Early in the Xbox's life cycle, Genki released a fun little robot-combat game called Phantom Crash. It earned itself a handful of fans, but didn't quite make the splash that the developer or publisher had hoped. Three years later and on another platform, Phantom Crash gives it another go, modified and renamed to Steel Lancer Arena International, or S.L.A.I. for short. S.L.A.I. maintains a lot of the same ideas from its predecessor--you start out as a cash-strapped but eager robot-jock looking to make a name for himself in the futuristic sport of "rumbling." You'll work your way up various ladders, earning cash to make more powerful mechs--or SVs as they're known in this game--with the ultimate goal of being the top-ranked rumbler in the world. S.L.A.I.'s fast-paced combat and accessible controls, combined with a lengthy story mode, make it one of the more enjoyable robot-combat games in recent memory.
S.L.A.I.'s story puts you in the year 2071. The new extreme sport taking the world by storm is "rumbling," or remote control combat with giant robots. The sport has seven major hubs around the world in major cities, like Hong Kong, Las Vegas, Cairo, and New York City. Each area has its own arena, and its own set of class rankings and ladders. The top rumblers from each city then take each other on in scheduled tournaments to determine the top pilot in the world. Your job is to make it to the top of each of the ladders in the seven cities, and then become the world's greatest rumbler. The characters you meet along the way, both pilots and artificial intelligence, provide a surprising amount of flavor and personality to the story.
Early in the Xbox's life cycle, Genki released a fun little robot-combat game called Phantom Crash. It earned itself a handful of fans, but didn't quite make the splash that the developer or publisher had hoped. Three years later and on another platform, Phantom Crash gives it another go, modified and renamed to Steel Lancer Arena International, or S.L.A.I. for short. S.L.A.I. maintains a lot of the same ideas from its predecessor--you start out as a cash-strapped but eager robot-jock looking to make a name for himself in the futuristic sport of "rumbling." You'll work your way up various ladders, earning cash to make more powerful mechs--or SVs as they're known in this game--with the ultimate goal of being the top-ranked rumbler in the world. S.L.A.I.'s fast-paced combat and accessible controls, combined with a lengthy story mode, make it one of the more enjoyable robot-combat games in recent memory.
S.L.A.I.'s story puts you in the year 2071. The new extreme sport taking the world by storm is "rumbling," or remote control combat with giant robots. The sport has seven major hubs around the world in major cities, like Hong Kong, Las Vegas, Cairo, and New York City. Each area has its own arena, and its own set of class rankings and ladders. The top rumblers from each city then take each other on in scheduled tournaments to determine the top pilot in the world. Your job is to make it to the top of each of the ladders in the seven cities, and then become the world's greatest rumbler. The characters you meet along the way, both pilots and artificial intelligence, provide a surprising amount of flavor and personality to the story.
