Customer Reviews

Robot Arena: Design and Destroy

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have been an avid viewer of such shows as Battlebots, Robot Wars, and Robotica for the past few years. I have researched the sport, and know enough that I could build a robot if I had enough money to do so. I was one of the first to buy Robot Arena 1 almost two years ago. That game was not so great. I bought RA1 because I wanted to experience building and fighting robots. Once I played it, I realized it was not going to be what I expected. Robot Arena 2 though, is a whole different story. This game is simply amazing. The botlab is as close to real life as you can get. You start off drawing a base plate for your chassis, then extrude it and change the shape. Once done with that, you can add motors, batteries, or whatever you want. Unlike other robot games where you simply click how many motors you want, in this one you can place them anywhere in the chassis. You can raise them, rotate them, or stick them outside the chassis on extenders, whatever you want. Once you have mobility down, why not add a weapon? No pre-defined weapon spots here, you can put them wherever and however you want. Want a hammer? Get a burst motor, stick an arm on it, with a hammer at the end. Want a disc? Put in a z-tek motor with a disc component on it with some weapons at the ends, and you're done. There are endless possibilities, and that's not all. Once you wire it up how you want, you can go fight it. The game play is stunning. The chassis can deform, and parts can go flying off. They don't just disappear once they come off either, they become actual physics objects that you can get high centered on as in real life. When you chop an opponent's wheel off, or when a spinner's hammer goes flying causing it to go off balance and pull a "mauler," it really gets your heart pumping. Online play requires a high speed modem, but unlike RA1, you don't need IP addresses anymore. Just create a game and wait, or tell your friend to join and use a password. The game has so many features, I could not possibly put them all here. I haven't even mentioned the chassis painting, the possibility for walking robots, the large amount of original AI robots, or the in-game tourney system. All I can say is get this game now, you won't regret it ;-)

I've played for ages, but now I'll make sure the stock goes down with the truth.

The Truth is:
This game kicks ass
You can mod it (big time - DSL TC 1.0/1.1/1.2 - little time - small mods)
You can mod it yourself (Like I am)
The workshop may need the advanced function for rounded/straight + rounded/proper triangle shapes like Chaos 2 and Dominator 2.
The carnage is awsome but needs armour piercing, and breaking - not just denting

5/5
RyanRulez,
Member of RA2 Communities

Simply Put, This Game Is The Best Game Ever. There Are Virtually No Flaws, Once You Download The Patch. What Makes It Even Better Is The Fact That People Can Create Their Own Custom AI, Components, Skins, Wheels, Bodies, And Arenas. This Is Truly The Best Game Ever. 'Nuff Said.

I had the original Robot Arena, it was an OK game but was easily mastered. This, Robot Arena 2, is the perfect game for anyone who wants to build a custom robot to fight against others. The physics are realistic(until a glitch happens...and they DO happen) and the only reason I took one star away is that you are limited by weight...so your "dream bot" may not actually be realized due to this restriction...a few of my ideas were.
WARNING: Newer NVIDIA based graphics cards will need to install a patch BEFORE this game will be playable.

This game is like the first Robot Arena. I have seen the first Robot Arena's reviews and I can agree. This one is even better. This game has new arenas. Making a robot [is not a bad thing] anymore. You can have a two wheel robot. There is also an arena that you can hit cones, go over ramps, and do other things in the practice arena. Heres something eles you can spry paint your robot. In the first Robot Arena you could be one color. But now you can have any colors you want. But before you do any of that, you can make the shape you want your robot to be.You can score points when you fight. The kinds fights you do are one on one,table match,and more. There are 5 total.There is one more thing you might I say you might get to do spiltscreen. What that means is you can fight at the same time and use the same keyboard. I don't know for sure. .

You can definitely mod the game, and that is what makes it so great. Aceuplink (it's a webiste, hint hint, wink wink, try and guess the extension) has tons of mods in the forums. The new DSL mod will comlpetely change the game, and make it into Robot Arena 3 for all intensive purposes. We are adding real life motors and batteries and probably quadrupling the components. Also, new arenas, new game types, new user interface, new AI (based off real life robots).

PS-The game is awesome, closest thing you'll probably ever find to real life robot combat.

The "quality/price ratio", as I like to call it, is incredible on this game. You can design and customize your robots to fine detail.

You start by building a chassis (bot shape); then you add battery packs, motors, tires, weapons, and other gadgets; you then specify the controls for your new robot;followed by a custom paint job and textures (complete with brushed metal and scratches).

After testing your bot to make sure you programmed it correctly, you can put it in an arena with up to four other bots (computerized or humans via LAN or Internet) and endure massive carnage.

The battle physics are incredibly lifelike. My favorite aspect is the damage you can inflict. A good hit to the armor of an enemy bot with a sledge hammer will create a very believable dent, possibly breaking off their weapon or one of their wheels.

If you've ever seen those battle bot TV shows... Robot Arena: Design and Destroy is very close to the real thing. I gave it four stars only because you cannot expand on the game with mods. Unless, of course, I'm mistaken.

This game is not like the other games out there, it actually allows you to build your own robot without using default chassis. (You can edit pre-made chassis though).The fact that you can design the chassis using a grid is amazing. And you don't have to worry about money when building the robots.

P.S.: I had no problems playing it on my computers. I have one with Windows 2000, and one with Windows XP.

Please ignore the review by barbre ("Windows killer"), as it is filled with misinformation and, quite frankly, stupidity.

I will address the rest to barbre him/herself...

About the sound card - If you had cared or had the intelligence to look more carefully, you would have checked the master volume controls, and seen that Wave is muted. No need to uninstall your sound card and "let plug and play find it".
Your comment about DirectX ("I should have known better...") is one of the dumbest things I have heard in a long time - "Oh no, version 9 is newer than 8.1, so 8.1 will surely destroy my computer!" - and given the fact you're running the abominable, sickening, eye-candy-filled terrible excuse for an operating system called Windows XP, I must come to the conclusion you are, indeed, of very little brainpower.

So, everyone: Do ignore that review until Amazon (hopefully) deletes it.

(Oh, and the game is great. 5 stars easily.)

This is much improved over it's predecessor. Many more options, your bots are really customizable now! The lost point is due to AI that is a little easy, and the fact that it can be really tricky to get a bot that is perfectly aligned so the wheels drive right.