Metal Arms: Glitch in the System

Swingin' Ape makes an impressive debut with this sci-fi shooter.

Flying in under the radar, this massive third-person shooter from newcomer Swingin? Ape Studios features an epic scope, boffo production, great controls, and thoroughly enjoyable gameplay propelled by a somewhat clich?-ridden yet ingratiatingly humorous story.

As a heavily armed mechanical mite named Glitch, you wage a one-?bot war against a militaristic dictatorship led by General Corrosive. At the regime?s disposal are legions of scrap-iron zombies, tower-sized titanium troopers, and military grunts that you vie against using machine guns, flamethrowers, rocket launchers, and spinning saw blades while collecting washers that are used to buy fenced weapons and upgrades from black-market barter ?bots. You can also use the droid army?s strength against itself by hijacking turrets, tanks, and hovercrafts and, coolest of all, by hacking into enemy robots and using them to attack foes or infiltrate areas inaccessible to Glitch.

Chicken, Fight Like a Robot!
Though the platform and puzzle elements woven into the action-laden fabric add depth, the hopping, key-fetching, and lever-pulling are kept to a minimum and never cause the game to lose its momentum. Immense levels, colorful character designs, first-rate animation, and an impressive amount of visual effects are boosted by impeccable, detailed sound design. You couldn?t ask for a more intuitive, logically mapped-out control scheme, which will feel like second nature to anybody who?s played a console first-person shooter.

Machine Head
An impressive debut from Swingin? Ape (which features some of the talent behind Hydro Thunder), Metal Arms: Glitch in the System also features a kick-ass multiplayer mode. The game may not add much new to the shooter genre, but still, it's super-solid for what it is.

Also on the PlayStation 2 and GameCube

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