted-vorium chaingun. It can carry 3 droids - a gunner, driver and passenger. You can roll it, but you don't need to get out to flip it back over. It's also very fast - expect some timed missions when you hop in.
The Loader is a hovercraft originally designed for moving cargo. It has two weapons: a machinegun, and it's special attack - a massive claw. Using the claw, you can grab small enemies and throw them into any hazard you want - water, lava, toxic waste, gunfire from your friends, bottomless pits - whatever's handy. Plus, it handles exactly like you would expect a hovercraft to behave.
<span style='font-size:11pt;line-height:100%'><b><span style='color:orange'>Control, Control - You Must Learn Control!</b></span></span>
Metal Arms has one insanely cool feature - jacking. When you pick up the Control Tether from Krunk, you gain the ability to jack almost any Mil you come across. What is jacking? Sneak up behind a Mil and shoot his dataport with the control tether. You then have total control of that Mil. Have him open that Mil-only door, shoot Mils at no risk to yourself (also saves ammo!), or grab a vehicle and cause chaos. Do what you want.
There are two other ways to control Mils. A recruiter grenade permanently changes most enemies into permanent allies. They will move out on their own and target any mils they come across. Also, there are control stations where you can - from the safety of an invincible shield - make certain mils do your bidding.
<span style='font-size:11pt;line-height:100%'><b><span style='color:orange'>Places to Go, Things to Shoot. Mostly things to Shoot.</b></span></span>
There are numerous enemies in Metal Arms - different types of Mils that range from cannon fodder to hulking masses of metal.
<a href='http://www.metalarms.com/ma_files/media/grunt_concept_art.html' target='_blank'>The Grunt</a> is the basic mil ground unit. Cheap, weak, and easily made, they can still be trouble in packs. They even come in fruity flavors - their weapons determine how they are colored. Grunts with SPEWs are red, those with Rivet guns are black, etc.
<a href='http://www.metalarms.com/ma_files/media/elite_guard_concept_art.html' target='_blank'>Elites</a> are the second largest Mil. They carry a massive axe that can fire a shotgun-like blast of energy. They can be devastating.
<a href='http://www.metalarms.com/ma_files/media/jump_trooper_concept_art.html' target='_blank'>The Jump Trooper</a> is the fastest enemy you will face. They have jetpacks that let them jump to great hights, and then let them come swooping down on their target with their massive claw arms. Throw in the fact that they carry two heavy plasma rifles, and you have a fearsome opponent.
<a href='http://www.metalarms.com/ma_files/media/titan_concept_art.html' target='_blank'>The Titan</a> is the ultimate Mil unit - it's size and bulk making it a weapon in it's own right. Carrying two massive chainguns and sporting a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher, it can cause massive devastation in seconds, and can take a hell of a beating.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><b><span style='color:yellow'>The Sound Factor</span></b></span>
Metal Arms is a pure joy two listen to. The voice acting is amazingly well made - each unit and character sounding clear and exactly how you would respect a robot to sound. Grunts panic and scream when fired on, troopers yell "Locked on target!", and a Titan rumbles out messages in a voice that will cause you to shake in your boots. Other noises are fairly standard. Gunfire, lasers, explosions are all excellent and clearly audible.
The music in Metal Arms is different though. It is truly one of the game's best features. Normally, I'm not a music man. I like to turn up the gunfire and voices and footsteps, and leave music much lower. In Metal Arms, that is not the case. When making me sound setting, I put sounds at 1/3rd and Music at full - and then I crank my TV up to 30. Normally I play on 15.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><b><span style='color:yellow'>The Graphic Effect</span></b></span>
In a nutshell, Metal Arms has wonderful graphics. The character models are sharp, detailed, and clearly defined. The animations are very smooth. Active lighting and shadows abound, and smoke & water effects are rendered in beautiful detail. Plus, all of this is at a constantly butter-smooth 60 FPS.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><b><span style='color:yellow'>For the Kids?</span></b></span>
While not for everyone, Metal Arms is a game almost anyone age 7 or 8+ could play. There aren't any adult themes, nor anything obscene. All swear words are *bleeped* out, but that actually adds to game. There is gore - if you count smoking, burning wreckage gore. (Still, standing over that wreckage with it burning does give you a viscerally pleasing thrill.) Other than that, Metal Arms is fine for everyone.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><b><span style='color:yellow'>The Verdict</span></b></span>
All in all, Metal Arms is a great game. If you have a console (XboX, PS2, GC) go and buy it. With it's great gameplay, graphics, sound and sense of humor, there is no way I could give Metal arms anything less than 5 out of 5.
Ok, on to the big review...
