Cheap Robot Alchemic Drive (Video Games) (PlayStation2) Price

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Customer Reviews of Robot Alchemic Drive

In R.A.D. you assume the role of a young "hero" who is called upon to pilot a "giant robot" to save the world from an invasion of alien "giant robots." You begin with simple training exercises, and proceed through missions that gradually increase in difficulty as you master the controls of your robot and use funds earned from defeating other robots to increase the abilities of your machine.

First, I will touch on what is bad about this game. The voice-overs are terrible. I am tempted to say they were done tongue-in-cheek to remind those of my generation of the terrible voice acting we saw in giant robot cartoons (Tranzor Z anyone?), but there is nothing to indicate that this is supposed to be funny. If the dialog were more over-the-top, as in Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee, that would be fine. As it is, it is just poorly done and very amateurish.

Another bad part is the constant interferance of plot elements into the game's action scenes. Nothing is more irritating when trying to move your hero or robot and you get stuck half-way through because an annoying pop-up box shows up to "keep you informed" on what is happening in the game. Bad idea. Keep the pop-up, but don't let it pause the action...

Finally, and most annoying, is that there is NO way to skip over plot scenes or FMV pieces. The best you can do is hold down START to speed them up, but even so, this is extremely irritating.

Having said that, once you get into the action, this game is incredible! The blurb on the box basically tells you that you will feel like you are in the game, and they are right. The sense of being in (partial) control of a gigantic, cumbersome, giant robot is very convincing. The control scheme, complicated as it is, is what drives this sense -- you basically use the L and R buttons to move your robot, the D-pad to move its torso, the analog sticks to move the respective arms, and the buttons for energy/projectile attacks and changing forms (which most giant robots do, of course...).

Another great innovation is that the robot is controlled from your hero's perspective, not from a first or third-person view. This adds the elements of manuevering your hero to a good position to control the robot, while having to worry about getting stomped on yourself!

The end result is a control scheme that is the best I have ever seen for any given game. It is a near-perfect match of simulation and arcade style play.

The actual action scenes are varied in scope, and provide numerous challenges other than beating your opponent. Choice of battleground and weaponry is important, because one wrong step and you have crushed civilians (or your hero), ruined buildings, and so on. Plot elements are affected as well -- destroy your friend Nanao's workplace, and her lifestyle deteriorates accordingly while she hunts for new work.

In conclusion, While the dialog and story elements can be irritating, I base my rating on the "Fun" factor of the game. I highly recommend this game for anyone who enjoys giant robots, mecha, or action games. Gameplay is fun and challenging, with high replay value. Two players can also go head-to-head to see who is the best robot driver.

Can't wait for a sequel!

The Ultimate MECH-ROMP!!
Don't listen to the other review whatever you do, becuase if you do you would have missed out on the greatest mech game yet. The game as you probably know is just plain revolutionary. It uses the analog sticks to control the arms, and the L and R Buttons to control the legs, while giving you the perspective of the young man or woman that you play. There are three Mecha Robots, each with alternate modes, and as a bonus you can also play Almost every other monster etc. after you have beaten it. The game did have some uneven diffuculty, but if you are of the elite mecha robot fans, you will take to the controls after a few missions. Being able to skip the cinemas and transmissions would have been nice, but you may fast-forward. The voice-acting and dialogue is mostly horrible, but it was done to capture the Japanese dubbing of The older Japanese Giant-Robot films. The graphics for people and mechs are great, the mechs are the best I have seen in a game, EAT THAT X BOX j/k however the surroundings could have used some work as they look sort of plain sometimes and the tries are a little pop-uppy, but it's all good. I love this game, I did from the first play of the demo at Sam Goody, buy this game, love the game, love it for it's flaws and pros. Do it for yourself or one you love!!!

Frustratingly fun
I've played a LOT of games, and have always found that the best games are the ones that make me so mad that I throw my controller across the room and smash it to pieces. I've repaired more controllers than I can count. However, R.A.D. makes me want to throw my controller for a different reason. Just as mention in the other reviews, the plot and mid-fight conversations are not only mind-numbing, but frustrating to no end. But to make it even worse, the voice actors are monotone, making the story even less interesting, and irritating to sit through (when forced to). One character in particular (Mika Banhara) is voiced by a Japanese woman, that basically screams monotone Engrish. It shatters the ears. My conclusion is that the actors were given a list of 1 to 10 word phrases to say, with no idea what they were talking about, and it came out all sorts of wrong. Characters screaming in agony can sound like a sigh of relief. The character Ellen falls victim to this constantly. The picture of the character will be blushing happily, while the voice actor is screaming angrily.

Besides all that stuff though, the game is a HUGE step forward in Mech games. I bought it expecting it to be something like Rampage for the Sega Master System. And the controls seemed intimidating at first. I've played all the levels, and still don't have complete control, but it's still a blast. the walking can get frustrating, and you really gotta be coordinated to navigate tight city streets. But the real cornerstone of this game is the Arm control. The anolog sticks provide control that takes very little thought. Whatever way you move the sticks is the way the arms move (to a degree). You can't to ANYTHING you want, but the difference between an uppercut and a jab don't require any real thought. And as you progress you learn mroe powerful moves than can toss an enemy into the stratosphere. My favorite moves are the ones that send enemys flying backward through 5 buildings.

A lot fo people compare this game to Voltron, but I think it's much more like Power Rangers. The similarity to past Zords and monsters is undeniable. The characters move almost the same way as well. Sometimes fights end too fast though. I could sit there all day pummeling the same alien.

Tons of fun to play, once you get through the plot. EXCELLENT 2 player mode.