Metal Arms: Glitch In The System Review

Swingin’ Ape Studios did a great job to make use of these weapons and controlling Glitch as easy as possible. Primary weapons are utilized with R and changed with X. Secondary ones are used with L and changed with B. Then you have your simple analog movement, C Stick aiming, Y button for actions and A for jumping. It couldn’t be simpler, and that’s how it is controlling Glitch. The only aggravation you may experience during your adventure is Glitch’s jumping wasn’t exactly implemented well. If you are standing still, it’s incredibly difficult to make him go forward when you jump. You almost always have to get some kind of stepping or running start to get the good jump you need. This can be annoying, especially if you’re trying to evade enemy fire or reach certain platforms.

Other than that, Metal Arms is very fun to play. It’s a good thing too, because there are 42 total missions in this game. That’s a huge number for any game this generation, and something Swingin’ Ape took a huge risk in doing. There’s not a big problem with it, just with slight repetition. Every mission has you pretty much just blowing everything up to get through it, and it can get old after a while if you’re an easily bored gamer. But hey, what gamer doesn’t like just randomly blowing stuff up in a game, it relieves stress right? This is especially great for the game’s many multiplayer modes. You have your standard deathmatches, King of the Hill scenarios and even a unique one which utilizes only the control tether. It does utilize four player split screen, and if everyone is comfortable with the controls, there is fun to be had. You can utilize all the in-game weapons and gadgets, as well as the always entertaining vehicles.

Metal Arms is also a great sounding game. The music is truly perfect for its presentation, and the special effects were done exceptionally well. Whether it’s the action-oriented and techno themed music, great voice acting or satisfying weapon effects, Metal Arms has it all. The music isn’t exactly different all the time, but it was composed very well and can easily make you bop your head up and down. The tempo does increase during dramatic fights though, and it can really help get you going. It’s especially suspenseful at times when encountering some of the game’s more brutal enemies. A Mil Titan is not something to be taken lightly, and the music lets you know that pretty quickly.

The voice acting was done very well, and virtually all the major plot characters have dialogue. Glitch is one that takes orders, but not without sarcasm. Colonel Alloy is your stereotypical hardened military commander who lays down the line. Krunk is one of those “I’m always mad at something” type of guys, as he pretty much never has anything nice to say. But deep down he is a good, kind hearted fellow who will give you the assistance you need.

Surprisingly though, the Mil army is rather hilarious when you hear them. You would think an army led by the cruncher of metal himself in Corrosive would have lots of attitude. Well some of the Mil army members do, but they’re only the more challenging one. The main guys called Grunts will seriously scream like women and run around like wussies when you do heavy damage to them. It’s especially funny to sometimes hear them saying things like “Don’t shoot me! Shoot the droid!” But some members of the Mils like the ones who wield laser firing axes use intimidating lines like “You could at least put up a fight.” Whatever it is, the spoken dialogue in Metal Arms is great and will generally keep you entertained. Special effects that deal with weapons and explosions are pleasing as well. If you have a good sounding system for your tv, you will be treated to some good stuff. Explosions sound very realistic, and very dramatic. Your main weapons sound great too, as your spew weapon sounds like a real gattling gun on the third upgrade and your scatter blaster has a “pump-action shotgun” feel to it.

Not many games this generation have a lot of replay value to them, but Metal Arms truly differs from that group. There isn’t exactly a whole lot to do secrets wise, but there are 140 some secret chips to find in the game’s 42 main missions. These unlock any of the 14 multiplayer battle arenas, but thankfully you don’t even need half that number to get most of them. If you want the best or more elaborate arenas, you have to find them all, and they’re quite well hidden throughout the levels. So not only do you have that in terms of replaying previous missions, but you have the multiplayer experience as well. If you have friends who are willing to play this unique game with you, there’s another easy multiple hours of more play time. The game is very entertaining for anyone willing to give it a chance, so it’s definitely worth having it to play over the years.

Metal Arms: Glitch In The System may have its flaws (no pun intended), but it’s certainly no Windows operating system (pun intended). Unlike any of them, this game actually works, and it provides countless hours of fun along with it. It is very unfortunate the game went unnoticed by most, because it has more merits than most of the crap we’ve been fed this generation. Yes Ubisoft, Nintendo, Capcom, Namco and others can make games, but Swingin’ Ape could be considered just as talented. Their efforts deserved better reward, and it’s saddening it didn’t turn out that way. Perhaps after they are finished with StarCraft: Ghost, they may consider expanding the story upon the open ending of Metal Arms. If you desire a great sci-fi shooting game with lots of atmosphere, comedy and uniqueness, Metal Arms can grab you easily.