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><b><span style='color:yellow'>Introdution to Metal Arms</span></b></span>
Metal Arms takes place on the world of IronStar. It is a planet populated entirely by a race of robots, called the Droids. They are a peaceful folk and live by mining IronStar for valuable ore, and their civilization flourished. Untill, of course, the bad guy steps in. Using radical new concepts of droid construction, the beloved Dr. Exavolt created a new type of droid, unlike any other droid.
When powered up, the new droid stood and uttered four words that changed IronStar forever: "I am <a href='http://www.metalarms.com/ma_files/media/corrosive_concept_art.html' target='_blank'>General Corrosive</a>."
Then something went wrong.
An explosion rocked the lab where Dr. Exavolt was working. Nothing was found of either the new droid or Dr. Exavolt.
Using his advanced AI, General Corrosive had no trouble taking over a manufacturing plant and modifying it to create his own race: the Mils. The Mils plunged IronStar into war, easily crushing any resistance. It appeared that IronStar was lost... untill the courageous <a href='http://www.metalarms.com/ma_files/media/colonel_alloy_concept_art.html' target='_blank'>Colonel Alloy</a> led his brave band of droids into the fight against General Corrosive. This is where you come in.
Meet <a href='http://www.metalarms.com/ma_files/media/glitch_concept_art.html' target='_blank'>Glitch</a>. After being discovered in a ruin, your memory banks fried, you are taken to Droid Town - the home of the resistance. And there your fight begins...
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><b><span style='color:yellow'>Gameplay</b></span></span>
Metal Arms is a third-person shooter. You spend the game looking over Glitch's shoulder, blasting any and all things Mil - and you have a variety of weapons, gadgets, vehicles and tactics to do the job with. You have two weapons selected at one time - a primary weapon (usually a gun) and a secondary weapon, like grenades. They can be used simultaneously to tackle many enemies at once, and some - such as the scope - can be used together with devastating results.
As you progress in the game, enemies get tougher - but so do you. One of my main gripes with Halo was how your character never changes. In Metal Arms, that is far from the case. Not only can you expand your life bar from 1 energy cell to 6 cells, or upgrade your servos for faster reloading, many of your weapons can be upgraded as well. Unlike weapon upgrades in most other games, an upgrade doesn't just boost damage - it can change how the weapon functions completely.
Two big pluses that Metal Arms has is it's length, and it's difficulty. With over 40 missions, all of them unique, Metal Arms will keep you entertained for hours. Throw in multiplayer mayhem, and you have a game that you can play for long, long time. Metal Arms has 4 difficulty settings to play the single player on. Easy is just that - easy. Aside from falling into water or running into a trio of titans, you probably won't be killed. Normal is a bit tougher, requiring a bit more skill; Hard requires lots of skill, good luck, and excellent aim. And if you have the required cast-iron cojones, you can prove yourself on the Nuts of Steel difficulty level.
<span style='font-size:11pt;line-height:100%'><b><span style='color:orange'>Guns, Ammo, and things that go Boom.</b></span></span>
Completing Metal Arms will require power - FIREPOWER! Amongst some of the many weapons you have:
The Small Projectile Emitter Weapon - or SPEW - is your basic machine gun. With upgrades, it can be used effectively against most of the enemies in the game.
Level 1 - The basic SPEW has a 60 round clip, keeps 300 rounds in reserve, and is fairly inaccurate.
Level 2 - The SPEW now has a 70-round clip and 400 reserve shells. Also, it's much more accurate.
Level 3 - The elite SPEW has a new multibarrel design, a massive 100-round clip, and 500 rounds in reserve. It also is very accurate.
The Rivet Gun is a tool modified to fire steel-piercing arrows at hig speed. It has a 5-round clip, and is extreemly accurate. Combined with the scope, it is the closest thing to a sniper rifle the game has.
Level 1 - The Rivet gun fires standard arrows.
Level 2 - The arrows now have an explosive head, and blow up a few seconds after hitting something.
Level 3 - The arrows are now chargeable. Holding down the firing button after shooting causes the arrow to become superheated. Release the trigger to cause a detonation much like a rocket.
The Slingshot - File this under "Don't laugh. It works." The slingshot lets you fire secondary weapons (grenades, EMP bombs, etc.) much more accurately and further than regular throwing.
<span style='font-size:11pt;line-height:100%'><b><span style='color:orange'>Vehicular Manslaughter</b></span></span>
One of the best parts of Metal Arms is the vehicles. A couple resemble those in Halo - the tank and the RAT.
The tank can be a tricky thing to controll - you have to get used to controlling it's direction with one thumbstick and aiming it's cannon or machinegun with the other. When mastered however, you have much greater mobility than the Halo tank.
