User:Kaitoyuuki/sandbox

Custom Robo N64 preparation

Statement of Notability

reception and sales

It was released December 8, 1999 only in Japan, with a suggested retail price of 6,800 yen.

Design

Custom Robo is targeted at young boys in Japan who enjoy playing with action figures and toy models. NOISE, the developers of the game, say that their inspiration was the childhood fantasy of being able to become the action figure and play out battles. From this idea, the Custom Robos within the game were designed to be similar to real life Japanese model toys, with interchangeable parts and bodies able to move and pose with a limited degree of rotation. The many weapons and parts obtainable throughout the game have a variety of themes from frogs to beetles to sharks, animals that a young boy may play with or find to be appealing. The game seems to focus on friendly rivalries between the characters, and the main character usually befriends the opponent at the end of the battle in some way or another.

Plot

On your birthday, you receive a Custom Robo called Ray. You quickly go off to find opponents to battle in order to collect as many parts as possible and become a Custom Robo Master. Winning battles rewards you with money and custom robo parts.

Gameplay

The player moves around through various scenes and settings, interacting with other characters to gain information or engage in combat. At the start of a battle, the player changes the direction of a cannon that launches the robot into the Holosseum, or arena. If the robot does not land right side up, the player must quickly press buttons to attempt to right themselves. Once the robots have been launched onto the arena, they must fight using a variety of different weapons. The robot's arsenal includes guns, bombs, pods, and the ability to rocket punch. The robot also has a jetpack which allows for dashing to avoid enemy attacks. During battle, the endurance bar will decrease for each action performed. Once the bar runs out, the robot will become downed and unable to move. Once the robot recovers, it enters rebirth mode and will experience a brief period of invincibility. If the player wins a battle, they will usually receive a new robot part from their opponent, allowing for customization. Rather than receiving the parts directly, the player must go to one of several parts machines to pick up the new part. The goal of the story mode is to defeat all of the other Robos and collect all of the parts. Any part that the player collects in story mode can then be used in versus mode to customize your robot and battle against friends. Others can bring their own Custom Robos to battle on your Nintendo 64 using a Nintendo 64 Memory Pack.

Reviews

In the reviews on Custom Robo from gamespot and IGN they talk about many of the game's features. Both mention that it is easy to control and responds well, and IGN states that the game's drive for the player to adapt to controlling each new weapon adds to its value.Both reviewers make remarks about the odd graphic styles of the game, while Gamespot takes particular notice of the music. Gamespot reviewer James Mielke says that it has "some of the coolest, clanky big-robot sound effects ever heard in a game," but described the soundtrack as "Often sounding completely out of place with the action is a score that seems better suited to a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus atmosphere than a hi-tech game of robo combat."

Pop Culture References/Sequels

• The sequel to Custom Robo, Custom Robo V2, directly continues the storyline of Custom Robo.
• Custom Robo GX (Gameboy Advance)
• Custom Robo Battle Revolution (Nintendo Gamecube)
• Custom Robo Arena (Nintendo DS)
• The Ray and several other robos make an appearance in Smash Bros. Melee
• The Ray makes an appearance as a sticker in Smash Bros. Brawl, while one of his successors makes an appearance as an assist trophy

sources

"NINTENDO64." Nintendo. Nintendo, n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2012. <http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/index.html>.

"Custom Robo." Nintendo. NOISE/Nintendo, n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2012. <http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_ncxj/index.html>.

The official index of games released in Japan for the Nintendo 64 and official website for Custom Robo. These two sources include information on the release date, suggested retail price, officially listed genre, supported peripheral devices, plot, characters, game-play, game mechanics, and settings of the game. The official site goes into detail about the story of the game, as well as including a small amount of information about the inspiration for the game's creation. A multitude of screenshots and other pictures are included in reference to descriptions and explanations of various aspects of the game. One of the pages on the official website includes an in-depth plot summary and goals for each chapter within the game. The content of these websites, while self-published, is confirmed by several popular game review websites (IGN, Gamefaqs, etc) and includes more in-depth versions of the information that is summarized on the review websites. Nintendo is a reputable international game company, and NOISE is well known for the custom robo series as well as a number of other games.

Bouldin, Aaron. "Custom Robo (Import)." IGN. IGN Entertainment, 4 Apr. 2000. Web. 28 Sept. 2012. <http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/04/05/custom-robo-import>.

IGN's official review of the game by one of their official reviewers. Gives a description of the game with comparisons to games of similar natures in respect to certain aspects, as well as a general description of the game overall. Includes a basic plot summary with details on controls, game-play, various mechanisms within the game, as well as describing the original intended audience for the game. Overall, a much easier to understand english version of the information included in the official website summarized into a single article with reviews on each aspect of the game included throughout the article.

IGN is a well-known source for reviews on popular games from around the world with both official ratings and reviews of games and content submitted by a vast user base.