Metal Arms: Glitch In The System - PS2
Posted by Morphine Jim on March 04, 2005

You may have heard of this title, you may not have. I'm willing to bet not, and even if you have, you most likely haven't played it. This is a shame. It's a shame because Metal Arms: Glitch In The System was and still is one fine bloody shooter, and one of the best cult releases you'd be likely to find. It's funny, it's furious and it's fun as fukken fuckmonkeys. Any action gamer should have this thing. Don't believe me? I reviewed it you idiot so read my review you idiot yes you idiot I mean you.

Metal Arms is a highly intense third person shooter that epitomises chaos and makes robot-on-robot genocide fun again. You take on the role of Glitch, an ancient robot brought back to life by a rebel droid faction on the planet of Iron Star. Droids are forced to live under the harsh rule of General Corrosive, a nasty robotic bastard, and his army, The Milbots. As the newest recruit of the Droid Rebellion, it's your job to take on the Milbot forces and bring freedom back to the droids. Ain't that special?

One misconception you could easily make about this game is that it's for children. The rather hackneyed plot, the cute looking hero and the presentation of the game give off the impression that it's aimed at kids. But after watching the opening intro and after five minutes of playing, you'll be convinced otherwise. First off, the dialogue is certainly nothing you'd find in an edition of Teletubbies. One of the first characters we're introduced to can't go one whole sentence without swearing, and the bleeps over his profanities leave little to the imagination. It's like Jenna Jameson covering her nipples with a thimble. Then there's the gameplay. Chaotic, hugely exaggerated violence and above all, an incredibly unforgiving difficulty make this game one for the big boys.

Put short- don't judge a book by it's cover- chances are you are going to love this game.

For any gamer who hasn't felt like they've been challenged for a long time, Metal Arms is a Godsend. A frustrating Godsend at times, but one that is rewarding and intense. Believe me, there are some very nasty levels in this game that will take some real patience and retries before victory is yours. However, the sheer satisfaction when one finally completes that difficult mission is like virtual crack.

But there's a lot more satisfaction to be found than just through completion. From the immensely entertaining cutscenes to the thrilling and addictive shooting action, this game really is designed to make you beam with joy.

There is a huge scope for violence here, with a respectable arsenal of weaponry to choose from, a surprising bonus being that every weapon is useful. There's the scatter blaster, which blows Milbots to pieces up close, the rivet gun, which pierces your hapless foes with exploding arrows, and my personal favourite, the ripper, which can be used to slowly take your enemy apart, limb by limb. All the weapons can be upgraded to have extra features and be even more powerful- Lordy knows- you're gonna need all the help you can get.

Shooting has never been so much anarchic fun. Constantly on the move, you're main task is to blast your way to the end of a level (naturally) taking on a small army, and believe me, at times it'll definitely feel like it. Every level really is action packed and engaging, full of explosions, limb shredding and metallic screams of pain. There are some instances of this game where you'll be in awe of the craziness onscreen, and moments where you can't help but think "oh fuck" as a huge, lumbering great bastard of a robot stomps it's way out from behind a door.

And through it all, there's this game never seems to take itself seriously. The whole game has a look and feel that's fresh and funny, and through every adrenaline pumping battle, there's something to smile about. The Milbots, for example, have to rank among the most funny and charming enemies of all times. When they have the advantage, they crassly heckle you, hurling insults and cheering. When you're kicking their asses, they scream for mercy, running to and fro and begging not to be shot, even getting caught in friendly fire and yelling at their comrades. The violence and metallic brutality, too, is delightfully tongue-in-cheek and fun. Milbots can be torn to pieces in whatever limb order possible, sometimes nothing but a ragdoll, scurrying about with it's body limp and lifeless. Decapitated Mils run like headless chickens, blasting off weapons instinctively while others can be forced to hop on one leg, suffer the embarresment of losing both arms or, of course, being blown into a thousand pieces.

And if all this wasn't fun enough, there are a selection of other distractions to be found in the game, the best of all being possession. Using a tether gun, you can catch the enemy unawares and tap into their system, taking over their body to do with as you wish. Incredibly conveniant at times, as well as being a heck of a lot of fun, you can take over the body of nearly every enemy in the game, each with their own assortment of weaponry and uses. I have to say, there's nothing quite as satisfying as nabbing one of those bastards and turning them on their comrades.

Then of course, you have a variety of vehicles to aid you in your missions, from mining skimmers to big, fuck-off tanks. There are even a couple of levels dedicated to the R.A.T, in which you have to race across a track in a time limit. While aesthetically very pleasing, the R.A.T is a swerving great lummox of a vehicle with the kind of handling you'd expect to see only in a drunkard's Robin Reliant. I hate those levels so much. Fun for a while, but they seriously need to improve their racing missions.

Even when not steering the C.R.A.P, playing takes some getting used to as Glitch plays how he looks; very clunky, but you will get used to it pretty quick. I was terrible at controlling him at first as precision is hard and he clomps about just like a millenia old robot should, but now I wonder how I ever struggled. That's the way this game plays; loose and twitchy. At first it feels detrimental, but give it a while and it starts to feel great.

THEN there are a couple of levels where you play as some Droid friends, such as Hosed, the giant, pipe swinging brute that really makes you feel great after levels of being trashed by Mils and Zombiebots, who are now nothing more than ants in your path. Add to this a fun mulitplayer option with plenty of levels, and you've got an "Eff You See Kaying" great game.

To the graphics. Let me kick off by saying they look great. The whole style of this game is one I love. An almost Burton-esque world where everything is skewed and angular. It looks like a World made by robots, and it's pulled off quite impressively.

Levels are expansive and detailed, with some wonderful lighting effects in places, and a lot of grimy, dirty surroundings, really emphasising the wartorn planet life. The characters, of course, look splendid and each one has a lot of personality shining through, from the clunking grunts and droids, to the sleek Predators and the lumbering Titans.

Of course, this is Playstation 2, and it seems no PS2 title can do much without slowdown nowadays. Sadly, Metal Arms is no exception. It doesn't happen very much, thankfully, and the dip in framerate isn't very glaring, but it is there. Being multiplatform, there are two other versions out there better than Sony's one.

Soundwise, no complaints again. Sounds are very impactful and you really feel like you've hit something. Your feet clunk on the ground with every step, explosions are neat and the voice is just magnificent. From the offensive Krunk to the eccentric Doctor Exavalt, the casting is superb and complete with a classic tinny effect on all the voices. The mad German Milbots and the evangalistic allied Mil you'll encounter late in the game are Godly. Glitch could be considered the weakest voice, with his deadpan delivery, but it works well as he plays the straight man to the bizzarre bunch of nutbags and killing machines that jabber madly at him. Musically, the heavy sound and fast beat suits the action down to a tee. Again, of course, no complaints.

The Good

-A huge campaign mode, more levels than you can shake a stick at.

-Intense, adrenaline pumping action.

-Very funny and witty, exudes charm.

-Addictive with a fun mulitplayer

-Stuff to unlock

-Great looking and sounding.

The Bad

-So unforgiving. Oh... so unforgiving

-Badly controlled vehicle missions

And The Screwy

Metal Arms is a game that's really delivered. It's gonna be a big cult favourite, but sadly, it's been obscured by bigger releases and may be a too easily forgotten gem. Yes, at times, it's very hard. The first boss, for example, throws not only a challenge that requires a time limit, a very, very good aim and the ability to take on the most annoying enemies in the game, but also has a boss running around after you. Fun. You will, however, not find a finer challenge for you. If you like shooters, you need this game. If you're indifferent to the genre, try it anyway. At least for a rent. I recommend this game so much.

I rate thee:

95%