The name D3Publisher will likely be synonymous with some of you, particularly those that have built a hardcore following behind the company’s Earth Defense Force ventures. And while we wait so patiently for the next chapter to come in March, we have another game to pass the time – Custom Mech Wars.
Not as silly as the Force games, Mech does, at the very least, offer imminent destruction with robots, as you take on adversaries across a variety of stages. Along the way, you’ll open up customization and have the option to take others online.
While there is some fun to be had – especially with the option of building the ultimate killing machine – Custom Mech Wars does come up slightly short when it comes to long-term enjoyment. When the game needs to up the ante, it instead stays its course. It’s not bad, by any means, but it could’ve used sprucing up on the level of its EDF kin.
Night of the Comet
In the game, a comet that’s making its way to work has people scrambling for survival. But little do they realize just what kind of havoc it wreaks when its passing makes the working G-Mech units go wild. Sounds like something out of Maximum Overdrive, doesn’t it?
It’s up to you to take your own modified G-Mech units and fight back, in an effort to keep Earth safe while trying to figure out what’s happening with the comet.
The good news is that the game has customization galore, with the ability to swap out parts, as well as weapons, to make yourself look and perform better. You can even modify a cannon for a head, if you feel the need to.
Then you can take them for a test drive across various stages. The good news is that the game plays very well when it comes to tracking and blasting enemies, and there’s a decent amount of city destruction here, though not nearly on the level of any given EDFgame.
Yet, the bad news is that the challenge really never steps up. The game does have its moments, but doesn’t deliver as it goes on. It’s just rinse and repeat, and for a game that’s built around massive robot destruction, it shouldn’t feel like that.
There is online co-op support, but the options seem pretty sparse at this point – especially compared to the massive audience that most Gundam games seem to still get.
For fans of the genre, there is fun to be had here. But I just wish the developer trusted itself and rolled the dice, just like those lunatics that produce the EDF games. By comparison, Custom Mech Wars seems to come up a bit short.
This Robot Could Look Less Rusty
Another aspect of Custom Mech Wars that comes up short is presentation. While the robot animations are nice and some of the enemy structures are somewhat cool, the environments are kind of bland. Cities don’t have any extraordinary detail (nor towering skyscrapers to blast to bits, er, I mean “accidentally” hit), and mountain sides aren’t as shimmering as they could be.
At the very least, however, the explosions look good, and the game does move at a somewhat smooth clip – except when you go online, then it gets a bit stuttery. Hopefully a patch can fix that.
Fortunately, the audio makes up for it a little bit. While the music is generally average (like something you’d find in your standard anime), the sound effects pack a wallop. Plus the Japanese dialogue is definitely cornball territory – though we wouldn’t mind an English dub to see how much cornier it could get. Hey, it worked for EDF.
A Decent Mech Affair, But Not Amazing
I was somewhat disappointed that Custom Mech Wars didn’t take more chances. It’s fun, suitable robot combat, but online doesn’t offer as much as I would have hoped; and there’s very little in terms of endgame content to drive you to see it to the finale.
The customization tools are excellent, and there’s fun to be had if you’re up for some mindless combat. But had the game embraced more of the corny roots that EDF has thrived upon, I think Custom Mech Wars could’ve been better.
But, hey, maybe this can build on to a better sequel, or perhaps even a crossover where you get to crush giant bugs and robots with your devastating mech. There’s always the future.
GAMERHUB RATING: 3 (out of 5) JOYSTICKS
(Thanks to D3Publisher for the review code!)