The RAT - Rapid Armored Transport - is a Mil assault vehicle that is designed to go anywhere and shoot anything with it's 20mm depleted-vorium chaingun. It can carry 3 droids - a gunner, driver and passenger. You can roll it, but you don't need to get out to flip it back over. It's also very fast - expect some timed missions when you hop in.
The Loader is a hovercraft originally designed for moving cargo. It has two weapons: a machinegun, and it's special attack - a massive claw. Using the claw, you can grab small enemies and throw them into any hazard you want - water, lava, toxic waste, gunfire from your friends, bottomless pits - whatever's handy. Plus, it handles exactly like you would expect a hovercraft to behave.
<span style='font-size:11pt;line-height:100%'><b><span style='color:orange'>Control, Control - You Must Learn Control!</b></span></span>
Metal Arms has one insanely cool feature - jacking. When you pick up the Control Tether from Krunk, you gain the ability to jack almost any Mil you come across. What is jacking? Sneak up behind a Mil and shoot his dataport with the control tether. You then have total control of that Mil. Have him open that Mil-only door, shoot Mils at no risk to yourself (also saves ammo!), or grab a vehicle and cause chaos. Do what you want.
There are two other ways to control Mils. A recruiter grenade permanently changes most enemies into permanent allies. They will move out on their own and target any mils they come across. Also, there are control stations where you can - from the safety of an invincible shield - make certain mils do your bidding.
<span style='font-size:11pt;line-height:100%'><b><span style='color:orange'>Places to Go, Things to Shoot. Mostly things to Shoot.</b></span></span>
There are numerous enemies in Metal Arms - different types of Mils that range from cannon fodder to hulking masses of metal.
<a href='http://www.metalarms.com/ma_files/media/grunt_concept_art.html' target='_blank'>The Grunt</a> is the basic mil ground unit. Cheap, weak, and easily made, they can still be trouble in packs. They even come in fruity flavors - their weapons determine how they are colored. Grunts with SPEWs are red, those with Rivet guns are black, etc.
<a href='http://www.metalarms.com/ma_files/media/elite_guard_concept_art.html' target='_blank'>Elites</a> are the second largest Mil. They carry a massive axe that can fire a shotgun-like blast of energy. They can be devastating.
<a href='http://www.metalarms.com/ma_files/media/jump_trooper_concept_art.html' target='_blank'>The Jump Trooper</a> is the fastest enemy you will face. They have jetpacks that let them jump to great hights, and then let them come swooping down on their target with their massive claw arms. Throw in the fact that they carry two heavy plasma rifles, and you have a fearsome opponent.
<a href='http://www.metalarms.com/ma_files/media/titan_concept_art.html' target='_blank'>The Titan</a> is the ultimate Mil unit - it's size and bulk making it a weapon in it's own right. Carrying two massive chainguns and sporting a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher, it can cause massive devastation in seconds, and can take a hell of a beating.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><b><span style='color:yellow'>The Sound Factor</span></b></span>
Metal Arms is a pure joy two listen to. The voice acting is amazingly well made - each unit and character sounding clear and exactly how you would respect a robot to sound. Grunts panic and scream when fired on, troopers yell "Locked on target!", and a Titan rumbles out messages in a voice that will cause you to shake in your boots. Other noises are fairly standard. Gunfire, lasers, explosions are all excellent and clearly audible.
The music in Metal Arms is different though. It is truly one of the game's best features. Normally, I'm not a music man. I like to turn up the gunfire and voices and footsteps, and leave music much lower. In Metal Arms, that is not the case. When making me sound setting, I put sounds at 1/3rd and Music at full - and then I crank my TV up to 30. Normally I play on 15.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><b><span style='color:yellow'>The Graphic Effect</span></b></span>
In a nutshell, Metal Arms has wonderful graphics. The character models are sharp, detailed, and clearly defined. The animations are very smooth. Active lighting and shadows abound, and smoke & water effects are rendered in beautiful detail. Plus, all of this is at a constantly butter-smooth 60 FPS.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><b><span style='color:yellow'>For the Kids?</span></b></span>
While not for everyone, Metal Arms is a game almost anyone age 7 or 8+ could play. There aren't any adult themes, nor anything obscene. All swear words are *bleeped* out, but that actually adds to game. There is gore - if you count smoking, burning wreckage gore. (Still, standing over that wreckage with it burning does give you a viscerally pleasing thrill.) Other than that, Metal Arms is fine for everyone.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><b><span style='color:yellow'>The Verdict</span></b></span>
All in all, Metal Arms is a great game. If you have a console (XboX, PS2, GC) go and buy it. With it's great gameplay, graphics, sound and sense of humor, there is no way I could give Metal arms anything less than 5 out of 5.
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